General Search Tips

Lost Cat Search

Start your search inside of your home.  Look anywhere you think your cat could be hiding, under beds, dressers, blankets, floor boards, desks, tables, behind and under coaches and chairs, in laundry baskets, cabinets, closets, boxes, washer, dryer, dishwasher and any opening in the floors or drywall where your cat could have gotten in (where plumbing goes into the wall). Be sure to check all storage areas in your home as well as your garage. Open a tin of canned fish and leave it out in a dish.  

Look in your yard.  You will need a flashlight and wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty. Using your flashlight look under decks, BBQ’s, lawn furniture, inside any pipes, in and around bushes and sheds, or any other place your cat could be hiding.  Look up trees, on decks and on any roof surface.  Be sure to check your vehicle to see if you cat got trapped and check the wheel wells and engine of the car too. (Sometimes making a loud noise on the hood of the car will startle the cat out)  

Do similar checks in your neighbor’s yards (Ask permission before doing so) Leave contact information and a complete description of your cat with your neighbors.  Ask if you can look in their shed and garage too.   

Make large LOST CAT posters and place them around your neighborhood (See an example of an effective lost pet posters to your left) Keep records of where you placed these posters and REMOVE them when you get your cat back. Place these over an area covering 5 to 6 blocks

Shelters and vets need a picture and a description of your lost pet.  Bring a copy of your lost cat flyer to them.  Don't just call them BRING a flyer to their offices.

If you have a male cat that is not neutered he could travel very far. The urge to mate may cause him to get into fights and he could suffer serious injuries as a result.  

Outdoor access cats tend to hide either just outside of their regular territory or within their regular territory.  They also get trapped in garages, sheds etc.

Here is a picture of a cat hiding under a shed. Because this cat is outside of his regular territory (in this case an indoor only cat) he will NOT respond when called. 

His instincts will guide him to HIDE.  This is absolutely NO reflection of how much the cat loves you.  He is simply frightened. 

Within a fraction of a second the cat will silently slip away.   They usually don’t go very far when they do this.  In this case the cat simply hunkered down on top of the wood while remaining under the shed.

 In order to see this you have to be on the ground with a flashlight. But do not use an LED flashlight, as the defused light will not work well for this kind of search.

Is your cat in a tree?  Look up...Look way up!

This cat eventually came down without any assistance.  

It can be very difficult to see a cat in a tree.  Stand back and take your time when you search an area.  If the cat is frightened he will not respond when you call him. 

If you still cannot find your cat consider setting a baited humane cat trap.  DO NOT  leave food out unless it is in a humane trap.  Food will make the area very desirable to other cats and critters who will gladly defend the new found treasured territory.  This is the MOST COMMON error people make when trying to get a lost cat back.

---------------------------------------------------

 General Search Tips

LOST DOG

Develop a direction traveled by gathering information from witnesses.  Talk to anyone in the area and pay particular attention to people walking dogs.  Because dogs are pack animals it is very common for a loose dog to approach people walking dogs or dogs that are fenced or tied in yards. Remember that dogs attract dogs.

If someone tells you that they saw your dog at any given point, and you cannot find other witnesses, make sure your posters are in that area!  People are creatures of habit and they tend to travel in the same places each day...on their way to work etc. 

Listen for other dogs barking. Dogs get excited with they see other dogs and they tend to bark so use this to your advantage.

LOOK in areas where the dog could have become trapped.  Even otherwise vocal dogs can go into complete silent mode when trapped. Make sure you check inside your home too...I had a case where the dog was trapped in a closet for 4 days, he stayed there without making a sound.

Put up LARGE LOST DOG posters (see example of lost pet poster above)  Someone may have taken your dog in to keep him safe.  You may also get information about the direction your dog is traveling.  If you can not establish a direction traveled it is best to get your large posters out in high traffic areas.  At this point the strategy is to place the posters where the people are not where you think the dog is.

If you can afford it, hire people to hold up your lost dog signs at busy intersections or on busy roads. 

If your dog was lost anywhere near a highway call the local trucking companies and give them your lost dog information, a reward is a great incentive to getting this broadcast over the CB radio.  Taxi companies may also help too...be creative :o)

Once you have established the direction traveled, place your posters along that direction, but do not remove the other posters until the dog is home. I have recovered a lot of dogs this way!

Dogs that appear to be friendly or valuable are picked up by people more often than aggressive or scruffy looking dogs.   

Make sure you check along the side of the roads to eliminate the possibility that the dog is injured. Tire skid marks on the road are a good indication that an area should be checked. Injured dogs may run a great distance, in an attempt to get away from the pain, or they can hunker down close to the point of the accident/injury.

This picture was taken shortly after a dog was hit by a car. Note that they are in a strait line.  Most dogs dart out into roads giving drivers very little response time.  Not all skid marks mean that a pet was hit but you need to rule out a possible hit.  Talking to people in the area is helpful in gathering information. (The dog was recovered within minutes of the hit and he received emergency vet care.  I am happy to report that he is doing very well).

If your dog is skittish have all people helping you remove their sunglasses before approaching the dog.  Sunglasses can appear to be stalking eyes to a freighted animal. Don’t look directly at the dog!  If possible have them sit down with really strong smelling (Yummy to your dog) food and get the dog to approach them.  Once they make a move to grab the dog there is no turning back, so be sure they are ready to grab the collar before they make a move.  Some dogs are so skittish that a humane trap will be needed in order to capture them.

If you get repeated sightings of your dog in the same area camp out there.  Bring a book or sit in your car.  Dogs often carve out a territory and you may find that the dog will return to that spot.  Keep your cell phone on incase you get another lead called in.

If you have a chow hound (A DOG THAT LOVES FOOD) that has  strolled off into the woods exploring scent, try striking up your BBQ and placing meat that your dog will love on it.  Greasy meat makes the most delicious scent!  Do not leave any food behind for the dog to eat unless it is in a baited humane trap! 

The use of the BBQ has also been successful in cases of roll over accidents and dogs that are injured but to afraid to come out of the woods.  Again...NEVER leave food for the dog to eat unless it is in a baited humane trap! 

Skittish dogs may prefer to hang out in grave yards and other quite places during the day, and scavenge for food at night or early in the morning.

Remember that friendly dogs can become skittish or aggressive when frightened.

Look any place where trash is kept.

Dogs seem to love dead end streets and grave yards make sure they are investigated.

DO NOT YELL.  Yelling can echo and cause the dog to go in the wrong direction. It can also cause the dog to avoid you because he thinks you are upset or stressed.  Call your dogs name gently and in a playful tone.