I subscribe to a cat newsletter that's run by a vet. I just received this article from her today. I hope it is of help to you.
Best of luck.


A cat that is lost and has never been outside will be frightened! Generally, cats do not go far. Once they realize they are in unfamiliar territory, they will hide - usually within a one block radius.

Cats do not walk miles and miles to find their home. They usually stay put. The first thing to do is call every local vet and animal shelter in your area. Report your cat to every pet store and emergency veterinarian clinic. Make a poster with your cat's picture on it and deliver it to all of these agencies.

Run off flyers giving a general discription of your cat, include a photo if you have one, tell when it was lost, where it was lost and request that the reader look in his or her shed, garage, under the deck, etc. Give phone numbers where you can be reached day and night. Put these flyers in the mailboxes of every house in your local neighbourhood. Covering a three block radius should suffice. This is far more effective then putting them on bulletin boards and light posts. Talk to people as you are doing this. Ask if you can look in their sheds and garages. Most people will be very sympathetic and will offer assistance. Ask people to put out food for your cat and to call you the second they spot a cat that matches your cat's description.

Next, visit your local shelter. Try to visit every day or every other day and look at what has been brought in overnight. Animal Services in Toronto has a wonderful website. You can look at found cats here.

Put an ad in the newspaper. Most has a lost/found pet section. Look at the found pet section every day to see if someone has reported your cat found. For people who have found a pet, the some papers offers a FREE FOUND PET AD for one week. If you have found a cat, please take adavantage of this wonderful service.

Most important, don't give up. It can take weeks to retrieve a lost pet. Your cat will come out when it is hungry. Usually they are spotted in the evening eating out of someone's garbage. Take a walk around your neighbourhood when the sun goes down. Call your kitty. She is out there and she is scared and hungry. Carry some food with you.

Very important: Don't try to chase your cat. A cat that has been out for awhile tends to be afraid. Get down low and call to your cat. Let her come to you. Offer her food. Once she lets you touch her, pick her up. If you are driving, make sure you have a carrier in your car at all times so that you can put your cat in the carrier once she's found. Putting a cat in a car is inviting disaster, as the moment you open the door, your cat may try to escape again. Once you've caught your cat it is important to hang on to her at all cost.

When you get your cat home, you may want to apply flea/tick medication. She will probably pick up fleas or possibly ear mites during her adventure.

As a precaution, it is always best to microchip your cat. Any cat brought into a vet's clinic or an animal shelter is scanned for microcips - this makes it easy to locate a cat's owners.