Is Your Pet Lost?
1. Periodically drive around the area calling your pet's name. Put out a cat’s litter box - cats can smell them from far away.
2. Make up a flier to print and also save as a jpeg or other sharable form. Make sure to include coloring/markings, weight, name, sex, whether he or she is microchipped, etc. Pictures are always good. Make sure to include the location where your pet was last seen and how to contact you! Make sure to update or delete posts when your pet is found.
3. Post the flier everywhere: Local establishments, Nextdoor.com (join if you haven't already), and on Facebook/Snapchat/Instagram. If you don't use these, ask a friend to post for you. Ask your contacts to share.
4. Post on these FB pages. (Make sure to read their information on the proper way to do so.) Do a search and see if there is a missing pets page for your town or county.
Facebook: Lonsdale Lost Pets Page, Lonsdale happenings, Elko New Market Neighbors, Elko New Market Events, Lonsdale Happenings
5. Send out an e-mail with the flier to all of your contacts in your area - about a 10 mile radius. Ask them to forward.
6. Call your local animal control person. Here is a helpful link from the Humane society that lists many holding facilities.
Locally, the contact is Critter Getters
Home Phone: 952-873-6611
610 West Church Street
Belle Plaine, MN 56011
Website: http://www.mncrittergetter.com/
7. Put posters up at the local businesses. Especially the Windmill if you are local. Many people go there first.
8. Post the information under missing pets on these websites:
www.missingpets.com - this one is great, they automatically send out an alert to local shelters
www.petfinder.org (this one may have some good articles on more things you can do.)
*Sometimes holding facilities or individuals will post found pets on those sites also, so make sure to do a search.
9. List your pet on the Windmill Animal Rescue Facebook page.
10. List your pet with this website: helpmefindmypet.com
11. This link to the Humane Society outlines other tips for finding lost pets:
Please do the following things as soon as possible:
In the event that your cat goes missing, here are very important tips to do right away to increase the chances that your cat will be home soon and safe.
Please read the tips on these websites:
Immediately start to search: do not wait a week, 24 hours, ore even a week. Time is of the essence! Check at dusk, dawn and evening; keep calling your cat's name and talk to your cat saying things that you would normally say out loud at home. Searching on foot daily is very important as well.
Check out window wells, in sheds & garages, under decks & grills, in bushes; anywhere a cat could hide.
Put up flyers immediately around your neighborhood.
Give the flyers to local vets, emergency vets, animal impounds in your area and to your mail carrier.
Post on Craigslist lost and found section under community.
Post on Humane Society.
MN Lost/Found Cats Group on Facebook: Lost Cats Minnesota, Lost &Found Cats of Minnesota, Pawboost, and Nextdoor.com.
Post on all local community or county groups on Facebook.
Keep checking and top posting on social media daily and keep renewing your craigslist ad every few days.
Put out dirty cat box/litter in your yard.
Put out some smelly canned food and also clothing or items with your scent.
Search and search again. notify and talk to neighbors, starting out at a one block radius and working out further each time.
Let your local police department and animal control know.
Keep in mind that indoor only cats typically do not stray very far from home.