My cat got out and is missing, what do I do first
Use the free tool — Lost Pet Kit
The first 60 minutes
Panic wastes the hours that matter most. Do these things now, in this order.
- Search on foot, slowly, with a flashlight. Indoor cats usually hide silently within about 3 to 5 houses of home. They rarely answer when you call their name.
- Check under porches, decks, sheds, parked cars, and dense bushes. Cats hide best at dusk and at night — go out again after dark with a flashlight.
- Leave one person at home. A scared cat sometimes comes back on its own.
- Put out scent items — the litter box, a worn shirt, the bed — near the door or the last-seen spot.
- Post right now to the two highest-value places: Petco Love Lost and 24petconnect, which aggregates shelter intake listings in much of the US.
Cats hide. They don't run like dogs.
This matters for where you search. A missing cat is usually close by, silent, and scared — not roaming the streets. Look low: under things, behind things, inside things. Calling their name rarely works. A flashlight at dusk works better than searching in daylight.
Report the microchip and call shelters — do this today
- If your cat has a microchip, update your contact information with the registry right now. If you're not sure which registry, the AAHA universal chip lookup checks most registries at once.
- If your cat has no chip, post to the free registries above anyway — the person who finds your cat will check them.
- Call every shelter and vet clinic within driving distance and give them the microchip number if you have it. Check 24petconnect daily — shelter listings change.
A poster that actually gets calls
- One giant word: LOST, plus the species.
- One huge, clear photo. Nothing else should compete with it.
- Your phone number in fat, easy-to-read digits.
- Few words. People read posters while driving or walking past.
- A reward is optional. Never state the amount on the poster.
Two scams to ignore
- Anyone who demands money by gift card or wire transfer to "return" your pet. This is always a scam.
- Fake "pet flight recovery" services calling from out of state. This is always a scam.
- Never pay anyone who cannot send you a current photo of your actual cat.
If you see your cat in danger
Call your local animal control now. Never meet a "finder" who demands payment before showing you the cat.
Keep going after day one
- Visit shelters in person every 48 hours. Phone descriptions fail — staff see hundreds of animals, and a photo helps far more than words.
- Widen your search radius day by day.
- Refresh your posts on the registries above so they stay near the top.
Many lost cats are found. No one can promise your cat will be — but keep searching, keep checking shelters, and keep your posts current.
What to do next
Lost Pet Kit is a free tool. Tell it the species, the time your cat went missing, whether it has a microchip, and where you last saw it. It reads your own details — nothing is saved — and gives you an hour-by-hour plan, poster wording, and every place to report, in English or Spanish.
Lost Pet Kit gives general search guidance. It can be wrong, and no outcome is guaranteed. Verify local shelter and animal-control contacts yourself. This is not professional advice — confirm details with your local shelter or veterinarian.
Lost Pet Kit gives general search guidance; it can be wrong and no outcome is guaranteed. Verify local shelter and animal-control contacts. Nothing you type is stored.