A Traumatic Experience For All

Over the years we've found many lost cats and know you can find your lost companion.
Let's start with the following tips for finding your lost pet:

Search Your Neighbourhood:
Walk or slowly drive through your neighbourhood and the surrounding neighbourhoods, several times a day. Try early in the morning, at dusk, late at night when traffic subsides, and at their normal feeding times if not morning or dusk. Speak to everyone you can: neighbours including their kids, your mail person, joggers, garbage collectors, newspaper carriers and anyone so they to can look out for your pet.

Try the Power of Scent:
Animals have a keen sense of smell and familiar smells can bring them home. For indoor cats, place their litter box outside. PUT THEIR FOOD AND WATER DISH OUTSIDE AND MONITOR IT CLOSELY.

Put up Posters:
On your poster include: a recent photo (COLOR is BEST; copying costs are not that much anymore, shop around.); your pet's name; description (colour, breed, age and any distinctive markings); date and location your pet went missing and a contact number where someone can be reached 24 hours per day. Distribute flyers in as many public places you can think of: grocery and corner stores; community centres; churches; schools; pet stores; grooming shops; libraries; laundromats; telephone poles etc. Vetrinary offices are excellent places as well.

Posters exposed to the elements can be protected by laminating them or using plastic page protectors found at any office supply store. They cost pennies each and will preserve the quality of your poster. If you do not protect them, they will need to be replaced as often as weather destroys them.

All Posters need to be checked and maintained, put up new posters at every opportunity. The more posters the better and in the widest area. This often produces sightings of the missing cat. Do not think your cat stayed within the immediate area of it's home.

Offer a reward:
Beware of callers who say they have your pet and demand you send them money for the animal’s return. Withhold one of your pet’s identifying characteristics so you can verify the honesty of a caller who is claiming to have found your pet. Put the reward on all of your posters.

Place an Ad in every paper you can:
Place an ad in the lost column of local newspapers. Since many papers allow people to put “found” ads for free, check newspapers daily in case someone is trying to find you! Sometimes people that find lost cats and do not see lost ads for the cat in their local papers, assume the owners are negligent and not deserving of the cat. It's very important to advertise!!

Visit Animal Shelters:
Go and personally visit the animal shelters in your area -- rather than phoning them. Often shelters have many animals that might match your pet and workers are often too busy to handle phone calls. Visit the shelter every 3-4 days. If you don’t have a shelter in your area contact the local police.

Check Animal Hospitals and Vet Clinics:
If your pet was injured he or she may have been taken to a nearby veterinarian or animal hospital before being taken to an animal shelter. Check back every 2 days with the clinics in your area.

Use the Internet:
There are websites that help lost & found animals be returned to their companions. Some BC SPCA branches have a place for lost and found pets on their website as well as some others. Specifically search for sites that would include Canadian groups and/or the province you are searching in.

Look for "Animal Find" Organizations in Your Area:
Some communities have non-profit groups who have formed a network to assist people who have lost a pet. When you visit your animal control shelter, ask if such a network exists in your area. Try looking in the newspaper classified ads for these groups or ask at a pet store. If you use one of these services remember to give a donation so they can continue to help others. Some of these groups may charge a nominal service fee.

In the Vancouver area please call the Vancouver Humane Society's Catfind Service, which offers very helpful tips. The phone number is 604-266-1012. A recorded message will guide you along.

Was Your Cat Stolen?:
It is far more likely your pet has strayed from home than he or she has been stolen. If you have evidence that leads you to believe your pet was stolen, contact police and the SPCA. Permanent identification in the form of tattooing or a microchip implant can help authorities track your animal.

Was Your Cat Taken by a Coyote?:
Many people think when their cat goes missing that it was killed by a Coyote. Although this can happen, it does not happen as frequently as people believe it to happen. There are individuals/groups that track missing cats by neighbourhood, and known Coyote attacks on Cats in those neighbourhoods. If you are concerned, search for these groups/individuals to see the likelihood of this happening in your neighbourhood.

DON'T GIVE UP!:

CONTINUE to search for your pet even when there is little hope. Some animals who have been lost for months have been reunited with their guardians.

Our last comment. Your cat needs some form of permanent identification. This can be a tattoo or a microchip, and they are not expensive. They work with it's collar to ensure your cat can be identified when found by someone other then you. If your cat has a tattoo or microchip this does not mean it does not need a collar. A collar can hold your name and phone number or your Veterinarian's contact information. Identification will help in the search for your cat, please contact a Vet today if your cat does not have proper ID.