Helping a “Found” Cat Get Home
DEAR PAW’S CORNER: My friend found an orange cat matching the description on a paper flyer posted on a nearby telephone pole. However, the email address listed on the flyer keeps coming back as “invalid,” so she has no way to contact the owner. What else can she do to return the cat to its rightful owner? -- Jimmy V., via email
DEAR JIMMY: Kudos to you and your friend for caring for the lost cat and trying to get it back to the owner!
The first thing to do is to contact nearby shelters and veterinarian’s offices and tell them that you’ve found a lost cat but cannot contact the owner. They may have you bring in the cat to scan for a microchip -- the best way to identify pets and reunite them with their owners when a collar and tag are lost. Or they may ask for a description and have you email a photo of the cat so they can put up a “found” flyer in their lobby. Chances are, if the owner has already put up flyers, they have probably been checking with shelters regularly to see if their cat has been reported found or has turned up there.
Next, get the word out. Paws.org has a downloadable PDF flyer (www.paws.org/ resources/reunite-a-found-pet/) that you can use to post your own found sign and add a contact email or number for the owner to call. Post a found notice on Facebook groups like Lost and Pound (www.facebook.com/lostandpound), which focus on lost pets.
Chances are, you’ll locate the owner locally, but getting the word out as far and as wide as possible will help reunite that cat with its owner.
Send your tips, comments or questions to ask@ p a w s c o r n e r. com.