My Cat is Missing. How Can I Find Him?

July is National Lost Pet Prevention Month. According to the National Council of Pet Population Study & Policy and the National Humane Society, a family pet is lost every two seconds in North America. That's a lot of lost pets. 10 million dogs and cats are lost or stolen every year in the U.S. and of those only 22% of dogs are reunited with their owners and less than 2% of cats ever see their families again. That's a lot of grim statistics.

Last year, TW's Facebook timeline revealed that one of her cousin M's cats had gone missing. BB is a big, handsome Norwegian Forest Cat. We were distressed since we don't believe indoor cats should be allowed to play outside under any circumstances except maybe with a leash. There are many dangers: predators, cars, evil humans, etc. Now BB was missing.

Cousin M.'s Facebook post.

Most lost cats are wandering within five houses of their own. A cat may have started chasing a squirrel or mouse and next thing they know, they don't recognize where the are or they may have gotten chased up a tree by a dog or another animal. BB might have been injured or even catnapped. The scerarios are scary.

I'm here to offer some tips for those who have reason to believe their cat is lost:

• Search the neighborhood and knock on doors.
• Put up flyers with a good photo of the cat and your phone number
• Call local shelters and animal hospitals. City shelters do not have to wait to euthanize cats. You want to get there as soon as possible to see if your cat was turned it.
• Utilize social media. Many municipalities have Facebook pages for lost and found animals. Here's the page for Lost Cats of NJ. Share pictures of lost pets on Twitter and Instagram and encourage others to share them. 
• Leave a bowl of food, a favorite toy or a blanket or clothing with your scent out for your cat. Even better leave your cat's litter box on the porch. This is a great tip as your cat will recognize familiar smells.
• Don't waste any time.
• Most importantly, don't give up.

TW's cousin followed these tips and still couldn't find BB. She followed every lead only to be disappointed. Then one night the improbable happened. About a month after he went missing BB showed up at home. His sister was pacing back and forth at the window, they looked out and there he was. He was much thinner but happy to be home.

Apparently, he must have gotten stuck in a neighbor's garage right before they went away.

Not everyone's cat is going to mysteriously show up home. BB and his family were lucky. He was thin and needed fluids and antibiotics for a neck wound most likely caused by pulling on his collar to free himself.

Cats can run out the door before you know it.

If you live in an area of the country that regularly gets tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters—or even if you don't live in "Tornado Alley"—cats need to be microchipped for their safety. Fires happen. You want anyone who rescues your cat to be able to contact you. A delivery person or contractor may leave the door ajar and Fluffy runs out the door. Make sure your cats are microchipped and the microchips have the correct, most recent information even if your cats are indoor cats. If your cat will let you, a collar with an id tag like those sold at PetHub is a good idea. An id doesn't ensure that your fur baby won't run out, but one with the correct contact info will make it easier for your cat to be returned to you. BB was microchipped but in his case, he may have just been off on a joy ride with his posse.

Stunning Keisha is working with PetHub for Lost Pet Prevention month. While we are being compensated for this post, the thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. We never share anything that we don’t believe.