MISSING CAT GENERAL SEARCH CHECKLIST

http://www.getmycat.com/missing-cat-general-search-checklist/

Missing Cat General Search Checklist

1) Time is of the essence. Stay calm, and start your search operation right away. Take a deep breath, print out this checklist, and begin in your house. Meticulously search your home and close surroundings. Cats are territorial and generally stay close to home.

Search each room in your home thoroughly before moving to the next.
Under each piece of furniture
Inside furniture, including couches, chairs, behind and in dresser drawers
Under each bed, and inside mattress box springs
Inside all closets, cabinets, hutches
Check crawl spaces, attic, basement
Behind and in washer and dryer
Behind water heater
Behind stove
Behind refrigerator
Under the house, patio, decks
All trees and bushes in your yard and close by
Any garage, shed, or barn on your property

2) Once you have established that your lost cat is not in your home or immediate surroundings, it’s time to talk with your neighbors. Ask if they will thoroughly search their home with this checklist, or if they will allow you to search their home. Read GetMyCat’s article, Questions To Ask Neighbors and Witnesses.
3) If your cat is still missing, make missing cat flyers that include photos of your cat. Do this right away. GetMyCat has FREE Lost Cat Flyer Templates that you can fill in and print at home .
4) Now it’s time to search the area outside on foot. Do this with a companion, never alone. Supplies to bring include a flashlight, drinking water, and a small lightweight blanket. (If you find your cat injured and/or scared, you’ll use the blanket to wrap the cat gently but securely, so you can get him home or to the vet without getting scratched. If your cat is injured this will prevent him from thrashing around and further injuring himself.)

5) Visit the local cat shelters and give them a copy of your Lost Cat Flyer so they will start looking for your cat among their new arrivals.
6) Follow up daily by calling the local cat shelters to ask if they have seen your cat. The reason for calling daily is that most shelters are run by volunteers, so staff is likely to be different each day.

7) Call animal control every other day to check if your cat has been picked up DOA. (Though it will be sad if your cat is deceased, it will give you closure in your search and the ability to begin the grieving process. Most people agree that not knowing what happened to a vanished pet is worse than having closure.)

8) Record a specific missing cat voicemail message during your search. Your message could go something like this:
“Hi, you’ve reached Jennifer. If this message is about my lost cat Snickers, thank you for calling. Please leave your name and phone number along with the day, time, location, and any other information you have about my missing cat. Thank you for your help.”

9) Use your social media accounts. Post about your missing cat on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, and anywhere else you have access.

10) Post a missing cat ad on Craigslist.org.

Special circumstances:

Are any of your neighbors on vacation? It is possible your cat could be trapped somewhere in their home or garage. If you don’t have their mobile phone number, ask your other neighbors for info so you can get connected with the vacationing neighbors and permission to search their property.Is there a construction project in close proximity to yours? It is possible your cat could be trapped somewhere in the construction project. Post flyers all around the construction site, and ask the project foreman to inform his crew about your missing cat.