Eight Probability Categories Related To Lost Cat Behavior
Putting Up Lost Posters
It is also very important to let your neighbours and any passers-by know of your cats disappearance. Put up lost posters and hand out flyers with a picture of your cat, any distinctive signs, and your contact information.
Put up lost posters on electric polls, on your supermarket noticeboard and slip flyers in letterboxes. Do not forget to ask your neighbours to check their garage and garden shed, your cat might have gotten stuck in there.
Do Cats Remember Previous Owners
Cats have excellent long-term memory. Its a vital part of their survival. With a good memory, cats can remember where to find food, water, and shelter. It also helps them remember how to avoid danger.
When it comes to do domestic cats recognize their owners? all the evidence points towards a yes. However, the theories arent based on how cats interact with previous owners after reuniting. Instead, theyre based on how good the cats visual memory is. Remember, cats are very subtle when it comes to expressing affection. Even if a cat did remember its owner, it would be hard to tell, unless the cat was overly affectionate by nature.
According to the University of British Columbia, cats have an excellent visual memory. This is because cats plan 2 to 3 steps ahead when walking. They can accurately step over obstacles even when visual input is taken away. The study suggests that cats rely on visual memory in order to step over obstacles even when they arent looking.
When it comes to short-term memories, other studies have proven that cats only preserve these memories for a little more than 24 hours. With enough repetition, however, certain people, acts, and objects enter their long-term memory. That makes it safe to say that cats do, in fact, remember their previous owners.
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How Lost Pets Behave
One of the keys to successfully locating a lost pet is to understand how they behave. Lost pets do not behave like pets behave when in their own homes. They demonstrate distinct patterns of behavior common in lost dogs and cats, often so different from their usual behaviors that their guardians fail to find them even when they are nearby. One of the important aspects to understand is that not all companion animals behave the same when lost. Dogs and cats are like apples and oranges and the methods used to search for them can vary based on the species, temperament, terrain, and circumstances surrounding the disappearance.
What To Do When Your Cat Is Not Coming Home
If your cat is not coming home, do not hesitate towalk around your neighbourhood calling its name. Hearing your voice might remind your cat that a loving family and good food is waiting for them. If it is not responding to your calls, it has probably ventured further away. It is important to keep in mind that the earlier the search begins, the higher the chances of finding your cat.
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Start Looking Close By
Cats are territorial, and many will rarely leave their territory unless something has scared them. Therefore most cats that go missing are found within a five-house radius of where they live. Make sure you check your back garden and those of your neighbours thoroughly. Is there anywhere your cat could be trapped or hiding? As you know, cats can be curious and get trapped in all kinds of places they venture into.
Call Local Vets And Animal Shelters
The next step is to call around local vets and cat shelters to inform them that your cat is missing. So, if someone finds him/her and s/he ends up being brought in, then theyll know this cat has an owner. You should give an accurate description and send them a photo if you can. It helps if you cat is microchipped as all vets and shelters will be able to scan animals who are brought in.
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How To Deal With Runaway Cats
Now you know the 11 most common reasons that can make your cat to go missing from home. You might still be worried about your kitty going missing or even getting lost. What can you do? Here are 6 useful tips to ease your mind:
- Consider neutering your cat.
- Get your feline a microchip.
- Set parametres where your cat can roam freely and delimit this with a high-quality cat enclosure or catio.
- Make sure you think about your kitty when faced with changes, such as bringing a new pet home, relocating, having a baby or similar situations. Prepare your cat to deal smoothly with such changes.
- Provide your cat with attention and care, so she feels comfortable enough at home. Donât forget to spice up her daily routines with new toys every now and then, and make sure she gets enough food and a quiet place to sleep.
- Get your cat a GPS cat tracker: For complete peace of mind when your cat is missing for hours, get her a Tractive GPS Tracker and track her adventures in real time directly on your smartphone. Plus, should the worst case scenario happen, this life-saving device helps you to act immediately and find your cat.
My Cat Has Gone Missing
Cats go missing for several reasons; it is not just because they are sick and unwell. They do have a habit of getting themselves into situations they cant extract themselves from However, it may be a sign that he is not well or is injured.
Try to think like a cat, where would they go if they were unwell and hiding? Check under houses, in sheds and garages and ask your neighbours to do the same, post on local Lost and Found groups and place flyers around the area. Look closer to home; cats have an amazing ability to vanish in their own home. We pulled our house apart to find a new kitten hiding behind a curtain in one of the bedrooms, a sick cat was found under the bed. Look in drawers, at the back of wardrobes, in cupboards.
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Offer A Reward For His/her Safe Return
Its up to you whether youre in a position to offer a reward, but if you are, then out this on your posters.
You dont have to state how much the reward is, but by offering a cash reward acts as an extra incentive for people to search for your cat. It also shows that youre serious about getting him/her back.
I personally had $100 in mind as a reward for when my cat went missing. But, in the end, I didnt need it as she came back on her own, so I donated it to a local cat shelter instead.
Odds Of Finding A Lost Cat
There are various factors influencing the odds of finding your cat. One of them, sadly, is the level of safety in your area. If you live near busy streets or in a location with many predators, this can impact the odds of your cats safe return. Even considering this, the odds of finding your missing pet are reasonably good if you take the steps suggested above. Cats often dont go far your cat may only be a couple of blocks away and simply got a little turned around, or became trapped somewhere and couldnt escape.
A very common scenario is for a cat to sneak into a garage or a shed during the day because the door was left open, only to be trapped when the owner shuts the door without spotting the cat. When the owner finally opens the building again, the cat runs home.
Another remarkably common situation is that the cat is found roaming the area and is picked up by a well-meaning neighbor. This person may take the cat in and care for her while they try to track you down; alternatively, the would-be rescuer may drop your cat off at the vet or a shelter. This is why its so very important to have your pet chipped: with your details at hand, a shelter can easily get in touch and reunite you with your pet.
