About findyourcat.info

Findyourcat.info has one job: turn all of this good information into a single, almost step-by-step resource. Every recommendation on this site is informed by research from the experiences of animal rescuers in Oregon, Animal rescue organizations throughout the US, England, France, and Australia, pet recovery specialists, and documented recovery stories. The difference I hoped to bring to our list is the consideration of what the pet parents go through when their pet is lost, and reminding them to care for themselves during their search.

Three core goals Regardless of all the lost pet resources available, be the most effective one available for the public

Increase the percentage of missing cats who are actually located by improving search tactics, mapping, and follow‑through.

Produce a modest income that will pay for the site itself, perpetually, a parallel lost dog site, and develop an application that creates a universal bridge between lost pet sites so a report on one site will be forwarded to many sites. This way a pet parent will not be forced to check 8 different sites to see if anyone found their lost pet.

A couple of years back, I took in two half-frozen kittens for what I told myself would be one night. Just until the snow let up. Now they run the household and I’m the tenant who pays the rent. They’re family, plain and simple.

Not long after I officially adopted them, one of them slipped out. I went straight into panic mode and probably scared her off from coming back right away. A couple days later, I finally heard her crying from way up a Douglas fir. I called a pro who talked me through what to do, and by three in the morning (!!) she came down on her own and walked up to the back door like nothing happened. She was gone four days. Felt like four years. Anyone who’s lost a pet knows that feeling; the dread, the sick quiet in the house, all of it.

Since then, I’ve seen post after post on Nextdoor from people going through the same hell. You can hear the hurt in their words. And to be fair, Oregon has some incredible folks who jump in to help. There are rescuers out there who’ll climb trees, scale buildings, crawl under whatever they have to. A lot of them share tipsheets and advice, and I link to them whenever I can. I’m still learning who’s who, but I’m grateful they exist.

The problem is: everything’s scattered. If your pet goes missing, you end up jumping between apps, groups, comments, screenshots, Google Docs, and whatever else you can grab in the moment... all while you’re half-out of your mind with worry. Some advice overlaps, some contradicts, some you don’t even see because the platform buries it under ads or “engagement.” And if you’re out walking the streets calling your cat, you’re in no shape to juggle a dozen tabs on your phone.

So I built FindYourCat.info. Not as some grand project, just a way to put the most useful guidance in one place so people don’t have to hunt for the instructions while they’re hunting for their cat. A Google Doc might’ve done the job, sure, but I figured a clearer layout couldn’t hurt. I also wanted to ensure that it was tailored to the Portland Metro and the surrounding areas, but still helpful should a cat owner in South Dakota find it.

If you’re here because your cat’s missing, I’m sorry you’re going through it. I know how heavy it is. My hope is simple: that this site helps you hold steady, take the right steps, and with some luck, get your little troublemaker back home. And if not, at least you’ll know you did everything you could.

When a cat goes missing, most people are handed chaos: ten different checklists, a dozen conflicting opinions, a comment section full of folklore and worst‑case stories, and let's not forget all the rude SOBs who think their way of helping is to tell them to give up because the coyotes got their cat. This site exists to be the opposite of that.

Findyourcat.info has one job: turn all of this good information into a single an almost step-by-step resource. Every recommendation on this site is informed by research from the experiences of animal rescuers in Oregon, Animal rescue organizations throughout the US, England, France, and Australia, pet recovery specialists, and documented recovery stories. The difference I hoped to bring to our list is the consideration of what the pet parents go through when their pet is lost, and reminding them to care for themselves during their search.

The content is organized into five phases after your cat may be lost:

• Phase One (First 2 hours): Inside Search

• Phase Two (First 12 hours): Immediate Exterior

• Phase Three (Days 2–13): Neighborhood Search

• Phase Four (Week 2+): Extended Search

• Phase Five (Week 4 until found): Ongoing Search

I've also included a page on what to do if you have been approached by a scammer and how to deal with them, pulled from decades of experience in information security, including law enforcement support.

The What to Do When You Find a Cat page also draws on the expert advice of many cat rescue organizations. There seems to be less consensus on this occurrence. I compiled what I believe makes the most sense for our area, and I'm always open to discussions with pros in the rescue field.

There is a page of products that may help in your search. At some point soon, I will link to Amazon so that visitors can purchase them directly from here.

The resources page includes links to find shelters and veterinarians by locale. Several printouts on what to do for cats up in a tree. There's a printable collar for found cats and some advice on who to call 1st and general information.

Finally, there is PetFBI's excellent free poster generator and advice on getting the most visibility for your posters and flyers. All of these resources were provided by several different, kind-hearted organizations that built out these resources for the public. This sped up the deployment of the site, provides the best free tools for visitors, and gives a call out to the organizations who created them.