Lost Cat Resources

Here are some steps you can take to find your lost cat.

Report your lost cat to the Cat's Meow

You can file a lost cat report to alert the Cat's Meow and other members of the community that your cat is missing. After being reviewed by our staff, your lost cat report will be posted to our website.

When a stray cat is found by the Cat's Meow or someone else in the community, they can search our lost cat list to see if the cat was reported lost in their neighborhood.

Search for your cat

The most important thing you can do to find your cat is conduct an aggressive search. The good news is that your cat is probably closer than you think. Most lost cats will be found within a 5-house radius of their home. Ask your neighbors for permission to search their yards, garages or outbuildings. Don't ask your neighbors to search for you - your cat may not recognize or respond to them and they will not be motivated to conduct a thorough search.

Think like a cat. Your cat will be looking for hiding places that are near to the ground - under a deck, dense shrubbery or a hole in a building foundation. Try searching for your cat either late at night or very early in the morning when it is most quiet.

Mission Reunite has good information on finding your lost cat and search techniques. You can find more detailed search tips here.

Don't give up! Many people don't look for their cat because they assume the cat was taken by a predator. Unless you find evidence to indicate this, you should keep looking. Some cats will hide for 7-10 days before their hunger and thirst drives them out of their hiding place.

Set a humane trap

Setting a humane trap can be especially helpful for indoor-only kitties who have escaped outdoors. Sometimes these cats are too frightened and disoriented to respond to you even if they hear you. After a few days, they may come out of their hiding spot and start to explore. In this case, they'll often return to the house, so having a trap ready to catch them is a good idea. If you live in Anacortes, you're welcome to borrow traps from the Cat's Meow. Cats in the Bag has great information on humane trapping techniques.

You can also watch a video about trapping your lost cat by Mission Reunite.

Post on social media

Many people have been reunited with their posts through social media posts. We recommend posting to local groups on Facebook. In Anacortes, we recommend You Know You're From Anacortes When.... This is a private ground, so you'll need to join if you're not already a member.

Flyer your neighborhood

Post flyers at intersections in your neighborhood and go door to door with flyers. Use this quick and easy online flyer maker to create a printable flyer. If you don't have a photo of your cat, search online for a similar one. If your cat was adopted from the Cat's Meow, we probably have a photo you can use. Since the weather can be unpredictable, we recommend sealing all flyers in plastic sheet protectors with the opening taped closed.

Check our website

Perhaps a good Samaritan brought your cat to the Cat's Meow. Review our adoption list to see if you recognize your cat.

Place an ad

Both the Anacortes American and the Clamdigger allow free ads for lost cats. The American is published weekly on Wednesday and their ad deadline is the previous Friday at noon. The ad will run for one week and will be printed in all papers published by Skagit Publishing (Anacortes American, Skagit Valley Herald, Courier-Times, Argus) and also on their website. Place your ad by calling 424-4567.

The Clamdigger is published weekly on Thursday and their ad deadline is the previous Friday at 4pm. Your ad will run for 4 weeks. Place your ad by calling 299-3444 or e-mailing the Clamdigger at info@clamdigger.com.

You should include the following information in your ad:

  • LOST CAT headline
  • Description of your cat
  • Date your cat was lost
  • Area your cat was lost in
  • Your contact information