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What to do when you lose a cat

90K views 106 replies 80 participants last post by  JoanneF 
#1 · (Edited)
Have been requested to make a sticky about this topic, will start with Kelly-joy's post. Apologies for using it as a quote, if I can I will put the original one here, it may take some time though so please be patient with me. Wanted to do the thread to get the ball rolling on this for you all :)

I found the information helpful to me when one of my ragdolls was stolen a couple of years back. I did get him back so don't lose hope.

Advice if you have lost your cat:-

Here are a few things to try:

1. Posters, Posters, Posters with picture and details with contact number.....hand out to neighbours and anyone you see. Put up in local shops, pubs and supermarkets. Stick to all local lamp posts. (If it rains go and collect them and replace however it's best to put posters in plastic wallets so if it rains they don't go all soggy - the neighbours and council don’t mind you putting them up so much that way). Also put one in your and friends cars - it amazing how many people see them this way. Make smaller flyers and push through every letterbox on your streets and the surrounding area. It is a good idea to offer a reward … of course this doesn’t have to be money … a box of cho-colates or a bunch of flowers is just as good.

2. Knock on doors and ask neighbours to check their sheds and garages WHILE YOU WAIT … it's surprising how many people say they will check but as soon as the door is closed they forget. Knock on 10 doors either side of your house on both sides of the street.

3. Check to see if there are any empty buildings for sale in the area. If there are it is worth checking with the estate agent in case they have shown someone round and shut the cat in. Also it is worth checking places where there may be builders in refurbishing a property in case the cat has got under the floorboards or in a cavity wall etc.

4. Look our for any abandoned vehicles, empty or semi-empty skips in case the cat has got in and can't get out.

5. Contact / check any community buildings where functions are held such as church halls, community halls etc. - in case your cat could be shut in a cupboard or toilet.

Please NOTE: The only authorised people who can break into a building if no one can be found to open it are the RSPCA but they are
not always co-operative. Even the police and fire brigade need RSPCA permission.

6. Register him lost at all vets/catteries/rescue homes within a 20mile radius. Follow the link and click on the map to find rescues in your area Cat Rescue Shelters, Adoption Centres and Rehoming Groups across the UK

7. Leave food out and a toy of his.

8. Leave out an unwashed item of your clothing.

9. Put the contents of your hoover bag on your garden - it’s full of smells that they will recognise and if doesn’t bring him directly to your door will at least hopefully keep him in the area. Alternatively if you have a litter tray that has used put some of the used litter on the garden as this will have familiar smells in it.

10. Contact the local fire brigade and see if they have had to rescue any stuck cats.

11. Ask the local children to look - they are great for knowing all the local hidey-holes and love helping. Also have a word with your local post-person and milk man if there is one that delivers in your area. Also try and enlist the help of people walking dogs as they tend to go “off road” in the fields and parks.

12. Ask the local radio station to announce he’s missing and give out a contact number

13. Put an advert in the local paper

14. Contact your local environmental services dept (bin men) they keep a log of all animals picked on the roadside ... I know this is not a pleasant call to make and hopefully it will come back as negative.

15. Go out after dark when it is quieter with a friend / partner and walk round the local area gently calling every so often (give him a chance to answer you). Keep talking as you walk round that way if he is in the area he will hear you.

16. When you talk to vets and rescues, ask them about any known local feral colonies and where they are based. If Kitty has been missing for more than a few days s/he might have wandered further afield and might be “hanging round” near a colony for security (safety in numbers) and company. If vets/rescues know locations of colonies, these might be useful to get some ideas of where to start looking.

17. If you have Pet Insurance check your policy to see if they will assist with advertising costs or reward costs for a lost cat. Some policies cover as much as £1000 of local advertising and upto £500 reward.

18. Email the lost poster to all the people you know who live in the area and ask them to forward to others they know. This is a quick way to get your poster circulated.

19. IMPORTANT - if your pet is microchipped contact your chipping company straight away and let them know your pet is missing and check all your details are uptodate and correct. This will ensure that if found you are reunited with your little one as quickly as possible.

20. Use the local groups for your area that are on social networks (facebook / bebo / myspace / etc). Local politicians, sports clubs, etc. all have Facebook presences.

21. Try downloading a "meow" ringtone to your phone and when you are walking round play the ringtone .... you may find you start to attract lots a feline friends so please be very careful if you are near roads ... cats and cars are not a good mix. Ringtone here: Download free meow ringtones for your mobile phone - by relevance | Zedge

Finally have a look at these other sites - they are all EXCELLENT

MyMoggy.com Lost Cats, Missing Cats and Found Cats of the UK. contact Sue at mymoggy.

Missing Pets Register - Protect your pet with the UK National Missing Pets Database for lost pet search

soyouhavelostyourcat.co.uk

http://www.petsearchuk.co.uk/lost_and_found_pets.php

A Missing Pet, found cats and found dogs and lost pets advertised.

