Lost pets, unfortunately, are not so rare. Cats, of course, don't go out as often as dogs. However, it happens that these animals run away and get lost. What to do if a cat is missing? Experts recommend that owners of a lost animal begin searching immediately. Otherwise, the pet may be lost forever.
Why do cats disappear?
According to statistics, more than a hundred pets leave home every day in any city. And a good half of them are cats. There are several reasons why these pets may disappear. But most often, furry pets run away, obeying the main natural instinct. If the cat disappeared from the apartment in the spring, the reason is almost completely this.
Also, the animal can escape from home, subject to another of his instinct - a passion for hunting. In pursuit of prey, for example, with a mouse or some kind of insect, a pet can simply slip unnoticed into an ajar window or door and subsequently not find the way back.
Very often, cats disappear from the apartment and during any big noisy festivities. Accustomed to silence, an animal can easily be frightened, for example, by fireworks or loud songs and escape into the open by guests who went out to smoke a door on the entrance platform.
What you need to do first
If the owners suddenly discovered the disappearance of a pet, you should not be scared and panic right away. First of all, you should carefully examine the entire apartment. Cats, among other things, are great masters of disguise. It often happens that these animals, tired of communicating, for example, with children, simply find a nook in the house and rest there for a while.
So, having discovered the absence of a cat in the house, first of all, you need to inspect the home:
- all cabinets and bedside tables (even with closed doors);
- the space under the beds and sofas, as well as behind them;
- window sills behind curtains;
- space on the surface of tall cabinets, etc.
You can also pick up a piece of your favorite cat food, for example, meat and walk around the room, calling your pet.
We inspect the entrance
If it turns out that the cat has disappeared and is still not in the house, you should start the search immediately. At first, a frightened animal will most likely not go too far from home. The owners of the missing cat should first of all examine the entrance from the very first floor to the last. Most likely, a frightened pet will sit somewhere on the platform or stairs.
If a cat is not found in the entrance itself, be sure to make sure that the basement door is closed. Otherwise, with a probability of up to 90%, the animal will be found behind it. Basement searches can be quite complicated. After all, the room is usually very large and usually has many nooks and crannies. But to look for a cat in the basement as thoroughly as possible is certainly worth it.
Also, the owners of the runaway animal must definitely go to the hatch leading to the attic. It is possible he will be open. Then the cat will have to look in the attic.
Witness Survey
If searches in the entrance, in the basement and in the attic did not yield any results, you should go out into the yard and look for the missing cat there. As already mentioned, being scared, these animals, unlike dogs, usually do not run away from home. For example, a domestic cat that is not used to the street will not cross the busy road under any circumstances.
Having gone out into the yard, you should carefully examine all the bushes, lawns, look under the benches, children's slides, carousels, etc. It is definitely worth going into all the neighboring porches of the house. You also need to carefully inspect the trees. Perhaps a lost cat will show up on one of the branches.
Interview people in the courtyard - grandmothers on benches, a janitor, children on the playground. Maybe one of them will remember the scared cat trying to hide.
Compassionate old women
If the cat could not be found, its owners should approach those people in the house who like to take care of homeless animals. Such compassionate old women are in almost every high-rise building. These people should definitely be notified of the loss of a pet. You also need to describe his signs as accurately as possible and ask to call in case of discovery, leaving your phone number.
Announcement "The cat was gone"
If a pet is not found immediately after the loss, its owners should not despair. In order to find a lost cat, you need to continue to take decisive action. Of course, the owners of the animal should definitely make an announcement about the loss. It needs:
- put a large photo of the missing animal;
- in capital letters to write "The cat has disappeared";
- give a brief description of the animal under the photograph;
- make a cut below with a phone number.
Of course, it would be very useful to ascribe in the announcement “The cat disappeared” the phrase “To the finder is reward”. This will greatly increase the chances of finding an animal.
What to do next
You can paste ads written in this way:
- on poles within a radius of several hundred meters around the house;
- at the nearest stops;
- in elevators;
- on the doors of the entrances of his house and located nearby;
- near the places of feeding of animals by grandmothers;
- near the nearest grocery stores;
- on nearby city bulletin boards.
Performing this work, of course, you need to pay attention to various warnings such as "Posting ads is prohibited." Otherwise, in addition to losing the pet, its owners may have to pay a fine.
Of course, the announcement of the loss of animals should be placed on their own pages in all social networks, as well as in groups of the city or district.
We continue the search
Of course, having written and pasted the announcement of the loss, the owners of the animal should not calm down. The search for the missing cat must be continued for at least the next few days. And it is advisable to go out at least once later in the evening, closer to night. At this time, cats become bolder and more active. Perhaps the lost animal will leave its shelter, for example, in search of food and water and will be noticed by its owners.
How to Make Your Pet Never Get Lost: Precautions
Finding a missing animal is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. However, it is better, of course, to ensure that the cat is never lost. For this, the owners should take some pretty simple safety precautions. In order not to lose your pet, you need:
- in spring, follow him as closely as possible;
- never let a cat walk alone on the street;
- during noisy celebrations, close the animal in one of the rooms or instruct children, for example, to monitor it;
- during estrus, walking with a cat only in places where there are no cats nearby.
Get a special collar for your pet, on which indicate his nickname, address and contacts of the owners. Well, and, of course, the owners of the cat or cat should never leave the door to the apartment ajar. If this happens often, the likelihood of extinction of the animal increases manifold.
What to do if you found a strange animal
These pets run away from home, as already mentioned, quite often. It is very easy to distinguish a lost cat from a street cat. Such animals usually look scared and depressed. At the same time, the lost cats shy away from people, hiss, growl and show aggression when trying to stroke or pick them up. Of course, cats that run away from home at first look cleaner than their street cousins. Well, and, of course, to suspect that the animal was lost, it is possible even if it is clearly thoroughbred.
If such a cat is found in the courtyard or entrance:
- take pity on him and do not leave him on the street;
- at home, first try to feed a frightened cat;
- bathe the animal if it got dirty.
If possible, see ads in newspapers and social networks. Probably the missing animal is already looking for the owners. Of course, submit your ad “Cat Found”. Never take the animal to the shelter. In our country, in fact, there are none. Unfortunately, there are only catching centers in Russia where animals will sooner or later be euthanized.
If you found a cat in the yard, be sure to ask your grandmothers at the porches and children in the yard about whether they know who its owners are. Leave them your contacts. After all, when looking for a cat, its owners will most likely also interview people in the yard.
If you can’t keep the cat at home (for example, you have your own vaccinated animals), go to the zoo site of your city. On such a platform you can usually find overexposed animals - people taking animals to their place for a while for a small fee or even for free.
If the owners who lost the cat still cannot be found, try to find new owners for it. Call relatives and friends and ask if they need such a pet. Also give announcements in newspapers and on the Internet "I'll give it in good hands."