It’s a panic-inducing situation: Your kitty has gone missing. What can you do to get your companion back home?
Firstly, don’t give up. Persistence is critical, and you may require a combination of search ideas. A systematic approach based on typical cat behavior and your cat’s personality and habits will maximize your chances for success.
Steps to Recovering a Lost Cat
- Search every nook and corner of your house
First, make sure your feline is no longer in the house! Maybe your cat has been trapped or is hiding because it is injured or sick. Do not think your cat will meow or come to you. Look in drawers, closets, air ducts, under beds, behind appliances, in the hollow under reclining chairs, behind books in a bookcase, in any hidden recesses, wrapped in the bottom of drapes, basement crawl spaces, in sheds, under decks, garages, in pipes and culverts, garbage cans, dumpsters, in trees, on rooftops.
Felines also have an unfortunate tendency to explore new things and places, like the back of trucks, and they often get carried off. Consider whether there were any vehicles or trucks around that your kitten may have hitched a ride on.
- Notify your nearby animal control agency or the police. If your kitten has a chip, inform the microchip company that your cat has gone missing.
Animal control or police are often the first places people call when they find a stray pet in their neighborhood. Ask if they keep a written record of your lost pet.
- Comb the nearby area on foot and by car and keep searching. Get permission and check all yards within a five-house radius distance.
Calmly call your kitten by name or make some familiar noise, like shaking a can of treats or rustling a food bag. Remember that a frightened or injured feline will hide and may not come to you. Look under porches, cars, behind bushes, etc. Look in the neighbor’s yards. Most cats are found close to home. Another possibility may be that your pet has been trapped in a neighbor’s shed or garage or on a construction site.
- Create and post flyers
Include a picture detailing the animal, the date lost, and how to reach out to you. Be sure the letters are clear, large, and readable, easily visible from afar. Have copies of your booklet made on light, bright-colored paper. Include a picture if possible. In addition to printing and posting as flyers, we recommend that you make a few unique flyers to use in the most strategic places.
Post the signs and flyers in suspected places like utility poles, intersections, bus stops, nearby schools, community bulletin boards, vet’s offices, etc. Most lost cats are found near home, but some turn up miles away, so it is equally important to post the flyers at significant intersections in other parts of town.
- Try to attract your cat back to the house.
Many felines make their way back home, sometimes long after they have gone missing. Here are some tips to bring them back home. Cats are comforted by their scent. Put your cat’s favorite blanket, bed, or cat tree outside. Set out fragrant food, ensuring other animals don’t eat it. If possible or practical and safe, leave a door or a window open, so your cat can get back in on their own.
- Bring in technology
Your cat hasn’t been seen doesn’t mean they aren’t nearby. A fearsome feline often hides during the day and only comes out late at night when the neighborhood is quiet.
Start placing water and food in a spot in the area where you suspect your kitten is hiding. Use a motion-activated camera to check if your feline has the food. Once you know your kitty is visiting the feeding spot, set a humane trap to capture them when they typically show up.
If you suspect your kitten is trapped or hiding under a building, use an amplified listening device or a plumber’s camera to check hard-to-reach places.
Your kitten might need cat treatment or behavioral therapy to help cope with stressful situations. They might require cat treatment, that’s why buying pet insurance proves wise, as it protects you from unexpected expenses.