Welcome to Animal Search UK - The UKs Leading Search Service and FREE Website for missing pets

Pet Rescue UK Promotes an adopt don't breed policy

LOST MY CAT - FOUND CATS HOMELESS DATABASE NATIONAL REGISTER

LOST & FOUND PETS

Found and lost pets!

petsmiles.com: Found

http://www.reportlostpets.co.uk/

Also don't forget to check ad websites, such as.....

Free Ads & Online Classifieds, Buy & Sell Classified Ads in United Kingdom | Friday-Ad.co.uk

Free Local Classifieds ads with images | Ad Trader UK Classifieds

Freeads.co.uk - Classified ads , place Free Ads

Classifieds.co.uk - classified adverts, place classified adverts

and also your local rescue shelter/s websites too!

Good luck and stay positive.

Hopefully your little one has just got itself shut in a shed somewhere.

And finally ……. IMPORTANT NOTE: When you get your furbabe back remember to remove ALL the posters and inform all vets / rescues / websites etc that they are home.
 
#7 ·
All the above stuff is good advice.
I've actually found a cat, or perhaps I should say he has found me.
I've been feeding him since January. I put the word out in the neighbourhood that I had him, also asked the postman and put a card in the local shops. No-one knows where he has come from.
I did get a lady call to see if he was her cat who had gone missing 12 months ago. He wasn't, but as you can see you should never give up hope.
 
#9 ·
The best advice I can give is follow all the steps listed above but NEVER give p hope. Even when you feel at your lowest and tears are in your eyes please believe me when I say anything is possible.

Your friends at petforums.co.uk will also be so helpful and kind during times of need!

Lisa
 
#10 ·
Great advice... I will def using your ideas. My three year old cat went missing last week and we are really worried about him. We recently moved and we planned on keeping him in for at least six weeks like our vet recommended but we had some workmen in who let him out by accident... However he did return after an hour. But then a few days later he broke the cat flap and gotagain but again returned. My husband then boxed the catflap in but last week one nite he broke through obviously being such an outdoor cat he couldnt stand it and this time has not returned.
He is chipped and all the neighbours know he's missing but I can't stand not knowing where he is.He really is an amazing little thing and is so good with the children
Thank you for great ideas
 
#16 ·
One of my cats has been missing for 2 weeks - all possible sightings have been on the other side of a busy road, the other 3 directions from my house are fine, but ...she picked that one!
She is microchipped and my council waste providers scan any....well, you know - so at least I know its not that

Ive tried most of the first post - some impeded by my other cat & neighbours cats.

There was another suggestion of putting food out at night with a baby moniter in case they are too freaked to return in normal hours - i've been doing this. I left a blanket under to catch stray hairs - all have been the wrong colour

i found some interesting tips on behaviour from

Recovery Tips: Lost Cat Behavior | Missing Pet Partnership

may help someone else too

sorry this is so long!
if anyone has advice on helping my other cat cope i'd love to hear it. shes lost confidence and become really clingy - cried when i put rubbish out.
 
#17 ·
Never give up! We lost Shoo (12 1/2 at the time) in January 2009 and I was frantic. I looked EVERYwhere. Put up posters. Rang doorbells. Went to shelter 2-3 times a week. Checked websites on lost/found cats several times a day. Put flyers in every mailbox within 2 mile radius. No luck.

Know how we found him? We were walking through the neigborhood and turned the corner to see him sleeping on a neighbor's lawn! We called his name, he came right over to us. We walked him home to reunite him w/his friends and siblings. He was hungry and thin, but other than that, OK!

That was last July, a year and a half since he had been missing! Yes, we looked in the area before . . .it was only 4 blocks from home! Unbelieveable. He's doing great. . .back to his normal weight . . .and is indoor ONLY now. He doesnt even show a hint of wanting to go outside.

BTW, when we took him to the vet for his first homecoming checkup, he found two BBs imbeaded in his front leg. My guess is some idiot shot him, he got scared, took off and couldnt find his way back.

I should mention we think he hooked up with a feral cat colony in the area and there was a nice lady feeding them all. If you know a group of ferals or nice people who feed strays, check w/them! Cats go where there is food.
 
#18 ·
This is gonna sound like I'm taking the mick, but I'm really not: Pray to the Goddess. Be very specific (e.g. asking for your cat to be led to you within a specific amount of minutes/hours/days etc. (but be realistic, if your cat may be an hour's walk away, don't say "2 minutes") and be very polite. I have prayed to the Goddess 4 times before about my cat, and she has helped me 4 times in a row. Don't forget to thank her after she helps you.

The Goddess is known (amongst Wiccans anyway) for her association with animals.
 
#20 ·
I agree with other posters, never give up hope.

