It's all too common to see flyers with photos of dogs that have escaped from backyards or broken loose from their collars, along with their owners' pleas for help finding their puppy. But what many cat owners don't realize is that it's almost as easy for cats to go missing, from squeezing through a door accidentally left open to escaping from a loose pet carrier on the way to the vet.
Meanwhile, some cats just have an adventurous side and will stop at nothing to scratch or chew through a window screen or figure out how to open a door latch on their own, and if you have an indoor/outdoor cat, it's always possible to "lose" your kitten in the garage or backyard shed when the weather changes and he seeks shelter.
If your cat goes missing, here are a few steps you can take to bring her home.
Main reasons for running away
There are several of them. The most popular is estrus, during which cats become uncontrollable, driven by the desire to mate, so animals even jump from high-rise balconies. The amazing ability of most cats to land on all fours saves them from death. But the owner loses his pet, so he is forced to go looking for him.
Accidental loss or escape for a cat is extremely stressful
Other popular reasons:
- hunting instinct. Cats by nature are created to catch birds and rodents, and the peculiarity of their visual apparatus is that they see a moving object very sharply. That is why a bird or fly flying outside the windows can cause a brave cat to jump after it;
- old age and illness. Cats often leave home to die alone. In this case, it is not necessary to look for the animal;
- accidental fall. Due to play or carelessness, a pet may fall out of a window or escape through an open door;
- resentment. This is the reason why animals kept in private houses with a fenced area may disappear. If the owner unfairly punishes the cat or gets a new pet, the offended animal may run away;
- a change of scenery. Many city residents decide to move their pet to the village or country house for the summer. However, the animal does not always understand that this is temporary; it believes that it has been abandoned, so it decides to rid the owner of its presence.
Note! In any case, no matter what reason prompts the cat to expand the boundaries of his world, you need to understand that he is experiencing extreme stress, is very afraid, and is waiting for his owner to be able to find him. Therefore, it is very important to know what to do if a cat goes missing and where to start looking for it.
Cats are hunters to the core, so they can accidentally fall out of a window while chasing a bird or insect.
Preparing for the search
Unfortunately, domestic cats disappear quite often: they fall out of windows and balconies, run away through doors out of curiosity or under the influence of sexual instincts. Most often, owners have to look for pets that have free access to the outdoors. It is necessary to start catching a missing animal as soon as possible. If you discover that your pet is not at home, you should prepare the necessary tools and devices that will help facilitate search efforts.
| Things to Look for a Pet | Rationale |
| Flashlight | At night, the optical system of the cat's eyes reflects light from the lighting device, which simplifies the search for the missing animal. During the event, you will have to explore secluded and dark corners, so you cannot do without lighting. Finding themselves in an unfamiliar environment, cats most often leave their shelter when darkness falls, so a successful search is impossible without a flashlight. But its presence is important not only in the dark. A flashlight will help you thoroughly check basements, ventilation and other technological openings in a residential building. |
| Binoculars and other optical instruments | Allows you to survey the search area over a considerable distance. In addition, the use of magnifying optics will not scare away an animal in a stressful situation. Using binoculars, it is convenient to view thickets of dense trees, hard-to-reach buildings and places. |
| Favorite toys | Often, once in an unfamiliar environment, a pet hides in secluded corners, watching what is happening from a hiding place. Having seen or heard its favorite toy, the animal can independently leave its temporary shelter, following a familiar mouse or ball. |
| Pet's favorite treat | If your cat loves dry food, you can periodically shake it in the jar. A familiar sound will lead a hungry traveler to the owner. |
| Clicker | The cat associates this sound device with receiving a treat. If your pet has developed a stable reflex to the sound of a clicker, its use will help in searching for the loss. |
In addition to various useful devices and devices, the owner must pull himself together, calm down and be patient. Only endurance and lack of panic will help return the missing animal home.
We recommend reading about how to remove a cat from a tree. You will learn about why cats climb high, and also why they cannot descend on their own. The article describes the steps to independently rescue a steeplejack, and also tells which companies and specialists will help solve the problem.
