I've had a couple of escapees and they both stayed close to the house.
One went out a sliding glass door that somehow got left open at night, as I was getting ready to leave for a trip in the morning, and was nowhere to be found.
After much calling, she finally started calling back as it became light--20 minutes before I /had/ to leave. She wouldn't come to me, but I called to my wife to open the sliding door. She ran inside.
Another cat escaped as we arrived home after picking him up from my brother. Despite not knowing the area at all, he stayed close, in our carport for part of the time. He would run whenever we saw him. My brother came down to help. After 6 days, my wife asked the neighbors to keep their large bully of a cat indoors, and I saw him come to the food bowl in the carport just after midnight. My brother went out and was able to pick him up after a bit.
Some of the best advice I received is to:
- let people know--neighborhood forums or lists, flyers, posters, craigslist
- leave a door or window open with food inside
- use a surveillance camera that works in the dark and can alarm on movement
- keep calling and leaving out food
Here's part of a thread I received:
More people have tried the laundry and food tricks shown below and they have worked.
The first two are in response to the advice Susie gave in the email I've copied below them. As you'll see, a couple of people have tried her dirty laundry and open window tricks and they worked! Obviously, you'd need to close the door to whatever room you choose, so you'd know your cat came back.
The rest are from various listservs.
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Wendy,
I did leave some laundry (his beloved blanket, among other things) in the yard yesterday evening and left open the window of the guest room, downstairs (it's just below the balcony from where he jumped; I had also left a mackerel pate in the lower part of the balcony). And because I was so awfully worried, I decided to sleep in the guest room ... and there he came, sometime around 5-6 am
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Dear Susie,
I did keep my window open, and I was able to get him to come to me when I called!
Thanks so much!
-Suja.
Suja, I encourage you to open your windows even a bit, and put dirty laundry out in the yard. So he can smell your scent. That was suggested to me when my indoor cat got out and I did just that. Ava was missing for 10 days but one morning I awoke to her sitting on me in my bed. She had pried open the window until she could get in. Keep the faith. Maybe some flyers on telephone poles, too. Good luck. Susie
1. Ask neighbors to check crawlspaces and other such hiding places.
2. Look for a Facebook page for lost cats/pets for your area
3.
http://trianglepetrescue.com/lostandfound.htm
See:
Lost Cat Behavior Info
Tips for finding a lost pet
Tips to find a dog or cat
4. From Pat,
I'm an Operation Catnip feral TNR cat trapper and a 20-year cat rescue veteran.
Rescue groups have discovered through decades of experience that most of these animals immediately find the nearest hiding place and stay there for up to one or two weeks, until their hunger becomes so great that they begin searching for food. At that point, if they find a baited trap their hunger nearly always overcomes their fear of the trap and they are recaptured and reunited with their owners.
You can borrow a live trap from Animal Rescue people
I've helped many friends, neighbors, and adopters of my former foster kitties to recover their lost pets in this manner, so I know it does work. And, provided food and water is made available outside for the escaped pet from the first moment it goes missing and, after the first couple of days, is placed only inside a humane trap, most of these pets can be rescued. As long as food is available, most of them never venture further than 1/2 mile away from their home and most are recovered in their own yards.
Also post on Craig's List, and place flyers in strategic locations around the neighborhood.
It's really important for owners of missing animals to visit Animal Control's facility at least every 3 days to ensure their missing pet is not there.
5. HomeAgain Pets:
http://public.homeagain.com/how-to-find-a-lost-cat-using-personality-clues.html
6. From the head of an animal rescue/foster group (which was in response to a dog posting):
FACEBOOK!!!!! CRAIG'S LIST!!!! LOST DOGS OF NC. We were able to recover our rescue dobi who took flight after being adopted. She had feral tendencies, so she was a long shot, for sure. Between these three sites, she was reunited with our rescue after being gone for 6 days. I will post this on our FB. Prayers for a safe return.
Hope this helps. I'm confident you'll get her back.
Chris.