Cat Care – How To Find Your Lost Cat

How To Find Your Lost Cat

Todays story begins with Lacy. That’s her picture above. When we adopted her, she did not like being with us and the other cats. She kept to her self and did not like being handled. She ate well though and used the litter box with no problems. What she did do was monitor the door all the time. With her previous owner she had outside privileges. One day while I was fixing the door knob  she escaped and was she fast. There was no way I could run fast enough to get her and she disappeared into the bush with what turned out to be a two week stressor. I had thought we lost her for ever. Living in the country has its hazards like cars, predators both flying and walking.

During her two weeks out at first we could not find her, then we started seeing her around, so she stayed close to her new home. She did not want to be caught. So here are my thoughts on how to get your cat back.

Tattoos and Microchips

The first step in cat recovery is having tattoos and microchips. A tattoo is obvious to see and should be registered with the vet. When someone sees a tattoo it’s the first sign that this cat belongs to someone. Next is the chip. If this kitty ends up in a shelter hopefully they check for microchips and find the owner. Micro chips are encoded with the pets information and have been successful in returning many pets.

If this is a new cat to you it’s possible this cat will wander. Social media, posters and looking around the neighbourhood will be the next step. If you have bonded with your cat look close to home. The cat just might hide in tiny spots right in your yard. I have two cats that will come to the house if they get scared. I have other cats that will panic and be probably hard to catch if they got free.

Cameras and Live traps

If your kitty is being difficult and hard to catch the next step is to find out where they are hiding. When Lacy got out I would stay up late and watch out the windows. I would see her and other cats. I put a wild life camera out and I found out that she would come to the front door. Here is an example of one of these cameras.

The camera confirmed it was Lacy and what times she would come around. When you are done this camera can be used for home security.

The next thing to do is the live trap. Here is an example of a set of two for different size animals.

These traps are safe and will not harm the captured animals. Set it up and learn how to use it. It might be possible you will catch something you don’t want like a skunk or racoon so learning how to quickly release the animal  will be necessary. If you trap wild life and you are not comfortable handling the situation call your wildlife control officer for help. Do not kill it. If it is a skunk you will have a very big and unpleasant clean up job! If you catch a stray cat your options might be to do a rescue yourself. I caught a stray cat once and when I released it the kitty moved like a beam of light and I never saw it again.

I put dry cat food in my trap. It worked and I caught my Lacy after two weeks. If you catch a stray cat I would recommend washing the trap to remove the scent and replace the food. I covered my trap with a blanket to make it look like a nice small hiding place. Be sure to set the blanket so it does not conflict with the trap mechanism. If it is really cold out check frequently so that if you trap somebody they don’t freeze to death.

Even though cats are hunters my Lacy lost a lot of weight from her two week vacation. Her front paws were bruised. It was late fall with cold rain some nights. After we caught her she had a complete personality change. She loved her first meal back in the house and became much more affectionate. There were times I though I lost her forever. A happy ending.  She has not been outside since. We watch the door a lot closer now and always do a cat count before bed.

Leash Walking

I take two of my cats out on leashes. We don’t go far or stay out two long. Soxs and Roxanne will want in when they get scared and I never leave them alone.

On my Products Page I have examples of harnesses. The vest style harness is what I recommend if you are walking a lot. The cat won’t get choked and you will have good control in an emergency.

When you are walking your cat with a leash hold the leash so you don’t drop it. Roxanne climbed a tree  with her leash once and wrapped the leash around branches. If your cat runs away with a leash attached the results could be lethal.

You might be surprized what spooks your cat. I recommend that you wear a jacket and wear gloves for the first few times with leash training. Holding a scared cat is painful if you are not ready.  I will wrap my arms around the cats body with their feet down and my other arm around their neck and body for good control. Get to somewhere quiet and get the cat relaxed.

That’s my story for today. I hope you never loose your cat. If you have any questions please email me at catinthecradles@gmail.com. If not leave me a comment below. Now hug a kitty and do something green for the environment. The products I have shown here today might not be available in all countries. Please search Amazon accordingly.

Trevor

 

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