What to do if your cat is lost

• Try not to worry - many cats turn up relatively quickly having just gone a bit further afiled or because they have been stuck in somewhere
• Check that your cat has not been accidentally shut in. Make sure you check cupboards (don't forget airing cupboards - always a favourite spot on cold days), sheds and cars, and get your neighbours to check too
• Inform the branch as soon as possible
• Telephone vets within a 10-12 mile radius. Missing pets are often taken to vets to look after.
• Call the microchip database company if your cat has been chipped
• Don't forget to inform the RSPCA, PDSA and the animal welfare department of your local council
• Put up posters in your area and in local shops - include the cats name, a description, the area it has been lost from and a contact number

What to do if your cat is found

• Inform the organisations you contacted so that your cat is removed from their registers
• Take down any posters you have produced

What to do if you find a lost cat

• If possible check the cat's collar to see if there is an address or telephone number so you can contact the owner directly
• Contact the branch with as good a description as possible
• Contact the RSPCA and PDSA and put a lots and found advert in the Bournemouth Echo (adverts are free for found cats)
• Consider taking the cat to your local vets to check for a microchip

How to reduce the chances of losing your cat

• Keep your cat indoors at night and provide a litter tray - this will be easiest if you give your cat the best meal of the day in the evening, and shut them in
• Fit a quick release collar with your address and telephone number on a tab (Please do not use barrel tags as the bottom containing the details fall off)
• Have your cat microchipped, so that if they are lost they can easily be identified, even if their collar has come off
• If you are out a lot you may want to consider keeping two cats as cats often wander off to seek company

See some of the lost and found cats reported to us