Lost and Found

Whether it is a just few hours or a few weeks that your pet has been missing, it can be very difficult to stay positive. However, there is a lot you can do now, and a variety of ways that we can support you in being reunited in the shortest possible time.

Publicity  - The key to success is informing as many people as possible in as wide an area as possible.
REMEMBER! If your pet is insured, your policy may include help with advertising and reward costs.

Internet  - If you have not already done so, register your pet’s details on lost and found websites
i.e. www.cats.org.uk, www.petsearchuk.co.uk, www.rspca.org.uk, www.nationalpetregister.org etc.

Posters  -  The more the better - on lamp posts, phone boxes, bus stops, in cars, pubs, shops etc.  Include a photo and a telephone number.

Leaflets  - Another great way to spread the word – post them through letterboxes in your street and the surrounding area. With permission, you can also leave them on the counter in local shops etc.

Pet Professionals  - Advise local ‘pet professionals’ such as vets and pet rescue centres. If your pet is chipped, and handed into a vet then they should scan them and contact you. However it is often the case that people simply phone a vet to report a stray and they don't or can't take them into the surgery to be scanned. Therefore it is important that they log the 'lost report' at their surgery.

Search the neighbourhood on foot  -  This is something that you can do straight away. Call out your pet’s name, and listen for any response – it may be that they are trapped, and can’t get back to you as they normally would. Some charities have volunteers who patrol the area to site cat in need.

Alert neighbours  - Speak to neighbours to alert them to the fact that your pet is missing – the more people keeping a look out, the better. Most pets that go missing are found very close to home. Search sheds, garages and outhouses.  If you are able to do this yourself, your pet may be more likely to respond to a familiar voice.

Other pet owners  - Ask local dog walkers to keep a look out while they are in your area.

Vacant properties  -  Are there any empty buildings being refurbished that your pet may have slipped in to, and become trapped?

Holiday hazard  - If any of your neighbours are on holiday, it’s worth checking to see whether your pet may have become trapped in their house before they locked up.

Community buildings  - Are there community buildings nearby – sometimes these can be locked up for a period of time.

Skips / abandoned vehicles  - Skips and abandoned vehicles can be hazards for pets who sometimes become trapped.

Above ground level  - Look up as well as down – trees, scaffolding etc.

Delivery personnel  -  It can be well worth having a chat with local postman, delivery workers, taxi drivers, bin men workmen etc - leave them a photo of your pet and a phone number to ring if they see anything.

Food sources  -  Hungry pets have been known to appear at the back of restaurants, or anywhere else where they might find food.

School children  -  School children are usually eager to help and often spot clues that adults may miss. Pop some flyers into your local school.

Practical measures  -  If your pet has become disorientated of it’s location it can be much more difficult for them to find their way home. There are a number of things that you can do to help them. Familiar smells - Leave out food or a familiar toy – this can help them to sniff you out. Similarly, an unwashed item of clothing, or one that you have sprayed with a distinctive ‘home’ smell such as your deodorant, aftershave or perfume can help too. Vacuum cleaner magic - Emptying the contents of your vacuum cleaner bag in the garden can also be surprisingly effective – pets can pick up on the scent of their fur and other familiar smells from their home from some distance. Cat Litter - Even depositing the contents of your cat’s litter tray outside the house can give them a familiar scent to lead the way home, this is especially helpful for a missing indoor cat, because their scent isn’t in the outside environment.

Cats Protection recommends that cats are micro chipped, this is harmless and permanent and will help to reunite many lost pets.

As a charity we also recommend that all cats are neutered to help prevent wandering plus providing many other health benefits for your cat.

Found cat help and advice

Injured cats  - If a found cat is injured or in need of veterinary attention please contact the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999, if the cat is in need of emergency treatment the contact would be the RSPCA and take immediately to a vet.

If you’ve come across an unfamiliar cat in your area which isn’t in need of immediate medical treatment there are a number of steps you can take towards re-uniting it with its owner.

Paper collar - Try to get a paper collar on to the cat, with the message ‘Is this your cat?  Please phone (insert your own phone number)’.  Attach the collar with a small piece of Cellotape (not all the way round  –  this is dangerous for the cat), and wait for the phone to ring. If you’ve not heard anything within a day or so, it’s more likely that the cat really is lost.

Vets  - It’s worth checking with local vets to see whether they have been advised of any lost cats, and they can also scan for a microchip, which will confirm who the owner is very quickly. This is a free service, available at all vets.

Feeding  - If the cat has been around less than 24hours and appears healthy try not to encourage it by feeding straight away, give the cat a chance to go home it may be just visiting. If the cat doesn't appear to be going away and no one has claimed it you may need to monitor and feed the cat temporarily.

Internet  - There are many websites where you can report lost and found cats. i.e. – Cat Protection Lost and Found, www.rspca.org.uk, www.animalsearchuk.co.uk, www.nationalpetregister.org among many others. If you can take a few photos to include, so much the better.

Local advertising  - It’s usually free to pop a ‘found’ ad in your local shop window, or in a local newspaper – have a look for any ‘lost’ ads while you are there.

Local Radio - Often local radio station will do a lost and found pet section, and they often have a webpage relating to lost and founds locally.

Transporting the cat  -  If you do need to get the cat to a vet, either to be scanned, or to be treated if it has been injured, the safest way to do this is in a properly designed cat basket. If you don’t have one yourself, ask around friends and neighbours who have cats themselves, to see whether you can borrow one. (Maybe borrowable from the vets.)

Rescue and rehoming - If there isn’t a microchip and you haven’t had any new leads to the ownership of the cat after 2 weeks, then the next step is to contact the Homing Officer of the Cat Protection who will discuss the case further and checking the availability of pens at that present time.

Further advice?  - We are contactable daily between 10am – 7pm, and will be happy to help in whatever way we can on 01726 817837