Missing cat: How do I find my lost cat?
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for cats to go missing. Most of the time, of course, the missing animals are outdoor cats. But indoor cats may also run away if they have the opportunity to do so because, for example, the flat door was accidentally left open.
What you can do to find your missing cat again and how you can increase the chances of this happening in advance is explained below.
Cat missing: the most important things at a glance
- Begin by looking for your possibly lost cat at home.
- It is quite common for cats to be accidentally locked up in garages or garden sheds by neighbours.
- Occasionally, you can only find your missing cat after dark, when they become more energetic.
- Ask family and friends for help in finding your four-legged friend.
- Report your cat as missing and also check with animal shelters to see if they have been surrendered there.
- Use social networks and large animal registries to place a wanted ad.
- Post wanted posters in the area to alert other people to your lost cat.
- The owners of chipped and registered cats can be identified and contacted more easily.
Is your cat really missing?
Not every supposedly missing cat has actually escaped. Perhaps the four-legged friend has retreated into a cupboard, under a bed or into the cellar and is quietly taking a nap there while you search for him.
Therefore, start your search at home first. If you have your own garden, it is likely that there are many great places for your missing cat to hide in.
Extend the search for your missing cat
If you can't find your four-legged friend on your own property, it's time to expand your search to the surrounding area. For example, look for your lost cat.under parked cars, in bushes and in trees.
While doing so, try to lure the little runaway. Call out the name of your missing cat and have some particularly tasty cat treats or even the four-legged friend's favourite toy ready. However, make sure that you are not too loud. Otherwise, your lost cat may get scared and move even further away instead of coming to you.
Runaway flat cats usually stay in the vicinity
If the missing cat is a housecat, this gives the advantage that the four-legged friend has probably not moved too far from its home. Free-roaming cats, on the other hand, cover much longer distances on their excursions.
The search radius is therefore usually smaller for indoor cats than for outdoor cats. However, they are not used to looking out for dangers outdoors. If you live near a busy road, this poses an especially considerable risk for your house cat.
Although it may well be that your four-legged friend will come back on their own, you should still definitely look for your runaway indoor cat promptly so that nothing can happen to it.
Finding a lost cat after a move
Cats are very loyal to their new home and usually take a while to settle in after a move.
If you have recently moved house and your cat has now run away, it is therefore quite likely that you will find the four-legged friend on the route between your new and your old home. This is at least true if you haven't moved too far away.
By the way, the loyalty to the location is also the reason why outdoor cats should be kept as indoor cats for a few weeks after moving house before they are let outside again.
Ask your neighbours about the missing cat
It is quite common for lost cats to get into garages, garden sheds or even cellars in the neighbourhood through open doors and then accidentally get trapped there. If you cannot find your missing cat at home or outside, it is a good idea to talk to your neighbours.
Tell them that your cat has escaped. Ask if anyone has seen it and kindly ask if your neighbours can check if they might have locked the four-legged friend up accidentally. Chances are that you will be able to find your missing cat this way.
Searching for a lost cat at night
As you probably know, cats are normally nocturnal. If you can't find your missing cat during the day, it may be because the cat has gone to sleep and can't be found.
If necessary, use the evening hours to search for your lost cat. Take a torch with you. The light from the torch will make your cat's eyes clearly visible in the dark. On top of this, it is much quieter in the evening and at night. This makes it more likely, especially with particularly shy and skittish four-legged friends, that they will venture out of their hiding place and can thus be found more easily.
Extend the search for the missing cat
If your search around the neighbourhood is unsuccessful, you should extend the search radius. Unneutered male cats in particular often wander quite far from their homes. It is best to ask your family and friends if they can help you. The more people who are looking for your missing cat, the larger the radius you can cover.
Report your cat missing
If you cannot find your lost cat, you should report the four-legged friend as missing. Contact the public order office and the local police station as well as animal shelters and veterinary practices in the area.
Perhaps your missing cat has already been handed over to an animal shelter or the finder has informed the public order office or the police that they have found them and taken them in.
Search for a missing cat on the internet
If your phone calls have not yielded any results, you should also use the internet to search for your missing cat. For example, use Facebook groups where wanted ads for lost pets can be posted, and post wanted ads on major pet registries, such as Findefix or Tasso.This way you will reach many more people and increase the chance that you will soon be able to hold your lost cat in your arms again.
Posters to help you find your missing cat
In addition to internet advertisements, physical wanted posters can also help in the search for a missing cat. Your wanted posters should include a photo of your missing cat, a short description of the animal, the time and place of the disappearance and, of course, your telephone number.It is also best to ask in shops with plenty of footfall, such as corner shops, if you can hang your wanted poster in the window or on the door. The more people know about your search, the greater the chance that someone will notice your missing cat and contact you.
Why you should have your cat chipped
Chipping your cat will not prevent it from escaping, of course. However, it will at least make it much easier for you to be identified as the owner if the animal is found.The microchip stores a unique ID number that uniquely identifies your cat. If you have entered this number and your data in a register, such as the Petlog database, the chip can be read and you can then be contacted.
The costs for chipping are manageable. The whole thing is done quickly and is no big deal for the animal. At least if you keep your cat outdoors, you should have it chipped in any case.
However, if you want to take out cat health insurance or apply for a pet passport, there is no way around it, even if you have an indoor cat.
Cat missing - our conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of things you can do if your cat has gone missing. First of all, it is important that you stay calm and do not start the search without a plan.In any case, we keep our fingers crossed that you will find your missing cat safe and sound and hope that we have been able to help you a little with the tips in this article.
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