Loss prevention for cats.
Millions of cats go missing each year, and millions of cats end up in shelters, unclaimed. During 9 years of helping lost cats, I have always been amazed that so many people are looking for their lost cats, but the found cats waiting in the shelters are not the ones being sought. This is a mystery I have yet to solve. The best theory I have for why so many lost cats aren’t found, and so many found cats aren’t claimed, is that lost cats don’t make it to the shelter right away, and they may not go to the shelter with jurisdiction for the area they were lost in. If someone sees a cat sitting in a yard, they assume he lives there. It could take months for a cat to get someone’s attention and finally be taken to a shelter, by which time, the owners may have given up checking the shelters. However, one solution to both problems, which is easy and cheap, is implanting a microchip in your cat. With a microchip, your cat can be returned to you months or years later. If all those cats in the shelters had chips, well, the shelters would be empty. If your cat does not have a microchip, get this done before the end of the week. The cost is minimal, your cat won’t even notice he has a microchip, and it could very likely be the key difference whether you get your cat back if he is lost. Please do this one thing for your cat, if you do nothing else in this article. Get your cat chipped, now.
Other than a microchip, what else can you do to prevent your cat becoming lost, or ensure a speedy recovery? This article is broken into three sections. Part One covers tips for all cats. Part Two addresses indoor-only cats, and Part Three is for outdoor-access cats.
General tips for all cats:
All cats should be indoor-only, with the exception of feral cat colonies that are managed by Trap-Neuter-Release nonprofit groups. Keeping your cat indoors is good for your cat and good for the environment. Indoor cats live two or three times as long as outdoor access cats. Also, outdoor cats kill 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion songbirds each year. That’s billions. Keeping your pet cat indoors will greatly reduce the environmental impact, and reduce your cat’s exposure to disease or injury. Indoor only cats can sometimes escape outdoors and become lost, but there are steps you can take to reduce the chances of escape. At one time, we had six cats, with outdoor access. When we lost one of them, the remaining five became indoor only for the rest of their lives. They weren’t upset about the change, and after about a week, it was completely normal for them to be indoor only. They didn’t even ask to go outside. Of course, managing a litter box can be a challenge and a chore, especially with multiple cats, but it is a small price to pay for the huge increase in safety for your cat.
All cats should have microchips. There is simply no reason why a cat wouldn’t have a microchip. It can be done at the same time as the annual exam or vaccinations. It is relatively cheap. Chips are completely safe, and pose no health hazard to your cat. Once your cat is chipped, be sure to follow up with the microchip company to make sure they have your correct contact information. At your cat’s annual exam, have them scan the chip to make sure it is still working, and to see if it may have migrated to some other part of the body, which may happen in rare occasions. Be sure to update the microchip company’s records if you move or change phone numbers. It drives me crazy to see dozens of cats show up at local shelters every week, knowing that all those cats could have been returned home if they just had microchips.
Collars usually don’t work for most cats. They lose them frequently, and there is the risk that the collar will become caught on something, creating a hazard for the cat. If you do use a collar, make sure it is a breakaway collar that will release if it gets snagged. Test the clasp by pulling on the collar, to make sure it doesn’t release too easy, or doesn’t fail to release under moderate force. If you have a cat that tolerates a collar, and doesn’t lose it too often by catching it on things, then that’s great! Do keep a breakaway collar on that cat, with a proper ID tag. You may wish to use a collar with the phone number embroidered into the fabric.
If your cat tolerates a collar and doesn’t lose it too often, you may wish to attach a GPS tracking unit. So far, GPS trackers are bulky and not very reliable. It’s better than nothing, if your cat will wear one. Many companies are promising improvements to GPS tracking units, and I hope that within five years they will become reliable, small, light, and affordable.
Please create a Scent Article for your cat. This would be used by a trained scent trailing dog, if one is available in your area. A scent trailing dog is only useful for finding a lost cat in a limited number of situations, so such a dog may not be available or appropriate for all lost cats. However, creating a scent article is easy and cheap, so there is no reason not to do it. You will need a sterile gauze pad, a plastic sandwich bag, and a permanent maker. Rub the gauze pad all over your cat, from head to tail. Be sure to rub around the mouth and ears. If your cat sheds easily, try to pull out some fur with the gauze pad. Place the gauze pad in the plastic bag and mark the outside with your cat’s name and the date the scent article was created. These scent articles are useful for up to three years, but I recommend creating a new one every six months or so.
