First, search around your house and neighborhood. Your cat may just be having too much fun and forgot to come home on time. For example, we know someone who couldn’t find their cat and it was simply playing with a neighbor.
Another person was searching for hours for their cat. They went into the forest behind their house and discovered it was up in a tree and couldn’t get down. There are many reasons your cat might be late, but close to home.
Let People in the Community Know via Social Media
If you’ve searched your house and surrounding area but still can’t find your cat, let others in your community know it’s missing. Put out an alert on social media to help spread the word. Many neighborhoods have Facebook groups or NextDoor groups to notify each other of situations like lost pets quickly. If you have or create a Facebook business account, you can even put money towards advertising your lost pet to get your bulletin in front of more eyes in your town.
Call Local Shelters
Contact your local animal control and rescue shelters to see if they have your cat. Again, microchipping becomes vital because shelters will likely have already scanned for it when the cat was brought in. And if they don’t have your cat, you can ask them to keep an eye out. However, you'll need to continue to check in, as some cats turn up weeks after their first reported missing date and shelters sometimes don't remember all the lost cat calls.
Remain Calm, Cats Can Disappear for a While
Finally, remain calm. Cats can disappear for a while. Sometimes they wander further than usual or get caught up hunting rodents and need to remember where they are. Or perhaps they’re chasing after a mate.
Cats can return home after days, months, or even years. The Lost Pet Research Project reports cats going a distance of up to 20 miles in 21 days and 80 miles in 2.5 years.
The bottom line is to remain hopeful if your cat disappears. First, thoroughly search your house, inform neighbors, and contact local shelters. Then, wait calmly and patiently while continuing to check your lost and found sources.