San Jose, CA Lost Female Cat, Nala Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Angela S.

2 days ago

TIPS TO HELP FIND YOUR LOST CAT: - Check the house thoroughly as they sometimes hide in the house in unexpected places. -Check underneath your cars, in the car engine area, wheel wells and around the bumpers. -Ask neighbors around you to check garages and sheds as they can sneak in undetected. -See if your neighbors can leave their garages and sheds open for a few hours. Your cat may not come out right away once the doors are open. This is because when cats are in survival mode, they don't always act normal. Your cat may be scared to come out when others are around. - Put a piece of your unwashed clothing outside the last door he/she exited the house from and leave that door open at night so that they can get back inside. - Hang flyers with his/her picture and post all over your neighborhood & surrounding areas. - Take the flyers door to door asking if anyone has seen him/her. -Walk your neighborhood especially at night calling his/her name and listening as he/she may be hiding in the bushes or under something. - Take a flyer to the shelter. - Put a sign in your yard with his/her picture stating he/she is missing. - Check the shelters in person. - Review shelter's found reports. - File a lost report with the shelters. Indoor only cats and limited outdoor access cats never go far. They go into survival mode and hide in silence. They will not always respond to you, most do not. Between midnight to 5am are ideal times to find a missing indoor only cat. 3 AM is the best time to find a cat as this is the time they become most active and responsive. ***DO NOT leave litter box outside, it can attract predators and aggressive Tom cats.*** Place some recently worn socks or shirts outside your home, & especially around the point the cat exited the house from. Your scent will attract your kitty. Leave a way for your cat to get back inside 24/7: If you have a garage, place your recently worn clothing items or shoes near the garage door and crack the door enough for the cat to get back in. If your cat exited a window, leave the window open for your cat to get back inside. Because indoor only cats hide so well they are not as likely to be ed by a predator. Don't give up, it can take weeks 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 the eyes. Calmly call your cat. Make mini flyers and hand them out to your neighbors. Most people don't pay attention to posted flyers. It's VERY important that you look for the cat as late at night as you can. If you have other cats, watch them. If they are spending a lot of time looking out a certain window, that’s a good indication the missing cat is in that area. Wildlife and motion activated cameras are also helpful. After several days, you may want to leave some wet food just inside of the door as well. Kibble tends to attract raccoons so it's not recommended. If you get a camera that is pointed at the door, you can see if your cat is coming to feed at night. One lady's indoor only cat was missing for 3 weeks and it was coming to eat the food but was too scared to come inside. She didn't know that it was coming back to the house until she got a camera. She had to get a trap to get the cat back inside. If you decide to trap, make sure that you do not leave the trap unattended as doing so makes the cat very vulnerable to being attacked by predators. Sending prayers for your cat's swift and speedy return. 💕🙏💕

Angela S.

2 days ago

The best thing to do is to talk to your neighbors during the day to see if they have seen your cat. People can miss your posts on social media. See if your neighbors can leave their garages and sheds open for a few hours. Your cat may not come out right away once the doors are opened. This is because when cats are in survival mode, they may not act normal. Your cat may be scared to come out when others are around. You can also print mini flyers and attach them to your neighbors doors if they are not home. You can use painter's tape so that it is easy for the homeowner to remove. You can also put the flyers in your neighbor's mailboxes. Also, post on Nextdoor to alert neighbors. You will have the best chance to find your cat tonight from 11 pm onward. Use a flashlight and calmly call your cat. Best wishes! 🙏

Angela S.

2 days ago

This website has fantastic tips for locating missing cats from a woman experienced in cat rescue as well as templates for missing cat flyers. 🐱 ✅Go to top of page where it says, "Click here for Important Tips on how to find your Lost Cat." www.happycatlady.com

Christina F.

3 days ago

For Nala’s people: Please read the advice shared on the Missing Animal Response Network. They have a page specific to lost cat behavior. https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-cat-behavior/ If you have not already, visit neighboring homes and ask them to look into their garages and outbuildings, checking multiple times while sitting patiently, and quietly. Cats get scared when in strange places and won't necessarily bolt for the door when it is opened, and might not even run to a familiar person if they happen to be present. Also, post flyers - don't rely upon everyone having access to on-line posts. Check every logical and illogical place your cat may have gotten into on your property, to name just a couple: cabinets/drawers — high and low; in garages/bats/sheds. Don’t forget to check in with local vets and animal shelters. Some have had success with placing a humane trap in their backyard - luring kitty in with a serving of their regular food; also with leaving clothing/blankets with your and/or their scent. If you have not already, post to Pawboost and/or Nextdoor. Each has their own audience and can be highly effective. Finally, for any reading this, please keep a bowl of water (ideally freshened every 2-3 days) in your garages/outbuildings for those instances when a neighborhood critter happens to find themselves trapped. Good luck, I hope to read a positive update on Nala soon!

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