If your own cat has gone missing

First, don't panic, and don't give up too soon. Cats are homebodies at heart: most lost cats are found within about a third of a mile of where they got out, and studies on missing cats have found the majority are eventually reunited with their families, sometimes weeks or even months later. Here's the order we'd search in:

1. Search inside your home first. It sounds obvious, but cats wedge themselves into surprising places: closets, under beds, behind furniture, inside box springs. Check every room, including ones you're sure they wouldn't go into, before assuming they're actually outside.

2. Search close to home, physically. Cats don't run like dogs do — they hide, and they hide quietly, often shockingly close to where they got out. Get on your hands and knees and check under decks, porches, parked cars, and dense bushes in your own yard and your immediate neighbors'. Passive methods like flyers alone aren't enough — physically checking hiding spots is what finds most cats.

3. Search at the right times. Cats tend to be most active and most willing to come out of hiding late at night or very early in the morning, when it's quiet. Bring a flashlight and your cat's favorite food, and call their name softly, then stop and listen.

4. Ask neighbors directly, and get permission to search their property. Knock on doors within a few houses in every direction, and ask if you can check garages, sheds, and crawl spaces where a cat could get accidentally shut in.

5. Set a humane trap. If you have a general area where your cat was last seen, a humane trap baited with strong-smelling food — and something of yours nearby for scent — can work even for a cat too spooked to approach you directly.

6. Check shelters yourself, in person, more than once. Call and visit every shelter within a wider radius — not just the closest one — and go back every few days, since intake photos aren't always accurate and a shy cat may not have been correctly matched to your description yet.

Above all: please don't stop looking after just a day or two. It's genuinely common for cats to come home or be found weeks after going missing, so keep searching, keep flyers up, and keep checking shelters.