What to Do When Your Maine Coon Is Lost in Canada

What should you do in the first hours after your Maine Coon 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 2018 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, so stop and listen after calling.
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 Maine Coons go?

Not far, in most cases. These figures come from a 2018 study of 1,210 missing cats, with owners mainly in the United States, Australia and Canada, 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 Maine Coon 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 (animals found in the last 14 days) and visit City shelters in person.
• Your microchip company. Confirm your phone number and address are current, and report the cat missing.
• Your licence record. Calgary 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.
• 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 make posters and a lost Maine Coon ad that work?

• A clear, recent photo, and a second showing size or the full coat.
• Colour, pattern and size: a large, long-haired cat that may weigh up to 9 kg, and any extra toes or markings.
• Where and when it went missing, and whether it is an indoor-only cat that may hide.
• A phone number you are comfortable sharing, and a request not to chase the cat.
• Keep one detail back, such as a scar or 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 Maine Coon ad with the photos and area, and check lost and found Maine Coon 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 Maine Coon face in Canada?

• Cold. The Ontario SPCA says cats are particularly vulnerable in cold temperatures. A thick coat helps, but it does not make a lost cat safe.
• 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.

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.

How do you avoid lost-pet scams and theft claims?

• Ask callers for a photo of the cat taken today, or a 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 Maine Coon was stolen, report it to police with its photos, microchip number and registration papers.

What should you do when your Maine Coon comes home?

1. Check it over and book a vet visit, especially after cold nights or if it is limping, not eating or breathing fast.
2. Collect it promptly if it is at a shelter; Toronto charges C$30 plus C$10 a day to reclaim a cat.
3. Tell everyone you contacted, and take down posters and your ad.
4. 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 Maine Coon. Cats new to a home are worth extra care at doors; see taking in a rehomed Maine Coon or how to adopt a Maine Coon for settling-in steps.