My cat Buddy is lost...

We lost my cat of 7 years, Buddy, last friday when he bolted out an open door. We have hung posters, called vets all over the area and we have checked our local animal shelter. We just can't find him. My whole family is so worried and upset.

I know the power of Pet Talk prayers so can I please have some for Buddy and a safe return?

Thank you :(

Ash

PT Prayers coming your way from CT on Buddy's safe return.

Cats do not stray far from their food source. Check the perimeter of your house, nook and crannies where he can hide, ANY crawl spaces that are in or around your house, even the basement.

How awful!!! I know that having a cat escape out the door, is every cat owners worst nightmare!!! BIG prayers heading your way for the return of your buddy!! Please keep us updated!! Take Care!!!

Many prayers for Buddy! Please come home, you are missed.

Thinking of you and praying for his safe return!!

Come on back home, Buddy!

Buy a few cans of tuna IN OIL and put that out as some bait to encourage him to stick around in your area! It is really smelly and they come running for it! (You may get the neighborhood strays, too.) Put a carrier out with the door open - use a roc - and he will find shelter in your yard as well.

Hope these ideas help lure him back.

Prayers on the way. Come home, Buddy, it's safe and there's lots of food inside!

Prayers for Buddy are coming your way. Please keep checking the shelters over and over. Kitties in our area are only kept for 3 days before being adopted out or PTS. :(

Here are some tips that might help -- just yesterday I ran across a website that suggested sprinkling USED kitty litter around the perimeter of your property to help kitties find their ways home. :eek: Never would have thought of that one!

Anyway, from: http://www.petrescue.com/library/find-pet.htm

First, search your property thoroughly. Cats and small dogs can get into some mighty strange places.

We once had a cat that got stuck in an 8" ventilation pipe for 2 days right next to the house! We searched frantically, night and day, for him all during this time. Finally we heard his pitiful, faint cries coming from the pipe and saved him! (We immediately installed a screen over the outlet so that this would never happen again.)

The point is, look in EVERY nook and cranny. Don't assume that your pet would never crawl into some tiny space.

Look behind, under, and inside washing machines, clothes dryers, stoves, refrigerators, and dish washers. Look behind water heaters, in boxes, under furniture, under beds, in closets, in cabinets, in shelves and bookcases, in drain pipes, in sewer drains, in culvert pipes, under vehicles, in crawl spaces under the house, inside sheds and barns, etc. In the case of cats, also look in attic crawl spaces, on the roof, in roof gutters, and up in the trees.

Walk the neighborhood, talk to everybody, and leave your phone number.

Go to each house in the area where your pet was lost and talk to the residents. Write down a description of your lost pet and your phone number and leave it with them. Leave it attached to their door if they are not home.

Talk to everybody you run across. This includes the postman, paperboy, children, parents waiting at the school bus stop, school crossing guards, neighborhood crime watch groups, garbage pick-up crews, etc. Give them a written description of your pet and your phone number as well.

Try to get all the neighborhood children involved. Kids are great at finding lost pets!

Ask everybody if they saw or heard anything unusual in the neighborhood and carefully write down everything they tell you. This could include strange vehicles, work crews, people, or activities. Get detailed descriptions of everything.

Don't travel alone. Take a friend or family member with you.

Don't write down your name or address. Because of scam artists and other criminals in our society, it is never a good idea to publicize this information.

Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.

Make some noise while you walk around the neighborhood! Animals can hear you from great distances.

Have all your family members call the pet's name.

If your pet has a favorite "squeaky toy" bring it along and use it to help you make familiar noises.

Use an "Acme Dog Whistle" to get your pet's attention. The high-pitched sound from these whistles can carry up to a mile or more. Cats are attracted to this sound as well as dogs. (Note: this whistle is the "silent" ultrasonic type, but has a simple adjustment that lowers the tone into the human audible range. Use this audible tone when searching for your pet because the sound will carry farther)

Carry a box of your pet's favorite biscuits, chews, or other treats and rattle it loudly while calling your pet's name.

Make any other noise that your pet is familiar with.

It's also important to stop regularly, be quiet, and listen for your pet to make a noise in reply.

The neighbors will think you're crazy, but hey, this is your pet's life we're talking about here!

