Lost & Found Help
It’s hard to be separated from your pet! Let’s work together to help lost cats find their way back home.
What to do if your cat is missing
We know how scary it is to be separated from your pet, but don’t lose hope! Displaced, stressed cats often hide quietly for an average of 10 days to two weeks, depending on their personality and whether they usually spend time outside.
If your cat is lost or missing, the first place to check is your local county animal services agency. You can check their online Found Pet listings or visit the shelter in person. When you visit, take a color photo and description of your lost cat with you. Continue to check their websites and/or shelters regularly.
In the Portland metro area, Clark, Washington, and Multnomah counties offer animal services for lost cats (see links to their sites at the top of this page).
If your county is not listed, a quick online search for shelters in your area should help you find the animal services agencies closest to you. You can also see this list of other animal organizations in the Portland metro area.
Follow these tips to increase the chances of finding your lost cat:
6 Tips to Find a Lost Cat
- Check the websites of area shelters frequently, and file a Lost Pet Report with the shelter in your county.
- Contact the microchip company, if your cat is microchipped, to make sure your contact information is current. You also can put a “lost or stolen” alert on the pet’s microchip so that if it is scanned by a shelter or veterinarian, they will know that a concerned owner is looking for that pet.
- Look for your pet on local social media pages and post their photo. Some options include NextDoor, Craigslist, Petco Love Lost, PawBoost, and surrounding neighborhood Facebook groups and local “Lost & Found Pets of [Your City Name]” Facebook pages. You can also post your lost cat to these pages; make sure to include a recent photo, description, and contact information where you can be reached.
- Post and share flyers. Create a Lost Pet flyer and post it in the area or hand it directly to people in your neighborhood. Your cat may travel three or more miles from your home, so post flyers widely on all the major streets near you. Here are some ideas for making the most of your flyer:
- Use large, bright posters, one in your yard and one at each intersection within a 500-foot radius of your home or the point last seen.
- Place a flyer on every car and each door in the neighborhood, as many neighbors may not be out walking or take the time to read a sign.
- Instead of the vague REWARD LOST CAT, offer a specific amount. The photo of your cat should be the largest element on the flyer, ideally a side view in silhouette to remove all distracting background. Here’s a free template for lost cat flyers, as well as a Lost & Found Poster Template.
- Alert your neighbors and request their help. Ask neighbors to check around their homes/garages/sheds — your cat may have entered an open building and not been able to escape. In addition, ask neighbors who may have outdoor cameras to review the footage to help look for your cat. The cat’s movement may trigger the camera, especially at night.
- Think like a cat during your search. In survival mode, cats are less concerned with food and more concerned with staying hidden — sometimes even from their owner. Their personality determines their behavior under stress: a curious, friendly, and chill cat may be sighted early; whereas a careful cat who is nervous and wary may only emerge at night. Use these suggestions to make searching for your cat more successful:
- Search in the daytime; lure at night. Frightened cats may try to remain hidden and undetected. And shouting for them could even scare them off. Only call out for your cat by name if you’re within about 100 feet of your home or you see them.
- Use a flashlight as you look; the cat’s eyes will reflect the light even if you can’t see the shape of the cat itself.
- Do not put out kitty litter that will draw unwanted wildlife and bully cats. Instead, open a few windows to use the scent of home as a beacon.
- Leave food and water outdoors to attract your cat to stay nearby. Wildlife may be attracted as well, so don’t leave large quantities of food.
- Use a humane trap to catch your missing cat. Watch this video from Mission Reunite about how to use a trap to catch a lost kitty. You can rent humane traps from CAT for $2/day + $50 refundable deposit. Call us at (503) 925-8903 to ask about renting a humane trap.
- Check the websites of area shelters frequently, and file a Lost Pet Report with the shelter in your county.
CAT does not take in stray cats from counties that offer services for cats; we take in stray cats/kittens found in Clackamas County on a limited basis and they are posted in the Clackamas County lost/found pets list during their stray hold period.
For more information and tips about finding a lost cat, check out Mission Reunite, Lost Cat Finder, or Petfinder.
What to do if you find a cat
Thank you for sharing the care in our community! If you can hold a healthy, found cat for just 48 hours while searching for their owner, you can make reunification not just possible, but probable.
Lost pets’ chances of returning home rise when they can stay safely in the area where they are found rather than enter the shelter. In the average shelter, only 5% of cats are reclaimed by an owner. But when a pet is kept in the neighborhood where they were found, more pets are reunited with their families. Take 48 and follow these steps before bringing a found pet to the shelter, and you can help your neighbors — human and feline.
