What To Do If Your Cat Goes Missing

The first few minutes are important.

• Take a deep breath and try to stay as calm as you can
• Close doors, windows and gates so no other pets slip out
• Grab your phone, a torch, strong smelling food or treats, and a towel or carrier

If your cat has just slipped out, leave someone at home and keep a door or window slightly open in case they come back on their own.

Check in and around:

• Under the house or deck
• Behind bins, plants and outdoor furniture
• Sheds, garages and carports
• Bushes, garden beds and long grass
• Nearby storm drains and culverts
• Between fences and narrow gaps
• Skips and rubbish piles
• Roof cavities, wall cavities and under rooflines
• On roofs and up trees
• Vacant buildings, crawl spaces and storage corners
• Any small, warm or dark spot a cat could squeeze into

Use a torch to inspect every dark corner. Repeat this search several times, as cats often move between hiding locations. Ask neighbours if you can search their property yourself. Many people look quickly and may miss important hiding places.

Place outside:

• Their unwashed bedding
• A piece of your unwashed clothing
• Strong smelling food such as tinned cat food or BBQ chicken
• Water
• Their litter tray if available

Place these near where your cat slipped out or in quiet spots around your home. If safe, leave a door or window slightly open with food inside.

Include:

• A clear, recent photo
• Your suburb and nearest cross streets
• The time and place last seen
• Your phone number (and a backup contact if you can)
• Collar colour and tag details, if worn
• Behaviour notes such as timid, friendly, indoor only or likely to hide
• Any medical needs
• Whether your cat is microchipped

Ask neighbours with CCTV or doorbell cameras to check for movement around the time your cat went missing.

Log in to your microchip registry and:

• Mark your cat as missing
• Check your phone number, address and email
• Add a secondary contact if possible

If you have recently moved house, also check your old address. Some cats attempt to return, even if it is many kilometres away.

What to do:

• Print several posters
• Door knock neighbours
• Explain what has happened and hand them a poster
• Ask them to check sheds, garages, under houses, boats, trailers and storage areas
• If they are not home, leave a poster in their letterbox or on their front door
• Ask for permission to search their property yourself if possible

Posters and direct contact are essential. Many cats are found after a neighbour checks a hidden space more thoroughly.

Put posters at:

• Local shops and cafés
• Vet clinics and groomers
• Community noticeboards
• Bus stops and walking tracks near where your cat went missing

Make sure your phone number is easy to read and the photo is clear.

Try the following:

• Call gently down the drain with strong smelling food
• If the grate can be lifted safely, look inside with a torch
• Leave food at the entrance overnight
• Create a small ramp from inside the drain to the surface if possible
• Check several drains within a few hundred metres

Some cats move through the drain system, so widen your search if needed.

Take these steps:

• Search the immediate area thoroughly
• Add your scent outside
• Leave strong smelling food and water nearby
• Door knock neighbours with posters
• Visit the area regularly so your cat hears and smells you

Your presence increases the chance your cat will come out.

Do the following:

• Stay at the escape point
• Search under cars, behind bins, along fences and inside drains
• Sit quietly and avoid chasing
• Set up a scent and food station
• Leave an open carrier with a towel inside
• Hand posters to locals
• Return at dawn and dusk

If the escape point is far from home:

• Post straight into the local lost and found groups for that area, not just your own suburb
• Phone the vets, council and shelters closest to the escape point
• If you cannot stay in the area, ask a local contact, rescue group or friend to be the on-the-ground phone number
• Add your live sightings map link to every post so locals can drop a pin the moment your cat is seen

Cats lost in transit rarely travel far from the escape point, so a handful of alert locals is worth more than hours of driving around.

Give them:

• Your cat's name, description and colouring
• Microchip number if you have it handy
• Collar colour and tag details, if worn
• Your phone number and suburb

Ask how long they hold animals, how often you should check back, and whether you can email or text a photo. Injured cats are often taken straight to a vet, so include emergency and after hours clinics too.

If you know the general area your cat is hiding but cannot reach them:

• Use strong smelling food in a humane trap
• Place it on stable ground
• Monitor it closely
• Never leave the trap unattended

Keep the momentum going:

• Reshare your social media post and reply to all comments and messages
• Check in with vets, council and shelters every couple of days
• Add “still missing” updates and new photos if time passes
• When your cat is home, update your posts and take the posters down so helpers know to stand down

Many cats are found days or even weeks later, often because someone finally checked a shed or saw a poster.

Once your cat is home, consider:

• Keeping them indoors for several weeks after moving
• Securing flyscreens, windows and sliding doors
• Investing in a sturdy cat enclosure or catio

Watch out for:

• People asking for payment or “codes” before giving you any proof
• Messages that feel generic or copied and pasted
• People refusing to send a photo of your cat before asking for money