If you have lost your pet...

Behavior and Location tips from Kat Albrecht,
author of "The Lost Pet Chronicles"

1. Put a notice in the papers, and read the paper to see if anyone is advertising they have found a pet.

2. Cats and dogs are rarely 'stolen'. Most are prevented from coming home from fear or injury, or have been 'adopted' by their finders. Always put ID on your pet, and consider microchipping.

3. Don't give up!  The minute you stop looking, your pet's chances of being returned to you end.

4. Get permission and check under all of your neighbor's houses within a 3-house radius of the farthest edge of your cat's territory. Especially check basement windows, outbuildings, crawl spaces and garages. Your cat will probably seek out a quiet place with no dogs. It may be trapped or injured and hiding in fear.
Your neighbor will most likely not look thoroughly, or the cat may not respond to a stranger.

5. Post notices in the neighborhood at least three houses in each direction beyond your cat's territory. Include a photo and all phone numbers. Give notices to the mailman, delivery drivers, joggers, newspaper service, garbage hauler and neighbors. Put one up at all the veterinarians in the area. Offer kids a reward to find your pet and post a notice at nearby schools.

6. Most lost pets do not get turned in to humane societies, but you should file a lost cat report and post photo notice with them and the appropriate animal control.

7. Many lost pets become part of a new family, so continue to widen your search and continue to advertise.

8. Most cats get thirsty and hungry enough between 7 and 10 days after they've gone missing and this and this will often bring them home.

9. Most lost cats return between the hours 3 and 6 AM.

10. Baiting and trapping is often the best way to capture a shy, skittish cat. Borrow a humane trap and learn how to use it. Place the trap where you see signs of fur which may mark an area your pet is using to hide. If kitty has a favorite spot she uses in the yard for a litter box, place the trap there. Cats will return to their own scent.

...remember to continue to search aggressively, your pet is counting on you!

If you have found a stray...
...it may be someone's pet!

More advice from Kat Albrecht,
author of "The Lost Pet Chronicles"

1. Check for tags and a collar and by all means call anyone who has put ID on their pet.

2. Advertise in the local papers and read the papers to see if someone has lost that animal.

3. Post photo notices in the neighborhood, with local businesses, and others that deliver, walk, jog or play in your area. They may be looking for the pet you have found.

4. Take the animal to a veterinarian to be scanned for a microchip and post a notice in his office..

5. Check with animal control services to see if a report has been filed for the animal.

6. Check Petfinder.com where you can look through a national database, or even post a picture and report a lost or found pet.

7. Do not assume a skittish dog has been 'abused', he may simply be fearful at having become lost. Also do not assume a pet found on a rural road has been 'dumped' as unwanted or abandoned.

8. Turning a found animal over to a rescue group is preferable if you cannot baby sit until the owner is found. Locate rescue groups online at: