What should I do if my cat is missing?
We understand how distressing it can be for cat owners when their cats go missing, however there are some great tips to try to get them home.
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Cats have a habit of sleeping in unusual places, the first step would be to thoroughly check every nook and cranny of the home and garden.
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Cats rely on scent to help find their way back home, leaving one of your cats unwashed blankets or an item of your clothing outside in the garden will help with this. You can also place a bit of used litter or the contents of a vacuum bag too, these will have the smell and scent of their famil-iar surroundings!
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Calling out your cat’s name when everywhere is likely to be quite such as early morning or late at night. Whilst doing this shake a box of their biscuits or treats, even a favour-ite toy that makes a noise will do the trick! Keep calling and leave enough time for them to hear you. This has been known to be very effective when finding missing cats.
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Ask the neighbours! Get them to check garages, sheds and outbuildings. Cats are very curious creatures; they have a habit of exploring new places and can find themselves get-ting stuck or locked in. It never hurts to reach a little fur-ther out too, especially if your cat is known to be a wonderer.
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Once you have tried all of the above with no luck, if your cat is microchipped contact the microchip company and notify them as soon as possible. They can register your cat as missing which flags up and alerts the finder if tak-en to be checked for a microchip.
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Make posters/leaflets with your contact details a good photo and description of your cat (hold back some distinguishing marks or features, that way if someone contacts you saying they have found your cat, you can check this with them to know if they are genuine). Put these around the local area such as, shops, noticeboards and lampposts.
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Notify as many people/organisations as possible, the more people that are keeping an eye out the better. Contact all local vets and rescue centres, also contact your local council, this can be a difficult call to make, but they are now scanning cats for microchips that have been involved in a road traffic accident.
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Check and post appeals on social media sites and local community groups. You will also find that a lot of rescue centres and charities like ourselves are on social media such as Facebook, so ask them to share your appeal, with the amount of followers these pages have it really helps with getting the word out. It is also worth checking these groups for any sightings or to see if someone has posted that they have found your cat.
Finally, be persistent and don’t give up! Keep looking and sharing your appeals on social media, even if you do not find your cat straight away or have any news or sightings, it may take a while but it will be worth the time and ef-fort to have them safely home.