Take lots of pictures of your cat. If a cat is found, and there’s no microchip, a good, sharp photograph may be vital. I recently found a black cat, and I’m trying to reunite him with his family. There are an alarming number of black cats lost and found every week, and it can be hard to tell them apart. Unless your cat has a very unusual pattern or color, chances are that there are many thousands of cats who look almost identical. Having a clear, detailed picture can be really helpful. One person who thinks the black cat I found could be hers sent me a picture of her cat. (It's not.) This photo was blurry because the camera moved, and her cat is wearing a Santa suit that covers his entire body, and a hat that covers a quarter of his face. For the purposes of identifying her cat, this picture was not useful. Plus, the cat looked highly annoyed. All cats are beautiful, so why wouldn’t you take pictures of them? And everyone has a camera on their phone these days, or knows someone with a high resolution camera. Take pictures of your cat doing cute things, of course, but also take some very simple, well-lit, direct pictures that show any distinguishing features of your cat. You may also wish to take a few against a white or light background, in case you need to print out hundreds of Lost Cat fliers. Having a white background makes your cat easier to distinguish, and also can save a ton of ink.
If you go on vacation, be sure that the people caring for your cat or cats understand how important they are, and give clear, precise instructions for your cat’s care. Make certain they know to reach you immediately if a cat goes missing, and not to wait until you get home, for fear of ruining your vacation. When a cat goes missing, many ways of finding a cat are best implemented right away. Be sure your cat’s caretaker has a way to reach you in an emergency, and provide backup contact numbers. Make sure your cat is microchipped before you go on vacation, have a scent article stored, and go over some of the tips in this article with the pet sitter, just to be on the safe side.
Tips for Indoor-only cats
Create an “Air lock” for your main entry. This can be simple or elaborate. I would like to see every home with a cat have an extra front door, as you might have with covered porch, but you don’t have to go to that much expense and effort to create a second barrier to prevent cats from bolting. Another way is to go in and out through a second room that can be isolated, such as going through the garage, the laundry room, or the kitchen. If that is not an option, or not convenient, you can at least install a baby gate at least three feet away from the front door. Sure, most cats can get over a baby gate, but it will prevent the most common way that cats sneak out the front door, low and hugging the wall.
Post a small sign near an entrance that a guest or a maintenance worker might use. This would alert them that there is a cat in the house, and to be careful when going in or out, and not leave the door open. If I were making such a sign, I might include an additional sentence, warning visitors that I would bust their kneecaps if they lost my cat, but that’s optional.
When you take your cat to the vet for an annual checkup, or vaccines, or especially for some medical emergency, be sure to use a secure pet carrier. Double check to make sure the door is securely fastened. Do not take your cat to the vet simply by carrying him in your arms, even if your cat has the most friendly, calm, unflappable personality. There could be some strange noise, or you could trip, and your cat could fall out of your arms. A cat lost in an urban setting, near a veterinary office, can be challenging to find, and a cat lost in such an environment would be in unfamiliar surroundings, and possibly come into conflict with cats who have established territories in that area. I have personally witnessed several people who said, “There’s no way this cat can get out of my arms,” right before the cat escaped from their arms.
If you’re like me, the whole purpose of having walls and fences and landscaping is so you don’t have to know too much about your neighbors. That’s the thing I like most about cats and dogs: they aren’t people. However, if your cat does go missing, knowing your neighbors is a huge advantage. Neighbors can keep an eye out, and they can be a good source of information. They can also spread disinformation, such as the urban myth that almost every lost cat was killed by a coyote, when in reality less than ten percent of lost cats were the victims of predators. So, as you get to know your neighbors, you can work on getting better information circulating, and stop the rumors and myths. If your neighbors are your friends, they may help you look for a lost pet. If your neighbors at least don’t hate you, they may allow you to look on their property for your cat. Social media, such as Facebook and NextDoor.com, can help you keep in touch with your neighbors.
Security cameras are becoming increasingly affordable and reliable. I especially like the kind that will send an alert to your phone when it senses movement, and you can review the recording of what happened during and before that movement. Ideally, you would have at least two for your cat or cats. One camera could watch the interior, so you can see what your cat is up to. The other would watch the main approach to the house, in case your cat escapes, so you can see which way he went. Also, an exterior camera might show you if someone broke in and accidentally released your cat. If your cat is lost, exterior cameras can tell you if your cat is coming back to the house in the middle of the night, and also tell you if some neighborhood cat is hanging around, preventing your cat from coming home.
