Losing your pet is such a heartbreaking event. A quick story of our recent experience: Comet, an Orange Tabby and our family indoor cat, was accidentally let out of the house (we have two small children and keeping doors closed is always an issue) and he went out into the neighborhood. We adopted Comet several years ago from the Humane Society when he was 4 years old, and we believe that he was an outdoor cat prior to our adoption as he has gotten out of the house a few times before and will typically come back home the next day to get food and water. This latest time that he left the house, he spent his evening hiding under our neighbors RV (there is a space/undercarriage that he found and nestled into), the reason we know this is that the next day as we were searching for Comet our neighbors immediately came to our house and said that they were taking their RV into the shop to be serviced, the day after Comets disappearance, and while on the way they saw an Orange Cat run out from under the RV while they were stopped and darted into the woods, roughly 1.5 miles from our house/neighborhood. At this point, our search went from our immediate neighborhood to the surrounding neighborhoods. This story ends on a happy note, as we were able to find our cat through the love and support of the community, and here are some strategies that we utilized to help locate and get our cat/pet home safely:
Social Media
- If your neighborhood has a Facebook group – sign up and get access so you can post images of your lost pet so that your greater neighborhood can be on the lookout.
- Utilize the nextdoor App for your city and local areas, as this will open your search options beyond just your neighborhood. https://nextdoor.com/
Flyers
- Create 50 to 100 flyers and hand them out to neighbors (walk up and down the street and knock-on doors – also a good way to meet some of your neighbors).
- Take the flyers to your local veterinarians or animal shelters surrounding your neighborhood.
- Post on community boards or local gathering spaces (markets, churches, etc.…)
Websites
- Check often (daily) the Humane Societies stray rescue site to see if your animal has been returned. https://www.animalhumanesociety.org/strays
- Petco Lost Love Website allows you to create a profile of your lost pet and connects you to a greater network. https://lost.petcolove.org/
Prevention Methods
- Collar with tags and contact information (more pricey option: Collar with an Apple Air Tag or equivalent tracking device) https://www.apple.com/airtag/
- Here is an article on tech for tracking: https://www.gearpatrol.com/tech/g36230653/airtag-pet-accessories-collars/
- Microchip (allows for shelters to scan and determine pet ownership)
As mentioned, we did find our cat, after 6 days missing. We did everything I just laid out and ultimately the neighborhood Facebook group was able to generate enough leads that we were able to connect with the family that found our cat.
I know that losing your pet is extremely difficult and it doesn’t always end on a happy note, but my advice is to not give up and keep trying. It took 6 days to find our cat, and during that time it was extremely hard on the family. One thing I learned is that there are some really great people out there who truly care about your pet and getting it back home to you.
We would love to hear from you – if you have a similar experience or any questions please contact us.