Last year, our local shelter returned 240 dogs to their owners, but only 18 cats. One reason the return rate is so low for cats is because most people wait a long time to tell the shelter they’ve lost the animal. If you care about your cat, realize that any cat that goes outside MUST wear identification of some kind. You can microchip the cat or buy an inexpensive collar and ID. Many cat owners don’t put collars on their cats because they think collars will be dangerous. However, the risk of losing your pet is a lot greater. Most cat collars now either stretch or break away if the cat gets caught on something. Many shelters give away free ID tags, so it’s cheap insurance against a lost cat.
If you do lose your cat, here are a few things you can do to increase the likelihood you will find it. First, and most importantly, start looking immediately. Call your local shelter as soon as you realize the cat is gone. People tend to wait days and even weeks before they call. Shelters often only hold stray animals for three days, so a cat could be lost and adopted (or euthanized) all in the same week. Dozens of cats come into the shelter every week; there’s no reason to think that yours wouldn’t.
After calling the shelter, walk around your neighborhood. Most cats don’t stray very far from home. Talk to your neighbors and anyone else who walks through your neighborhood such as the letter carrier. It’s astonishing how many people don’t bother to ask their neighbors if they’ve seen a cat lately. Look in any feline-friendly hiding place such as under a porch.
Make up flyers with a picture, a description of the cat, and your contact information. Give these out to everyone. Then run an ad in the local papers. Some papers will run free lost/found ads so call and ask. Leave items with a familiar scent outside your home, such as the cat’s litter box to help your cat use his sense of smell to find his way home. Finally, keep looking. Cats are often found weeks, months, or years later by owners who didn’t stop trying.