If your indoor-only cat escapes, please consider using a humane trap. Indoor-only cats usually don’t go far, and traps have a good chance of success in these cases. If you catch some other cat, don’t just automatically release it. See if you can figure out where this cat lives, and ask the owners if they can keep their cat indoors for a few days. Neighborhood cats claiming territory with their scent are the main reason lost cats don’t simply come back home. Humane traps can be very safe and effective. Please see this article for more information on the correct use of a trap.
Don’t put your cat’s dirty litter box outside in hopes of luring him back home. Every once in a while, a meme circulates around the internet, promising to find your lost pet quickly with one simple trick. Currently, it is the litter box lure meme getting all the attention. In my records of over 2200 cases of lost cats, not one of them reported that the dirty litter box trick was what brought their cat home, even though about 20% of the cat owners in these cases did try this. What some people have reported is that the dirty litter box attracted other neighborhood cats, and occasionally coyotes. If your indoor-only cat is lost, please see this Guide to Finding Your Lost Cat, and don’t try the litter box trick.
If your indoor-only cat escapes and hides, a scent trailing dog may be useful in the first few days. Ideally, the scent trailing dog would start looking for an indoor-only cat within the first 24 hours because a fresh scent is easier to follow, and because your cat probably traveled less distance in a shorter time. Depending on the circumstances, I probably wouldn’t recommend the scent trailing dog for finding a lost cat after three days, but the cat-detection dog has been useful in a window from 1 day to 21 days. See below.
Tips for Outdoor-access cats
Get to know your neighbors and your neighborhood. If your cat goes outside every day, know what he is getting into. How far does he usually roam? Does he get along with other cats in the neighborhood? Is there any particular cat that he fights with? If you get to know the owners of the other cats that roam the neighborhood, you can be a resource for each other if there are new hazards in the area or if one of the cats should go missing. Ideally, you should create a Cat Map of your area for 500 feet in all directions. This map would indicate which cat lives where. Other things you might make note of are things like, who is feeding birds. Bird feeders can attract neighborhood cats, and some bird lovers are not fond of outdoor cats. Also make note of who is setting out poison for rats. Usually, this takes the form of a black box, about the size of a shoe box, near the foundation of a house. A cat can’t, or won’t, get into the black box to eat the poison, but a cat might bite into a mouse that has eaten the poison. Usually, this won’t kill a cat, but it could make him sick, causing him to hide in silence for 7 to 10 days. If I had an outdoor cat, I would also make note of any owls in the area, and I would look for coyote scat. Coyotes tend to leave their poop in the middle of a trail or pathway, and you can always tell what a coyote has been eating because they ingest fur and bones. Usually, you will find that 95% of coyotes have been eating rabbits, rodents, occasionally fruit or nuts, and also garbage. If you start noticing coyote scat containing fur from domestic animals, such as orange fur, or pure white or pure black fur, then you need to be especially alert because at least one coyote has started to prey on domestic animals. If poking around in coyote poop doesn’t sound like fun to you, please consider transitioning your outdoor cat to indoors.
Many times, people who have lost outdoor access cats have told me they are keeping their other cats indoors from now on. That’s what I did when I lost my favorite cat. Actually, it was the third attempt at making them all indoor-only. One cat, Charlie, was just miserable unless he could go out on adventures all day. You may have a cat who is addicted to the outdoors. If that’s the case, please try using a catio--an outdoor space attached to the house, which is totally enclosed by fencing or wire mesh. Most cats will be fine with becoming indoor only. I know of owners of lost cats who have spent hundreds of hours looking for their lost cats, not to mention the heartache and worry. Transitioning most outdoor cats to indoor-only is easier than searching for them when they are gone.
For an outdoor-access cat that will tolerate a collar, a GPS tracker can be a real lifesaver. Even it the collar pops off once in awhile, you can probably find the tracking unit because, well, it’s a tracking unit. You should be able to narrow down the area where it popped off, within five feet or so, and then poke around in the bushes until you find it. If you do put a GPS tracker on your outdoor cat, use it to make a map of all the places he usually goes. He will most likely have a routine, a series of places he likes to visit every day. Knowing where he likes to go will help you track him down if he goes missing, or perhaps lead you to evidence or clues to where he went and what might have happened to him. Also, please use a permanent marker to write your phone number on the tracking unit in case someone finds it after the battery has died.
