www.BrokenPromisesRescue.com

Lost or Found a Pet ?

Lost a Cat ?

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR CAT IS LOST

Losing your cat can be very stressful on everyone involved.
Here are some steps you should take if you discover you cat is missing.

BEGIN SEARCHING RIGHT AWAY

Don’t wait and hope the cat will come back on its own. Get help from friends to cover more territory faster and take time off work if you can.
Most cats especially if inside only will not go far. They are generally close by.
Make sure s/he is not in the house. Cats can hide in remarkable places!
Search after dark and at dawn, especially if you have limited time. 11 p.m. – 2 a.m. is prime time for lost cats to show themselves.
Use daylight hours for sussing out likely hiding spots, putting up posters and talking to neighbours.
If you see your cat don’t run to over to it or yell. Stop, sit and call calmly. Try shaking treats and toss one or two over to where the cat is. Too many cats are chased when spotted and they end up running even though they know you. Remember to be patient. If the cat does come to you, scruff it firmly, hold it close and get in house right away as this is safer than trying to get it into a kennel. We suggest you have a towel with you to cover the cat, especially over the face as this calms them.
If you’ve located the cat but are unable to grab it please see #7 below. When walking away, leave a trail of treats every two or three feet as the cat may follow and then walk right in the house.

HELP YOUR KITTY STAY NEARBY

Put a dish of water and your cat’s favourite food near the window or door they escaped from. You can also put out something that smells of home. Their bed or a sweatshirt that you have been wearing so it smells like you.

If possible, leave a window or door open for the cat to get back in. Other pets can be kept secure in a closed room. If you didn’t see your cat escape, or are at all uncertain, don’t leave windows or doors open. Leave smelly food out in a couple of rooms and see if it is eaten (while, of course, keeping other animals out of the area). Do this mainly late at night with all the lights out. Sit quietly and wait.
Leave an article of your unwashed clothing, like a worn sock, at the point of entry.

SEARCH CLOSE TO HOME

Cats often break out but then get scared and hide. They generally avoid wide open spaces and most often they’re found very close to home. Stay tight to your block, across the street and across the lane. After 24 hours, expand your search to a 4-5 block radius.
Walk around the neighbourhood shaking treats and gently calling the kitty’s name.

CHECK EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY

Look for crawl spaces, garages, sheds, under decks and balconies and any sheltered spot a cat can get into (any space 3-4″ high). Take note of likely hiding places and return to them repeatedly.
Ask your neighbours for permission to look in their yards. Ask them to open their garages or sheds. Sometimes cats run in when the door is open and then people unknowingly lock the door with the cat stuck inside

POSTER THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

Get bright posters up right away with a phone number you can be reached at 24/7 (if raining put the posters in plastic sleeves). Post them at the front of your house and the corners of every block within a two block radius. Let all your neighbours know. After 24 hours expand your posters to a five block radius.

Your poster should include a photo (colour is best), the name of the cat, where and when it became lost (date and cross streets), brief identifying description and a phone number where you can be reached 24/7. Specify “DO NOT TRY AND CATCH” and simply ask people to call with the location of where the cat was sited and at what time.
Follow up on every lead to see if the cat the person called you about is your cat. After awhile you’ll know which cats belong where and you won’t have to go out on every call as you’ll know from experience if the cat is likely yours or not.

USE ALL OF YOUR RESOURCES

Notify the veterinary clinic where your cat was tattooed or microchipped. Make sure your contact information is up to date.
Contact the SPCA or local shelter in your city and take a poster of your missing cat to them. Phone them every day to see if anyone turned in your cat.
Post your lost cat on the internet: send a photo, address with cross streets and detailed description of the cat and your cell number. If someone finds your kitty this is likely where they will start looking for its owner.
Links are at the bottom of this page.
Petsearchers Canada has lots of great tips on their website. Petsearchers also offers a bloodhound service to track lost pets for a fee.

SET A TRAP

Sometimes indoor cats get quite panicked once they’re outside. Even the most friendly cat will be wary after a few days outdoors and may not respond to you at all. Silence keeps it safe. A humane trap baited with tuna is the quickest, easiest and safest way to capture it.
Once set, stay close by and monitor the trap at least every two hours. A cat or wild animal will be distressed in a trap and can get dehydrated quickly. It is not safe to leave them in a trap for too long, especially in very hot or cold weather.

Found a Pet ?

Do you have a stray cat in your neighborhood ? We (broken promises rescue) get many calls and requests for help and we wanted to please emphasize that if you know of a stray in your area please do not “just feed” and please do not just assume it will be fine on it’s own. Cats have a horrific life outside, fending for themselves, searching for food and shelter. Even if the cat won’t come to you please reach out for help. Here are tips on what you should do:

1. Check with neighbors and make sure the cat is indeed a stray.

2. Take a photo and share with your neighborhood, and Post on ROAM – Cats

3. IF the cat is friendly you can purchase a “breakaway” collar and put it on the cat with a note “Does this cat have a home” and your number. If no one calls in a week you know this cat is lost.

4. If the cat is friendly you can take to a local vet, or shelter to scan for a microchip and check for a tattoo. Many local rescues also have scanners so we can try and come by and scan also to see if there is a chip ! (We have scanners!)

5. Please do not just assume a stray cat is dumped and homeless! Someone out there may be desperately trying to find their beloved pet ! Too often we hear of people who take in a cat as their own and don’t properly look to see if it has an owner frantically looking for it!

6. Once you are sure this cat is not owned, you can contact your local shelters. These shelters are an amazing resource and they will ensure the cat is safe, and cared for. They will look for the owner and this also give the owner a place to go looking for their cat! If after the Hold time is up and no owner is found the cat will go up for adoption.

The Local Shelters in Victoria are : CRD Animal Shelter and Victoria Animal Control Services Ltd.

Coastal Animal Services in Duncan

Cobble Hill, Shawnigan Lake, Mill Bay and the Malahat areas do not have an animal control provider for cats. Please reach out to one of the rescues listed below to assist.

We often hear and see posts about miss-leading information about our local shelters in Victoria. These shelters DO NOT just euthanize! All Animals are taken care of and they also work very closely with rescues (ourself included) and even if a cat is super old and sick they will contact us to see if local rescue’s can take it on if they feel the cat would do better in a rescue and needs more care then they can provide.

7. If the cat is scared and won’t come near you, you can contact any of the local animal control facilities for a “live trap” and if you are willing to help and trap this cat it can be taken to them for shelter and they will then scan for a chip. IF the cat is Feral they will again, contact local rescues or even place in a nice barn home where the cat can live a nice life with shelter, food and safe away from busy roads.

8. There are also many rescue’s who work tirelessly trying to do what we can to help these animals. Most of these rescue’s do this 100% volunteer and out of the goodness of our hearts. Most all work full time jobs and have families and try and help where we can! Please be kind and remember this is NOT our Jobs! We do this as a volunteer. We are no different from you, or anyone else who finds a stray animals. We just choose to step up more and help as much as we can.

You can also reach out to these rescues to see if anyone can help trap or get these cats to safety.

These rescues are:

US = Broken Promises Rescue

Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders

Cowichan Cat Rescue

Foster Kritters

Dee’s Orphan Kitten Fund

Victoria Pet Adoption Society

Victoria Cat Rescue Corps Society

Victoria Humane Society

The Farm Rescue (also help domestic animals)

Cats of Salt Spring Rescue Society.