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Lost Foster
Don't Panic!
Don't Panic!
Your cat is missing…tips & tricks
A lost cat is likely still close to home, if not still inside, hiding.
Cats may not act like their indoor self when they escape outside. Cats tend to find the nearest hiding place and stay put until it feels safe or they are hungry enough to return home.
Check your property and your neighbors’, including garages and sheds. Use a flashlight with a strong beam to search under and around potential hiding places. The light might reflect off their eyes, revealing their location.
Shaking a food dish or treat jar will sometimes lure animals out of a hiding place.
IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR CAT:
Losing a cat is extremely frightening, the first tip is to not panic. There are concrete steps you can take to effectively recover your cat, but you must also be mindful to tailor your search to your specific cat. How do they respond when people yell or run straight at them? Are they aloof? Will they respond to their name? Swift action, coupled with major neighborhood networking, will increase the odds of recovering your animal. A major factor is to get the word out and not be shy in enlisting help. We have adapted tips from ASPCA, Maddie’s Fund, and Mission Reunite to give an overview of best practices for recovering your animal.
Step 1: Search your home
Unless you saw your cat escape outside, don’t immediately assume that your cat is out of the house. Your cat could be hiding in a room or closet that is usually closed or may have found a new hiding space.
Make sure to check every room, shelf, closet, drawer, trunk, box, and behind every piece of unmovable furniture. Cats can squeeze into small spaces!
Step 2: Search your yard
A lost indoor cat that escaped outdoors is likely within 150 feet of the initial point of escape. More details on why.
Think like a cat: Imagine you’re a foot tall and searching for a place to hide. Where is the closest place you could run for cover? Use this thought process everywhere you search inside and outside your home. Did kitty run under the deck or porch? Is there an open grate that goes under the house? Do you see a line of bushes your cat could hide in?
Do not assume a normally gregarious cat will come when called. When frightened, cats silently hide.
If possible, leave the door or window the cat escaped out of open. They will most likely feel safest to come out of hiding once the sun sets and will return home along the same route he or she escaped.
Since this may not be possible due to other pets or safety concerns, consider placing a humane cat trap near your cat’s escape route. We realize setting a trap sounds drastic and a little scary, but if kitty is unable to reenter your house overnight, you may never know he or she attempted to come home. By placing a trap near this exit/entrance point, you may discover kitty waiting for you in the trap when you wake up in the morning.
Search during the day, lure at night. Only leave food out inside a humane trap, that way you will know who (or what) is eating the food when you check a few hours later or in the morning.
For help with trapping, contact TRAPRs via Facebook, or 1-844-287-2777, or email at TheTraprs@gmail.com. Calling and Facebook messenger is fastest.
Step 3: Expand the search
If your cat is accustomed to an indoor/outdoor living, you may want to start with a larger search radius since she may be more comfortable outside than your typical indoor-only cat. A spooked indoor or outdoor cat may run further from home before finding a place to hide. Expand your search radius to about 500 feet from home.
Step 4: Talk to your neighbors
Have you looked around your yard at the most obvious places your cat could have run to for cover?
Did this include places in your neighbor’s yard?
Do they have a garage door that may have been open when they took the trash out and is now closed?
What about their hedges, crawlspaces, and deck?
Ask if you can walk into your neighbor’s yards to check for your cat or if they would mind opening their garage door so you can take a quick look for kitty inside. You are the key figure here; you will look more thoroughly for your cat than neighbors, and receive greater peace of mind if you perform the search.
Step 5: Make Flyers
Post flyers in your neighborhood to get the word out that you are actively searching for your cat.
Make sure to include key information such as:
Color photo with a brief description of color, hair length, or distinguishing marks. If you do not have a photo, the description is a MUST.
Use phrases like…
Do Not Chase
Call upon sighting: Do not approach
Please call or text a photo to [your number here]
A cell phone where you can be reached/texted at any time
Before you post any signs, make sure they will draw attention. If you printed it out on white paper, tape it to a large florescent piece of poster board to draw the eye. Post signs where they can be seen by drivers. You can make flyers using any text program or writing directly onto a bright poster board.
For help making flyers, you can also use any of these sites:
Step 6: Social Media
Utilize social media!
Nextdoor allows you to quickly connect with and inform multiple neighbors at once in a large area.
Austin Lost and Found Pets is a Facebook group that shares local lost pet information.
ALFP Street Team is a division of Austin Lost and Found Pets.
Craig’s List Pet Listings in Austin
Craig's list Lost and Found listings in Austin.
Step 7: Contact Animal Control
It’s worth noting that cats may end up at the shelter weeks or months after they are lost. There are well-publicized cases where a missing cat reunited with their owner years later! A cat may be hiding and too frightened to move about much, and when she finally develops a new outdoor routine she may be caught by a well-intentioned neighbor who sees a hungry or fearful cat.
Occasionally, a cat may hitch a ride in a car, truck, or moving-van and a cat may end up in another part of town, a neighbor’s workplace, or at a nearby gas station. This is uncommon but does happen. Filing a report with animal care and control where the cat disappeared will help if the cat has been transported to another area within the same jurisdiction.
Report your cat missing to Austin Animal Center and view their search tips here.
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