Possible places where an animal can hide
If a cat accidentally fell out of a window or jumped out of it in the excitement of the hunt, you should start searching for it in the nearby area. Serious injuries are likely if the animal falls from 8 floors or higher; lower options, as a rule, allow you to limit yourself to stress. The domestic cat doesn’t want to run anywhere; he dreams of returning to home.
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The main places where a missing pet can be found are:
- spaces under balconies;
- bushes;
- basements.
It’s worth starting your search by visiting these places. It is important to understand that a domestic cat that finds itself in the city for the first time experiences fear, stress, and strives to hide from people, cars, and other animals that the streets are full of, so you should start looking for your pet from secluded corners. Often a fallen cat is injured, albeit slightly, so it may not come to the owner’s call.
Important! During the search, you need to listen carefully; it is possible that the lost pet will make itself known with a barely audible meow.
When learning what to do if a cat is lost, many owners use all available means: from visiting all basements to performing magical rituals and reading conspiracies. It can be very difficult to find a kitten, since passers-by who see the baby on the street may decide that the owner has kicked him out and take the cat home with the best of intentions. Kind people can publish announcements about their finds on forums or in groups on social networks, so such posts should also be monitored when searching.
When developing a behavioral strategy and deciding what to do if a cat goes missing, you should not fall into despair. You can only return a fugitive home through active actions; tears cannot help your grief. Therefore, you shouldn’t be lazy, you need to walk through the surrounding yards every morning and evening after work, calling the cat by name, completely ignoring the sidelong glances of passers-by who are amused by someone else’s grief.
Note! In winter, the cat strives to warm up, so it can run into the next doorway in search of warmth. You can walk around all the entrances of nearby houses.
The most common places where missing cats try to stay warm are basements or porches
In the summer, it happens that a forgetful owner did not close the windows on the balcony, which is why the cat could fall, not onto the street, but onto the balcony of the apartments below. You can start your search with your neighbors. A cat can only enter the forest if it is located near the house.
Can a cat come home after a while?
Lost pets often return home on their own after a few days, and there are cases when cats come back after six months or more. Is it possible?
My mother-in-law, who lived in a small village, had a cat, Marquis, a beautiful black cat with a white apron. One day he disappeared for three days and returned with a severed front paw, which took a long time to heal. After some time, the angry neighbor announced that he would not stop and would kill the cat if he hunted their chickens. A week later the cat disappeared. The heartbroken grandmother mentally reproached her neighbors for what she had done. One day, a neighbor calmed her down, saying that the cat was not killed, but taken away from the house. The son, who was visiting his parents for the weekend, put the poor fellow in the trunk and released him in a suburban forest, 70 km from the village. Since then, the woman prayed to God that the cat would survive and that someone would shelter him.
Six months have passed. One frosty snowy day, a woman heard a plaintive meow under her window. Opening the door, she saw an exhausted, emaciated Marquis on the threshold, standing on three legs and looking at the hostess with frightened and betrayed eyes.
Even a snowy road is not an obstacle for a cat on the way home
Cats returning home after a long time is a very real phenomenon! There is still no explanation for this unique phenomenon. Scientists can only guess that cats (especially street cats), due to their ultrasensitivity, are able to perceive even small deviations in the electromagnetic field. Knowing the features of their territory, they find the right direction to their native threshold using their “inner compass.”
In France, a cat set a record for orienteering, returning home after 7 months and covering a distance of 700 km.
What to do if you couldn’t find the cat right away
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Owners need to know what to do if a cat is lost, and where to start searching for their pet. First of all, you need to determine exactly how the small pet left the home. Possible options:
- if he was released by careless guests, then it is likely that the cat is now in the entrance or has ended up in the attic, if there is access there;
- if a pet falls out of a window, pay attention to which side it happened from. The animal is scared and seeks privacy, so you should look from the side where the fall occurred. Very often it was possible to find the animal under the balconies above the owner’s apartment; the pet itself responded to its name.