Bring a powerful flashlight (even during daylight hours) for checking in dark spaces.

A frightened or injured cat will hide in dark spaces and will not come to you. An injured dog will also hide in dark places.

Use your flashlight for checking under houses and other dark spots. Also check storage sheds, garages, dumpsters, trash cans, and under cars. Don't forget to look in trees for a cat.

Place strong-scented articles outside your home to attract your pet. Animals find their way by scent as well as sound.

Place some of your dirty clothes outdoors. Sweaty gym socks and jogging suits are great for this!

Place a cat's litterbox, bedding, and favorite toys outside.

Place a dogs bedding and favorite toys outside.

Put out some smelly food such as tuna, sardines, or warm, freshly cooked chicken, liver, or other savory meat. Be sure to protect the food if you can, so that other animals don't eat it!

If it's warm weather, crate other family pets and place them outside in a SAFE and SECURE area.

Call local veterinarian offices during the day. After 5 PM, call veterinarian emergency clinics.

Find out if your pet was injured and taken to any of these offices or clinics for treatment.

If an office has taken in or treated any animal that even remotely resembles your pet, VISIT THE OFFICE IN PERSON. Your description of your pet and their description of the same pet rarely match. YOU MUST GO SEE FOR YOURSELF!

Also ask them for the phone numbers of local rescue organizations. They generally keep a list and may even work with them.

Call each of the rescue organizations and ask for their help and find out if they have your pet. These groups generally network with each other and will pass the word about your case.

VISIT your local Animal Control, humane societies, and animal shelters, including the ones in surrounding areas.

You must actually visit the animal control and humane shelters every day or two. It works well if several family members can take turns visiting the shelters.

Your description of your pet and their description rarely match. YOU MUST GO LOOK! Be sure to check all areas of the shelter, including the infirmary. Also be aware that dogs may be housed in the cat section and vice-versa.

Leave a picture of your pet and your phone number at each shelter. Befriend them.

Find out the holding period of each animal control and humane shelter. Be aware of how much time you have to claim your pet before it is euthanized!

Government Animal Control agencies usually keep an animal for only 3 days and then they either adopt it out or kill it. You only get one chance at this. Be there!

Ask Animal Control, humane societies, and shelters about pet rescue organizations in your area.

Usually there are smaller pet rescue groups that work with the local humane shelter. They often take pets from the shelter to save them from euthanasia and adopt them out to new homes.

Call the rescue groups regularly to see if they have your pet.

Find out if your pet has been killed on the road.

This is a very sad but necessary task. Otherwise, you may never know what happened to your pet and it could haunt you for years.

The road crews for your local and state department of transportation (DOT) usually pick up dead animals from the roadside and city streets. In some cases Animal Control does this as well. You have to call around and find out which agencies do this service in your area. Be sure to find them all!

Dogs are usually picked up within 24 hours, but cats often are not.

Call the city, county, and state road crews, DOT, and Animal Control EVERY DAY to see if they have found your pet's body.

Make arrangements to visit their offices so you can speak with them face to face. Befriend them and leave a photo of your pet so the road crews can be on the lookout for it.

If any of them do not cooperate with your efforts, contact City Hall as a last resort and complain. This usually gets a response. But remember, you will get better results with courteous personal visits.

If your pet is wearing an ID tag, the DOT and/or Animal Control agencies should contact you if they find your pet dead along the road. But don't count on it. You must put forth the effort to find out for yourself!

Sadly, this section has a higher "find" rate than anything else except posted flyers.

It is extremely important to post MANY flyers about your lost pet within a 1-mile radius of where it was lost.

Overall, flyers or posters produce more "finds" than anything else. But don't neglect the rest of the tips!

Your budget will determine how many flyers you can afford to post, but the more the better.

DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME OR ADDRESS ON YOUR FLYER!

If possible, it is best to place a color photo of your pet on each flyer.

Use 8-1/2" X 11" fluorescent paper for high visibility.

List the date and place your pet was lost, breed of dog or cat, sex, age, weight, color, markings, and your telephone number. Offer a reward, but don't state the amount.

It is very important to always withhold several identifying marks and characteristics of your lost pet. You may need to use these later to verify that a person has actually found your pet and is not trying to scam you. More on this later.

