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Lost Pet Information

 

WHAT  TO  DO  IF  YOUR  PET  IS  MISSING

Day 1

• Contact all neighbors and have them check closed garages or sheds. Ask them if they’ve had any deliveries, landscapers, etc. Could your cat have gone into their vehicle?

• Go to your local shelter and register your lost pet. Take a photo and record as much detail as possible describing your pet.

• Create flyers and post them everywhere in your neighborhood, preferably under door mats not just on telephone poles.

• Contact local rescue groups; send them a copy of your flyer. You can locate local rescue groups through Petfinder Enter your zip code to obtain a listing of local rescue groups.

• Is your cat micro-chipped? If so, contact the micro-chip company, they will notify all local vets. If not, make a note to have your cat micro-chipped as soon as he/she is found.

• Post your missing cat flyer at all local vets and pet stores.

• Put an ad on Craigslist under PETS or post an ad in Nextdoor.com.

• Recruit your friends to help you.

 

Flyers should contain the following information:

• Exact date cat went missing.

• OFFER A REWARD.

• Name of the cat in BIG LETTERS.

• DESCRIPTION OF CAT – color, shy/friendly, gender, breed, age, include
health issues, especially if cat is deaf.

• Picture of cat.

• Location of where cat was last known to be, include nearest cross streets.

• Your phone number in BIG NUMBERS (include area code).

• Once reunited with your cat, take down all flyers and let everyone
know the outcome.

• Download a Poster Example here

 

Day 2

• If your kitty is shy, he/she will hide for a few days. Keep putting food and water outside your door.

• Put out an article of your clothing or bedding from your kitty so he/she recognizes that familiar scent.

• Obtain a trap or have a local rescue group help you with trapping. A shy cat might need to be trapped.

• Continue putting out flyers everywhere. DO NOT GIVE UP.

Day 3

• Kitty will be hungry and a lost cat normally does not go far.

• Use tuna or sardines with oil or roasted chicken, as the scent carries.

• Be especially alert for your cat at dusk or sunrise.

• Normally we suggest removing the food at dark so as not to attract wildlife but if your cat is hiding during the day,
he/she will be looking for food at night, so leave it out 24/7 until you catch your cat.

• Continue putting up flyers.

• If you live in Marin, listen to the daily recording at Marin Humane to see if your kitty was found.

Day 4

• Continue putting out food; repeat day 3.

• Contact local children in your neighborhood or at the near-by school. Show them your poster and ask that they watch for your cat.

• Talk to everyone. Contact neighbors who might have been away or who have housekeepers and have them check
under decks, garages, sheds.

Day 5 and ongoing:

• Continue providing food in a familiar spot.

• Check that flyers are still posted around the neighborhood.

• Walk the neighborhood, calling your cat’s name, rattle a treat can if he/she is familiar with that sound.

• Keep a trap set at your home when you’ll be there (never set a trap when you aren’t present).

• Ensure that local feral cat groups know about your missing cat, as they can be on the look-out at their feral cat colonies.