My elderly parents have somehow managed to lose both their beloved pets at the same time.
They were taking them to the vets for their annual booster jabs, and they simultaneously burst out of their carrier baskets in the carpark.
They both shot off, jumped over a wall, ran off into the adjacent garden and haven't been seen since.
(This is the cats I am talking about, not the elderly parents.)

The area behind the vets is heavily wooded and although we've searched and searched, it's virtually impossible to find them - I wasn't there when it happened and have no way of knowing how far they ran off or in what direction.

Any advice on other possible lines to pursue?
We've searched for several hours (rattling their treat box), obviously informed the vets at the time, notified the Petlog organisation where their microchips are registered, and are going to put up fliers with a photo around the area.
Trouble is they are both very timid with anyone outside the immediate family, and are not likely to come up to strangers of their own free will.

I can't say I am very optimistic and both my parents are very upset about this. Any suggestions on what further things to do would be appreciated. Thanks!

Only other things you can really do is try knocking on doors in the area asking people if they have maybe taken them in, or if they can check things like sheds and garages. Or the other option is just wait in the hope that someone finds them and does the right thing. Due to them being chipped its a lot more likely that your parents will get their furry friends back.

Hope they are found and return home safely soon.

If you send me some more details ill post it via Facebook. Are they chipped

Nightmare.

Posters (without the cats' names) are a good idea but I'd also knock on the door of the owners of the adjacent garden and ask if you can leave a cat basket with nice, well-scented from home blanket in their garden. Cats and dogs often find their way back to where they escaped from and while the cats may not approach the householder, if the householder phones you (or your parents) to say they've been seen, that at least is a help.

Good luck. People do often get their pets back. I know of someone here in France whose cat went for a trip in the back of a delivery van. It hopped out in a town about 30 miles away but after a sustained poster campaign and sightings being phoned in, cat and owner were eventually reunited.

How far from home were the cats when they escaped?

Thanks. We did that yesterday & asked the owners to keep an eye out, and searched their garage, etc. (Sorry, I should have added this to my original message).
This garden was very neat and well-kept with not much foliage to hide under, so I don't think they're going to be hiding there.

We did the same with the next house along later last night. This place has an extremely unkempt garden (the lady living there kept apologising for it!) & I thought they were much more likely to want to hide in there, but didn't see (or hear) anything of them.
The house beyond that has a big loud dog, and we also spoke to that owner, but didn't think they'd have gone in there.

The trouble is along the side/back of these gardens is a wooded footpath that leads on for miles. By the sound of it, that is most likely the direction that they headed. I walked all along there last night calling, but didn't see anything. I'm going to take their food bowl with me later this evening and walk down there rattling it which may help as they will be pretty hungry by now.

I don't expect any response from the posters (if at all) until a day or so as we only put them up this morning.


It's actually only about half a mile, but they ran off in the opposite direction. There is also a busy road in between (where the Vet's is) and I don't imagine they'll try and cross that as they are always terrified of loud noises.

Believe it or not this works in your favour, cats can find their own way home from miles away, obviously keep searching and doing everything you are doing. But do not be surprised if they manage to find their own way home within a few days.

Also cats are hunters and if they are in a wooded area there will be plenty of mice and other rodents or small birds they will likely go after for something to eat.

Go shouting in the early hours when it realy quiet. Shake buiscuits too

Just got a message off owner
Mabel has come home but very hungry. Mack is still missing. Mabel is missing him so much

Brilliant news!

Mack.....follow the scent and you will be home soon too.

Maisey....you are a star!

I hope if my Dexi ever goes missing, that there is someone like you helping to reunite us xx

That is good news. I hope Mack makes it home too. Half a mile is not very far for cats. I have a cat who roams that far - across fields - on a regular basis because I get reports from people who spot him... he's a distinctive, apricot coloured Maine Coon.

So my fingers are crossed for Mack.

our cat has gone missing.we haven't seen her since 1am Sunday morning , the longest she's been out is 4/5 hours tops. she normally comes back for food or to lie on top of us while we are trying to sleep. we are worried because one of our neighbors cat hasn't been seen for a few weeks , my fiance is thinking the worst but im hoping she has been having too much fun exploring. she means the world to us and we feel lost , we keep imagining we can see or hear her. its my worst nightmare unfolding , not knowing is the worst. i hope all the missing cats come home

Is she neutered or chipped Natilly

Thanks for all the messages of support/hope - I'll pass them on to my parents.

Mabel didn't actually make her own way home - she was just spotted lurking about in the garden where she had originally escaped (i.e. she had travelled precisely nowhere!)
She is quite an indoor cat, so it doesn't surprise me that hung about.

Her brother usually spends most of his time outdoors (in all weathers) so I suspect he is more likely to have roamed further. No-ones sighted him yet, but I am a bit more optimistic as it was Mabel I thought would be the harder one to get back, being very timid with strangers.

Fingers crossed that she makes it back home soon, Natilly. She may be accidentally locked in someone's garage/house, or might just be busy exploring.

I'd recommend knocking up 20-30 flyers asking people to look out for her and giving them to neighbours.
You certainly get good a response from people.
Even if they are false leads (as in the case of our Mack) it shows people are keeping a look out.

I do believe that Mack will turn up at some point as his sister is now at home.

We had a cat go missing for 3 months and she was found at our local petrol garage where we called in every other day

Flyers are quiet good put them door too door and maybe a little farther away too. Ask the postman in the area too.

One of my very first rehomes went missing on Friday I only found out this morning too. Her distraught owner is moving in a couple of weeks too, I am unable too rehome her two brothers as they have misaligned jaws which might cause trouble later on.

she has been spayed but she isn't micro chipped , if she does come back we will see about getting that done then again we won't want to let her out after this. we have contacted the vets, spread the word online and have put her information on the national pet register. and we are sorting out posters as well. fingers crossed she is ok and either comes back or is found.

This is why putting down a carrier with a familiar blanket or towel etc smelling of home can be effective. It gives the cat something it recognises in the location, can persuade it to stay around which enables it to be spotted easily.

NATILLY if you post the link I will post on on my page and others then it gets posted else where,

Please post on my page Natalie. I pin the post too the top too for you
https://www.facebook.com/KadosCatKittenSanctuary

this is the link - http://www.nationalpetregister.org/mp/52368.htm thanks

Share on my face book and also page too

In Mack's case, he absolute hates carriers though (this is what caused the problem in the first case!) so I don't think it would work. When we go out looking, we have had to make sure we don't have the carrier with us as it would scare him off.

Still no sign of him - I went out last night with his treat box and turned up nothing. The main trouble is we have just no idea how far he would've gone by now. I am going to try searching further afield this evening.

Bless him.