What to Do When Your Cat Is Lost in Canada | PetzLover

What should you do in the first hours after your cat goes missing?

1. Search the house thoroughly: closets, cupboards, behind appliances, inside sofas and boxes. Indoor cats often hide indoors.
2. Search outside close to home: under porches, decks and parked cars, in sheds, garages and bushes. Most cats found outside in the study were hiding under porches, cars or objects near the house.
3. Call softly and listen. Owners in the study often said the cat meowed back but did not come.
4. Search again at dusk and after dark with a flashlight; eye shine shows a hidden cat.
5. Ask neighbours to check garages, sheds and basements. About one in nine cats found alive were inside someone else's house.
6. Leave the door you think it used quiet, and keep checking it.

How far do lost cats go?

Not far, in most cases. These figures come from the 2018 study by Huang and colleagues, published in the journal Animals:

Time matters too. Cats found alive had been missing a median of 6 days, and by day 7 about a third of all missing cats had been found alive. Owners rated a physical search as the most helpful method in about two thirds of the cases where it was used and the cat was found alive.

Who should you contact when your cat is lost?

• City animal services. In Toronto, file a lost animal report through 311 or 416-338-PAWS (7297) with a description, licence number, microchip number and photo, check the stray list of animals found in the last 14 days, and visit City shelters in person. In Calgary, contact the city through 311; it calls a licence a lost pet's ticket home, and its peace officers can drive a found pet straight home under the Pet Drive Home Program.
• Your microchip registry. Confirm your phone number and address are current, and report the cat missing.
• Vet clinics, humane societies and SPCAs near you, in person if you can. Toronto Animal Services also suggests visiting Toronto Humane Society locations and registering with Helping Lost Pets.
• Neighbours, building managers and mail carriers, who see the street every day.

How do you post a lost cat ad and posters that work?

• A clear, recent photo, and a second showing markings or the full coat.
• Colour, pattern, sex, age and any collar, plus whether it is an indoor-only cat that may hide.
• Where and when it went missing.
• A phone number you are comfortable sharing, and a request not to chase the cat.
• Keep one detail back, such as a scar or the collar colour, so you can check callers.

Put posters up within a few streets and at vet offices, shelters, grocery stores, libraries and community boards, as Toronto Animal Services suggests. Then post a lost cat ad with the photos and area, and check lost and found cat ads near you every day. People who see your cat can message you through PetzLover; keep your phone number out of the ad text if you prefer.

What dangers does a lost cat face in Canada?

• Cold. The Ontario SPCA says cats are particularly vulnerable in cold temperatures.
• Cars. Cats shelter under car hoods for warmth; ask neighbours to knock on the hood or sound the horn before starting the engine.
• Antifreeze, which tastes sweet to animals and can be fatal.
• Coyotes. The City of Toronto advises keeping cats indoors or supervised, and asks people to call 311 if a coyote bites a pet.
• Traffic, wildlife and disease, the risks Toronto lists for cats that roam.

Toronto also keeps a list of deceased animals collected in the last 30 days. It is hard to check, but it can end the uncertainty.

What lost pet scams should cat owners watch for?

• Ask callers for a photo of the cat taken today, or the detail you kept back, before you travel.
• Never send a reward or transport money in advance; pay any reward only when you have your cat.
• Meet in a public place or at animal services, and take someone with you.
• If you believe your cat was stolen, report it to police with its photos, microchip number and vet records.

What should you do when your cat comes home?

• Check it over and book a vet visit, especially after cold nights or if it is limping, not eating or breathing fast.
• Tell everyone you contacted, and take down posters and your ad.
• Prevent a repeat: window screens, door routines, a secure enclosure for outdoor time, a licence tag where required and a microchip with current details.

Anyone who spots your cat may read how to help find a lost cat. Cats new to a home are most likely to slip out, so see taking in a rehomed cat or how to adopt a kitten or cat for settling-in steps.