Tips for Finding Lost Indoor-Only Cats

The Good News: Your Cat is Not “Lost” – Just Hiding. The Bad News: Cats Are Very Good at Hiding!

What to Expect

If your indoor-only cat has escaped outside – your cat is probably not lost at all. Your cat is hiding, and most likely hiding close by.

Depending on the terrain, your cat is probably closer than you think. That’s because cats are territorial and your cat’s territory is inside your home. Once a cat is thrust into unfamiliar territory outside, most cats seek an immediate hiding spot because the cat is afraid. A cat that is afraid (or injured) looks for the first good hiding place (under a deck, house, or porch; in heavy brush, etc).

Also, chances are your cat will not respond to your voice and will not meow. Your cat’s instinct is to be quiet so they won’t be discovered by a predator. This has nothing to do with whether your cat loves you, cat recognizes your voice, or can smell you!

Note: If your cat is an INDOOR-OUTDOOR cat, see our “Tips for Finding Lost Indoor-Outdoor Cats.”

Immediate Steps to Take

1) Search From the Point of Escape Then Move Outward – Staying Close By

Think like a cat – specifically like your cat. Start with the point of escape, if you know how your cat got outside, then move outward. If you didn’t see your cat get outside, start from the logical exit points.

Look around for the closest hiding places. Bring a flashlight (even during the day because cat’s eyes reflect light) and check everywhere (multiple times – overtime cats can move from one hiding spot to another). Look inside drain pipes or storm drains, heavy brush, garages, basement crawl spaces; and under sheds and decks. Any place where your cat can hide.

Note: Cats can move from one hiding spot to another and back again. Search the same places close by again and again then move your search ourward.

Stay close by – indoor-only cats are often found on their own property or within a three-house radius of their home. Your cat may have traveled farther away only if a dog or something else frightened them away; if there are no good hiding places close by; or if after several hours or days, there is no food or water close by.

2) Put Food, Litter Box, and Bedding Outside

Put food and water outside near the point of escape or close to a good hiding spot nearby. Use strong smelling canned cat food that your cat can smell from a distance so your cat knows where to go for food. Note: don’t leave food out 24/7 – especially all night long unless you are monitoring the food – you don’t want to attract other animals – cats, raccoons, foxes etc.

Also, put your cat’s litter box and bedding that has your cat’s scent on it outside to attract your cat back to your home. Cat’s have an amazing sense of smell!

3) Talk to Your Neighbors

Let them know your cat got outside. Ask them if you can search their property or ask them to actively search for you. Tell them what your cat looks like, that your cat will most likely be hiding, and what to do if they see your cat.

If they see your cat, ask them to not approach your cat since this might frighten your cat away. It’s best to just put food outside (canned cat food or tuna), open up the door to their home (securing their own pets if they have any), and notify you right away.

4) Post Signs in Your Neighborhood and Online

Post signs in your neighborhood at least a two block radius from your home. Use large print saying “LOST CAT.” Include a photo, date missing, and phone number where you can be reached 24/7.

Also, post notices online that reach people in your neighborhood, such as:

NextDoor.com – This is a neighborhood networking site that posts by zip code.

Ring.com – If you have a Ring doorbell camera, post a photo and notice about your missing cat. If you don’t have a Ring doorbell camera, ask a neighbor who has one to post for you. Also ask neighbors who have Ring cameras to check their images to see if your cat triggered their camera recently. (You may also be able to post on the “Neighbors by Ring” network, even if you don’t have a Ring camera yourself. Search online for information).

PawBoost.com – This is a widely used lost and found pet website.

Additional Steps to Take

5) Set Up Security Cameras Outside Your Home

If you don’t have mobile security cameras, you can purchase them online. Or perhaps you have a friend or neighbor who already has mobile security cameras they can loan you. Remember, your indoor-only cat is likely scared and hiding. But they can move from one hiding spot to another and this provides an opportunity for your cat to be seen on a motion detector security camera. And if you have put food outside, drawing your cat to the food and capturing this movement on a camera can help you identify where your cat has been or is hiding.

