Any ideas on how to look for a lost cat?

Question

My cat accidently got out last Saturday and we still haven't found him/he hasn't came home...I am starting to think someone probably picked him up....I'm not sure but I need some ideas on what to do!Please!any help is appreciated!Thank's!:)

Answer 1

Hi there... while physically searching daily, post lost cat posters. Don't just put the posters on your street; post them at the entrance of your neighbourhood and in places people frequent. Community mailboxes are also a good place to post your lost cat poster. People often recognize a lost cat poster when they see one. Although it's important for your poster to be marked with "LOST CAT," it could be more important to emphasize your cat's color. Keep the information simple. Someone who might have found your cat doesn't need to know your cat's gender or whether it is spayed or neutered. Name, breed and colour are really the only things that someone needs to know when looking for a lost cat. Provide your contact information on the poster; provide your phone number, but not your name or address.

- Be sure to call your local veterinary offices and animal emergency clinics to see if anyone has brought in a lost cat. Give them information about your lost cat and take them a poster if you can.

- Be sure to visit your local animal control, humane societies, and animal shelters to look for your lost cat. It's quite possible that your pet could end up there and describing your cat over the phone isn't enough to find out of he has been taken in. Again, leave a lost cat poster at these locations so employees can contact you should your cat show up.

- Be sure to check the newspaper's and online classifieds such as Petfinder http://www.petfinder.com and your local Craiglist http://www.craigslist.org Lost & found section for Found Pets. These ads change daily, so you should check them every day. If your local newspaper has a web site, see if you can search these listings online.

Don't give up as this could take up to several months.

Here are a couple websites that list out even more pet searching tips for lost pets:
http://www.sonic.net/~pauline/search.html
http://www.missingpet.net/advice/index.html

Answer 2

1. Hang flyer's ASAP. It doesn't matter if you do not have a picture of your cat. You can either put a description or find a picture on the internet that looks like your cat. To ensure that your flyer is noticed in bold lettering write "CASH REWARD", but do not state an amount.
2. Look for your cat at night. During the day lost cats tend to stay hidden because of all the noise, which scares them. At night, when there are not as many people around it is more quiet so your lost kitty will feel safer and won't be to afraid to emerge from it's hiding place.
3. When you are looking for your kitty wait a few minutes after calling it's name and try to be as quiet as possible during those few minutes. The cat will not come to you instantly after hearing you. It's traumatized, so it will approach you slowly. If you stay quiet it will allow you to hear it meowing. If the kitty is trapped you will need to hear that meow.
4. Take the box of hard food with you while you search shake it every now and then. Your cat may respond to that especially since it's gonna be hungry.
5. Finally, light a blue candle, write down your kitty's name on a piece of paper and lay it in front or around the candle. Get it's food and water dishes and place them next to the candle also.
You can also put one of it's favorite toys by the blue candle as well.

Good luck and I hope you find your kitty!

Answer 3

Make the calls, place an ad, and in the meantime, put his litterbox on the porch, if you have one. If not, put it outside your door. Cats can smell their litter from two miles away. Even if he didn't leave anything in the litterbox before he got out, as long as you haven't disinfected it, there is a smell he can pick out, even if you smell nothing. That has been the beacon home for many a lost cat.

Also, check with your local streets/roads department. Sad to say, your cat may have gotten hit by a passing car. In those cases, around here anyway, a call to city hall brings people out to pick the poor dead thing off the streets.

Answer 4

He may just be hiding nearby, too scared to come out. Try leaving an open can of cat food or tuna outside your door and keep an eye on it.

I lost a cat once, as it was arriving at my house for the very first time, so it had no idea where it was at. I searched for weeks and put posters everywhere with a picture. Finally one day someone called and said they had seen the cat living underneath a house under construction, one block away. I had walked past it, and called her name dozens of times.

I say search in every dark hiding place you can find in a two block radius of your house and put up posters.

Good luck!

Answer 5

Unaltered male cats ( those that aren't fixed ) can travel up to 10 miles looking for a female in heat. Females don't usually go as far, but will go looking for a male. I've had cats that are fixed get out and still take up to a week to come home.

Most of the other suggestions are good ones. I'd follow through on flyers, checking with local shelters and the neighbors.

I had one years ago get inside my car and didn't jump out when I drove off until I got across town and stopped then he got out. We found him 2 years later at the vet getting fixed(again) when we took our new kittens to get fixed....lol

Answer 6

Sorry about your kitty. If I was in your shoes I would start by going to all the local animal shelters and leave a photo or descrip of your cat in case it gets picked up, so they can contact you. Then I would make Lost signs and hang them in local grocery stores and popular places near you. I love my cat alot so I would even go as far as knocking on doors around my home to see if she was seen. If I was you I would consider having a chip put in the cats back in case this happens again. Its no bigger than a hair and is totally painless to your pet. If she runs out again a shelter can scan her and contact you right away. Best of luck

Answer 7

Our Jake ran out of the house last fall. An indoor cat, he did not know the neighborhood.

The next evening he was still missing:

I put his dinner on the back deck, maybe he'd fnd that familiar smell.
I hung my sweaty martial arts uniform outside. If he was downwind of the house he might be able to recognise my scent.
I stood on the back deck and called his name.
An hour later I found him 2 houses away. I don't know where he was the previous day, but maybe he did get almost all the way home.

Answer 8

Go to all the shelters in your area everyday.
Bring 2 photos with you. One to give the attendants so they can look in the "employees only" areas, the second to put in the "lost and found" binder with all your contact information.
Offer a reward. My friend's dog was missing for a week, she changed the flyers to offer a reward and got the dog back within the hour!! She asked the guy if he was just going to keep her dog, and he shrugged her off.
Put flyers up at elementary schools and churches. Little kids are more observant than adults and church folk are more likely to help you.
Good luck.

Answer 9

1. Check all your local animal shelters in person. Make sure to go yourself as your description of the cat may not be the same as the volunteer's.
2. Post lost pet flyers, pictures included as possible.
3. Call your newspapers and place lost pet ads. A lot of papers allow this for free.
4. Go to petfinder.com and go to classifieds. Place a lost pet ad. It's free.

Good luck.

Answer 10

Knock on neighbors doors and ask if they have seen him. Put up flyers in the neighborhood. Go to the animal shelter and check to see if he is there. Place a lost cat ad in the local newspaper. they will usually run one for free. Good luck. Hope you find him.