How to track down that runaway cat

By Linda Lombardi
The Associated Press

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It's an awful feeling when your indoor cat dashes past you out the door. But it's even more distressing to realize that you've just made matters worse by giving chase.

That's what happened to some clients of pet detective Laura Totis in Clarksburg, Md. She helps find lost pets via phone consultations and a trained search dog.

"They saw the cat 20 feet away, and they went after it," she says. "It went another 20 feet away and they did it again, and it disappeared."

When your cat gets out, don't expect it to behave the same as when it's in the house.

"If you walk directly toward it, it will run away," she says.

Instead of running after it, she advises, "Leave the door open, circle around and herd it in."

But if your cat has vanished, try these strategies:

— Check inside the house.

— If you think you know the cat's exit point, start there, and think like a cat. It's not going to walk along the sidewalk like a dog, so you shouldn't, either.

— If your cat may have bolted in panic, Totis said, think of its path in straight lines "like a pool ball -- they run till they hit something, then run till they hit something." The other likely alternative, says Kat Albrecht, founder of the nonprofit Missing Pet Partnership, is that the cat will slink along a wall or fence.

— Follow the likely paths and look for a hiding place. Albrecht says the critical thing to remember about cats is that "their primary protection from predators is to hide in silence."

— Look close before far. Albrecht's years of experience show that the majority of missing cats are found close to the owner's house, but many owners hesitate to ask permission to search nearby properties.

— Look down, underneath things, behind things.

— Use a flashlight even in daytime. "The light will reflect the eyes," says Totis.

— If you have sightings but can't get the cat to come to you, set up a humane trap. For advice, try the animal control or shelter.