Grand Rapids, MI Lost Male Cat, Atlas Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Sharon B.

4 days ago

Shared

Arlene L.

5 days ago

Look at night with a flashlight while calling his name. Look especially under bushes and in neighbors yards garages and sheds. Look up in trees, Leave something outside with his scent on it like his bedding. Leave something outside with your scent on it like an unwashed piece of clothing. Leave out smelly cat food. Hang signs with his photo. Call and visit local shelters and veterinary offices. Good luck!🍀

Paul D.

5 days ago

Comprehensive Guide for Finding a Lost Cat Don’t believe pet detectives and drone search groups without research. Do not give any personal info to anyone. Do not give money before seeing your pet in person. Research reputable Search and Rescue Dog teams that have extra training in finding pets. (more below) like Dogs Finding Dogs in Maryland Behavior: Cats go into a fight or flight mode when outside, but usually stay within 50 yards. Your cat will typically hunker down very close to home. If you know where they got out, go the width of about2 1/2 houses looking for small places they can hide. Sheds, garages, wood piles under decks, small holes, and storm drains. Utilize Video doorbells yours and neighbors baby video monitors and trail cameras to see when your pet is coming home. They may or may not recognize their name or your face. They WILL recognize, sounds or smells: the sound of a food can opening, favorite toy, etc. Take a moment and think of all the sounds that perk up their ears and make them come running to you. Record them on your smart phone and play them when tracking. Indoor cats lost outside become active in the evening usually around 7pm-5am. The best times for you to actively search is between 11pm – 2am. If it is safe to do so, leave a door or window slightly open at night put food and water near the door, also place a video monitor near. Again only if it is safe for you to do this. NOTE - Get permission from your neighbors to look around their yards. Fliers: Posting fliers and posters can pose a problem for some communities please find out the laws in your area before posting. Putting fliers on or in mailboxes is also illegal. Your flier should be color and as accurate to the actual colors and description of your cat. Place your flier in plastic coverings and hang them with bright colored duct tape to catch the eye of people walking by. Post fliers everyplace you can within a mile of where your pet went missing. Place fliers at bus stops, dog walking paths, and any business that will let you in the area. Do not give your address or amount of reward; this will protect you a bit from scammers. Also leave a flyer with your Mailman, UPS, FedEx, Amazon and any other delivery drivers. Bus Drivers, Ice Cream trucks, local patrol cops, fire stations. Garbage & recycling guys too. Use Social Media is imperative; many lost and found groups have members who just match missing pets with found pets in trying to reunite families. File missing pet reports with all the animal control agencies in your area. Investigate if there are local Trap and Release and feeding groups in your area who may be willing to help. Check with shelters and vets as far away as 20 miles daily in person if you can. Sometimes the person finding your pet may live further away than your city. Feeding stations: This will help draw in your cat and verify that your cat is in the location. This is a large piece of cardboard with a thick layer of flour placed on top. In the center of the flour place food. Lay down feeding stations in several places to get your pet on a repeating path and keep them in the area. Check the stations often and look for foot prints and signs that the food has been eaten. Once you see foot prints in the flour you should have an idea where to trap. Scent Strips: Cut up some scent strips out of your old cloths or bed sheets etc. (one inch by three-inch strips) put them on the ground about 3 feet apart or so. (I wore a shirt for 5 days to make it smell as strong.) The smell on the strip can last 3-5 days. Cat Chum: Mix a gallon of water with 1-2 cans of tuna/sardines. DO NOT place your scent strips in your chum mix. When laying down scent lines it near the opening of the trap and run them in straight lines way from /feeding station/trap/home. Make these lines the safest way to traps or home avoiding roads and heavy pedestrian areas. You can and should use Scent strips and Cat Chum at the same time but keep them at least three or more feet apart when you lay them down. Tracking: Try to have someone with you to keep everyone else from checking out what you are doing and for safety. Take a flashlight (even during the day), look under bushes, decks, any place they could get their head into. They maybe in sheds behind garbage cans, in hollowed out trees and storm drains. Note: Cats have a floating collarbone that allows them to get there body into any space where their head can get through. Check under decks, sheds, in sheds, and garages, in trees and small tight dark places, even if you do not think your cat could get into it. Use a flashlight to shine eyes (this can cause them to just freeze in place) If you hear or see them REMAIN CALM sit down, make the sounds they recognize, call their name open and toss food. Most of all LET THEM COME TO YOU. It may take hours even if you are within 10 feet of each other. Trapping: Get humane traps and place them close to the house or tree lines with favorite foods. (Sardines Tuna, or greasy chicken). Place a trap close by hidden under something that smells like home or you. Ask Neighbors to only put out water NOT food. Let your cat find food in the traps. In the trap put down 2 pages of newspaper the width of the trap. Place one page from the back over the trip plate. Place the 2nd page behind the trip plate to the door. This prevents a smart cat from pulling all the food to them easily. This helps hid the fact that it is a trap. Lay small chunks of food and food oil to a larger portion of food at the back behind the trip plate. (No bowls) Cover the trap with tarp or a blanket that smells like home but leave both ends open so the smell of the food gets out. Ensure that the trip plate and door are clear of anything that will prevent the trap from being sprung. This is very important if you do not use the newspaper on the floor of the trap. Check the traps at least two times a day. Also if possible, hang dirty laundry out at night, sometimes your cat is able to smell their way home. Place at least one trap near your home, as your cat maybe coming home while you sleep. Use Video monitors and/or trail camera to monitor. Establish a pattern, walk between your traps and home. Do this as often as you can. Get your scent into the air. This helps keep your pet in the area and increases the chances of getting your pet into a trap. Avoid crossing roads, train tracks and dangerous areas. https://youtu.be/DtXyrD6w0bk and https://youtu.be/aL6kSPjrBbQ Making Cat Shelter: Get/use a small cat carrier that is just big enough for your cat. Place a blanket that smells like you outside and straw inside. Place the carrier under cover somewhere tight and dark if possible. Leave the door open. Place food and water a favorite toy just inside the door. When approaching the shelter do it slowly and from the front. If your cat is there sit down and let them come to you. Do not make sudden movements, let them build trust. Turn your body and lower your head look as non-threatening as possible. Toss treats to the side of you and NEVER CHASE OR YELL at them. Litter (last resort): Put the UNCLEANED litterbox outside. For Multi-cat homes take the litter, bag it, then place the litter out further away from your strips and chum. NOTE this should be a last resort, as this can draw in Tomcats, Strays, and in some cases Predators that may keep your cat from coming home even hurt your cat. This is a LAST RESORT option and should be monitored with video monitors or trail cameras. If you are seeing danger then pull the box right a way. This is a good basics video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2eCoC63B9I More free information - https://www.happycatlady.com/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2eCoC63B9I Your cat is looking for home keep that in mind, so draw them to home. Most of all NEVER GIVE UP