Post the flyers at waist level on telephone poles and at eye level in such places as veterinary offices, pet shops, barber & beauty shops, grocery stores, community bulletin boards, churches, pizza parlors, laundromats, convenience stores, near schools, and on school bulletin boards.

Examine your posted flyers frequently and replace the ones that are missing or damaged.

Place an Ad in your local newspaper. Some will do this for free.

Be sure to advertise in the Sunday edition as well as during the week.

Also place an ad in any "Penny Saver" type of publications you might have in your area.

Check the newspaper "found" ads every day.

Most newspapers provide free ads to people who have found lost pets.

Also check regularly in any other local publications.

Don't ever give up! Pets have been known to find their way back home after being lost for several months. Good luck!

A Few Words Of Caution
There are dangerous people in our society who prey upon victims by using "found" pets as a ploy.

NEVER respond to a "found" pet contact alone. Take a friend or two along with you.

Arrange to meet in a public place.

NEVER invite the person to your home unless you happen to know them well.

Beware of money scams. A common one is a person calls you claiming to be a long-haul trucker. He says he picked up your pet and is out of state now. He heard about your ad, flyer, etc. and says he will return your pet if you will pay to ship it home. This person does not have your pet, he is only trying to take your money.

Don't wander around looking for your pet alone, either during the day or at night. Always bring a friend or relative. This is especially important in unfamiliar neighborhoods.

Use the identifying information you have withheld about your pet. Please remember that you should never give out all of the identifying features of your lost pet. If the person who claims to have found your pet cannot describe these features to you, they do not have your pet!

When You Find Your Pet
Go around and collect up all of your old flyers.

Thank everybody who has helped you.

Let us know! We are always glad to hear about lost and found "success" stories.

How To Protect Your Pets Now
Safeguard your pets before they are lost by following the common-sense tips below.

Pet-proof your yard fence so your cat or dog will be safely confined. Be sure to check your fence regularly for new escape routes.

Keep fence gates securely locked. This is for the safety of both your pet and any visitors (wanted or unwanted).

Never allow your pets to roam free in the neighborhood. Leash them at all times.

Always transport a cat in a carrier. Never take your cat to the Vet or anywhere else unless it is secured. A carried cat can bolt and hide if frightened by loud noises. When a cat is frightened in strange surroundings, especially with traffic noise around, it will hide and will not come to you.

The same goes for dogs. Always leash them when taking them anywhere. If a dog gets loose in an unfamiliar area its chances of ever finding its way home are practically nil.

Get some good photos of your pet now, before it's too late.

Take close-up shots so that details show up well.

Keep taking shots until you get a few good ones that really look like your pet. Most snapshots of pets look like any other cat or dog. You want your photos to be unique and your pet to be unmistakable.

These photos will be invaluable to you later if your pet is ever lost.

Train your pet (cat or dog) to associate an "Acme Dog Whistle" with pleasant things. Blow the whistle each time just before you feed them. They will then be more likely to come running to you when you use the whistle to find them when they are lost.

Ensure that YOU can be located if your pet is found.

Always keep a collar on your pet with a tag that has your CURRENT PHONE NUMBER on it.

Always have a CURRENT rabies tag and pet license tag attached to your pet's collar. You can be found by the number on the tags.

A collar and phone tag are the most important form of ID you can have for your pet. However, pets can lose their collars on the streets. For real security, a backup is needed (see the next two items).

Talk to your vet about a microchip implant. A chip provides positive and reliable identification for your pet and all modern shelters scan animals for this ID device. Find out which brand of chip is prevalent in your area and go with that one. If you have a choice, we like the HomeAgainTM microchips.

The HomeAgainTM microchip is distributed by Schering-Plough Animal Health. The American Kennel Club maintains a nationwide database of these microchip numbers. The chip is constructed in a way that tends to prevent migration from the injection site. Call (800)234-6373 to find a Vet near you who offers this product.

Also ask your vet about pet tattoos. We don't like tattoos as well as we do microchips, but they also provide positive identification if done correctly. A tattoo is often very difficult to read because hair has grown over it and/or the lost animal is frightened and will not allow inspection. If you do use a tattoo, we feel that the best place to apply it is on the inner thigh. Pet thieves have been known to cut off a tattooed ear!

