WHAT TO DO WHEN A PET IS LOST OR FOUND.
IF YOUR PET IS MISSING
Losing a pet can be frightening and overwhelming. Begin searching as soon as possible. Check your home and surrounding area carefully and notify neighbors. Contact local animal shelters and animal control agencies to file a lost-pet report and ask whether anyone has filed a found-pet report or brought in a pet matching your pet’s description. Continue checking back with shelters, since new animals and reports may come in after your initial contact. Make sure your pet’s microchip information is current and report your pet as missing to the microchip company. Share a clear, recent photo and identifying information on social media and community platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and local lost-pet groups. Ask friends, family, and neighbors to share the post to increase visibility.
IF AN INDOOR CAT GETS OUTSIDE
An indoor-only cat that unexpectedly gets outside may become frightened and hide very close to home, sometimes without responding when called. Search slowly and carefully around the house and nearby properties, including under porches, decks, bushes, vehicles, sheds, garages, crawl spaces, and other quiet hiding places. Ask neighbors to check garages, sheds, and other areas where the cat could be hiding or accidentally trapped.
Search again during quieter times when there is less activity. Place familiar scent items near the home or the area where the cat escaped, such as the cat’s bedding or blanket or an item of clothing carrying a familiar household scent. Some lost-pet resources recommend placing a used litter box outside, while other animal-welfare resources advise against it because it may attract territorial cats, wildlife, or other animals. Because recommendations vary, consider using bedding or clothing as familiar scent items instead.
Food and water may be placed in a safe location and monitored. A motion-activated camera can also help determine whether the cat is returning when no one is watching. Some frightened indoor cats may return to the area but remain too fearful to approach or come inside. In these situations, a humane live trap may eventually be needed to safely recover the cat. Contact a local animal shelter, rescue organization, or experienced lost-cat volunteer for guidance on obtaining, setting, and safely monitoring a humane trap.
File a lost-pet report with local shelters and animal control and continue checking for matching found-pet reports. Post a clear, recent photo on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, neighborhood groups, and local lost-pet groups, and ask others to share it. Don’t give up—a frightened indoor cat may remain hidden and silent even when very close to home.
IF AN INDOOR/OUTDOOR CAT DISAPPEARS
If a cat that normally spends time both indoors and outdoors does not return home as expected, begin searching the surrounding area and places the cat normally visits. Ask neighbors to check garages, sheds, crawl spaces, under decks, vehicles, and other places where the cat may have become trapped, injured, or frightened.
Keep in mind that someone may have found the cat and assumed it was lost, stray, or in need of help. Contact local animal shelters and animal control agencies to file a lost-pet report and ask whether anyone has brought in or reported a cat matching your cat’s description. Check local veterinary offices when appropriate, and look through found-pet posts on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, neighborhood groups, and local lost-and-found pet groups.
Make sure the cat’s microchip information is current and report the cat as missing to the microchip company. Post a clear, recent photo and identifying information online, and ask neighbors, friends, and family to share it. Continue searching and checking shelters and found-pet reports even if the cat has been gone longer than usual.
IF YOUR DOG ESCAPES
Begin searching the immediate area and alert neighbors as soon as possible. Dogs can cover a surprising amount of distance in a short period of time, especially when frightened or excited, so start searching right away and ask neighbors to keep watch. Share a clear, recent photo along with the location and time your dog was last seen.
Contact your local animal control agency, shelters, veterinary offices, and your dog’s microchip company. Check shelters regularly and continue monitoring neighborhood groups and lost-and-found pet databases.
If your dog is frightened and running from people, do not create a crowd or chase the dog. Chasing can cause a scared dog to run farther, enter traffic, or leave an area where they have been repeatedly sighted. Instead, report sightings with the exact location, time, direction of travel, and, when safely possible, a photo. If the dog is repeatedly seen but cannot be safely approached, contact local animal control or an experienced lost-dog recovery resource for assistance.
PETS LOST AFTER A MOVE
A pet that gets loose shortly after a move may be frightened or disoriented by unfamiliar surroundings. Search carefully around the new home and make sure identification tags and microchip information have been updated. When appropriate, consider notifying neighbors or others near the pet’s previous home as well. File a lost-pet report with the appropriate shelters and animal control agencies and check for matching found-pet reports. Post the missing pet on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, neighborhood groups, and local lost-pet groups in the areas surrounding both the new and previous home when appropriate.
IF YOU FIND A ROAMING PET
Approach carefully and consider both your safety and the animal’s safety. Check for identification when it is safe to do so and have the pet scanned for a microchip when possible. Contact the appropriate local shelter or animal control agency to file a found-pet report and ask whether an owner has already filed a lost-pet report matching the animal you found. Post a clear photo and information about where the pet was found on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, neighborhood groups, and local lost-and-found pet groups to help locate the owner. Remember that an outdoor cat is not automatically lost and may be an owned outdoor cat or a community cat.
Seeing a loose animal and posting a picture online can help, but a social-media post should not be the only step.
If it is safe to do so, observe the animal from a safe distance and look for a collar or identification. If the animal is friendly and can be safely contained, a veterinary clinic, shelter, or animal-control agency may be able to scan for a microchip.
Report the found animal to the appropriate animal-control agency or shelter for the jurisdiction where the animal was found. Check neighborhood groups and lost-pet databases for matching reports, and consider posting a found-pet notice.
When posting, do not disclose every identifying feature. Ask anyone claiming the animal to provide information that helps establish ownership, such as photographs, veterinary records, distinctive markings, sex, collar details, or microchip information.
Never put yourself at risk trying to capture a frightened, injured, or aggressive animal. If you cannot safely approach the animal, report its location, description, direction of travel, and condition to the appropriate local agency.