6) Renew Your Search at Dawn and Dusk

Cats are naturally more active and more likely to come out of hiding at dawn and dusk. A scared cat is likely to be hiding during the day – when there is more activity going on outside. And if its summer, cats will seek shade during the day when its hotter.

7)  Leave a Door or Window “Cracked” Open

If you can safely do this, leave a door or window open a little bit – enough for a cat to sneak back inside. Dawn and dusk are the best times to do this. Of course, use common sense and do this when you can monitor whether a stranger has entered your property.

8) Check with Your Cat Local Animal Shelter

File a “lost cat” report with your city/county animal shelter and a neighboring shelters if you live close to a shelter in another city/county. Many shelters enable you to file a report online.

Check the websites of local animal shelters for “found cat” reports. Some reports include photos of cats “sighted outdoors” or “in shelter custody.” You can also call or email the shelter by phone to see if any “found cat” reports that meet your cat’s description have been filed by someone that may not be posted online.

Note: Many shelters don’t take in what appears to be a healthy cat found outdoors unless the cat is sick or injured or appears to be in distress. Check with local shelters to find out what their policies are relating to cats they take into their care.

9) Set a Humane Trap

If you’ve been following these tips for a day or two and your cat is still outside, consider setting a humane trap. These wire cages have a trip mechanism inside that is triggered when the cat enters the trap in search of the food you have left inside. Once triggered, the door shuts the cat inside the trap. Set the trap in a logical hiding place near your home, or if your cat is spotted at a neighbor’s home put the trap there.

The best time to set a trap is dawn and dusk and into the evening. Scared cats will likely stay hunkered down and hiding during the day and come out mornings and evenings to look for food.

Use smelly canned cat food, such as fish, or tuna. Put a thin sheet of newspaper covering the whole bottom of the trap to protect their paws from the wires and to hide the raised plate inside the trap. Cover the trap with a towel except the front. Cats tend to go inside enclosed things where they feel they can hide. And once the trap is closed, your cat will likely thrash around a bit trying to get out. If the trap is covered, your cat will more quickly realize they can’t get out and calm down sooner.

Especially important – traps need to be monitored carefully. Set the trap at dawn and dusk and throughout the evening when you can actively monitor it (such as every 30 minutes). If you go to bed with your cat still outside, close the trap and reset early in the morning. Even the most frightened cat will eventually come out for food.

You may be able to borrow a trap from a shelter or rescue organization or neighbor, or purchase one from a pet store.

10) Contact Local Animal Rescue Organizations

If a few days have passed, and there are no sightings of your cat, email local animal rescue organizations with information about your cat – description and photo, when and where lost etc – to see if they may have taken your cat into their care. And check postings of cats on their websites.  Note that some rescue organizations don’t take in stray cats.

Other than SPCA NOVA, here are a few local animal rescue organizations you may wish to contact.

Cat-only rescue organizations:

Cat and dog rescue organizations:

11) Don’t Give Up!

DON’T STOP TOO SOON! It could take days, weeks, or longer to find your cat and get your cat back inside. Don’t give up if your cat fails to show up after a day or so. And, don’t just wait for your cat to come back. You need to actively search for and lure your cat back home.

Keep looking in those same old hiding spots – depending on how much time has passed, your cat may be moving from one hiding spot to another. Also, try new spots and enlarge your search area step-by-step, house-by-house.

Note: Remember, it may take time for someone who may see your cat outdoors to realize your cat needs help. Many people won’t necessarily be concerned if they see a new cat outdoors unless the cat appears to be in distress – meowing incessantly or is sick or injured.

NOTE: Please contact SPCA NOVA immediately for advice or assistance, if your cat is newly adopted from us. We can ask the foster parent, who knows your cat, to assist in your search.