Note! The more time passed since the fall, the greater the distance the animal could cover.
If the search “hot on the heels” is not successful, other measures need to be taken. There are several tips that will tell you how to find a cat if it has run away.
Don't despair, if the cat is alive, you can find it with some effort.
Spreading information about a missing cat
All sorts of methods are used for this. In every city there are popular forums where you must post information, photos of the cat and your contact information on them. There will definitely be people who are not indifferent. On social networks, for example, VKontakte, information about a missing pet can be posted in special groups dedicated to lost and found animals, as well as in the “Overheard... (city name)” groups, they have a fairly wide audience. The method is effective even if a lot of time has passed since the loss and the animal could have ended up in another area.
In addition, it is important to print and post missing notices. In some cities they are immediately torn off from notice boards and poles; in this case, distributing leaflets to passers-by will help.
How to create an ad:
- Indicate the cat's breed and approximate age.
- Note the distinctive features that will help distinguish the animal from similar ones, for example, a triangle-shaped birthmark on the neck.
- Indicate contacts, preferably several people (for example, husband and wife), in order to always be in touch and be able to respond urgently.
Note! It’s very good if you can post a photo of the missing cat, preferably in color.
Posting advertisements is an old method, but effective.
Taking steps to get the cat to come back on its own
When studying the question of what to do if a cat goes missing, it is important to understand that only active actions will help return the runaway to the apartment. You need to regularly go around the yards, call your pet by name, even if it is non-standard like Cosine or Pouf, the main thing is that the cat hears the sound of its owner’s voice.
It is necessary to check all the basements of nearby houses, because if a cat accidentally fell or jumped out during heat, then, trying to hide, she could crawl into the basement and sit under the pipes. You need to call the cat loudly and clearly in the wording that is used at home. For example, if Melissa for some reason became Fenya, then Fenya must be called, otherwise the pet will not respond and may disappear forever.
Note! If during the search the cat itself does not speak, but the owner hears the meowing of other cats, you need to check this place. Perhaps this is how males react to a cat in trouble.
Where to get information about accidents involving animals
This is one of the worst-case scenarios, but it is important to be prepared for anything. Some owners allow cats to roam freely, but traffic rules cannot be explained to the animal. Therefore, if an animal runs away from an apartment or private house onto the street, it is important to conduct a check in this direction.
First of all, there are special groups on social networks in which information about road accidents, including those involving pets, is published. Posts may contain photos, as well as information about whether the affected cats are alive and where they are.
Important! You should not think that irresponsible drivers who drive thoughtlessly kill their pets. It also happens that the animal is so afraid that it runs out onto the road suddenly, making it impossible to stop the vehicle.
Know where to look
When your cat doesn't come to dinner, the first thing to do is explore every nook and cranny of your house, because it's very easy for cats to get stuck somewhere, like a closet or corner of the garage, and they just can't find their way out.
If your cat is definitely not in the house, go outside and get down on your hands and knees—and you can pull that ladder out of the garage, too. Cats have a natural tendency to seek out both high and low hiding places, as well as any small and enclosed places, and they like to be able to watch you without you seeing them. Start your search by looking in the trees, under your porch, or even inside any empty boxes or containers you may have in your backyard.
What to do when your pet is found
Having figured out how to find a cat if it has run away, you need to consider this issue. You should not scold, much less punish, your pet; it is an animal, and physical violence is unacceptable for it. It’s better to show the cat how much you love him, that you missed him and are sincerely glad that he was found.
Note! You can buy your pet a treat, but give it only a little, otherwise he may decide that running away is the easiest way to earn a treat.
Care and attention will help the cat understand that he is loved and expected
The escape or loss of a cat is a great stress for both the animal and its owner. Therefore, it is very important to surround your pet with love and care after returning. Most often, unneutered and unsterilized cats escape. Therefore, if breeding is not part of the owner’s plans, then it is worth considering surgery. It will become an invisible cage that will keep the animal within the house. In addition, it is a well-known fact that sterilized cats love their owners much more and have a calm, good-natured disposition.
