Lost Pets
What to do if you lost your Dog
Contact Us
Fill out our online Lost Dog Form
Call (831) 373-2631 or 422-4721 or Email Us
Contact The SPCA for Monterey County with a description of your dog and the time and area from which he or she disappeared. If you have a current photo, please send it via email. You can also click here to see a list of animal control and non-emergency police contact numbersor find the contact information for your town's pet shelter.
C’mere Dog!
Spend time calling and whistling for your dog. In spite of your panic, try to sound cheerful and excited – the voice you might use when asking your dog if he wants to go for a walk. Circle the location in which he was last seen. It's also important to stop regularly, be quiet, and listen for your pet to make a noise in reply.
Wanna Go For A Walk?
Drive slowly through your neighborhood, calling your dog and using a few of his favorite words and phrases such as “Wanna go for a walk?” or “let’s go to the beach!” If your pet has a favorite "squeaky toy" bring it along and use it to help you make familiar noises. You can also try opening a can of dog food or shaking a box of his favorite treats.
Don’t Be Shy
Talk to everybody you run across. This includes the postman, paperboy, children, parents waiting at the school bus stop, school crossing guards, neighborhood crime watch groups, garbage pick-up crews, etc. Give them a written description of your pet and your phone number as well. Try to get all the neighborhood children involved. Kids are great at finding lost pets!
Most Wanted
Click here to prepare a flyer with relevant information about your dog  , including his name and physical description. Contact information should include your name, telephone number and email address. If possible, include a current photograph and have these photocopied. Post and distribute flyers wherever your dog was last seen, as well as throughout your neighborhood.
All The News That’s Fit to Print
Take advantage of the lost and found ads in your local newspaper. Place a 'lost dog' ad as soon as possible, and be sure to check the column daily for any that have been found.
Check with the Vet
If your pet was somehow injured, a kindly neighbor may have taken it to the nearest veterinary clinic for help.
Prevent
Reduce the likelihood of your dog becoming lost by making sure your dog wears a collar and current identification tags at all times. Always keep an updated picture of your dog handy. Remember that a lost dog may lose their collar or identity tag, which is yet another reason to have your dog microchipped. Microchips are available at The SPCA for only $25, including lifetime registration!
What to do if you lost your Cat
Contact Us
Fill out our online Lost Cat Form
Call (831) 373-2631 or 422-4721 or Email Us
Contact The SPCA for Monterey County with a description of your cat and the time and area from which he or she disappeared. If you have a current photo, please send it via email. Don’t give up hope: remember that your cat may turn up several days or even weeks after disappearing. You can also click here to see a list of animal control and non-emergency police contact numbersor find the contact information for your town's pet shelter.
Here, Kitty Kitty!
Scan the neighborhood and nearby roads from your door. Try calling your cat by name and using sounds that typically bring him or her running, such as opening a can of cat food, tapping the side of a can with a fork, or shaking a box of dry food. It's also important to stop regularly, be quiet, and listen for your pet to make a noise in reply. If it is safe, leave the door ajar when you go back into the house.
We Know It Sounds Crazy, But…
Search your property thoroughly. Cats are inquisitive and can get themselves into some very strange places. Look behind, under, and inside washing machines, clothes dryers, stoves, refrigerators, and dish washers. Look behind water heaters, in boxes, under furniture, under beds, in closets, in cabinets, in shelves and bookcases, in drain pipes, in sewer drains, in culvert pipes, in and under vehicles, in crawl spaces under the house, inside sheds and barns. Also look in attic crawl spaces, on the roof, in roof gutters, and up in the trees.
Meet Your Neighbors
Notify immediate neighbors of your cat's absence. Canvas the neighborhood, moving from door to door with your cat's description and your telephone number. They can keep a lookout for your cat or alert you if they hear any meowing. Talk to everybody you run across. This includes the postman, paperboy, children, parents waiting at the school bus stop, school crossing guards, neighborhood crime watch groups, garbage pick-up crews, etc. Give them a written description of your pet and your phone number as well. Try to get all the neighborhood children involved. Kids are great at finding lost pets!
Really Meet Your Neighbors
Request permission to look in a neighbor's garage, as cats can sometimes hide there. If your cat is not used to being outdoors, he or she may panic and hide. Sick or injured cats are also likely to hide in dark, quiet places.
All The News That’s Fit to Print
Place an ad in the 'lost and found' section of your local newspaper. Check daily for any found pets.
Check with the Vet
If your pet was somehow injured, a kindly neighbor may have taken it to the nearest veterinary clinic for help.
Most Wanted
Click here to prepare a flyer with relevant information about your cat, including a picture, name and physical description. Add details such as whether he or she is willing to approach strangers. Post and distribute flyers wherever your cat was last seen.
Prevent
Reduce the likelihood of your cat becoming lost by making sure your cat wears a collar and identification tag even if he or she lives indoors. And keep a current picture of your cat handy. Remember that a lost cat may lose their collar or identity tag, which is yet another reason to have your cat microchipped. Microchips are available at The SPCA for only $25, including lifetime registration!
What to do if you are missing any other pet
Contact Us
Fill out our online Lost Animal Form
Call (831) 373-2631 or 422-4721 or Email Us
Contact The SPCA for Monterey County with a description of your pet and the time and area from which he or she disappeared. If you have a current photo, please send it via email. The SPCA has a Barn Program and a Wildlife Center that takes in stray exotic animals, so we very well might be able to help you! You can also click here to see a list of animal control and non-emergency police contact numbersor find the contact information for your town's pet shelter.
Polly Want a Cracker?
If you have lost your pet bird, listen, listen and listen some more - if the bird is up in a tree or out of sight, chances are that you won't be able to see it. But, if the bird vocalizes, you will be able to find its location by listening. It will almost always make noises that can be heard, giving direction in which to look. Taking another bird out to the area may also help, especially if the other bird is a noisy friend of the lost bird or a mate or cage partner.
Try moving the bird’s cage outside to a patio or other area easily accessible to the escaped bird. Fill the seed cups, scatter a few seeds around the cage to entice the bird, and leave the cage door open. Birds will often return to the safety of their cage if they are near by and are able to do so.
Just like lost cats and dogs, consider making a lost pet flyer and posting an ad in your local paper. Call area pet stores and ask them to keep their ears open for strange telephone calls like people asking "what does a parrot eat" or "what kind of bird looks like this”. Don't limit your notification activity to the immediate vicinity where the parrot was lost. Frightened birds often fly a long way.
Check with the Vet
If your pet was somehow injured, a kindly neighbor may have taken it to the nearest veterinary clinic for help.
Prevent
Reduce the likelihood of your pet becoming lost by microchipping your pet. Many types of animals can be microchipped, not just cats and dogs. Call us for helpful advice.
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