2. Lost Cat - Search Guide
If your cat is missing - don't panic!
Think positively & act now!
Do not rely on them to find their own way back, here is a list of actions you can take to help your cat to come home. This information is relevant wether you live in an urban or rural situation, only the human population density wil be different.
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1. Search every room in your house they could be trapped, sick or injured cats may silently hide.
• Check cupboards, behind/in appliances, look up chimneys with a torch & anywhere a silent cat could be concealed.
• Check outside in sheds, storage units & inside any containers, cats can squeeze themselves through surprisingly small gaps.
• Carefully search through undergrowth, even check under the bonnets of vehicles. Small cats have been known to climb into spaces around car engines for warmth, & go to sleep.
• If you have a vacuum cleaner, sprinkle some of the contents of the bag outside - familiar smells may act as a homing beacon to a confused feline
• Ask your neighbours to look in similar places within their gardens
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2. Call for your cat as you usually would, then whilst strolling around your immediate area.
• Call them in a routine way & at a volume that if they heard you, you would hear them respond.
• Don't shout & avoid sounding stressed, this may only cause alarm & anxiety.
• Stand quietly after calling, give your cat a chance to reach you - listen carefully for any sound of them.
• He/she could be injured & trying to reach you.
• Look upwards too - cats climb trees & have even found their way onto terraced rooftops - coming down again is more difficult
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3. Collect all your cat's details together & list:
• The area in which he/she was last seen & when
• Colour/markings/fur length/distinguishing features
• If he/she was wearing a collar add a full description
• Age, sex & whether they are neutered/spayed/entire
• Nature? Remembering - he/she may be scared
• Does your cat have a microchip?
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4. Choose a photo to best identify your cat at a glance.
5. Create a poster using this information
6. Create a leaflet using this information.
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Turn to the next page for what to do next...
When you find your cat, please consider raising found posters to encourage people in future cases