Ideally, you should keep your cat indoors once she comes home. If you create a fun, enriching and cat-friendly environment indoors, your cat wont be so eager to run around outside.
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Your Tomcat Is In Heat And May Have Pursued A Female Cat
Intact male cats may go missing for days at a time because they may have caught the scent of a female cat that is ready to mate.; Just like with other animals, cats have strong instincts that they need to pursue. Indoor cats may find a way to escape while cats with access to the outdoors may wander off to unfamiliar areas to pursue a female cat. Similarly, intact female cats may also escape and find a male cat when they are in heat.
Here are the advantages of spaying or neutering cats:;
- it prevents uterine infection and breast cancer among female cats
- it prevents testicular cancer among male cats
- to avoid unwanted litters
- they wont go into heat;
- they are less likely to spray or urine mark
- male cats will not roam or wander off and are more behaved
- it is good for the community and helps fight cat overpopulation
- it is cost-effective for pet owners compared to the cost of caring for kittens;
So Why Do They Go Missing
There are actually a number of different reasons why cats go missing, and understanding these might help you prevent yours going missing before he or she does. Some cats are just very curious and nosey. Remember that phrase curiosity killed the cat. That didnt come about from nothing. Dont be alarmed though, as we are not suggesting that just because your cat has gone missing for a number of days, that he or she is dead. Just that their curiosity can get them into trouble.
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Thoughts To Help Keep Your Spirits Up
- Cats who are in nearby surrounding territory will often come out of hiding and back home when they are hungry and thirsty enough and when they feel safer. This quite often happens 510 days after they have gone missing.
- Cats are blessed with incredible instincts to survive and have been known to return months, even years after they first went missing.
- Most people are generally nice, and there is quite often somebody who will look out for a cat who they think is a stray. Many people will also respond to posters and are often willing to help you in your search.
- Many cats do come back on their own too. My neighbour’s cat just went missing for two weeks. They’d looked everywhere, with no luck. Then he just turned up one morning outside their house and was warm and well fed. Somebody close by must have been looking after him.
Someone Else Took Them In
People love animals, whether they are their own or not. When they see an animal wandering outside, some peoples first instinct is to bring it inside their home and take care of it. While this act is well-meaning, sometimes the animal they have brought inside was on their way home, and they have stopped the pet from getting back to its family.
If you have an outdoor cat, most people in the neighborhood will recognize it over time. Your community will learn that the orange tabby cat belongs to you, and they wont be alarmed if they see it hanging around outside alone.
If, however, your cat wanders to a different neighborhood or someone new moves onto your block, these people might not know that your cat isnt lost or in need of help. They could take your cat indoors, feed it and keep it company, and in doing so, may stop your cat from finding its way home for a few days.
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Conduct An Active Physical Search For A Lost Cat
A major finding of the study was the importance of an active physical search: 59 percent of cats were found alive because their people pounded the pavement and crawled under bushes looking for them. Thats critical, because Kat often meets people who rely solely on passive methods such as posting signs or asking their neighbors to keep an eye out, hoping someone will see their cat and call.
One of the most common suggestions, Kat says, is to put personal items or a dirty litter box outside, under the premise that the smell will draw the cat back home. Kat says. She doesnt give that strategy much credence, saying that if the cat does come back on his own, its more likely that he overcame the fear of being displaced and returned home. Whats more, Kat says, the pheromones from a litter box can backfire by attracting territorial cats, who then keep the missing cat from returning home.
The Cat Is Running Away From Home
Do you ever feel so upset with whats happening in your family that you want to run away and find a new home? Well, your cat may be feeling the same way.
Changes in the household that your cat isnt happy about is a very possible reason. It could be a new family member, or you not being at home as often. The cat might feel that youre not loving them as much as you used to, and;get jealous of the new pet or your newborn baby.
On the other hand, your beloved kitty may think that the environment in the house is making them uncomfortable. If youre remodeling the house and causing a lot of loud noise, or the new pet is too aggressive to your cat, then theyll try to find peace somewhere else.
Moreover, if you just recently moved to a new location, your cat may not get used to the sudden change. They would try to find the way back to your old house an environment that theyre familiar with and feel safe being in.
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Reason : Your Kitty Feels More Comfortable In Another Place
Cats are special pets and we all know it. They need their own peace and shelter.
Should they feel uncomfortable in your home, they can easily run away from home, searching for a quieter environment.
Does your new baby cry most of the time? Did you renovate your home for a longer period or are loud kids always visiting and running around? Such situations can produce discomfort in your catâs universe and kitty can decide to search for a more appropriate home.
Top Tips For Finding A Missing Cat
The following active approaches will make you and Fluffy more likely to have that reunion youre dreaming about. The action items on this list are meant to be repeated often.
- Search thoroughly around your property, inside as well as outside. Vary your search times, keeping in mind that cats tend to be most active late at night and early in the morning, when its quiet.
- Ask neighbors for permission to search their property and try to expand your search three to five houses in either direction. Make sure to look inside their garages or any other structures where a cat could get trapped.
- Repeat your search and recheck the same spots. Cats may get spooked out of their original hiding spot and find another one in a place that youve looked already. If your cat is used to being outside, expand your search.
- Post large eye-catching posters with your lost pet information around the immediate neighborhood.
- Post your lost pet information on social media sites like Facebook, Nextdoor.com, and PetAmberAlert.com.
- Set humane traps in spots where you can check them frequently; shelters will often rent these traps to the public. You can also use your house or garage as a trap by leaving doors open.
- Check all the shelters that serve your area, not just the one nearest to your home.
For more tips on finding lost pets, go to Missing Animal Response Network.
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