If you have every had a cat go missing you know the terror a pet parent feels when they first realize Felix isn't curled up sleeping in his kitty bed like they thought. Although it's hard to think straight when your cat goes missing, the following steps can help you gain control of the situation.
#1 Keep a Clear Mind
Now is not the time to be frantic. Losing a pet is for many as scary as losing sight of a child, but becoming emotional and out of control will not get Felix home any sooner. Keeping a clear mind will allow you to formulate a plan to start to look for your lost cat.
#2 Make Phone Calls
Start making phone calls immediately and placing lost reports with: your local municipal animal shelter, humane society, SPCA, and veterinary clinics. If someone has found a stray cat they may have turned it over to one of these animal facilities.
#3 Visit Your Local Animal Shelters
Visit your local municipal animal shelter, humane society, and SPCA at least every couple of days. In some provinces animals are only required to be held by a shelter for 72 hours, to allow time for an owner to claim them, before they become property of the shelter and can be adopted out. While at the shelter ask if you can go through their stray holding area to see if your cat is there, or take a picture along with you to show staff to see if there is any cat that may be a match in their facility.
#4 Go Door-to- Door
Go door-to-door to your neighbours and ask them to check their garages and sheds. Cats are inquisitive creatures and may have gone investigating into a garage or shed and without knowing became locked inside when a door closed behind them. You can also have your neighbours check underneath there decks or in any low lying bushes that your frightened cat may have found security/shelter under.
#5 Post Flyers
Post flyers locally in your area with a picture of your cat, your cat's description, and your contact information. Posting flyers in your local animal shelters, grocery stores, post offices, shopping malls and veterinary clinics will help get the word out to people in your area.
#6 Place a Newspaper Ad
Consider placing and ad in your local newspaper's "lost and found" section. Many people still consult their classified ads looking for information that may lead them to finding the owners of a cat they have found.
#7 Don't Lose Hope
Above all, don't lose hope. Searching for your pet can be emotional, time consuming, and frustrating but it can turn out favourably. Cat's are very resilient creatures and find ways to adapt to new environments. It is always great when a cat is quickly returned home, but some cats can be missing for a few days to a few months before they are returned home. This is why persistence in searching, and having patience while waiting, provide great results in getting Fluffy home.
