What to Do When Your Cat Goes Missing

Missing cat: first actions

• Search the home extremely carefully, room by room.
• Check cupboards, wardrobes, under beds and behind furniture.
• Check sheds, garages and outbuildings.
• Check gardens, under decking and other sheltered spaces.
• Ask neighbours to check any enclosed space a cat could have slipped into.
• Make sure your microchip contact details are current.
• Use a recent clear photo when sharing a description.
• Record genuine sightings accurately, with a time and a place.
• Post in local community and missing pet groups.
• Contact relevant vets and rescue organisations where appropriate.

Indoor cat or outdoor cat?

The way you search can depend on whether your cat normally goes outdoors. A cat used to roaming may have a familiar territory to search, while a cat that rarely goes out is in unfamiliar surroundings and may react differently.

If your cat is indoor only, see our separate guide on what to do when an indoor cat escapes. For a full step by step search, read what to do when your cat is missing and how to find a lost cat.

Check nearby before expanding the search

A careful local search is often valuable, because small hiding places close to home are easy to overlook and easy to check again. That does not mean every missing cat stays close to home, and behaviour can vary significantly, so keep following the sightings you receive.

Search quietly and methodically

Repeatedly calling, banging tins or searching with a large noisy group is not always helpful. A quiet, systematic search gives you a better chance of hearing a response and is less likely to unsettle a frightened cat.

Check enclosed spaces

• Sheds
• Garages
• Greenhouses
• Storage areas and lock ups
• Under decking
• Outbuildings, garden offices and porches

Cats can be accidentally shut into a space when a door is closed behind them, so ask people to look and listen rather than assume.

Searching at night

Quieter periods can make it easier to hear a response and easier to search gardens without disturbance, as long as you can do so safely. See how to search for a missing cat at night.

How far can a missing cat travel?

There is no single distance that applies to every missing cat. Lifestyle, confidence, surroundings and how the cat came to be missing all affect it, and this can vary significantly between individual cats. Read more on how far a missing cat can travel.

How long can a cat be missing?

There is no fixed length of time. Some cats return after long absences and others are found nearby within hours, sometimes shut inside somewhere. See how long cats go missing for.

When professional help may be useful

• There are confirmed sightings within a defined area.
• The cat is believed to be in large open terrain.
• Access on foot is difficult or unsafe.
• The search area is becoming large to cover properly.
• There is reason to believe aerial visibility may help. Our guide to missing cat search services sets out the options.

Could a drone help search for a missing cat?

A drone may help in some missing cat searches, particularly where there is a defined open search area such as fields, countryside or other terrain visible from the air. It is generally less useful where a cat is believed to be hiding inside buildings, sheds, garages, beneath vehicles or under dense tree cover. Read can a drone find a missing cat.

Thermal cameras cannot see through buildings, roofs, trees or solid objects.