Find your cat in a known urban environment

First of all, you should know that a cat tends to stay close to its place of residence.

If you live in a house, leave a bowl of water, food, blanket and litter for your cat outside. Thanks to the wind, these smells will spread in the surroundings and may encourage your companion to return.

When you go looking for your cat, several provisions are necessary:

• Privilege searches in the evening or during the night. In addition to avoiding the noise that would complicate your research, you will have more chances to find your pet because it is mainly active at night. Indeed, cats hunt at night and darkness gives them a sense of security.
• Call it calmly and at regular intervals. It's useless to add extra stress on it. Repeat this each evening preferably.
• Always have a flashlight with you. The light from your torch can reflect in your cat's eyes and make it easier to spot.
• Cats are animals that enjoy routines. They are used to feeling and hearing the same smells and voices. In addition, their poor eyesight results in the fact that they can easily get lost in an area very close to their home. Try to reproduce reassuring noises for it: shake a bag of croquettes, use the sound of its toys (eg bells), etc. It may encourage it to come back to you.

Inform your neighbors and local shops. Leave them a poster, which you can generate via the PetAlert interface in three formats adapted to your needs:

• The A4 format is perfect for display in shops or exteriors, because it allows good readability.
• For building entrances, we recommend the A5 format.
• Then, flyers (A6 size) are ideal for slipping into mailboxes or on bulletin boards of stores in your neighborhood.

Ask your neighbors who have cats if they know of cats in heat or brawling cats that might have distracted your protégé in the neighborhood.

Organize a search! To do this, ask for help from your friends and family. Divide the area of your protégé's disappearance and divide it between yourselves. You will be able to quickly cover a very large part of the search area.

If you have recently moved, try to find your cat around your old home.
Make the list of probable hiding places and check them:

• Heights: walls, roofs, trees, ...
• Heat zones: car engine, electrical appliance, ducts, etc.
• Private areas: construction sites, your neighbors’ garages, shops, cellars, garbage rooms, etc.

Inform the police, surrounding veterinarians, shelters and the local Animal Care Center to find out if it has been dropped off.