By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail – Benjamin Franklin
Crash Course
🤝 Quick Intro 🤝
This course is for people who just lost their cat or want the cliff notes. You should still read the full Lost Cat Guide to make sure you don’t miss any crucial tips.
Always free. No ads. No credit card ever. Donations are optional but your focus should be getting your cat home. There’s a donate page located in the menu.
🐈 Cats allowed to go outside 🐈
If your cat is ever allowed outdoors (even occasionally), your recovery strategy is different.
View “Cats With Outside Access”
😻 Biggest factor is personality 😾
Match your strategy to your cat’s behavior type.
Curious Cat – Bold, visible, travels farther.
Do: Hit social media and hand out flyers widely.Cautious Cat – Reserved; moves more at night.
Do: Search dusk → dawn and keep it quiet/low-stimulus.Careful Cat – Hesitant around people; night-only activity; stays close.
Do: Ask neighbors with doorbell cams to check daily.Skittish Cat – Extremely fearful; hides for up to 14 days before moving.
Do: Thoroughly search within 250–500 ft of last-seen point.
🐾 Should I put out used litter or the litter box? 🐾
Absolutely not. This is one of the most harmful myths out there.
Cats instinctively hide their waste to protect themselves. Putting used litter outside can attract predators and other cats, which may actually scare your cat away or prevent them from coming home.
Use worn clothing or bedding instead. Your scent is powerful and comforting to your cat—it’s the best thing to leave out.
Unfortunately, a lot of advice online is blindly repeated without experience or critical thinking. This one in particular has caused more harm than good.
💰 Is offering a reward a good idea? 💰
No, do not offer a reward. Large cash rewards can attract scammers or people who might try to exploit the situation. That’s not who you want involved in your cat’s recovery.
Instead, I suggest offering a modest incentive—$25 or $50—for a confirmed photo of your cat. A picture gives you proof, allows you to track their location, and helps you know where to set a feeding station or trap.
🏠 Searching your home 🏠
Do a slow, methodical sweep: closets, appliances, mattresses, box springs, duct chases, ceilings, rafters, couch linings. Cats turn up in wild places.
🍚 Setting a feeding station 🍚
What: Dry food + water + worn clothing clustered together.
Where: Ideally at the escape point and in front of a camera.
When: Check between 4:00–6:00 a.m. for several mornings (and longer if you can). If no camera, get up to check manually.
📸 Getting a camera 📸
Do everything you can to put a camera on the escape area (borrow a trail cam, ask a friend who hunts, or buy/return within 30 days). Cats often revisit at night and you’ll miss it without a camera.
Click here for the trail camera guide.
🚨 Alerting the right people 🚨
Shelter: File a lost pet report with your local Humane Society now and visit in person regularly, even if microchipped (chips can migrate or be missed).
Microchip: Call the microchip company to flag as lost and confirm contact info.
Social: Post in neighborhood/city Facebook groups and Nextdoor (avoid county-wide “catch-all” groups to reduce false sightings).
🔎 Creating a search area 🔍
Generally speaking you want to exhaust the 250 sq foot radius around your home first and then expanding it from there. An easy and free website to create that search radius is located here.
📄 Design a flyer 📄
Musts: Big photo, “LOST CAT”, huge phone number.
Skip: Detailed physical descriptions and the cat’s name (strangers calling it doesn’t help).
Print: Color is ideal; black & white is fine in a pinch.
→ See: Flyer section or use Canva.
🙋 Meeting your neighbors 🙋
Cats usually stay close to home, so keep your search focused nearby. While cats can sometimes travel long distances in vehicles, don’t let that distract you from concentrating on the immediate area.
Talking directly with your neighbors is one of the most effective steps you can take. A personal conversation creates an emotional connection and increases their commitment to help. Hand them a flyer with your cat’s photo and your phone number so they know how to reach you if they spot anything.
Ask neighbors with outdoor cameras to check their footage daily, and request permission to search their property yourself—you’ll do a more thorough job than anyone else.
🌄 Searching outside 🌄
Use a high-powered flashlight—even during the day—as it will reflect off your cat’s eyes. Spend daylight hours talking with neighbors, and use the time between dusk and dawn to actively search. Cats are most active during these hours, giving you the best chance to spot them.
Focus your search on your cat’s personality. Curious cats may be out and about where people can see them, while skittish cats may be frozen in fear and hiding close by. Use your mapped search area and check thoroughly in places like:
Under decks, porches, and sheds (get low and look carefully)
Garages (ask neighbors to open doors and check)
Inside and under cars (pop hoods, check wheel wells)
Crawlspaces and open basements
Bushes, hedges, and dense landscaping
Wood piles, construction debris, and storm drains
⚠️ Remember: if a cat can fit its head into a space, it can usually fit its whole body. Think like a cat and check everywhere.
When calling, just use your normal voice. Your cat will recognize it no matter what you say. Strangers saying its name won’t help more than simply saying “kitty.” Also, toys or sounds your cat associates with safety indoors may not work outside.
🙀 Cat spotted somewhere 🙀
Has your cat popped up on camera? Read the full section over it as you don’t want to take any shortcuts.
🪤 Trapping a cat 🪤
I am very particular about trapping and will not provide an abbreviated version of this very important training. If you have time to set a trap, you have a time to learn how to do it correctly.
How to get a trap.
How to trap train a cat if needed.
✅ What’s next ✅
Be sure to read through the Lost Cat Guide when you can—it’s still a quick read but goes into much more depth. You’re welcome to contact me with questions, as long as you’ve taken time to review the guides first.
This process can feel repetitive, but persistence is key. A group I volunteer with once reunited a cat that had been missing for two years, found at a feeding station two miles from home. Cats are survivors, so don’t give up. Keep searching for months before even considering calling it off.