Outdoor security cameras are beneficial for your family’s safety, and you can keep an eye on your cat, and any intruder cats or predators that might come into your yard. If your cat goes missing, video footage might give you an important clue to what happened or which way he went. The expense of security cameras is relatively small compared to the $5,000 to $15,000 you might spend on your cat’s food and veterinary care over the course of his life.
As stated above, you can make a scent article for your cat so a search dog can track him if he goes missing. It certainly won’t hurt to do this for your outdoor cat, but a scent trailing dog probably won’t be able to follow the specific scent of your outdoor access cat because there would normally be scent trails all over the place. A scent trailing dog wouldn’t usually be able to discriminate Tuesday’s scent trail from Monday’s, especially if they crossed and overlapped, as you would expect with an outdoor cat. Because that is often a problem with outdoor cats, some dogs, like Komu, have been trained to search for any cat they can find, and he isn’t hindered by the lack of a discrete scent trail. A cat-detection dog methodically scours the areas of highest probability, searching for the lost cat, or any cat he can find. Cat-detection dogs also find evidence of a cat fight or a predator attack. So if you have an outdoor cat that can’t be converted to an indoor cat, go ahead and make a scent article because it is easy and cheap. There may be certain circumstances where a scent-trailing dog may be used to follow an outdoor cat, but in most cases, you would need a cat-detection dog.
Setting aside the fact that you love your cat, and he or she is a member of the family, a cat is an investment. On average, most people would spend at least $3,000 on regular care and feeding over a lifetime. If you count the couch he destroyed, the cost goes up. I hope your cat is healthy for his entire life, but many cats face serious illnesses and disorders with old age, and it’s not uncommon to spend $15,000 or more caring for a cat over his lifetime. Just as you would get vaccines to protect your cat from certain illnesses, and you might buy vet insurance for your cat to protect against huge medical bills, it makes sense to protect your cat against going missing. Most of the steps provided here are simple, easy, and affordable. Especially the microchip. If you do nothing else to protect against the loss of your cat, definitely get your cat chipped. Do it now.
If your cat is missing, you can contact Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue for assistance. I hope you will never need us, but we are here if you do. Jim@3Retrievers.com or 206-552-0304
Millions of cats go missing each year, and millions of cats end up in shelters, unclaimed. During 9 years of helping lost cats, I have always been amazed that so many people are looking for their lost cats, but the found cats waiting in the shelters are not the ones being sought. This is a mystery I have yet to solve. The best theory I have for why so many lost cats aren’t found, and so many found cats aren’t claimed, is that lost cats don’t make it to the shelter right away, and they may not go to the shelter with jurisdiction for the area they were lost in. If someone sees a cat sitting in a yard, they assume he lives there. It could take months for a cat to get someone’s attention and finally be taken to a shelter, by which time, the owners may have given up checking the shelters. However, one solution to both problems, which is easy and cheap, is implanting a microchip in your cat. With a microchip, your cat can be returned to you months or years later. If all those cats in the shelters had chips, well, the shelters would be empty. If your cat does not have a microchip, get this done before the end of the week. The cost is minimal, your cat won’t even notice he has a microchip, and it could very likely be the key difference whether you get your cat back if he is lost. Please do this one thing for your cat, if you do nothing else in this article. Get your cat chipped, now.
Other than a microchip, what else can you do to prevent your cat becoming lost, or ensure a speedy recovery? This article is broken into three sections. Part One covers tips for all cats. Part Two addresses indoor-only cats, and Part Three is for outdoor-access cats.
General tips for all cats:
All cats should be indoor-only, with the exception of feral cat colonies that are managed by Trap-Neuter-Release nonprofit groups. Keeping your cat indoors is good for your cat and good for the environment. Indoor cats live two or three times as long as outdoor access cats. Also, outdoor cats kill 1.4 billion to 3.7 billion songbirds each year. That’s billions. Keeping your pet cat indoors will greatly reduce the environmental impact, and reduce your cat’s exposure to disease or injury. Indoor only cats can sometimes escape outdoors and become lost, but there are steps you can take to reduce the chances of escape. At one time, we had six cats, with outdoor access. When we lost one of them, the remaining five became indoor only for the rest of their lives. They weren’t upset about the change, and after about a week, it was completely normal for them to be indoor only. They didn’t even ask to go outside. Of course, managing a litter box can be a challenge and a chore, especially with multiple cats, but it is a small price to pay for the huge increase in safety for your cat.
