Lost Cat

 

Your pet has gone missing, the most important thing that you need to do right now is not panic. You need to stay calm and begin taking steps towards finding your cat. This guide will help give you a clear plan for finding your cat and guide you through the things you need to do.

If your cat has gone missing in the Stratford area, check the found pets posted by The Humane Society of Kitchener Waterloo and Stratford Perth. Please also check the Lost and Found Pets of Stratford On facebook page. Other social media pages such as Stratford.Life frequently list lost pets (you’ll want to search the page for terms like ‘cat’, ‘kitten’, ‘kitty’ because the group is about many topics, not just lost pets.)

The odds are good that you will be reunited with your furry friend but you must act quickly, the majority of lost cats either return home or are found so it’s important to remain hopeful and continue your efforts to find your pet.


before your cat goes missing : precautionary steps

First let’s discuss some proactive steps that you can do to give your cat some security should it go missing. If you have not done these things, we strongly recommend doing them once you’ve found your cat.

  • take several close-up colour photographs of your cat – these photos will be valuable if your cat is ever lost

  • fit your cat with visible identification, such as a collar with tags

  • have your cat microchipped and registered with current contact information for formal identification


Steps to Finding Your Lost Cat

We are sure you are well aware of the dangers your cat can face outdoors, which is why it is important to act quickly and take a proactive approach to finding him / her. Do not wait! Don’t wait even one day hoping your cat will return – every step you take early on will increase your odds of finding your pet.

If at all possible, all of these steps should be done on the FIRST DAY that your cat has gone missing.

STEP 1 | Search In and Around Your Home

Cats who are ill, injured or scared are inclined to sneak off and hide. In case your cat is hiding or inadvertently got trapped somewhere in your house, search your home thoroughly. Keep calling its name, as it will be familiar with your voice. Animals find their way by scent as well as sight and sound, so place some strongly scented articles outside your home such as your sweaty clothes, the cat’s favourite bedding and toys, smelly food like sardines, tuna or salmon, cheese, bacon or freshly cooked chicken.

If you have a secure entrance, such as a fenced back yard, you should leave the patio, or other door or window slightly open so your cat can get back in. Often cats that try to come home are not seen or heard by their owners when they come back, so leaving an entry point open for your cat will enable it to get inside when it comes home. For safety reasons we do not recommend leaving windows or doors open when you are away or sleeping, or if you have other pets that may escape.

STEP 2 | Report Your Lost Cat

To report your lost cat, immediately call your local animal shelter, (Stratford-Perth Humane Society, 519.273.6600, e-mail info@sphumane.com, 125 Griffith Road, Stratford) local veterinarians during the day, emergency clinics after 5pm, and pet identification microchip registries. Some of the major microchip companies provide resources for making lost pet posters and offer insurance in case your lost pet is injured or becomes ill while lost.

step 3 | get the word out on social media

Post your cat’s photo(s), description, area in which he / she was lost, (eg. closest intersection to your home) city, along with your contact info (phone, e-mail) on social media sites such as facebook, instagram, and any others you may use. Ask people to share it so that it may be viewed by the greatest number of people. Post the info to your own account as well as any accounts / pages dedicated to lost pets (in Stratford & Perth County, post to the Lost and found pets of Stratford ON facebook page). Include your home and / or cell numbers in your post if you have them. If you text, state that people who see your cat can call or text. Including your cell number is especially important if you have one, so that people can reach you even if you’re not at home. Make sure you carry your mobile phone with you at all times. If and when your cat is found, add a comment wherever you’ve previously posted to let all concerned people know.

STEP 4 | Search Your Neighbourhood, Talk to Everyone and Leave Your Phone Number

The good news is that the majority of cats either return home on their own or are found within 2km of their home. When you first realize your cat is lost, search the neighbourhood. It may be scared and hiding, so look under bushes and porches, in garages. and in other likely hiding spots.

Use a powerful flashlight, even in daylight hours, for checking dark spaces. Enlist the help of friends, neighbours and family members to search. Call your cat’s name and stop regularly, be quiet and listen for it to make a noise in reply. Stopping and waiting, especially in areas where your cat may have been seen by someone, can also help your pet catch up to you, especially if they're older, injured or scared. Many search parties sweep through areas too fast for a cat to catch up and work up the courage to approach.

Cats that have become displaced tend to be more active during the evening hours. They will hide most of the day and begin to come out during twilight and be active through the evening. It may improve your odds to go searching around this time if a search during the day did not yield results. Also, always make sure there is someone home around this time and that the cat has a way to get back in, as it’s most likely to visit your home during the evening hours.

It may be beneficial to carry something familiar to the cat with you, such as a favourite toy or their favourite treats. Many cats respond to the sound of their treat bag being shaken or the sound of their favourite toy, and this may entice the cat out of hiding.

It is also important to note that lost cats can find it hard to trust people, even their owners. Or they simply, much like a child, don’t want to come in just yet. If you do find your cat outside and it seems hesitant to come to you, follow these steps to keep from spooking it.

Be calm, rushing towards the cat or behaving frantically will likely scare it away. Say its name calmly and softly. If you have some treats or the cats toys with you, offer them to the cat, but don’t be forceful. Approach the cat slowly, inching toward it, but if the cat looks like it’s about to turn and run, stop and back away a little until it has focused back on you again.

Once you’re within arms length of the cat, let it sniff your hand, if you have treats then try offering them to the cat. Once the cat allows you to pet it or eats out of your hand and is distracted you should be able to grab it quickly, but only when you’re absolutely certain you can get it in time, and not frighten it away.