Gary S.

5 days ago

Check extremely good around your house and neighbors, shrubs, bushes, high grass, paper bags and trees, underneath porches and decks, outbuilding and garages, evening time when it’s quiet too, check all shelters in your county and animal control also.

📷 View photo on Facebook

5 days ago

bump for visibility leave your shoes outside

Marni S.

5 days ago

I hope you find him.

Coleen F.

5 days ago

📷 View photo on Facebook

Dianne J.

5 days ago

Shared 🙏

5 days ago

Looks a bit similar.

📷 View photo on Facebook

Jackie W.

5 days ago

Post some ads up around the area rewards always helps go out walking the neighborhood, knocking on doors ask your local neighbors to check their garages sheds under ducks under vehicles behind bushes go out several times during the day and several times late at night they are more active at night when it’s quiet outside go out with a flashlight shaking a treat bag calling for your cat. They are usually found within 5 to 10 houses from home they usually come home between the hours of 12 AM and 7 AM when it’s very quiet outside keep your eyes and ears open prayers keep a window open or a garage door open. Sometimes I come back home and try to get back into the house. Prayers post some ads on local Lost and Found pet sites. You can Google these in your area such as neighbors, next-door, and craigslist and for the love of. For the Love of Louie *Michigan Lost Pet Lookers* and paws Boost and Kent County lost and found pet sites. Check with local veterinarians check with local animal shelter and Humane Society. You must let them know you lost your cat just in case somebody finds it. You can also try putting your cats bed, blanket toys, and some of your dirty clothing from inside the house do not wash these items such as T-shirt, sweaters, blankets sheets, put these items out on your porch. Keep your eyes open animals have a great sense of smell change outside items every couple of days this works great for cats and dogs. This work for me and my cat several times over the years and just about five months ago my cat got out of the house. I put his bed out of my porch about midnight. I turned the porch light on looking for him. He was sleeping in his bed on my front porch this works great if it rains change outside items daily do not wash the items you put out on your porch. Keep your eyes and ears open day and night. Prayers I suggest when your cat gets back home, you get a AirTag a small dog leather collar a name tag with phone number and address you can purchase these three items from Amazon for around $40. If you’re gonna continue to let your cat be outside this is what I suggest you get that’s what I did for my cat now if he gets outside, I know where my cat is 24 seven there is lots of danger out there for cats, even though they wanna be outside try to encourage the cat to stay in the house prayers.

View Full Discussion on Facebook