How to Find a Lost Cat

Oh no! Is your cat missing and you don’t know what to do? While losing your cat can be scary, there is hope for finding your furry friend. Check out this step-by-step guide with tips for finding a lost cat.

Step 1: Check your yard & neighbors’ yards.

For finding a lost indoor cat outside, you’ll want to start in your yard or neighboring yards. Indoor-only cats usually won’t go far and sometimes find a place to hide and stay. Search around your home under bushes and in confined places. Shake a bag of treats and call your cat’s name to encourage them to come out.

Step 2: Double-check microchip information.

If your cat is microchipped, make sure your correct contact information is up to date. As long as you have the microchip number, you can look it up on my24pet.com. This website also lets you report that your pet is lost.

Step 3: Start posting.

Make “Lost Cat” posters to post on telephone poles and bulletin boards around town, including vet offices. Share on Facebook, Nextdoor or any other social networks your neighbors may use regularly. Make sure to include a quality color photo of your cat. You can also post on pet-finder sites like PawBoost, PetFBI and Love Lost.

Step 4: Call and visit local shelters.

Call local shelters to let them know your cat is missing. Follow up by visiting the shelter in person a few days afterward. Many shelters are busy with the influx of animals, so they may not remember you called. Visit the shelter as often as you can to see if your cat was turned in.

Step 5: Stay hopeful!

Don’t give up on finding your lost cat. Some cats go missing for weeks — sometimes months — before finding their way back home. Once you find your cat, make sure to have them microchipped if they’re not already. Microchipped cats have the best chance of being reunited with their owners.