STEPS TO FINDING AN OUTDOOR ACCESS CAT
Step 1: Blanket the area with fliers especially in a 10 house radius of your home at minimum. In this area fliers are most effective door to door. Input your address in google search. Open up the map to where the actual houses are visible. Circle this radius area around your home on the map. If another cat (referred to as a bully cat) has come into your cat’s territory then it has moved your kitty away from home. Typically this is as far out as a 10 house radius. Also place fliers in local veterinarian offices, gas stations, post offices, etc. Fliers should be simple with a good face and body picture of the missing cat, and state MISSING with owner phone number. Only add any identifying marks or collar information. The simpler the flier, the more it stays in the mind of people who see it.
Step 2: Fliers will also notify anyone who may be feeding the cat or taken the cat in believing it is a stray.
Step 3: Post the cat on local lost pet sites. Include the cat’s identifying color, area lost (be specific with street name, neighborhood, city), and date last seen. This information helps others find your missing post through searchable key words. Nextdoor and Pawboost are free and commonly used across the country. Neighborhood sites are also important. For local pet owners post on Lost and Found Pets Hampton Roads. There are also apps/sites with a fee that can send an email or text to neighbors in your area which include FindToto, Pet Alert, and Finding Rover. For a fee, Lost Pet Cards will also send 1,000 postcards directly to addresses in the area your pet was lost.
Step 4: The most common cause preventing an outdoor access cat from coming home is that the cat is trapped. This can include outdoor buildings, sheds, cars, attics, crawl spaces, between fences, vacant homes, porches, trees, etc. This can be at the home of the owner or a neighbor. Consider anything that opens and closes. Late at night and especially early in the morning (4 am) is an ideal quiet time to pinpoint the cat’s location. Walk around at this time quietly making a soft call or sound familiar to the cat. Closely listen for faint meows where the cat may be stuck. We recommend to add the request of checking areas thoroughly by neighbors on the fliers as well.
Step 5: Outdoor access cats can also hitch rides in vehicles most commonly during cold months. This will relocate them to a completely different area. Brainstorm recent locations of travel by yourself and neighbors. Please see “Steps to Finding a Displaced Cat” if the cat is located in a different area.
Step 6: Make sure to visit your local animal control in person. File a lost report and bring the shelter a flier. Find out if your report becomes inactive after a certain number of days, and make sure to update as needed. Many pets find their way to the shelter months after becoming lost.
Step 7: If there is a “bully cat” coming into your yard then the cat may need to be removed. Make attempts to find the owner, post as found on appropriate sites, and have it scanned for a microchip. If necessary this cat can be trapped and brought to animal control.
Step 8: The missing outdoor cat may be injured. This may cause the cat to either stay in hiding due to trauma and fear, or prevent the cat from coming home. A thorough search of the area is also key. Placing scent items outside can help calm the cat. Scent items include the cat’s bedding, owner’s slept on sheets, cat tree, etc.
Please keep all steps in place even if there is a sighting of the cat which seems a far distance from lost location. Do not discount any sighting, but an owner wants to have all bases covered when searching for their lost cat. If there is a sighting please confirm the sighting by eyes on or using a camera.