Lost and Found Guidance

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
  • Try a paper collar with your phone number and "please call me if this is your cat" written on it

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