Lost Cat Finder

On the Hiss & Tell Podcast I got to talk about lost cats, feline psychology, and hear Kristiina's story of how she found her lost cat Steve in New York. Yikes! Poor boy was covered in oil.

https://www.hissandtellpodcast.com/episodes/Lostcatventuracounty

Happy Texas reunion.

After losing her house during severe flooding last July, Hill Country resident Lesa Baird was unable to find her beloved cat Ella. She posted online with descriptions of Ella, who had a red harness on when she disappeared, but no one had seen her.

Six months later, a frightened cat was found by animal control in a trap near the freeway and taken to a nearby animal shelter. Volunteer Shelly Sandy began searching online for posts about a lost cat with a red harness, and successfully identified her as Ella.

Medical Director Dr. Shelby Key was able to track down Baird and finally bring Ella home. When they reunited, Baird began bawling and says she cried all day long. Now Ella always remains right besides her. She is now living with Ella and her two other cats in a new RV donated by funding for flood victims.

Sweet reunion!

This lost cat spent 536 days trying to get back to his family. This was their sweet reunion 😭

Three-Legged Cat Hiding in Storm Drain needed help.

When Caitlyn Clarke spotted a stray cat in her backyard, the cat ran away quickly, so Clarke assumed she’d never see him again.
But shortly after, she hearing meowing coming from the storm drain outside their house. When they went to investigate, they saw a cat staring back at them from inside the drain.

It was clear the cat wasn’t stuck in the drain — he was just hiding. Clarke, heartbroken by how terrified the cat was, tried for several days to coax him out.
“At night, I would sit out here in … the middle of the cul-de-sac for like, two hours.” As Clarke was trying to get the cat to feel comfortable around her, she noticed something unusual about him: He only had three legs.

“I didn’t even know he had three legs for a few days because he hadn’t walked past me, he’d been in the drain,” Clarke said. “And so the first time he came out, I was like, 'Oh my God, he has three legs."
Finally, in the midst of a monsoon rainstorm, the cat showed up at Clarke’s door soaking wet. Clarke’s mom ushered the kitty inside, and they got him set up with food, water and a comfy bed.
Clarke had been posting about the cat on Nextdoor and Facebook, and no one had come to claim him, so she was surprised to find that he had a microchip attached to an active phone number. She got in touch with his former owner, who shared a shocking story.

Clarke learned that the cat, named Bambino, had been rescued as a kitten by a man named David, who’d taken him to the vet to get his infected leg amputated — 14 years ago.

“We thought this cat was, like, 5,” Clarke said. “We had no idea he was 14.”
After caring for Bambino for seven years, David had given him to a neighbor. But the neighbors had lost or abandoned Bambino,.
David said he was more than happy for Clarke to adopt Bambino, and insisted on paying for some of his medical bills and food.

For Clarke, the decision to permanently adopt Bambino was a no-brainer. Over the past few weeks, he’s been settling into his new routine in Clarke’s home, which consists mostly of sleeping — and cuddling, of course.

“In the evenings and early mornings … he’s up on my bed and he wants snuggles and pets, and he does the very classic cat headbutting and pawing at me,” Clarke said.
Clarke never expected to find a three-legged 14-year-old stray cat living in a storm drain outside her house, and she never could have predicted that the cat she’d found would become such an important part of her life. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I’ve been saying for years now that I want a cat of my own,” Clarke said. “So I’m glad that I just had a random cat show up, because I didn’t get to think about if it was the right time or not. I have a cat now.”

by Alana Francis-Crow for the Dodo

Honored to create this Lost Cat Prevention course for Maddie's Fund. It's free + open to shelters plus anyone w a new cat or foster. Acclimating a New Cat to prevent Lost cats!

https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/lost-cat-prevention?fbclid=IwY2xjawOZuDJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEewN6GqPp9H5CJbSW89gtlviR8S76V_c93Qshi0rwYyo5-Fh2r2g0sbLs1kMM_aem_7iEWDDFjoZ1DM3Fn1iLDPg

Update on Becky's cat found after 71 days!
"Kim, he He was approximately 4 miles away, walking along a busy main road in between neighborhoods. They pulled up in front of him and made a “tsk tsk” kitty sound. I got there 8 minutes after they called and stayed 4 hours. UHe looks filthy and a bit skinny but it’s 10000% my baby. I hope to update soon that I’ve found him! I would have given up after 30 days had I not had your lost cat kit recommended to me on day 2.

He's HOME! After 71 days lost, he has lost a significant amount of weight but he is eating, drinking and using a litter box. Going to get him checked out tomorrow, get a dewormer, he has what look like a few tiny scabs from bites or scratches but I think he is healthy. He is SO happy, as soon as our eyes met and I began to talk to him he made this funny chirpy vocalizations and when I squatted down to where he was he jumped into my arms and started rubbing his cheeks all over me."

"FOUND AFTER 71 Days!!!! Thank you so much for the guide!!! He is the happiest boy and we are over the moon!"
- Becky

After over a month we finally got our sweet Marshmallow home this morning! Your Lost Cat Kit was so valuable. A neighbor saw him in the greenbelt behind their house. We shifted all the gear you recommended over there and it worked like a charm. Thank you so much for providing this amazing resource.

I felt so helpless and this book turned me into a confident and informed pet tracker! I’m so happy our family is finally complete again.

We just got back from the vet and other than being pretty skinny, he got a clean bill of health. He is so happy to be home and has been snuggling with everyone non-stop.

Thanks, Erin (and Marsh)

Amazing cat rescue from tree that was unclimbable.

TikTok · Duane Hook 591 likes, 64 comments. “Replying to sometimes I will climb a larger tree nearby to access the fragile tree. Other times this is the way to go. ”