SAFELY HOME© FINDING A CAT
Courtesy of
Wildwood Pet Network revised 7/05
Use the internet, post your missing cat
on:
pets911.com
petfinder.com
missingpets.com.
Lost and Found.com
Some sites drop a posting after a period of time so you may need to renew your post .
Getting the
Word Out
A. Make a report to your police and animal control. Most departments keep a missing animal
log. Use these non emergency numbers if you
live near these areas. Please provide us with phone numbers for your
neighborhood so that we can update this resource for other families.
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B. Check every
other day at all local shelters. In
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Clermont County
513.732.8854
C. Call all
the emergency animal hospitals. (East Kemper 530-0911, Grady's
931-8675 and Redbank 561-0069).
D. Call these
shelters.
· League for Animal Welfare (513) 735-2299
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Paws
Adoption Center Inc. (513) 422-7297
E. Find out
who in your city is responsible for animal remains removal and call them. If your city has a website ask
to post a photo and info there.
F. We suggest
an ad in all local papers, post flyers with a photo in page protectors (open
side taped closed) or laminated is even better, on fluorescent posterboard cut
2” larger than the flyer. Post on every
corner within a 5 mile radius. .Cats are usually found very close to home but through the
kindness of strangers they can be transported much farther away. Go door to door (not alone) 1 block in all
directions for each day the animal has been missing passing out flyers.
Don't worry if you get emotional when you're talking to people they'll
understand. Walking and person to person contact are key, I don't recall any animal
being found by driving up and down streets
G. Use
Mapquest's yellow page feature and pull up all pet related businesses within 25
miles and get flyers to them.
H. Get flyers
to people who are regularly in your neighborhood, postal workers, utility, cable,
phone, school bus drivers, UPS, FedEx, etc.
I. Make large
business card sized info cards (description & phone #s) to hand out to
family, friends and co workers and ask them to pass them along. That way
when someone sees the animal they have the contact info handy. Also email your
flyer to the same group and ask them to forward (this works well).
If They're Still Close To Home
A. Lost
animals are trying to finds sounds and
smells which remind them of home. Tie two of your dirty
socks together and secure them outside at the base of your mailbox pole or on a
stake. Change these out every couple of days. Another scent suggestion
which has worked well is to sprinkle some of you own urine around the
yard. Placing small amounts of the litter box contents is helpful
too. For obvious reasons we suggest doing this discretely.
B. If there is another
animal in the family they are friends with and that animal is vocal put the
buddy in a sturdy carrier (you don't want two missing animals) and set them in
a protected place outside. Stay close and see what happens. If
there isn't a buddy, then you sit outside and read out loud. Remember,
they're trying to find familiar sounds, calling their name repeatedly isn't
what it sounds like the inside of your house.
Physically Catching
Cats
A. Cats usually won't come to anyone the way a dog will. Even if you see
them, never chase them, coaxing with tuna or shaking the treat pouch is good.
Try to lead them to the house. Keep things calm, put dogs in the bathroom
or basement so they won't get in the way, close other
cats into another room so they don't get away. Open the door, set tuna on
the floor about a foot past inside the distance of the open door and stand back
where they can't see you. Once they come in let them begin to eat and
shut the door. Yippee!!
B. If you don't see them but begin to get sightings (never go alone and always
let someone know where you're going) we recommend setting a Have A Heart Trap
with tuna and a couple of your dirty socks (our feet smell like us) or a cloth
with your urine on it. Ask well meaning people not to set food out, the
point is to get them into the trap. This phase is nerve wracking because
we usually catch 5 other cats, a raccoon and often an opossum before we catch
the cat we're after. Tape a flyer (and a notice not to let any trapped
animal out) in a page protector to the trap which you've also locked to
something. Check the trap at least 3 times each day. If you have
coyote problems don't set the trap after
Does This Really Work?
Yes. We've been
doing this since 1996 and have helped families find over 90% of the animals
reported missing to us. It is hard work but this system works. Each
missing animal teaches us something that helps us find other animals. The
key is thinking about your cat, how does he or she react to things, what time
of the day is he or she most active, does he or she like to lay in the sun, is this
cat bold or shy, etc?
How Long Does It Take?
It varies from 2 hours to 8 months, usually it takes a month. Keep track
of everything you're doing in a notebook. Note the people you've talked to
(with phone#s). Delegate some of our suggestions to trusted family or friends.
Get rest, eat well and we think prayer and meditation are good ideas too.
Some of the families have used psychics with good results. Let me know if you
would like a referral.
Good luck and keep in
touch
Janet Corbett
Wildwood Pet Network
Helping Lost Animals Find Their Way Home...
Finding Homes For Animals Who Have None...
513 870-0421