Note: some people recommend using a blanket, or something similar, to throw over the cat in order to catch it, and while this can work, it does have its risks, the biggest one being that if you fail and the cat gets away, it will be much harder to gain its trust again. If you choose to employ this method, do so at your own risk.

STEP 5 | Visit Local Animal Shelters

Visit animal shelters in person to accurately describe your cat (Stratford-Perth Humane Society, 125 Griffith Road, Stratford). Walk through the stray animal sections and leave posters with your cat’s description, photo, and your contact information, including instructions if your cat has urgent medical needs. This helps shelter staff recognize and care for your cat when found. Visit or call daily to make sure the shelter knows that you’re still actively searching for your cat. It’s not uncommon for some shelters to have minimal hold times for animals before putting them up for adoption or euthanizing them. This wait-time may be as little as three days, so it’s crucial to check animal shelters every day.

In addition, while this is not something you want to think about, Animal Control (which is often located in the same building as your local shelter) will be the ones to know if your cat has been injured or killed on the road.

STEP 6 | Post Flyers Everywhere!

At the bottom of this guide we have provided a template you can download for a lost cat poster you can edit and use.

Make many flyers and post them everywhere you can within a 2km radius of where your cat was lost. Flyers result in more found pets than any other method! Prepare posters with a large type size that’s easy to read from a driving distance. The headline should read LOST CAT or something similar that draws attention to the poster – see sample poster at the end. Include the following :

  • a photo of your cat (a colour photo of the entire body is best)

  • your cat’s breed or mix of breeds, if known

  • a basic description of your cat, including colour, gender, age, size and / or weight

  • where your cat was last seen

  • your phone number and e-mail… do NOT include your name or address!

  • a reward can help, but don’t state the amount

  • to avoid imposters and scams, withhold several identifying marks and characteristics of your cat (you may need to use these to verify that a person has actually found your pet)

Place your posters on community bulletin boards, in convenience stores, grocery stores, pizza shops, gas stations, barber & beauty shops, laundromats, schools, churches, veterinary clinics, pet stores and other animal-oriented businesses. If local bylaws allow, put the posters on lamp posts, telephone poles and sign poles.

STEP 7 | Be Vigilant in the Evening Hours

As mentioned earlier, displaced cats tend to be more active during the evening hours, which is why you need to be especially proactive during this time. Cats that are lost will hide during the bulk of the day and only begin to emerge once the sun begins to set. Twilight through to the late evening are the most likely times that a lost cat will go in search of food or its home, although they will remain active and may visit their home through the night.

It is important for someone to always be home during this time, and, if possible, leave a door or window slightly open so that the cat can get back in if / when it comes to visit. If searching during the day hasn’t worked, try going to search right around sun-down or a little after. Your cat is more likely to be out and about during that time so your chances of coming across it may be a little better.

STEP 8 | Use Your Local Newspaper and Radio Station

Advertise in the local newspaper and on the local radio station. Again, a reward can help, but don’t state the amount. Be prepared to receive some false alarm calls : as soon as some people see the promise of a reward, they’re likely to call about any cat they’ve seen, whether it fits the description of yours or not.

Some newspapers allow people to place free advertisements for pets they’ve found, so be sure to scan the newspaper to see if your pet has already been found by someone.

STEP 9 | Surveillance (Optional)

Often a cat that is not ready or lacks the courage to come home may visit the house every night to eat food you’ve left out, but won’t come in or gets spooked easily. The problem here is that something will likely always eat the food at night, and you have no way of knowing if its your cat or just another animal.

This is where surveillance comes in. Not only will you be able to know with certainty if your cat is coming around, but it can also reassure you that your cat is healthy and well. Alternatively if you don’t see your cat, that’s likely an indication that it has moved away from your area and you should widen your search perimeter and perhaps put up flyers in neighborhoods further away.

A very simple surveillance system can be setup with the use of a webcam and surveillance software on your pc. You will need:

  • a computer or smart phone

  • a webcam

  • a USB extension cable that is long enough to make it from your computer to the door / window you intend to use

  • surveillance software, such as Active Webcam, which can be downloaded free

Both the USB cable and webcam can be purchased very inexpensively from discount electronics / department stores.

Setup is quite simple. Begin by installing the webcam on your computer or phone as per its instructions, then download and install Active Webcam. Configure Active Webcam as instructed – it comes with detailed help documents. Of its many features, some of the important things to set are : the alarm when something enters view, how long it should record, sensitivity of the motion detection and the directory where you want the videos saved.

Then just set up the webcam at the door or window overlooking the area you want to monitor. It typically works best to aim it at the food bowl you’ve set out for your cat. You should have a light illuminating the area – not too bright but bright enough to see the webcam clearly. Porch lights work well.

You now have a surveillance system that will alert you to anything that comes to eat that food and will record when it sees something. You can review the videos it took overnight to see if your cat has been coming home, and this will also give you a great indication of what time the cat comes around, which may help you catch it.

Never Give Up

The human-animal bond is a strong one, and it can be devastating to lose a pet. The above guidelines will increase your chances for success. Be thorough and persistent in your search efforts, and don’t give up hope! Lost cats have been reunited with their families weeks, months and sometimes even years later.

STEP 10 | When You Find Your Pet

Go around and take down all of your old flyers and thank everyone who has helped you.

Lost Cat Poster

The poster is in Microsoft Word format (.doc)

If you do not have Microsoft Office or Microsoft Word then you can download a free and full-featured office suite called Open Office at openoffice.org

Good luck and best wishes from everyone at Feline Friends Network!