What to do when you've lost your cat
The following advice will hopefully help you find your cat again
LOOK IN Loft, cellars, cupboards, all rooms, sheds, garages, out-houses, green-houses, local halls, gardens, hedgerows.
INFORM Cats Protection Nottingham Centre (0115 9386557), all local vets, other local charities and welfare organisations A list of local rescues can be found here, local schools, milk, paper and post delivery people. Phone your local council and ask for Environmental Health Dept.
ADVERTISEMENTS on Notice Boards in all public places and Shop Windows (We do not recommend advertising the cat's name but do include a photograph, if possible.) Social Media, Pet Shops, Vets, Library, Launderette, Hair Dressers, Newsagents, Fish & Chip Shops, Post Offices, Shops, Garages, Health Centre, Dentist. In halls used by public Cubs, Scouts, Brownies, Playgroups, Youth Clubs, Bingo Halls, Social Clubs, Pubs. Posters taped to telegraph and lamp posts near Bus Stops, Phone Boxes and Letter Boxes as well as on your own front gate.
LEAFLET DROP Door to door in your area, ensure that every household receives one.
NEWSPAPERS & RADIO Contact local radio stations for Lost/Found appeals as well as local press for Lost/Found column in newspapers.
TALK TO PEOPLE Walking dogs, going shopping, on way to/from school/work. Lollipop person, Traffic Warden, Road Sweeper, Police.
Please remember to notify us on 0115 9386557, as well as everyone else, when you find your cat again, as this will save a lot of time and resources by our volunteers, trying to find your cat. Whilst we are searching, puss is often curled up on his owner's bed, fast asleep
I have found a cat. What should I do?
If the cat appears to be suffering or injured in some way, please take the cat straight to the nearest veterinary practice.
Is the cat stray or feral? Use our online tool by clicking on the following link to find out whether the cat you've found is a stray or a feral, as well as what to do next. Stray or Feral?
If the cat appears to be well, and has only been around for three days or fewer, try not to encourage it to stay by feeding it. If the cat gets hungry it may be encouraged to go home again. Cats can wander quite long distances but will usually go back to their own home to sleep or eat. Older cats may look thin and underfed but could be due to a medical condition, thus taking it into your own home and feeding it could mean it is missing doses of medication it may be receiving at home.
Make local enquiries to see if anyone has lost a cat: ask neighbours, local vets and pet shops if they know of any missing pets. You can also put posters up around the neighbourhood telling people a cat has been found.
After three days of seeing the cat around, notify rescue centres - you can find a list here - and place the cat on a lost and found register. If you are able to get the cat into a cat carrier, please take the cat to a local vet to be scanned for a microchip, which will help identify its owner, and to check it is healthy.
If you have made several enquiries, and there is still no sign of an owner, contact your nearest rescue centre for advice and assistance.