Getting the word out early is the key to getting your dog or cat back safely and soundly. Don't assume your pet will return on his own in a few hours. Don't wait around to see if he'll find his way home. As soon as you are aware that your pet is missing, GET THE WORD OUT. Remember, have good, clear photos on hand just in case, and ALWAYS make sure your dogs and cats are wearing a collar with identification tags.
Leave out your pet's favorite
food in a dish, luring him with the scent. Also, the animal will be hungry and searching for food. Leave a T-shirt or blanket with your scent or your pet's scent on it outside of your house. Animals have a much more sensitive sense of smell than humans and it is possible for them to smell it from a distance.
If your pet is an indoor cat that does not usually get out, place her litter box outside, where she may smell her own scent and recognize her home. (Do not clean it out first!).
Ask everyone:
neighbors, children, mail carriers, passersby. Show them a photo of your pet. Even if they have not seen him, they may be willing to keep an eye out for him.
Look around your neighborhood carefully
(or wherever your pet was lost). Cats can wander into a neighbor’s garage, shed, etc., fall asleep and accidentally get shut in.
Late at night or very early in the morning, when the area is quiet, go to the place where your pet was lost. Bring his favorite food and a flashlight, call his name and wait to see if he shows up. Try this repeatedly.
If your pet is microchipped, notify the microchip provider that your pet is lost.
If your pet is registered with a lost-pet network organization, call them right away.
Create a flyer with a photo.
Keep it Simple, with a brief description, breed type, color, etc. Include the animal’s name, your pet may respond easier to a stranger calling it by its name, and it also makes your pet into a valued member of your family and not just another lost animal statistic. Offer a reward (do not state how much in the ad) and include your phone number. Note: If you are offering a reward, leave out a detail, such as gender, distinguishing mark, in order to avoid scam artists. Click here to download a free flyer template.
Make dozens of index cards
with the same information as above, and go to every home, in every direction from the site of where your pet disappeared, and give a card, or stick a card under doors or on windshields. Stop and speak with every person you encounter – the more people know about your lost pet, the more likely the one person who spots him will call you. Your pet may be frightened, ask people to please check their sheds, garages, etc. especially at night.
Post “lost pet” ads
in the local newspapers, websites and Social Network (Facebook, etc). Include a photo of the dog and a way to contact you.
Go to all the shelters* in the area
– don’t just call them – and file a lost pet report. Give them a color photo of your pet with your phone number on it. Ask to see all the animals in the shelter and visit every cage. Check all the shelters every day. Shelter employees are often very busy, so you can’t depend on. someone remembering that an animal like yours was brought in.
See below for a list of area shelters.
Call area veterinary clinics
and emergency vet clinics and send them a photo/flyer of your pet. Ask each of them if any animal fitting your pet’s description has been brought in.
If you suspect that your pet may have been stolen, report your pet missing to the police. They may know if an animal fitting your pet’s description has been hit by a car (or they may be able to direct you to the department that handles this).
Read the “pet found” section
in each of the local newspapers daily. Many papers run “found” ads for free. Follow up on any ad that describes an animal similar to yours, since you can’t count on the finder to describe your pet exactly as you would.
https://www.findtoto.com is a service that will call your neighbors to let them know that a pet in the area is missing. This is the phone-calling website. It calls itself the "Amber Alert" for lost pets. So that would reach the trappers too that are trapping cats and sending to the shelters and dumping cats off in other areas!
Don’t give up!
Persistence is often the key to finding a lost pet. Some animals have been found after months of being missing.
List of Parish Animal Control Shelters –
go in person to check, don’t just call, ask to see ALL the dogs/cats at the shelter, keep checking back as often as possible, every day if you can.
