Don’t forget to check the garage and the garden. Your cat might just be napping on the grass. Look below the car and in warm places, where cats love to sleep.
Be organized. Assign a street or two to each member of the search party. Ask them to be systematic and to look below cars and behind bins. Leave your front door open. The cat might want to come home after a while. Make sure that it can access the house. Leave its favourite blanket or litter box outside to let the smell travel. It will help your cat if it lost its way. Don’t forget to leave someone inside to check for potential intruders. Don’t run. You might want to hurry while searching for the cat in the streets. Sudden movements will scare your pet. Cats dislike sudden movements and are wired to hide when threatened. If you live near a major road, make sure your cat hasn’t been hit by a car. Cats are unfortunately prone to these accidents. [2] X Research source
Bring a picture and a description of your cat. It will help the police. Try to make sure that your cat hasn’t escaped. You don’t want to waste the time of the police.
Begin your search at dusk when the sun is still shining. The setting sun will create long shadows, which are ideal to spot your little friend. Don’t forget to take a lamp torch with you. Remember that a cat’s eye will reflect the beam of your torch, making it very visible at night. Point your lamp torch in all directions and below the cars. Look for the typical reflection in the retina. [5] X Research source Shake a can of the cat’s favorite food as you walk around. The sound might attract it.
Give your coordinates to the people you meet. They might spot your cat soon after your visit. Be polite and apologise if you are disturbing someone. If you leave a good first impression, people might be more willing to help.
Your poster should include a colour picture of your cat, its name, your name, the date and location it disappeared from, a phone number and an email address. Ask local business to placard your poster inside and outside their shops. Don’t placard a poster if it’s illegal to do so. You don’t want to be fined.
Target local website and popular social media. It’s the fastest and most efficient way to make sure that the whole area where you live is covered. Publish an ad in the local newspaper. It is less effective but you want to be thorough. You could offer a reward. This might encourage children or other people to look for your cat actively.
If you go to a shelter, bring a picture of your cat and its documents. They might want to make sure that you are the rightful owner. Don’t wait too long to visit a shelter. In some countries, animals are sometimes put to sleep to make space for others. Fortunately, this is not such a common practice and most shelters will put only aggressive animals down. Call local veterinarians. They might have your animal.
If your cat is visibly wounded, try to be extremely careful. You don’t want to aggravate the situation or cause unnecessary pain. Make sure you take the right cat! It’s not always easy to distinguish similar animals. Look for distinctive marks and try to see if he recognises you.
Don’t let your cat out too soon after its disappearance. It needs to find its marks and get used to the environment. If you decide to let your cat go out again, go with it. Let your pet explore a small area at first. Increase the zone in which it is allowed each day.
If there is a visible wound when you recover your cat, don’t delay the visit. An infection might spread quickly. Don’t forget to take its medical history with you. It might matter in a treatment.