All cats should have microchips. There is simply no reason why a cat wouldn’t have a microchip. It can be done at the same time as the annual exam or vaccinations. It is relatively cheap. Chips are completely safe, and pose no health hazard to your cat. Once your cat is chipped, be sure to follow up with the microchip company to make sure they have your correct contact information. At your cat’s annual exam, have them scan the chip to make sure it is still working, and to see if it may have migrated to some other part of the body, which may happen in rare occasions. Be sure to update the microchip company’s records if you move or change phone numbers. It drives me crazy to see dozens of cats show up at local shelters every week, knowing that all those cats could have been returned home if they just had microchips.
Collars usually don’t work for most cats. They lose them frequently, and there is the risk that the collar will become caught on something, creating a hazard for the cat. If you do use a collar, make sure it is a breakaway collar that will release if it gets snagged. Test the clasp by pulling on the collar, to make sure it doesn’t release too easy, or doesn’t fail to release under moderate force. If you have a cat that tolerates a collar, and doesn’t lose it too often by catching it on things, then that’s great! Do keep a breakaway collar on that cat, with a proper ID tag. You may wish to use a collar with the phone number embroidered into the fabric.
If your cat tolerates a collar and doesn’t lose it too often, you may wish to attach a GPS tracking unit. So far, GPS trackers are bulky and not very reliable. It’s better than nothing, if your cat will wear one. Many companies are promising improvements to GPS tracking units, and I hope that within five years they will become reliable, small, light, and affordable.
Please create a Scent Article for your cat. This would be used by a trained scent trailing dog, if one is available in your area. A scent trailing dog is only useful for finding a lost cat in a limited number of situations, so such a dog may not be available or appropriate for all lost cats. However, creating a scent article is easy and cheap, so there is no reason not to do it. You will need a sterile gauze pad, a plastic sandwich bag, and a permanent maker. Rub the gauze pad all over your cat, from head to tail. Be sure to rub around the mouth and ears. If your cat sheds easily, try to pull out some fur with the gauze pad. Place the gauze pad in the plastic bag and mark the outside with your cat’s name and the date the scent article was created. These scent articles are useful for up to three years, but I recommend creating a new one every six months or so.
Take lots of pictures of your cat. If a cat is found, and there’s no microchip, a good, sharp photograph may be vital. I recently found a black cat, and I’m trying to reunite him with his family. There are an alarming number of black cats lost and found every week, and it can be hard to tell them apart. Unless your cat has a very unusual pattern or color, chances are that there are many thousands of cats who look almost identical. Having a clear, detailed picture can be really helpful. One person who thinks the black cat I found could be hers sent me a picture of her cat. (It's not.) This photo was blurry because the camera moved, and her cat is wearing a Santa suit that covers his entire body, and a hat that covers a quarter of his face. For the purposes of identifying her cat, this picture was not useful. Plus, the cat looked highly annoyed. All cats are beautiful, so why wouldn’t you take pictures of them? And everyone has a camera on their phone these days, or knows someone with a high resolution camera. Take pictures of your cat doing cute things, of course, but also take some very simple, well-lit, direct pictures that show any distinguishing features of your cat. You may also wish to take a few against a white or light background, in case you need to print out hundreds of Lost Cat fliers. Having a white background makes your cat easier to distinguish, and also can save a ton of ink.
If you go on vacation, be sure that the people caring for your cat or cats understand how important they are, and give clear, precise instructions for your cat’s care. Make certain they know to reach you immediately if a cat goes missing, and not to wait until you get home, for fear of ruining your vacation. When a cat goes missing, many ways of finding a cat are best implemented right away. Be sure your cat’s caretaker has a way to reach you in an emergency, and provide backup contact numbers. Make sure your cat is microchipped before you go on vacation, have a scent article stored, and go over some of the tips in this article with the pet sitter, just to be on the safe side.
Tips for Indoor-only cats
Create an “Air lock” for your main entry. This can be simple or elaborate. I would like to see every home with a cat have an extra front door, as you might have with covered porch, but you don’t have to go to that much expense and effort to create a second barrier to prevent cats from bolting. Another way is to go in and out through a second room that can be isolated, such as going through the garage, the laundry room, or the kitchen. If that is not an option, or not convenient, you can at least install a baby gate at least three feet away from the front door. Sure, most cats can get over a baby gate, but it will prevent the most common way that cats sneak out the front door, low and hugging the wall.
