July is national Lost Pet Prevention month, which makes sense since July 4 is arguably the loudest day of the year, and July 5 is definitely the busiest day of the year for rescues and shelters.
My two best friends have three cats: a derpy baby named Shuri, and a bonded set of sisters, Josie and Moxie. They could not be more different. Moxie, ironically, is the timid one, so sightings are rare. She’s the epitome of a scaredy cat and hightails it into the bedroom at the slightest disturbance, so when she went missing, we were as surprised as we were worried.
It was nearly 24 hours before her absence was realized because Moxie is usually either napping or hiding, and she wasn’t in any of her usual hiding spots (of which there are many, including the walls and the drop ceiling), and she didn’t respond to the usual tricks (treats). She was gone.
Being an indoor kitty, she didn’t have a collar or a name tag (mistake #1), and given her personality we took it for granted that she’d never venture outdoors (mistake #2). She’s chipped, but that’s only helpful in the event that a pet is found and turned in to a rescue or a vet. The front and back yards were not secured (mistake #3) so she could have gone anywhere!
Though cats will usually stay within 1 block, the panic in the house was real.
Like most people would, we first checked with local vets and rescues. Turns out the first place we looked is typically the last place that someone who finds a stray dog or cat will take it, for fear the animal will be killed. Shelters are under incredible pressure and filled to capacity, often turning animals away.
Moxie wasn't in the local shelters, so we did what we could; we did our research and followed through on the action items.
We made full page flyers with a clear, recent picture of our wayward companion. We spruced ours up with fun facts about her listed in Spanish and English: her likes and dislikes, her temperament, and we attached a baggy full of her favorite treats. Then we canvassed the neighborhood.
The last thing we did was install Ring cams in the front and backyards in the hopes that she was in the area. And she was! There was evidence that she was near the backyard so we left the back doors open and eventually one late night she walked right in.
Some people never find their missing pet. For my friends, it happened in mid May completely randomly, so imagine how many more fur babies go missing in months like July when there are scary fireworks, loud parties, and cookouts every day of the week. This is especially true in the DMV.
Dogs and cats are like apples and oranges and the methods used to search for them can vary based on the species, temperament, terrain, and circumstances surrounding the disappearance. So what should you do?
Because dogs tend to run rather than hide, there is an increased likelihood of encountering people and distractions, it’s easier for dogs to become disoriented or get lost. So make it easy for people to contact you.
Post your flyer to the internet just like you would flyer the neighborhood. Nextdoor and Pawboost are wonderful popular websites that are perfect for such an important job.
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