I found a cat who seems lost
A cat who looks healthy with good body condition and clean coat is very rarely lost. Millions of pet cats are indoor/outdoor; we might not know where that cat lives, but a healthy-looking cat tells us the cat knows where home is and will likely make its way back on its own.
Following the recommendations of leading national organizations such as the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program (KSMP), National Animal Care & Control Association (NACA), ASPCA, American Association of Feline Practitioners, and Million Cat Challenge, one of the best things you can for a cat who looks healthy is to put them back where you found them/leave them where they are.
Even cats who are actually lost are 10–50 times more likely to be reunited with their owners if they stay in the neighborhood where they are found. In the average shelter, only 5% of cats are reclaimed by an owner, but when a lost pet is kept in a safe place in the neighborhood where they were found, the overall reclaim rate jumps significantly.
If you believe the cat is truly lost, here’s how you can help:
- Wait a day or two to offer food, as extra feeding can discourage cats from going back home on their own.
- Play detective — ask around your neighborhood to see if anyone recognizes them. If the cat is friendly, download this paper collar template to help determine if the cat is owned.
- Post a photo and description of the animal on social media. Some options include NextDoor, Craigslist, Petco Love Lost, PawBoost, and surrounding neighborhood Facebook groups and local “Lost & Found Pets of [YOUR CITY NAME]” Facebook pages.
- Create a Found Pet flyer and post it in the neighborhood or distribute it to doorsteps of homes nearest where the cat was found. Don’t think in terms of street travel — cats don’t! — think distance, or “as the crow flies,” and post flyers on all the major streets that transverse your neighborhood.
- Check for ID tags and/or microchip. To have the cat scanned for a microchip, you can request a scan from most shelters and vet clinics at no charge. If needed, visit petmicrochiplookup.org to enter the microchip number and find the owner.
- Complete a Found Cat report on your local county shelter’s website, include a photo and check Lost Cat listings. Animals don’t know city limits, so file a found report with other shelters in the area too. In the Portland metro area, Clark, Washington, and Multnomah counties offer animal services for cats.
- A quick online search for shelters in your area should help you find the animal services agencies closest to you. You can also see this list of other animal organizations in the Portland metro area.
- CAT does not take in strays from counties that offer services for cats; we can take in cats found in Clackamas County on a limited basis. Please take a look at our admissions process.
IMPORTANT! If you found a lactating female cat, please do not remove her or confine her to a cage or trap. Try to find her kittens and reunite them; separating them can be harmful to both kittens and the mother cat. Read this article about how to reunite a mother cat and kittens.
CAT does not take in stray cats/kittens from most counties that offer services for cats; we may take in stray cats/kittens found in Clackamas County or stray kittens/cats with nursing kittens (up to 6 months old) found in Multnomah and Washington Counties on a limited basis. See our admissions process for more details.
I found a kitten or litter of kittens
Thanks for looking out for the most vulnerable animals in our community! When you come across kittens alone outside, you may feel the need to immediately pick them up and bring them home with you, but that might not be the best thing for the kittens — or for you.
Here’s what to consider as you decide what to do next.
- Most kittens are not abandoned by their mother. Before you do anything else, look the kittens over. Are they plump, clean, warm, and quiet? The mother cat is doing her job and is likely just out getting dinner. For now, it is best to leave the kittens in their nest and keep an eye out for mom. Check to make sure mom has access to fresh food and water, and be sure to keep mom and kittens together — kittens need to nurse every few hours.
- If the kittens are skinny, dirty, cold, or noisy, then mom might not be taking care of them. But wait to see if she returns. Watch for a few hours from a distance or a hidden spot. Even if the mother cat doesn’t seem to be around, she may just be out getting dinner or taking a break. She may even be hiding and waiting for you to leave!
- If you don’t see a mother cat for several hours — or if the kittens are sick, injured, or in danger — it may be time to intervene.
- You just became a kitten foster parent, at least for a little while. Don’t worry, we’re here to help!
- Take a look at these resources about how to care for newborn kittens and watch these Orphaned Kitten Care: How-To Videos for guidance on caring for kittens.
- If the kittens or mother cat appear sick or injured, check with your local county animal agency or call a local emergency clinic. You can find a list of local shelter and ER vet clinics here.
- Can’t keep the kittens for long? We may be able to take the kittens into our foster program or can offer some other suggestions. Email the CAT Helpline or call us at (503) 925-8903 for support and information about your options.
CAT does not take in stray cats/kittens from most counties that offer services for cats; we may take in stray cats/kittens found in Clackamas County or stray kittens/cats with nursing kittens (up to 6 months old) found in Multnomah and Washington Counties on a limited basis. See our admissions process for more details.
Cat Adoption Team proudly partners with Petco Love Lost to help reunite pets with their families.