Post a small sign near an entrance that a guest or a maintenance worker might use. This would alert them that there is a cat in the house, and to be careful when going in or out, and not leave the door open. If I were making such a sign, I might include an additional sentence, warning visitors that I would bust their kneecaps if they lost my cat, but that’s optional.
When you take your cat to the vet for an annual checkup, or vaccines, or especially for some medical emergency, be sure to use a secure pet carrier. Double check to make sure the door is securely fastened. Do not take your cat to the vet simply by carrying him in your arms, even if your cat has the most friendly, calm, unflappable personality. There could be some strange noise, or you could trip, and your cat could fall out of your arms. A cat lost in an urban setting, near a veterinary office, can be challenging to find, and a cat lost in such an environment would be in unfamiliar surroundings, and possibly come into conflict with cats who have established territories in that area. I have personally witnessed several people who said, “There’s no way this cat can get out of my arms,” right before the cat escaped from their arms.
If you’re like me, the whole purpose of having walls and fences and landscaping is so you don’t have to know too much about your neighbors. That’s the thing I like most about cats and dogs: they aren’t people. However, if your cat does go missing, knowing your neighbors is a huge advantage. Neighbors can keep an eye out, and they can be a good source of information. They can also spread disinformation, such as the urban myth that almost every lost cat was killed by a coyote, when in reality less than ten percent of lost cats were the victims of predators. So, as you get to know your neighbors, you can work on getting better information circulating, and stop the rumors and myths. If your neighbors are your friends, they may help you look for a lost pet. If your neighbors at least don’t hate you, they may allow you to look on their property for your cat. Social media, such as Facebook and NextDoor.com, can help you keep in touch with your neighbors.
Security cameras are becoming increasingly affordable and reliable. I especially like the kind that will send an alert to your phone when it senses movement, and you can review the recording of what happened during and before that movement. Ideally, you would have at least two for your cat or cats. One camera could watch the interior, so you can see what your cat is up to. The other would watch the main approach to the house, in case your cat escapes, so you can see which way he went. Also, an exterior camera might show you if someone broke in and accidentally released your cat. If your cat is lost, exterior cameras can tell you if your cat is coming back to the house in the middle of the night, and also tell you if some neighborhood cat is hanging around, preventing your cat from coming home.
If your indoor-only cat escapes, please consider using a humane trap. Indoor-only cats usually don’t go far, and traps have a good chance of success in these cases. If you catch some other cat, don’t just automatically release it. See if you can figure out where this cat lives, and ask the owners if they can keep their cat indoors for a few days. Neighborhood cats claiming territory with their scent are the main reason lost cats don’t simply come back home. Humane traps can be very safe and effective. Please see this article for more information on the correct use of a trap.
Don’t put your cat’s dirty litter box outside in hopes of luring him back home. Every once in a while, a meme circulates around the internet, promising to find your lost pet quickly with one simple trick. Currently, it is the litter box lure meme getting all the attention. In my records of over 2200 cases of lost cats, not one of them reported that the dirty litter box trick was what brought their cat home, even though about 20% of the cat owners in these cases did try this. What some people have reported is that the dirty litter box attracted other neighborhood cats, and occasionally coyotes. If your indoor-only cat is lost, please see this Guide to Finding Your Lost Cat, and don’t try the litter box trick.
If your indoor-only cat escapes and hides, a scent trailing dog may be useful in the first few days. Ideally, the scent trailing dog would start looking for an indoor-only cat within the first 24 hours because a fresh scent is easier to follow, and because your cat probably traveled less distance in a shorter time. Depending on the circumstances, I probably wouldn’t recommend the scent trailing dog for finding a lost cat after three days, but the cat-detection dog has been useful in a window from 1 day to 21 days. See below.
