Finding a lost cat

Everything you need to know if you can’t find your cat, whether they were being socialised in a crate or free-ranging in your home.

My cat-in-taming got out of their socialisation crate

If you’ve made sure that all escape points are cat proof, they should be inside. You just have to find out where! Learn about common (and unusual!) hiding places cats have used and how to find them.

My cat got out of my home

If your cat had access to escape points (eg open windows or doors), they’ll probably be outside and hiding nearby. Learn what you need to do to find them – it’s not what you might think.

Teaching others about finding lost cats

Because missing cats don’t do what we think they will when they become displaced from their home, the things we most commonly do to try to find them – call shelters, post on Facebook,. put up A4 fliers on lamp posts – rarely help.

Tragically, this means that many lost cats end up trying to fend for themselves on the streets, or worse.

Pounds and shelters are very dangerous places for timid cats

Few lost cats end up at shelters or pounds. However, if a lost scaredy cat isn’t wearing a collar and is trapped and taken there, there’s a very real risk that they’ll be mistaken for a ‘feral cat’, as they’ll revert to their ‘scaredy’ behaviour. They may hiss, growl, spit, cower, lunge or, perhaps, bite.

They’ll be hard to scan for a microchip, so even a microchip may not protect them from being killed.

Save cats’ lives – educate others

You can help raise awareness of missing cat behaviour, and how to find a lost cat, using our PowerPoint presentation. It is primarily targeted to rescue groups who are caring for foster cats in private homes and includes:

  • how to prevent cats from becoming lost, by keeping homes secure
  • basic information about missing cat behaviour
  • photos of gaps cats have got through
  • statistics on escape points over a two year period
  • tools for finding missing cats.

Download presentation. In downloading the presentation, you agree to acknowledge ScaredyCats.com.au as the author and copyright owner.