Hi, Faye, I belong to a forumn that discusses various topics. This month the topic of lost animals came up and so I'm sending this to you. Perhaps it'll help. Kathy (and Simba -RB)
Finding a Lost Cat, available at http://www.bestfriends.com/nomorehomelesspets/weeklyforum/060605lostcat.pdf Introduction from Kat Albrecht: Bunky, a skittish indoor-only cat, pushed out a window screen and escaped outside. Bunky's owner posted hundreds of flyers, checked the local shelter every day for three weeks, placed ads in the local classified sections, talked to all of their neighbors (and asked them to call if they saw Bunky), and even hired an animal communicator. Tragically, Bunky was never recovered by his family because the methods they used are not the primary methods that should be used to recover a missing cat like Bunky! Sadly, Bunky could have been recovered if his family had known that a baited humane trap could be used to recover a displaced, panicked cat. Why would humane traps be better than posting a hundred LOST CAT flyers? Because displaced, panicked cats like Bunky will almost always look for the first place that will offer concealment and protection and they will remain silent. The instinctive response of any panicked, injured, or sick cat is to HIDE IN SILENCE -- a behavior called "The Silence Factor" that kills thousands of cats every year. No amount of posting flyers would help find Bunky because no one in the neighborhood would ever see him! That's because Bunky would be concealed and would only dart out of his hiding place to grab food and water. If neighbors ever caught a glimpse of Bunky, they would likely assume, based on his xenophobic behavior, that he was an untamed, feral cat.
