The first 24 hours after your pet goes missing

The first day after a pet goes missing is when you have the best chance of finding it close to home. Your pet is likely still nearby, the people who saw it still remember, and the trail is fresh. This checklist puts the most useful steps in order so you don’t lose time deciding what to do next.

The first hour: search close to home

• Check inside first. Look in closets, cabinets, behind appliances, under beds, in the basement, attic and garage. Cats and small pets often hide inside the house, and a frightened pet can stay silent for hours.
• Search the immediate area on foot. Start where your pet was last seen and work outward, street by street. Walk slowly, stop often and listen.
• Call in a calm, normal voice. Shouting can scare a nervous animal into hiding deeper. Shake a treat bag or food bowl if your pet knows the sound.
• Look where animals squeeze in. Under porches, decks, parked cars and sheds, in bushes, window wells, drainage pipes and crawl spaces.
• Bring the right things: a leash or carrier, treats, a flashlight (even in daytime, for dark spaces), your phone and a photo of your pet.

Hours 1 to 3: get help and get the word out

• Ask neighbors to check their property. Pets get shut into garages, sheds and basements by accident. Ask neighbors to look, not just to keep an eye out.
• Split up the search. If friends or family can help, give each person an area and a time to check back in. Keep one person at home in case your pet returns or someone calls.
• Create a free listing. Report your lost pet with a clear photo, the date, and the nearest cross streets. A listing gives you one link to share everywhere and lets people who find a pet search for it.
• Post locally. Share your listing link in local social media groups, neighborhood apps and community lost and found groups. Use the same photo and details everywhere so people recognize your pet.

Hours 3 to 6: call shelters, vets and animal control

• Call every shelter and animal control office near you, including those in neighboring towns. Pets can travel farther than you expect, and people sometimes take a found pet to the shelter closest to their own home or work.
• Call local vet clinics and emergency vets. People often bring an injured or found pet to the nearest vet. Ask them to note your pet’s description and your phone number.
• Update the microchip record. If your pet is microchipped, report it lost and check that your phone number and address are current. Read how to look up and update a microchip.
• Keep a log. Write down who you called, when, and what they said. It saves you from repeating calls and helps you follow up.

Hours 6 to 12: flyers and scent

• Print large, simple flyers. One big photo, the word LOST, your pet’s name and kind, where it went missing and your phone number. Read how to make a lost pet flyer that works.
• Post flyers where people stop or slow down: intersections, mailbox areas, pet stores, vet clinics, laundromats, gas stations and community boards.
• Hand flyers to people who move around the area: mail carriers, delivery drivers, dog walkers, joggers and kids.
• Put out familiar scents. Leave a piece of your worn clothing, your pet’s bedding or (for cats) the litter box outside your door, with a bowl of water. Check it often.

Hours 12 to 24: search again at night and early morning

• Go back out when it’s quiet. Many scared pets move after dark and around dawn, when traffic and people are gone. Read our tips on searching at night and luring a scared pet home.
• Use a flashlight to catch eye shine under cars, in bushes and along fence lines.
• Keep your phone on and charged. Answer unknown numbers. Someone who found your pet will likely call from a number you don’t know.
• Check the found pets in your area. Browse lost and found pets near you and look at found pet posts in your local groups. Check again every day.

Should you pay for alerts?

A free listing, flyers and phone calls to shelters and vets are what most people start with. If you want more people in your area to hear about your pet quickly, our alert packages add phone calls and faxes about your pet in the area where it went missing. Packages start at $49.95. The free listing does not include phone, fax or social alerts. You can upgrade later if you start with the free listing.

Don’t let a scammer slow you down

As soon as your pet is posted, you may hear from people who want money first. Never pay a fee or a deposit before you see your pet in person, and keep one identifying detail out of your listing so you can check that a caller really has your pet. Read more about lost pet scams and how to avoid them.

After the first day

Don’t stop if your pet isn’t home after 24 hours. Pets turn up days and weeks later. Keep visiting shelters in person every day or two, refresh torn or faded flyers, re-share your listing and keep searching at quiet times. When your pet is home, mark it home on your listing, call the shelters and vets you contacted, and take your flyers down.

More tips

Questions people ask

What is the first thing to do when my pet goes missing?

Search inside your home and then the area where your pet was last seen, calling in a calm voice. Ask neighbors to check garages and sheds, and create a free listing so you have one link to share.

When should I call shelters and animal control?

The same day. Call every shelter and animal control office near you and in nearby towns, and call local vets and emergency vets, giving them a photo and your phone number.

Should I search at night?

Yes. Many scared pets move when it's dark and quiet. Go out late in the evening and before dawn with a flashlight and look for eye shine.

What should I leave outside for my lost pet?

Something that smells like home, such as your worn clothing, your pet's bedding or, for cats, the litter box, along with a bowl of water.

What if my pet isn't home after 24 hours?

Keep going. Pets turn up days and weeks later. Keep visiting shelters, refresh your flyers, re-share your listing and keep searching at quiet times.