10 things to do if your cat disappears

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annonce Zorro When I disappeared, Claire and Momo put four days finding me. It is thanks to a hen that they succeeded : the neighbor looked for her hen, saw from afar me, and told it to Claire and Momo. After good moment spent to have a walk in the village, they finally perceived me. Momo moved forward little to me then let me approach. He offered me my favorite treats, and was able to take me in arms to return home (OK, he held me in his arms but one of the hands held so slowly but firmly the skin of my neck to prevent me from floundering and from leaving).

I believe that they found me because they were lucky, because all the blogosphere and the groups of crazy cat people hummed and prayed so that it happens, but also because they knew how to put into practice the following points :

  1. Anticipate : any cat, even an indoor cat, may run away and disappear once or the other time ! Do not wait that the cat disappears to prepare a simple, clear and readable poster in case. Choose a rather big and readable writing, and one or two recent photos. The poster will contain the name of the cat, the date of its disappearance, the portable phone number, the name and the address of the owner of the cat
  2. Anticipate: microchip the cat
  3. In case of disappearance, do not wait to let know that you lost your cat
  4. Warn the neighbors (houses, businesses) by asking them to check their cellar, their garage, and their garden shed
  5. Put posters in the district : choose very visible places (bus stop, mailbox, bancomat, newspapers box)
  6. Put posters in schools surroundings and shopping malls
  7. Warn the shelters of the area and the SPCA
  8. Use web sites planned for that purpose to launch an “lost cat » alert : they are in connection with shelters
  9. Warn the veterinarians of the area and the department of garbage dump
  10. Lead searches on foot around the house, by walking slowly and by calling the cat at regular intervals in the most quiet moments of the day; stop to listen to and look.

Some resources for Switzerland :

Zorro112

15 thoughts on “10 things to do if your cat disappears

  1. Le Maître de Frimousse

    I can but agree with your explanation, Zorro. And that can happen to any cat !
    I will simply add one piece of advice : if the live in a block of flats, cat’s lovers should fit windows and balconies with cat safety nets. I know, it reminds of Belfast or Derry, but what else to prevent a cat from jumping from the 6th or 7th floor and being severely injured or dead, or fleeing, panic-stricken, if it was from one of the lower floors? (I know a cat who jumped from a balcony to try and catch a bird, and killed, of course. Another, Domino, jumped from the window of the flat, on the first floor. Her mistress spent 4 months before finding Domino – http://frimousse.over-blog.com/article-domino-a-disparu-83330776.html.)
    This being said, the big problem, when a cat has disappeared, is: where should I look for him or her? In 12 years we’ve spent so many hours looking for RouXy, our neighbours’ cat, and Frimousse’s great friend. Frimousse has a PetSafe collar and will stay in our garden and house. Finding a cat is a different problem whether it is an urban area or a rural area, of course.
    We first thought of equipping RouXy with a GPS. But efficient GPS are very expensive and far too big for cats. About two months ago, RouXy disappeared for nearly 24 hours. After that “incident”, on the Net, I found Loc8tor, a system to help and find the cat. The range is very modest, in particular if there walls, but instead of searching blindly in all directions, your start searching in circles starting form where the cat disappeared, adding 50 meters each time to the radius of the circles. Tedious, of course! But a tiny bip would help you focus your search in the right direction.

  2. Marg

    That is all such good information. We especially like the picture at the end. Love the expression on the face. Sure glad he came home. Have a great day.

  3. Sometimes, Cats Herd You

    We’re so glad that Zorro is home safely. Those are really good tips. Being prepared is a good idea, because once your cat goes missing, you are often too frantic to think of some of the things you ought to do. Having a list to work from really helps!

  4. Angel AbbyGrace

    Zorro we are so glad your Mom found you and you came back home. All of those were good suggestions, we sure hope Clementine comes home too. We know her Mom is so worried about her.

  5. Cathy Keisha

    I’m glad they finally found you Zorro. I have a microchip even though I don’t go out. Thank you for the Get Well wishes. I’m hoping that this asthma is history for this year.

  6. Karel Hadacek

    When one of my cats went missing a couple of years ago, it was the REWARD poster with a picture and mobile number that alerted a neighbor to call. He came home, safe and sound! So glad your kitty returned home too!

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