My mum had a cat who went missing for 4 months. She put loads of leaflets around and her cat was found living semi-feral on a farm.

I've had two cats who went missing at different times.
Barnie, I moved house and she got out after 3 weeks. I put up posters, called her and kept looking for her. I knew she had got disorientated and was trying to find her way home - it just wasn't like her to go missing. After 2 months we decided to plant a tree in the garden in her memory. I was beside myself with grief not knowing what had happened to her. That same day she turned up in the night, so hungry she didn't stop eating most of the night! The next day I got the vet to give her a health check (I paid extra to have him come to the house, I wasn't going to risk putting her in a carrier!). She had a few ear mites but otherwise fine.

Another story - we recently rescued 3 cats from the RSPCA. Holly, a very timid cat got out after 4 weeks (last Friday). I called her in and she got scared, jumped over a fence and ran off. She didn't come back when I called her but didn't think she could have gone far. This time I knew she wasn't disorientated but had got spooked and thought she was better off hiding outside than coming back in the house. I kept calling her for days and left food outside. No joy. I felt so bad I'd wanted to give a homeless cat a forever home and nice life but thought it wasn't to be. I put a litter tray that had been used outside the back door. I put some unwashed towels and pyjamas on the washing line. Anything to get scent from the house outside. On Thursday evening I was just about to put some posters up when I saw her in the garden. I called her and she ran off again. On of our other cats saw this and kept going to the bottom of the garden to see if she was there. The same thing happened yesterday morning. So I knew she was around but couldn't get her back in. Last night I left the back door open and fried some sausages on low heat and left the kitchen for a bit. She sneaked in and went upstairs! We've set up a sanctuary for her in the bedroom with food and a litter tray, she was nervous at first until we reassured her. Now she's loving the attention and fuss.

So my advice is to keep trying. Your cat may be hiding somewhere and only prowls around at dusk or at night. Keep asking neighbours, the chances are someone may have seen your cat. Shake the kibble box at night, the sound can be heard from further away when there's no traffic noise. Keep calling in the day even if they're hiding and too scared to come back they can hear your reassuring voice.

Nothing can prepare you for the pain you feel when your cat goes missing. It's the not knowing and the 'what ifs' that go through your mind all the time. I found it helped to talk about it with other sympathetic moggie lovers. People who don't have pets just don't understand. Try and take comfort in the fact that you're doing everything you possibly can.
Hope you have some good luck soon.
 
#21 ·
My cat has been missing now for a week:(:crying:
This isn't the first time he's been gone.. He has done 3days before. It's almost as if he has trouble realising his way home. Never had a cat that has done this on a regular basis before keep trying to tell him it's not Funny:(:(:frown5::frown2:
Putting more posters up tommorow & leaflets..
Never thought of ringing the bin men. I hope that gives a blank tomorrow too scary for words.
Keep thinking I hear him meow or his bell tinkle. Hopefully he will be home by morning then I won't have to make that call.
 
#22 ·
Great post and full of great advice. The only thing I'd add it to speak to local delivery people- say your local pizza delivery, cab firm etc. etc. remember these people are driving around all day, all week, at all times! They'll be using all kinds of roads you'd never travel yourself and going into residential areas you won't have access to. Even down alley ways and things you'd never think of. So give them a picture of your cat and your phone number and tell them to let you know!

x
 
#25 ·
Great advice... I will def using your ideas. My three year old cat went missing last week and we are really worried about him. We recently moved and we planned on keeping him in for at least six weeks like our vet recommended but we had some workmen in who let him out by accident... However he did return after an hour. But then a few days later he broke the cat flap and gotagain but again returned. My husband then boxed the catflap in but last week one nite he broke through obviously being such an outdoor cat he couldnt stand it and this time has not returned.
He is chipped and all the neighbours know he's missing but I can't stand not knowing where he is.He really is an amazing little thing and is so good with the children
Thank you for great ideas
Heya,

Don't worry too much about the whole 'six week' rule- we moved and our cats did the same they were desperate to get out and went out after only 2 days of moving (they had been in so long at the last place as we were near a road). They came back fine and they learnt where they live very quickly. When I go to my dad's as well, I let my cat out there because it's safe and they don't need an acclimatization period, they just know their way back. Your cat may have gone slightly further out than usual and it's possible it's lost so walk around when it's quiet calling him and shaking some cat biscuits. Even if he doesn't come back immediately it will help if you do this over a few days. One of our cats didn't come home for weeks on end after we got back from holiday (a neighbour had been feeding him at our house). I walked around calling him for a few days and he came home the next day after that. Just lets them know you're about and haven't left them.

I hope your sweetie is fine. It's possible as well that since you moved, a neighbour who has seen this 'new' cat might be feeding him, not sure where he came from. Does he have a collar? Put some posters about it's very helpful. I can't stress this enough- posters DO work.

Good luck! x
 
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