More about rabies tags.

It is absolutely vital that your pet have a CURRENT rabies tag on it at all times!

If a county happens to be under a "Rabies Alert" or a "Rabies Quarantine" and your pet is picked up without a current rabies tag, they WILL kill your loved one! It's a public health issue, so you will have no recourse.

We are very familiar with this situation, as it occurs often in our area. Please don't let this happen to your pet!

And finally, spay or neuter your pets!

Both males and females will be much less likely to wander if they are "fixed."

An added benefit is that they will live a longer, happier, healthier life if they are spayed or neutered.

The Pet Angel Search And Rescue Squad Is On The Job And Are Carrying Shrimps , Awa Mice And Fancy Feast Sure Fire Cat Retreivers.
They Have An Excellent Track Record And We Hope That Your Buddys On His Way Home
Now!!!!!!!
Our Prayers Are With You.

Good news! Someone has called and said they think they have him. They were on there way to work today and had seen our flyers previously when they spotted an orange kitty. They stopped the car, called for him and the cat came running. He seemed very happy to see a human. They took him back to there house, put him inside and arrived at work 10 minutes late. They called my sister around 4 today and said they might have him. We are praying this is him and our nightmare will end.

Ashley

OH!! :) I hope it is Buddy! The waiting is agony.

Fingers, eyes and toes crossed! :D

I'm so sorry to hear that Buddy is lost.:( Hopefully the person who called you has found him. Please update us when you can.:)

Sending prayers that it is Buddy who is found!!!
Please let us know!!!!

Fingers crossed for you!!!

I remember when I was a teenager, our family cat, a veeeeery talkative meezer-domestic cross, went missing when she was expecting babies. She ended up on the other side of town. We put an ad in the paper, and when my step-dad rang them, he recognised her meow on the phone straight away as she was chatting away in the background :)

Also, that information above about checking nooks and crannies is a very good idea - my Mum's Burmese think nothing of spending almost 24 hours in a linen closet! :eek: :eek:

OH, is Buddy home?? I hope that was him that someone found!!

Fingers crossed that it IS Buddy, poor little guy. PLEASE let us know!!

Was it Buddy?

I hope your Buddy will be back at home, soon! Please let us know.

Sorry to keep you all waiting. Unfortunitly the cat broke out of the people's back porch and we don't know if it was buddy or not. We went to the area and called his name and kitty kitty but no response. We are hopeing that he shows his face again and this time we will bring him home.

On a good note, I have been visiting Animal Controle every day and even though there hasn't been a buddy yet, I was able to help a little dog find it's forever home with one of my friends.

Ashley

Ask your neighbors to check their garages & basements. When I was in my early 20's, my 19 year old cat, Rusty went missing for 5 days. I was DEVASTATED!! Come to find out, she decided to visit the neighbors basement and spent a whole week in there! They must have left the door open and she just walked in.

Good luck. I hope you find your Buddy.

Oh my goodness this is terrible! I'm sorry I didn't see this thread sooner.:( The worst thing ever is when a pet gets lost:( All of my prayers are coming yours and Buddy's way. My Bobo got out once, and the next day we found him stuck under the neighbour's trailer, I was so glad that we found him and got him out.

(((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))

Still No word :( :(

It's been a week and I'm starting to think we may never see our baby boy ever again.

Ash :(

The Pet Angel Search And Rescue Squad Is Tripling Thier Efforts To Bring Your Buddy Home.
I Remember How Scared I Was When Moose And Pouncierge Snuck Out And I Kept Running Down The Stairs To See If They Were There.
We Are Praying Even Harder Than Buddy Comes Home Very Soon!!

Keeping my fingers crossed that you will find him.

Please come back home, Buddy!!

Kirsten

OH no!! :(
Buuuuuuuuuuuuuddyyyyyyyyyyy!!! Here kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!!!! We know you are out there some where. Please come home!!

Prayers are with you and your dear Buddy. Hope he is with you again soon!

oh dear. :( I surely pray he'll come home soon!

BUDDY, wherever you are, please come home.. mommy and whole family miss you!

hope you're safe and not starving somewhere...thinking of you.

Pet Locator Radar v9.2 coming on-line. Pet Locator Radar v9.2 on-line, searching for Buddy...