Jessie S.
2 weeks ago
If you want to find your cat you need to look actively daily, time is of the essence. Indoor cats usually hide in one place and if they do come out it’s in the late night/early morning hours when dark and less activity - look for their glowing eyes. Bring dry food in a container and shake it, or a noisy toy they like. Look in bushes, under cars, garages, and any other hidden/hiding type of space. If your cat is indoor/outdoor, please keep them inside or in a catio! There is too many dangers outdoors for them from heat, cars, coyotes, to humans that hate/will harm them 😔
Advice from several experienced cat people.
1. Start search immediately. Indoor only cats and very limited outdoor access cats never go far. They go into survival mode and hide in silence. Most of them will not respond when they are in survival mode. Indoor/outdoor cats go further so you will need to search several blocks in all directions for them.
2. Once it is quiet and dark outside (late at night or early morning) is the best time to look. This is the time they become most active and responsive. Sit and quietly call for your kitty. Try to stay low, standing is intimidating to cats, walk slow. Take a friend and flashlight if walking several blocks, don't stop after a few days. Carry favorite food and something that smells like them.
3. Place some dirty socks, T-shirt and pillow cases outside. Your scent will attract your kitty. Do not leave litter box or cat items because it can attract other cats and predators. If you have a garage, place the items near the garage door and crack the door enough for her to get in. Also works if you have a door or window you can leave ajar without other pets getting out. If no garage, place items near doors.
4. Make a flyer (nothing fancy) to post at cluster mailboxes, vet offices, poles at intersections, pet stores, small neighbor markets...In addition to posted flyers, make mini flyers and put on ALL doorsteps in all directions. On flyer include PHOTO, offer REWARD (but you don't need to put amount), say do not try to pick up but call ANY hour. List 2 cell numbers if you can. Ask they to search garages, storage sheds, bushes...places a cat could hide. Include street and cross street where cat went missing. Some people don't pay attention to posted flyers so flyers on doorsteps are VERY important.
5. DO NOT leave food outside unsupervised, it can attract dogs, predators and other cats. If you can watch it, leave food outside by your door once it's quiet and dark it may help them come to food. Pick up food if you can't watch it or if it’s attracting other animals.
6. DON'T GIVE UP - it can take days/weeks/months to find a missing indoor only cat. Use a flashlight as late at night as you can to look in trees, under cars and in bushes. Try to look for the glow of their eyes. Take dry food in a container and shake it as you’re looking. Or a toy they like that makes noise. The best chance of you being reunited with your cat is to do a methodical search of the area and repeat daily. Most indoor only cats will be within 160 feet of your home but some have been found 2 blocks away. Not unusual for cat not to respond at first. (Knew someone whose cat didn't respond for 7 days and it was in the bushes near her home.)
8. If you have other cats, watch them. If they are spending a lot of time looking out a certain window or at the door, that’s a good indication the missing cat is in that area. Outdoor/motion activated cameras are also helpful.
10. A lot of people are successful trapping their indoor only cats. If you find but can’t capture your cat and decide to trap, you must watch the trap closely, predators can a cat in a trap or they can freak out and hurt themselves inside once trapped. Contact rescuers who TNR to borrow traps and show you how to use them.
11. Post missing cat signs in neighborhood, local online newspapers. Use social networking like Facebook (post to ALL lost/found/neighborhood/city pages and groups.) Also Twitter, Ring neighborhood app, Pawboost, Nextdoor. Ask everyone to share.
