Trapping Lost and Frightened Pets

If you have a lost pet and have been able to pinpoint your pet’s location, use a humane trap is one of the safest ways to get your pet safe and sound.

on the runHumane Traps

Using a humane trap helps to secure a lost and frightened pet quickly and safely. A humane trap is baited with enticing, yummy goodies.  This creates an invitation to a hungry and skeptical pet.  Our team and trapper friends have used rotisserie chicken (without the bone), White Castle burgers (without the onions and pickles), braunschweiger, hot dogs, Vienna Sausages, cat food, cheeseburgers and even homemade concoctions involving bacon grease.  Keeping the food fresh inside the trap is critical to a successful trapping event.  A standard humane trap often is successful. For the more challenging situations where the pets are able to outsmart the trap, we are fortunate to have some amazing individuals throughout Missouri who make homemade traps.   For more complex situations, contact our Missouri Lost & Found Paws team.

Food Stations

In order to successfully trap a lost pet, you must first and foremost set up a food and water station.  This will help to keep the pet in the area as it keeps the lost pet from having to travel about to search for food and water.  You will want to put enough food for the pet to keep the pet full.  You don’t want to put a large pile of food out because when it comes time to trapping, you’ll need the pet to be hungry, and greedy, to go inside the trap.  Putting fresh food and water out twice a day, for breakfast and dinner, will help the frightened pet feeling secure about its food supply.

Why Won’t Your Lost Pet Come To You

Even the most beloved pet will move into what we call survival mode.  Though they see you, though they smell you, they may act as though they do not recognize you.  This is because their inner instincts kick in which is to protect themselves.  For these situations, we highly recommend using humane traps to catch your frightened pet.  Calling out, approaching them, pursuing them, etc. can prove to be detrimental and can cause your frightened pet to scamper off.  The goal is to keep them in the area where they have developed a sense of security.  Do not cause them to be fearful of their new surroundings.  Instead, let the humane trap do its job.

Need Help?

If you need guidance or assistance with how to go about trapping your lost pet, please contact us at Missouri Lost & Found Paws.  As we are a community-based, volunteer run organization, we are happy to help however we can as it is our mission to help lost and found pets return home.

Check out past blog articles to learn more about how you can help keep your pet safe.