|
Cats do not "run away"
or "stray." They investigate new places and find themselves trapped,
they get lost if driven away from their territory, they are spirited
off by circumstances beyond their control, they become ill or
injured and creep away to a quiet dark place. But they rarely
voluntarily leave their home, even if badly treated. It is
imperative when a cat turns up missing to begin an aggressive search
immediately. Your cat's life could depend on it. Try to think like a
cat, your cat specifically. Look around and try to imagine what
could have happened to account for the disappearance and help you
look in the right places.
Ask your neighbours to look and listen for
a cat in their area
Cats are excellent
hiders. Look first in your immediate area. Check the house
carefully. Then check again, even in those spaces where you are
certain a cat could not fit (chances are, they can). Listen for
sounds of distress (cats explore weird spaces and can be fatally
attracted to dark places and to vertical spaces - look behind the
water heater, for example, or in that closet or cupboard or attic
you accessed a while back). If there have been changes in the
environment lately, with new places for a cat to explore, look
there. Don't forget to look in your own back garden in case the cat
has been injured or got stuck somewhere.
 Then
go door-to-door, taking a pad and pen with you to write down your
name and number. Better still, first make up a quick poster with a
brief description, a clear photo, and the cat's name, your name,
phone number and run copies at the nearest photocopy centre - be
sure to make your phone number (or at least the "lost cat" part)
prominent enough to be seen by a passing car.
Ask your neighbours to
look and listen for a cat in their area. Ask them to check their
garage or other outbuildings, look in their trees, check their
cellar. And ask them to call your cat's name and listen carefully
for signs of distress. Leave your poster or name and phone number
with them and a description and name of the cat. Tell them you may
check back with them later. Then ask permission to enter their
property to look for yourself (the cat might be too frightened to
respond to a stranger). Most people will gladly cooperate.
An injured animal may not be able to get
home
or may choose to withdraw into a quiet place
Ask neighbours if they
have noticed a "new" cat in the area, even if they think it belongs
to someone else. Sometimes people "find" cats or kittens and decide
to keep them, either assuming they are "stray" or that they are not
likely to be claimed by an owner. Children sometimes "find" new pets
in this way and carry them home, where the cat is either taken in or
put outside by the parent to find its way home again.
Don't rule out
neighbour malice. Neighbours, even landlords, sometimes snatch cats
and dump them in another neighbourhood or worse. It is worth
visiting Animal Shelters out of your area. It is also worth asking
neighbours if they know of anyone in the area who might be trapping
cats or who has a history or the potential of wishing cats harm. Be
diplomatic.
Check the streets and
alleyways. An injured animal may not be able to get home or may
choose to withdraw into a quiet place. The sooner the cat can be
given emergency care the better its chances of survival.
Sometimes cats climb
into moving vans or parked cars and are not found immediately. Was
such a vehicle in your area at the time of disappearance?
Ask neighbourhood
children if they have seen anything. Children can be a great source
of neighbourhood goings-on. Talk to your Postman and give him/her a
flyer or a photo with the cat's name and your name and phone number
on the back.
Put up posters around
the neighbourhood. Leave posters at Veterinary Clinics, local
shelters (even those out of your area). At the vet's ask if an
injured cat was brought in as a "stray" and ask for a description.
Vets will stabilise injured cats before they are taken into the
animal shelter.
Place a "lost cat" ad
in your local paper. Also check the "found" ads daily. If you offer
a reward, beware the hostage-taker or bogus calls.
Check your Council
Animal Control frequently (every other day or at least every third
day) and be prepared to go down and look at the animals in the
kennels; It is possible that your cat is there, but not reported to
the owner (by error, not design). Your description may not be
sufficient to help an attendant identify the cat over the phone.
Leave a photo at the front desk and ask to visit the quarantine area
for sick and injured animals (sometimes overflow animals are caged
there as well). Ask if any overflow cats are being held in the dog
area. Also, sadly, review the dead-on-arrival list. If the cat had a
collar i.d., its chances of being returned to you if found are much
great, but don't count on it; the collar could have been lost or
even removed. Micro Chipping is much more reliable. Bear in mind
that some people are loathe to take a found animal to the shelter
right away and will keep it for several days or longer before
turning it in.
Consider using a
trained tracking dog. Contact local obedience class teachers and
inquire about hiring someone with a trained tracker dog that is
trained to locate humans and animals by scent.
Don't give up. Keep
looking in those same old spots, calling and listening. Try new
spots; enlarge your search-area to the next area outside your local
area or the next after that. Don't be embarrassed and try not to let
yourself become paralysed with grief and anxiety. Cats are tough
customers and can last many days without food or water. They also
can hide very well, and may not be rescued by animal control or an
individual for many weeks after their initial disappearance.
If you've moved
recently (within the year) go back and check your old area. If your
cat had established a territory in your old area they may attempt to
go back - or - they may just be homesick for their old abode!
Don't give up the
search too soon. Don't give up as soon as the cat fails to return
home or after only a few days and don't just wait for the cat to
come back or not. Keep looking and keep checking. Lost cats have
been known to turn up 12 months later! |
