When a cat does not return as expected, family members may start sharing uncertain sightings and similar-looking photos. Common reference points help you organise those messages without treating every possibility as a fact.
This guide helps prepare a description, coordinate contacts and follow leads. It promises neither a return nor a search deadline. Adapt actions locally and seek advice from appropriate organisations. PetStorya does not track your cat’s movements.
Check and record the first information
Check accessible rooms and outbuildings, and ask neighbours to check garages or sheds. Respect access restrictions and safety instructions.
Record who last definitely saw your cat, where, when and in what circumstances. Approximate information is useful when labelled honestly. Do not invent a precise time to complete a form.
The Cats Protection missing-cat guide provides further guidance; its local resources are British, so use corresponding organisations in your country. Digital tools complement local action.
Use a recognisable photo and description
Choose a clear current portrait. If several household cats look alike, describe distinctive markings or known accessories. Review the pet profile and update any outdated image.
Prepare a short description, area, disappearance date and authorised contact method. Do not add a home address or sensitive documents automatically. Help people recognise the animal without exposing your personal life.
Keep one announcement version
Use a central text with an update date. Ask helpers to copy that version and report new information before editing it. This reduces circulation of old pictures and contradictory times.
Keep a list of places where announcements were posted so you can update them later. PetStorya does not automatically publish across every social network or organisation.
Share responsibility for contacts
List relevant local organisations and record each conversation, date, information sent and response. Ask the identification register how to update its records: changing an app profile does not update an external register.
Agree where helpers record outcomes. “No matching cat so far” and a confirmed lead are different results. Clear notes support your next steps.
Create a lost case in PetStorya
The lost or stolen mode organises a case for an eligible pet. Record known facts and a last-known location. This is declared information, not automatic detection or a real-time position.
The public presentation, contacts and sightings follow enabled features and permissions. A public map is only available when enabled. Review visitor access and explicitly choose any published contact details; a lost case does not automatically expose personal records.
Keep sightings in context
A photo received today may have been taken yesterday. Gather place, observation time and description, recording receipt time separately. Several messages may be copies of one observation.
Enabled sightings organise case information; they do not automatically recognise your cat or calculate a likely route. Keep helpers informed of confirmed facts and remaining uncertainty.
QR and privacy choices
A PetStorya QR on a support can open an authorised presentation. A private profile remains inaccessible to public visitors. The QR is not GPS, and contacts are not published automatically.
Before changing visibility, distinguish a useful portrait and chosen contact from prescriptions, insurance documents and private account data. Preparing a search does not require publishing everything.
Close outdated announcements
If your cat is found, close the case using available options, update announcements and notify previous contacts. Keep useful information for a current profile without continuing to publish an outdated disappearance.
Frequently asked questions
Does the map show my cat’s current position?
No. When enabled, it presents the case’s intended public information, not real-time tracking.
Does PetStorya replace local contacts?
No. It organises information; procedures with the relevant services remain separate.
Explore PetStorya lost mode and create your cat’s profile for free before you need those essential details.