Have a lost cat?  Here’s what to do!

We’ve learned a lot about the differences types of lost cats and we wanted to share with you what Missing Pet Partnership has to say about finding lost cats. Your technique should adjust depending on whether the lost cat is an indoor cat, outdoor-access cat, or an outdoor cat.

Lost cat: Indoor only cats

If the lost cat typically only lives indoors and has found a way outside by accident, you might be in luck. Indoor-only cats do not tend to travel very far. Your indoor cat is likely hiding somewhere nearby – under a porch, between fences, on a neighbor’s deck, etc. Take a close circle around where you live and keep your ears open. Maybe even leave a little food out near the door of your house to lure your lost cat out of hiding. Take heart – indoor cats have a tendency to be easier to find.

Lost cat: Outdoor-access cats

A lost cat with brief access periods to the outdoors is also, likely, hiding, but, the reason he or she is hiding is likely motivated by fear. Your lost cat could still be nearby and not responding to calls out of fear. Though many cats have a keen homing instinct, fear has the ability to shut it down. If your cat is the skittish type, you may need to employ a humane trap to convince your lost cat to come home. If your cat is friendlier, he or she may have traveled further. You may need to talk to your neighbors and form a wide search network to find a friendly lost cat.

Lost cat: Outdoor cats

The search methods for an outdoor lost cat are very different from the previous types. Cats are territorial and they do not just run away as is the case with dogs. If you have lost an outdoor cat, something has happened to cause the cat to leave his or her territory. If your outdoor cat was in a fight with another animal, he or she may not make any sound for fear of attracting attention from another animal. Posters and a bigger search party to really investigate strange places a cat might hide will be necessary to find your lost cat.

(For more information on displaced cats, check out Missing Pet Partnership.)

Paw Technologies will help you find your lost cat

Whether you have an indoor or outdoor pet, Paw Technologies will help you make a poster with the description details of your animal to hang in your neighborhood and share to social media. Paw Technologies will alert all the animal shelters within a 50 mile radius with the information regarding your lost cat. When you choose our complete membership program, you will receive a glow-in-the-dark ID tag for your pet’s collar – so, if your outdoor cat won’t respond to you or make a sound, take another peak after dark to see if you find a glow in the bushes. Who knows which of your neighbors might see that glowing tag after work one night? When we work together to alert as many people as possible about your lost cat, we increase your chances of bringing your dear friend home to you.