My cat is missing: what to do, hour by hour

In the first hour

1. Search your home and around it

   Closets, basement, garage, shed, under balconies, stairs and cars. A frightened cat goes silent and stays still: look, don't wait to hear them.

2. Call them calmly

   Walk slowly around the block, in a normal voice, shaking their food box. Stop often to listen.

3. Tell your immediate neighbours

   Ask them to check their garage, shed and basement, and to keep an eye out, even if they haven't seen your cat.

With Minou

Start an alert, even if you're not at home

A photo from your gallery, their name, and the alert goes out. It can notify neighbours near you who turned on alerts. It's free.

In the latest version of the app, tap this button: on the welcome screen the first time you open it, or in search (the magnifier on the map) if the app is already installed

I've lost my cat

The first evening and night

• Search again when it's quiet, at dawn for example: a frightened cat answers a familiar voice more easily when the street is calm.
• Put used litter outside, around your home and in the bushes. The familiar smell may draw your cat back. The Montreal SPCA suggests repeating it every two days.

The next day

1. Call your city's shelter or animal services

   Report the disappearance and ask whether your cat has been brought in. Call back regularly, and check the list of found animals on their website if they publish one. In Montreal, that's Proanima: 514-379-2525.

2. Put up colour posters

   A recent photo, a description, your number. Near where your cat was last seen, and at vets, pet stores, convenience stores and grocery stores nearby. The Montreal SPCA suggests laminating them against rain and snow.

3. Post a notice

   In your neighbourhood Facebook groups and on lost pet listing sites.

4. Tell your local police station

   As the Montreal SPCA suggests.

5. Check the microchip

   If your cat has one, check that your details are up to date with the registry where the chip is recorded.

The following days

• Keep searching, at different times of day.
• Also fill in the Montreal SPCA's lost animal form, and check its list of found animals.
• To take your cat home from a shelter, you usually need proof that they are yours (a vet bill, a photo of their tag) and to pay boarding fees. That's the case in Montreal.

What Minou's alert does, and what it doesn't

• It can notify neighbours near you who turned on alerts, with a message that gives neither your cat's name, nor your address, nor your number.
• Your cat's card turns red. When a neighbour photographs your cat after the alert starts, you see where, as soon as the photo is recognised or validated.
• It doesn't replace calling the shelter or putting up posters. And it only reaches as far as the neighbours near you who have Minou.

Frequently asked questions

Your cat just went missing?

Install Minou and, in its latest version, tap "I've lost my cat": a photo from your gallery, their name, and the alert goes out. It's free.