Cats can be mischievous creatures that love to explore their surroundings. But it can become concerned when they do not come back on time. This means that they have got lost which is one of every pet owner’s worst nightmares. The best thing to do is to stay calm and follow these steps to (hopefully) help find your beloved feline.
1. Make a Lost Cat Poster
The first thing you should do is to let the neighborhood and passers-by know that there is a pet cat missing. You should make a lost cat poster which must include the following:
- A recent photo of the cat (preferably in color)
- A reward of sorts
- Your contact details (phone number)
It is short and big to grab as much attention as fast as possible. You should not only be targeting people on the sidewalks, but people who are driving in the streets.
2. Post Your ‘Lost Cat’ Sign in These Places
Once you have made the “lost cat poster”, copy it as many times as you can and paste them around the neighborhood. Good places to put up these posters can be the local vets, animal control centers and animal rescue centers.
You may even stick them on lamp posts on the sides of the road. Restaurants can also be good places to target since cats do need to eat and would go to the nearest place that has tasty food.
3. Contact Microchip Company
If you have a microchip for your cat, then you should inform the microchip company to make sure your information is up-to-date. There could be a chance that when your cat has found the person would connect the microchip company.
4. Visit Shelters to Search
Animal shelters tend to find and take in a lot of stray and missing pets on a daily basis. So, you should pop into the shelters every day to see if your cat has turned up. Keep in mind, that these shelters have many volunteers, and workers, so it would be a good idea to speak to every person there, to let them know that your cat has lost.
Many animal shelters also have websites where people post about finding pets. But, do not narrow your search down to the breed that your cat is because there could be a chance that the person who found them may not know the exact breed that your cat is.
5. Create a Facebook Post
Social media is an effective way to get your message out there. You would be essential making a digital “lost cat poster” where your online friends can be on the lookout for them as well as other pet lovers that would hate to be in the same boat as you.
You should post in Facebook groups that have their focus on finding lost pets or letting other people know that lost pets have been found such as Paw Maw to name a few.
6. Set a Humane Trap
Once you have spread the word online and, in the streets, now would be a good time to think about setting a humane trap to lure your cat back home. Ask your vet for help in this regard.
Once the trap is ready you can line the sides with towels that have either your scent on them or your cat’s scent. Place soft, food such as tuna and bowel of water inside the trap.
The humane trap should be set up either in front or the back of your house with enough space behind it that you can get to in order to check if your cat got caught. Check the trap regularly at night and make sure that you do not draw attention when you do so. If you do manage to trap your cat you would not want to scare them away with sudden movements.
However, if you see that you have accidentally caught other animals then you should let them out. Just makes sure that you are behind the trap when you let them out.
7. Don’t Give Up
Pets can be lost for days, weeks, months or even years, but do not give up the search. They may turn up eventually.
8. Stay Positive about Your Missing Cat
This last point links to the previous one in that you should not give up hope. Cats can be resourceful and are able to look after themselves. Plus, with time they could make their way home. Do not expect the worst to happen and keep positive thoughts in your mind while searching.
Conclusion
Looking for a missing pet can be emotionally difficult, but keep at it and do not quit. With these above steps, hopefully you and your pet will be together again soon.
