My Cat Is Missing, What Should I Do?
Work through the search in stages, starting inside the house and moving outwards only once each area has genuinely been checked.
Last reviewed 1 September 2026
Check your home first
- Wardrobes, cupboards and airing cupboards.
- Under beds, sofas and inside sofa bases.
- Behind appliances and in utility spaces.
- Lofts, cellars and any door that was open earlier in the day.
Search the immediate area
- Your garden, including borders and dense planting.
- Sheds, garages and greenhouses.
- Neighbouring gardens, with permission.
- Alleys, hedges, walls and sheltered corners.
Ask neighbours to check enclosed spaces
A cat can become accidentally shut inside a garage, shed or outbuilding when someone closes a door without realising. Ask people to open up and listen, rather than glance in from the doorway.
Check microchip details
Confirm your contact details are current with the microchip database and report your cat as missing, so any scan produces a usable phone number.
Share a clear description
Use one recent photo and one accurate description, including collar, markings and anything distinctive. Consistency helps people report the right cat.
Record sightings
Note the time, the exact place, who reported it and how confident they were. A record makes patterns visible that memory alone will not.
Search again during quieter periods
Early morning and late evening are often calmer, which makes listening easier and makes gardens easier to search without disturbance. See searching for a missing cat at night.
When to widen the search
Widen once the nearby ground has been checked properly more than once, or when a credible sighting points somewhere else. Follow the evidence rather than distance, and see how far a missing cat can travel.
When specialist help may be useful
Specialist support becomes more relevant where sightings point to a defined but large or difficult area, or where searching on foot is not practical. Compare the options in missing cat search services.