Lost and found: What to do if a pet goes missing
By Celeste Busk cbusk@suntimes.com January 25, 2011 11:36AM
Bonnie Tawse’s flyer helped her get her cat, Cadillac, back. | Al Podgorski~Sun-Times
Updated: April 26, 2011 4:46AM
Morning came and no Cadillac, an orange-striped cat with a white belly.
Earlier this month, the cat’s owners, Bonnie Tawse and Ted Grossman, awakened and realized Cadillac was missing.
“Cadillac always chews on our hair when we sleep trying to get our attention or licks Ted’s face so he would feed him. We hadn’t seen him all night,” Tawse said.
Apparently, the night before, Grossman was cooking a steak and opened the kitchen door to let the smoke out. The telephone rang and he got distracted and that’s probably when Cadillac escaped. No one noticed he was gone until 5 a.m.
The Andersonville couple moved fast. First, they contacted Feline Friends Chicago (FFC), a nonprofit rescue group that operates out of foster homes (www.felinefriendschicago.org ). That’s where the couple adopted Cadillac, a rescued Katrina cat.
As part of the adoption contract, the couple agreed that if Cadillac ever got lost they would contact the FFC immediately.
So, they did. By around 9 a.m., the FFC and the couple had created flyers, with a photograph, description, $200 reward and contact phone numbers. Then, they began passing flyers to neighbors, local businesses, veterinarian centers and sent a fax to the city’s Animal Care and Control.
The couple also got busy online, e-mailing their friends and posting a notice on Facebook. Meanwhile, the FFC was blasting out flyers to everyone on its database and asking those people to forward the flyer to others.
Four days later, Cadillac was found hiding under a barbecue grill, four blocks from her home. The homeowner’s friend had seen the flyer and the two called Tawse.
“Cadillac had a microchip, but she wasn’t wearing her collar with ID tag,” said Toni McNaughton, a volunteer for FFC. “But a microchip is only helpful if the pet is taken to a shelter where they have a scanner.”
Not all lost pets get back to their owners.
About four months ago, 9-month-old Harper had been hit by a car and a samaritan took the puppy to the Anti-Cruelty Society.
“She had a broken leg and had ruptured her bladder,” said Dr. Robyn Barbiers, president of the Anti-Cruelty Society. “Harper needed crucial veterinary treatment and time to heal before she could be adopted, so she stayed at the society and was treated for her injuries.”
After getting well, Harper needed further special care and ended up in a foster home with volunteer Brice Kanzer, 27.
“The family decided that rather than returning Harper to the society for adoption, we’d adopt her,” said mom Celia Kanzer, 60, who has three children. So, Harper, a German short-haired pointer mix joined the family with their other dog Hazel, an eight-year-old Aussie mix.
“Harper is still limping and we’re working to build up the muscles on that leg,” Celia said.
“We can tell Harper had a previous owner. He had certain knowledge of commands and was not abused and was taken care of,” Celia Kanzer said. “He had no collar with ID and no microchip.”
Barbiers says approximately 20,000 lost pets are turned in each year to Chicago shelters.
“Prevention is the most important thing a pet owner can do,” Barbiers said. “Hopefully your pet has a collar and ID tag, and hopefully a microchip, so people can contact you without having your pet spend the required five-day stay for strays at Animal Care and Control. [See accompanying story for more details.]
“If you do lose your dog or cat, you need to move very fast,” Barbiers said. “Start by checking with your neighbors by going door-to-door.”
Meanwhile, Barbiers says beware of scam artists. “They call you up and ask, ‘How much will you give me to return the dog?,’” Barbiers said. “These people may or may not have your dog, so don’t give them any money until you get your pet first.”
Here are some tips for finding a lost cat or dog from experts at the Anti-Cruelty of Chicago, PAWS Chicago, Feline Friends Chicago and the Citizens for Animal Protection:
† Act immediately. The longer you wait, the farther your pet can travel. Plus, the chances of your pet getting injured increases.
† Leave items with a familiar scent outside your home. A litter box, pet bed or a shirt or shoes recently worn by the pet owner can attract a pet who has strayed.
† Search the neighborhood. Walk, ride a bicycle or drive slowly through your neighborhood several times each day. Whistle a few times, then call your pet’s name twice. Listen carefully and look around.
† Your pet may be injured, frightened or trapped and unable to come to you. Hearing your voice may encourage your pet to answer you. After you call the pet’s name two or three times, remain in one place long enough to see if you can hear your pet.
† A lost pet may hide during the day, so go out again at night through your neighborhood with a flashlight and call for your cat or dog.
† Ask neighbors, letter carriers and delivery people, anyone you see, if they have seen your pet.
† Post flyers at intersections within a two-mile radius of the area of where your pet was lost. Also, give flyers to local grocery stores, community centers, pet stores, veterinary offices, churches and laundromats.
† The flyers should have a photograph of the pet and how to reach you as well as provide information such as fur color, breed and eye color.
† Advertise in local and community newspapers.
† Visit all local animal shelters and animal-control agencies as well as call or e-mail them. Your pet could show up at any time.
† File a lost pet report with every shelter in the city and suburbs. Check with the shelters every few days.
† If your pet was lost anywhere near a highway, contact the area’s department of transportation.
† Call veterinary hospitals.
† Do not send reward money or offer information to anyone claiming they have your pet.
† File a lost pet report with the Chicago Police Department.
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