What to do if your cat or dog is missing
Missing pets – how to find a lost cat or dog
Children's cookery author Annabel Karmel used her media profile and paid a reward worth several thousand pounds to help recover her white Samoyed dog Hamilton.
The pedigree pooch had been stolen from a dog walker’s van in Hampstead, London, and was missing for more than a week.
But what can we normal folk do to find missing dogs or cats if we don't have that sort of cash to splash?
Prepare for the worst: get your pet microchipped
Prevention is easier than searching through undergrowth when it comes to finding cats and dogs. One way to track down animals more easily is to have them microchipped by a vet.
Microchipping was introduced in the 1980s and is basically a high-tech version of a name tag on a collar. The chip, contained in a rice grain-sized capsule, is inserted with a needle into the fatty area between an animal's shoulder blades. Microchips should be checked by a vet once a year to ensure they're still effective. Their advantage over a simple name tag is they cannot be tampered with, or fall out.
If a pet is lost and subsequently picked up by a local authority animal warden or vet, the animal will be scanned and the data from the microchip checked against a database which will list the owner. Several companies provide microchipping services in the UK.
Don’t panic – search around your home
If your cat or dog goes missing the key is not to panic. Most pets arrive home of their own accord, so wait for three to four hours before fearing the worst. In the meantime, check all rooms in your home - and don't forget to look in nooks and crannies such as a washing basket, dishwasher, behind curtains, under beds and behind the fridge.
Stay safe when out hunting for a lost pet
If you decide to search your neighbourhood to find your lost cat or dog, don’t compromise your personal safety. Women should think twice about going out alone, especially at night.
Take your pet’s food bowl, or a noisy toy, with you and call their name every few hundred yards. If they’re close by, the noise of you tapping their food bowl or the squeak of a favourite toy could prompt them to come running.
Seek help to find your missing pet
If you have pet insurance, call your insurance company or check your policy as some policies will help towards advertising and reward if your pet is missing or stolen.
If a neighbourhood search proves fruitless, the next step is to publicise the fact your dog or cat is lost. Make a note of your pet’s features, such as its breed, size, name, age, colouring, sex and collar colour. You’ll need to give this information to anyone who may be able to help in your search, such as your pet’s vet and other local practices, catteries/kennels or a local shopkeeper.
Inform the police and your local authority animal warden service. Also check with your council’s environmental health department in case the worst has happened and your pet has been run over and killed.
You may wish to make posters, which feature a picture of your pet, and attach them to lampposts and community notice boards in your area. Ensure all posters are either laminated or in a plastic envelope to prevent street sweepers taking them down. You could also email these to all your friends and ask them to put them up at work.
Don’t forget your neighbours can be a great help when looking for a lost dog or cat. You may find other pet lovers in the area will want to help you out.
Don’t give up hope
If your pet is found or returns home, don’t forget to take posters down, and inform anyone you’ve contacted for help during your search. If your cat or dog is still missing after several days, or even weeks, don’t give up hope. Animal charity PDSA’s website contains case studies about dogs and cats which were found, or returned home after being lost for months.
Asda offers both cat insurance and dog insurance for your pet. Our policies can provide cover for advertising and reward in the event of an animal being stolen or straying
