Scent

Scent is a method animals use to identify territories. Many people say if you leave something outside your home with a scent on that the cat is familiar with then this will help them find their way home. An item of clothing you have worn and not washed or even better a pillow case with an aftershave or perfume on it that your cat will be familiar with will give your missing pet a target to home in on.

Trapped

When a pet has gone missing there is a chance that he / she may have become locked in a shed/garage outbuilding When looking for your pet, whenever possible you need search yourself because if your pet is trapped in somebody's shed etc then they will be frightened and will be more likely to meow/bark if they hear their owners voice.
If possible ask neighbours to leave their shed doors open to allow your pet to escape if trapped. An important thing to ask them is: - have they noticed anything that has been knocked over/moved in their outbuildings. This could indicate that a pet has been locked in that building and panicked.

Bad News

Unfortunately many pets when they reach a certain age pass away, and in particular cats are involved in Road Traffic Collisions. It is sad to face up to this but it is important to thoroughly search an area close to your home including your garden, neighbours gardens and any communal areas in your street. If they have died then their location may not be obvious straight away. They could have taken shelter under bushes, behind a shed or other building etc. A quick glance out of the kitchen window by your neighbour is not enough. If your pet has sadly been killed in a road accident then they will probably be picked up by the council in your area (environmental health department) - it is always worth giving them a ring

Cats-Protection

Your local cats protection office will sometimes lend you a cat trap to use if your cat has been spotted in your area but isn't there when you turn up! The way it works is they are baited with food and when a cat enters them to eat the food the door closes behind them. You may find that you catch the wrong cat first of all but keep trying. You will probably have to leave a deposit with Cats Protection that is returnable when you bring the trap back. To find your local shelter visit www.cats.org.uk

The two-week wait

Every year hundreds of cats get trapped in neighbours houses on the day that they go on holiday for two weeks. It is amazing how many owners report to us that their cat returned after exactly two weeks and the only explanation is that they were in someone's house.

Fire Brigade

This is important in case they have rescued your pet from somewhere. They may have taken it to one of their homes or maybe a vet further away.

Poster positions

We have found that quite often posters get taken down by children or other unhelpful individuals if they are put on trees and lampposts etc. - to stop this happening we recommend that you ask car owners to place your posters in their cars visible by pedestrians in your neighbourhood. This eliminates this problem straight away!

Scaffolding/Building sites

If your cat has climbed scaffolding they may be trapped at the top if a builder has gone off site for the weekend etc- ask the building company to check for you- do not enter building sites to search.

Media

Local Newspapers Place an ad in your local lost and found column. BBC Local radioSometimes local radio stations will broadcast details of missing pets, your local station can be found in your phone book.

Search on foot

If you search the local streets -do this on foot,however if you decide to search at night we recommend you take a friend and a mobile telephone you will have a better chance of hearing your pet if they are in distress. Shake their biscuit tin or favourite rattle/toy, and don't be embarrassed calling their name out loud then pausing to listen for a reaction. It will make people aware that there is a missing pet in their area

Police Stations and Vets

We recommend that you ring every police station within 10 miles of your house and write down whom you speak to. They are more likely to take full details if you obtain their name at the start of the conversation. Contact vetsIt is always worth ringing as many vets as you can. We recommend not only you ring your own vet but others in the area. If someone has found your pet injured they may not have taken it to your vet but another they know themselves. Make sure that you make a list of which you have telephoned so that you can double check you have contacted them all. You can find a list of vets and police stations by using www.Yell.com

Removals

Contact local estate agents to see if anybody has moved house in your area on the day your pet went missing. They may have jumped into a removal van. Also bear in mind that they may have been showing a potential home buyer around a vacant property in your area; giving your pet the chance to sneak in then getting locked in!- ask them if they have shown anybody around houses that are for sale near your house

Inform everyone:

We recommend you tell the following people: Postman, milkman, paperboy/girl, taxi drivers, local bus drivers, cub scout groups, girl guides/ brownies etc, youth groups, pizza delivery drivers, window cleaners. Local BusesIf there is a bus that drives past your house or nearby, put a poster up inside so people on the bus can have a look as they travel past. Give your phone number to the driver on pieces of paper and mention this on the poster so he/she can give them out to the passengers

Poster campaigns

The most important thing to do if your pet has not returned home is to spread the word amongst your community. We can help you do this.Even if you have produced your own posters- our posters can and have been more effective-One reason for this is that if the worst has happened and your pet has been involved in a road accident- the driver may not feel comfortable ringing the owner and telling them what happened but they will ring Animal Search UK because we are a third party and give us the information you need.
Likewise if someone knows who has taken a pet in and plans to keep it as their own, they are more likely to ring us and give us the information because they can do so anonymously. See one of our posters

Finders can call our headquarters free of charge!

We also have our own dedicated 0800 free phone number that we display on the posters, this means potential finders of your pet do not even have to pay for the call to us, it encourages people to call with even the smallest amount of information that could be vital to help us locate your pet. The service caters for owners that want as few as 25 posters of larger campaigns where we can produce hundreds of posters.