Lost and Found Cats
Generally, cats don’t wander far from their home territory. So if yours goes missing, there will be a reason why. If you have recently moved, and not taken sufficient time to acclimatise your cat to its new home, it may well have set off to return to its old familiar territory. Maybe a visiting dog in the street frightened your cat, or maybe a ‘helpful’ neighbour has been feeding it thinking it is a stray. Whatever the reason, if you have lost your cat, there are several steps you should take:
- Contact your local council. Under the Cat Act 2011 which came into effect November 1st 2013, stray and missing cats may now be the council’s responsibility, if your council has it's own pound/cat management facility. It is also legislated that all cats 6 months old and over must be sterilized, microchipped and registered with the local council. Cat Haven is acting as a Cat Management Facility for the following councils:
- Bayswater
- Cambridge
- Cottesloe
- Claremont
- Cockburn
- Fremantle
- Melville
- Nedlands
- Perth
- Stirling
- Subiaco
- Vincent
- Wanneroo
This means your cat may be brought in by a ranger to Cat Haven. Other councils may have their own management facilities and it is essential you advise them your cat is missing.
- Scour your house by checking all small spaces - inside torn box springs, under furniture, and in chimneys, closets, basements and attics.
- Investigate within a five-house radius including outbuildings, crawl spaces and garages. Talk to your neighbours about checking and keeping a look out for your missing cat on their property.
- Search at night with a flashlight, when the streets are quieter and he's more likely to feel safe out in the open.
- Design an eye-catching flier or leaflet and print them to distribute around your neighbourhood. It is very important that as many people as possible are aware that your cat is missing and can be on the look-out. Your flier should boldly try to catch people’s attention; include a recent and clear photograph of your cat if possible, the date and location the cat was last sighted and contact details of the owner.
- Ring any vet clinics in your area and your surrounding suburbs; if someone has found your cat with an injury or in distress they may have taken it to their own vet and not necessarily the one closest, so it is advisable to call at least 4 or 5 vets, depending on the area you are in. You should also call one or all of the after hours vets in Perth. These are Balcatta Vet (9345 4644); Perth Vet Emergency in Yokine (1300 040 400) and Murdoch Pet Emergency Centre (1300 652 494).
- Place Lost advertisements in your local paper and the Saturday West Australian and Sunday Times. It is also a great idea to advertise and search for your cat on Pets of Perth Lost and Found on Facebook, Impounded Cats WA on Facebook, All Creatures Lost and Found, Lost Pet finders and Gumtree.
- Check this website everyday for a possible match of your cat! (Incoming cats section)
Found Cats on Hold at Cat Haven
Please kindly look through the description/pictures to see if its a possible match of your lost cat. If so, email us at admin@cathaven.com.au or telephone us on (08) 9442 3600 and quote the unique Animal ID number or the External finder - Last name to arrange a viewing appointment to ascertain if it is your cat we are holding at our facility.
Please note: The cat names listed below are given by Cat Haven upon entering our facility, and is by no means representative of your lost cat's name. In addition, please take into consideration the ages given are approximate. Please also note if a cat is Microchipped ( M/C ) it means Cat Haven have contacted the numbers allocated to the chip, but have been unsuccessful in reaching the owner.
Please also note:
If you have not received a reply or if your enquiry is urgent please call reception on (08) 9442 3600
or send your enquiry to admin@cathaven.com.au
Cat Haven Hold Periods for Lost Cats
If your cat is brought in to Cat Haven by a council ranger, we will hold your cat here as follows to give you time to reclaim your cat:
Unidentified Cat (not microchipped) - 3 working days
Identified Cat (microchipped) - 7 working days
After the hold period, if a cat is not reclaimed, we will do everything possible to rehome lost and stray cats to a new loving home. We do not put a healthy, rehomable cat to sleep unless the vet has deemed it necessary.