Is your lost pet being seen at a particular location but is terrified ? Press the PAUSE button for a moment. It is time for STRATEGY, COORDINATION, and TEAMWORK.
Chances are, you will be unlikely to catch your pet as you might think. Once pet’s leave the comfort of their familiar surrounding, your pet goes into what’s called as “survival mode”, “escape”, or “flight mode” (as in “fight” or “flight”) when lost. They are now separated from all that is familiar to them and that which used to make them feel safe. It’s like a switch goes off in his head and your pet is no longer a domesticated pet.
Getting your pet home is going to take strategy, tools, working with home or property owners, and yes, patience.
We are fortunate to have many experienced volunteers trappers in our area who have the biggest hearts. But what they don’t have is the ability to be everywhere at once for everyone. They cannot drop a trap with a single sighting. Setting a trap involves strategy and honestly, an understanding of the situation, location, pet’s behavior, etc.
They need you, the pet owner, to help set the stage for a quick, and most importantly, safe capture of your frightened pet. As a pet owner, this will be the biggest test of your patience. It is hard to not want to run over and try to secure your pet. Humane traps are an amazing tool to catch lost pets in a safe manner.
Location is key. If a pet is wandering near a highway or the location backs up to a highway, there needs to be a heightened awareness to not chase or approach the pet. It could cause them to become further scared and find themselves in a compromised, unsafe situation.
Whenever you receive a sighting of your pet, it is crucial to hang additional signs as quickly as possible from the location and outwards in every direction. You want to try and establish the area where the pet is being seen. Make sure your signs say DO NOT CHASE, REPORT SIGHTINGS in big, bold letters.
Place multiple food bowls and water at the start. You will eliminate extra feeding stations later!
Enlist help from willing neighbors. But manage the schedule and people helping.
Once the pet is visiting a particular spot, ALL the other food should be removed so YOU can manage the feeding. Why? Once the humane trap is placed and set, you do not want the pet visiting other spots for food. It will be counter productive. 😳
Maintain a map of date/time/location where pet is being seen. This helps you (and a trapper) to determine if there is a pattern in the movement.
Remember, our team at Missouri Lost & Found Paws is always available to help guide you. You can contact us to get the conversation started at molostfoundpaws@gmail.com.
P.S. this post is not meant to be all inclusive of all the entire trapping effort. It is meant to be provide an overview and key points of consideration. People known as trappers give their time freely to help frightened animals. But they cannot be everywhere all the time. They need your help, the owner, to get the groundwork started.
