What to do if your cat goes missing

It is very upsetting and stressful to lose your cat. To maximise your chance of finding a lost cat, you have to act fast - and don't panic!

• Hopefully your cat is microchipped. Contact your microchip company and inform them your cat is missing - make sure your contact details are up to date.
• Spend at least 15-30 minutes calling your cat by name, circling the location your cat was last seen. Make familiar sounds such as tapping the side of a can with a fork, or shaking a box of dry food. Stop and listen outside garages or other locations he/she could have been locked in.
• Check for your cat under bushes/shrubs in your and others’ gardens, as a scared cat may hide there.
• If you have pet insurance then contact your company as they may provide financial assistance and advice on advertising for your cat’s return.
• Make sure the cat flap is open and functional so they can get back in when they return.
• Notify immediate neighbours of your cat's absence and ask permission to look in their garages, sheds and gardens as cats can sometimes hide there. If they have windows that face your home, they can keep a look out for you.
• Canvas the neighbourhood (enlisting the help of others - children and neighbours), moving from door to door with your cat's description, preferably a photo and your telephone number.
• Prepare a flyer with relevant information about your cat, including the name and physical description. Contact information should include your name, telephone number and email address. If possible, include a photograph and have these photocopied. Post and distribute flyers wherever your cat was last seen, as well as throughout your home neighbourhood and to any welfare services you contact.
• Call all local veterinary practices and all animal rescue centres with a description of your cat, and perhaps visit them with a flyer including a recent photo. Again microchipping means that if they find your cat they can instantly contact you.
• Put the flyer in your local newsagent, village notice board or post office.
• Walk or cycle up and down the road near the area your cat was last seen and drive slowly through your neighbourhood. Ask people strolling or cycling nearby and widen your search to surrounding fields and woodlands.
• Take advantage of the lost and found ads in your local newspaper. Place a 'lost cat' ad as soon as possible, and be sure to check the column daily for any that have been found.
• Some national databases for lost pets are available on the internet.

Cats Protection

Website: www.cats.org.uk
'Phone: 03000 12 12 12

The Blue Cross

Website: www.bluecross.org.uk
'Phone: 01993 822651

RSPCA

Website: www.rspca.org.uk
'Phone: 0870 55 55 999