Tips for Outdoor-access cats
Get to know your neighbors and your neighborhood. If your cat goes outside every day, know what he is getting into. How far does he usually roam? Does he get along with other cats in the neighborhood? Is there any particular cat that he fights with? If you get to know the owners of the other cats that roam the neighborhood, you can be a resource for each other if there are new hazards in the area or if one of the cats should go missing. Ideally, you should create a Cat Map of your area for 500 feet in all directions. This map would indicate which cat lives where. Other things you might make note of are things like, who is feeding birds. Bird feeders can attract neighborhood cats, and some bird lovers are not fond of outdoor cats. Also make note of who is setting out poison for rats. Usually, this takes the form of a black box, about the size of a shoe box, near the foundation of a house. A cat can’t, or won’t, get into the black box to eat the poison, but a cat might bite into a mouse that has eaten the poison. Usually, this won’t kill a cat, but it could make him sick, causing him to hide in silence for 7 to 10 days. If I had an outdoor cat, I would also make note of any owls in the area, and I would look for coyote scat. Coyotes tend to leave their poop in the middle of a trail or pathway, and you can always tell what a coyote has been eating because they ingest fur and bones. Usually, you will find that 95% of coyotes have been eating rabbits, rodents, occasionally fruit or nuts, and also garbage. If you start noticing coyote scat containing fur from domestic animals, such as orange fur, or pure white or pure black fur, then you need to be especially alert because at least one coyote has started to prey on domestic animals. If poking around in coyote poop doesn’t sound like fun to you, please consider transitioning your outdoor cat to indoors.
Many times, people who have lost outdoor access cats have told me they are keeping their other cats indoors from now on. That’s what I did when I lost my favorite cat. Actually, it was the third attempt at making them all indoor-only. One cat, Charlie, was just miserable unless he could go out on adventures all day. You may have a cat who is addicted to the outdoors. If that’s the case, please try using a catio--an outdoor space attached to the house, which is totally enclosed by fencing or wire mesh. Most cats will be fine with becoming indoor only. I know of owners of lost cats who have spent hundreds of hours looking for their lost cats, not to mention the heartache and worry. Transitioning most outdoor cats to indoor-only is easier than searching for them when they are gone.
For an outdoor-access cat that will tolerate a collar, a GPS tracker can be a real lifesaver. Even it the collar pops off once in awhile, you can probably find the tracking unit because, well, it’s a tracking unit. You should be able to narrow down the area where it popped off, within five feet or so, and then poke around in the bushes until you find it. If you do put a GPS tracker on your outdoor cat, use it to make a map of all the places he usually goes. He will most likely have a routine, a series of places he likes to visit every day. Knowing where he likes to go will help you track him down if he goes missing, or perhaps lead you to evidence or clues to where he went and what might have happened to him. Also, please use a permanent marker to write your phone number on the tracking unit in case someone finds it after the battery has died.
Outdoor security cameras are beneficial for your family’s safety, and you can keep an eye on your cat, and any intruder cats or predators that might come into your yard. If your cat goes missing, video footage might give you an important clue to what happened or which way he went. The expense of security cameras is relatively small compared to the $5,000 to $15,000 you might spend on your cat’s food and veterinary care over the course of his life.
As stated above, you can make a scent article for your cat so a search dog can track him if he goes missing. It certainly won’t hurt to do this for your outdoor cat, but a scent trailing dog probably won’t be able to follow the specific scent of your outdoor access cat because there would normally be scent trails all over the place. A scent trailing dog wouldn’t usually be able to discriminate Tuesday’s scent trail from Monday’s, especially if they crossed and overlapped, as you would expect with an outdoor cat. Because that is often a problem with outdoor cats, some dogs, like Komu, have been trained to search for any cat they can find, and he isn’t hindered by the lack of a discrete scent trail. A cat-detection dog methodically scours the areas of highest probability, searching for the lost cat, or any cat he can find. Cat-detection dogs also find evidence of a cat fight or a predator attack. So if you have an outdoor cat that can’t be converted to an indoor cat, go ahead and make a scent article because it is easy and cheap. There may be certain circumstances where a scent-trailing dog may be used to follow an outdoor cat, but in most cases, you would need a cat-detection dog.
Setting aside the fact that you love your cat, and he or she is a member of the family, a cat is an investment. On average, most people would spend at least $3,000 on regular care and feeding over a lifetime. If you count the couch he destroyed, the cost goes up. I hope your cat is healthy for his entire life, but many cats face serious illnesses and disorders with old age, and it’s not uncommon to spend $15,000 or more caring for a cat over his lifetime. Just as you would get vaccines to protect your cat from certain illnesses, and you might buy vet insurance for your cat to protect against huge medical bills, it makes sense to protect your cat against going missing. Most of the steps provided here are simple, easy, and affordable. Especially the microchip. If you do nothing else to protect against the loss of your cat, definitely get your cat chipped. Do it now.
If your cat is missing, you can contact Three Retrievers Lost Pet Rescue for assistance. I hope you will never need us, but we are here if you do. Jim@3Retrievers.com or 206-552-0304