How do i go about finding my lost cat?

Question

I'm minding a 1 1/2 year old male cat while my friend is working abroad. He was fine going out and coming back for about a week and half then went out last Monday morning and hasn't been back since. Have checked next door neighbours and the old house we all used to live in. Where do I go from here?

Answer 1

Check vets or pounds, wherever a stray cat might be taken.

Answer 2

That isn't a very long time for a cat that age; they often like to go "walkabout" in summer. I have known some cats come back after an absence of 3 to 6 months! But they were living in the mountains, where traffic was minimum and also they were not neutered.
Where does your friend live? (the owner of the cat). Have you looked around his house yet? This cat might just have decided to go home. (Or is that what you mean by "the old house we all used to live in"? In which case, sorry!)
Posters and asking around; phoning vets and also the companies that pick up road-kills (because they keep a record of where the animal was reported to be picked up and have their descriptions and the time etc.) All of it unpleasant, but better than doing nothing.
It is better to find out the worst before you ruin your own health by fretting.
Hopefully, he won't be a road kill. Hopefully he has moved in with someone who has no idea where he came from.
Do all the hard stuff first to see if there is hope or not; and then keep searching.
It is always a good idea to have a tag made with your phone number and slip it on your cat's collar - I was reunited with one of my favourites because he had my tel. no. He was about the same age, and was missing for over 6 months before someone phoned. I know this doesn't do much to help you now, but my point is that my cat ended up 30 km. away! How he got there we never did find out; cats are so curious; they will get into the back of lorries or into open small trucks and then have no way to come home.
I hope you find him!

Answer 3

I am sorry that the kitty has disappeared. Tom cats are bad about going out and being gone for a period of time. Put an ad in the paper or shopper, call the vets around town, call the radio station, call the humane society, and the city pound. If and when you get him back do not let him back out, so it doesn't happen again. It may come down to when anyone leaves the house the kitty may have to go into a carrier Good luck and I will pray for you and the kitty.

Answer 4

You can check with the local animal shelters, Animal Humane Society, put an ad in the paper describing the cat and location. If you state the animal has a medical condition that requires meds, the person that found him is more likely to return him (if this is the case). Also, you can put up flyers at highly frequented places (nearby stores, vet office).

Also the neighbor kids are a great source of information. If you have children nearby, offer a small reward if they recover the cat. Good luck!

Answer 5

One of my cats once disappeared and I only got him back because I delivered a 'Lost Cat' poster to all the houses in the area. Luckily one of the people I'd delivered the poster to rang me as a result to say that a black cat had jumped out of his van when he got to work. It seems my cat had got into the back of the van to have a sleep and had then been taken for a ride! I did get him back in the end, by going to this bloke's place of work 10 miles away and walking all around the area calling for my puss. I was so relieved when I heard his sad little mew and we were reunited.
Point being, don't stop with checking next-door neighbours, ask everyone in the area.

Answer 6

My cat was missing for about 16 days. I put up flyers with his description, picture and my contact information on it. If you mention a reward I read that it is best not to indicate the amount. I put them all over the area I live in, out to about a 2 mile radius, plus I found every vet, humane socety etc in the area and put his flyer up there as well. If he has a bed or anything he is attracted to you can put it outside. The smell may draw the cat in. I put out an old bean bag chair that he sleeps in plus a couple of my tshirts. I also combed the area shaking his food dish (he eats dry food) You could try to put out something like tuna or mackarel but you will have to watch it from a distance at night as it will also bring every other cat in the area in to dine. I had all but given up when some nice people called from a vet where they had brought my cat after finding him and saw my sign there. Best of luck to you.

Answer 7

Ask the RSPCA, PDSA, all the local vets in case they have had an injured cat taken in, also local animal refuges. Print of a load of posters with the cats description and your phone number and put them through doors and stick them on walls and trees. After this time, if he has been hit by a car he is unlikely to have survived unless someone is caring for him. Is he neutered?? Did he have a collar with your name and address on it? Is he microchipped?? Stick a poster on your own gate in case someone near you has seen him. Good Luck to both of you.

Answer 8

I wish people wouldn't let their cats out; so many things can happen to the cat. That said, you should: 1) post "have you seen my cat?" notices all over the neighborhood; 2) put an ad in local publications; 3) ask around; 4) search around the neighborhood yourself, call out his name. Hope this helps and that you find him.

Answer 9

Try putting up flyers in the area and ask the local radio to put out a message. Put the word out as much as possible, keep looking around the neighbourhood.

Answer 10

Before you start looking, pray for him to be safe and to come back. Usually works. Cats usually come back anyways. I'll pray for you and your cat. Good luck finding him!