Congratulations on retrieving your long lost cat! We would ask that you to complete the following steps to ensure that your cats needs on his return are catered for.
1.
Check your cat for injuries and health concerns. If there are no urgent issues but your cat is showing signs of distress at being back at home, leave them alone. Depending on how long your cat has been missing he will need time to decompress, adjust, feel safe and sleep. If you have a quiet room, it’s a good idea to put him in it with food, water, toys, his bed and a litterbox. One person in the household should check on him hourly if possible. Some cats may need as long as a day to decompress. Allow them to adjust at their own pace.
2.
Make an appointment with your vet so he can be checked over, wormed and flea treated as your vet feels necessary. Do not do this yourself as you don’t know where your cat has been or if someone else has given him any treatments. Unneutered cats are known to leave their homes and never return. Have your cat neutered and microchipped if this has not already been done.
3.
Update your microchip company, Guernsey’s Lost and Found Pets, GSPCA and Facebook groups that your cat is home. Remove any lost cat posters in your area.
4.
Keep your cat inside for a minimum of two weeks. The longer he has been away, the longer he should be kept inside, up to six weeks. He needs time to reclaim every corner of your entire house and all of the people that live there. Every member of your household needs to play with your cat every day. Being inside for an outdoor cat can be difficult, and you need to burn off his energy and rebuild a strong relationship with him.
We also recommend putting a chest lead on your cat for the first few times he is allowed outside. Walk him around your garden and neighbourhood as he feels comfortable and ensure that he re-enters the house where he is expected to re-enter when he is not supervised.
WHEN HE IS ALLOWED OUTSIDE AGAIN
5.
Your cat may stay outside for a whole day or two on his release. This is normal. He has a lot of catching up to do!
6.
Set your cat flap to “enter only” for the first few weeks of his release. Many cats are jumpy on their release and may only come back to the house at night when everyone is asleep, eat and leave again immediately after. Setting the cat flap ensures your cat can have pets and treats from you before you manually allow him outside again. You do not have to keep him inside when he returns, just ensure he gets the positive reinforcement that this is his house before you manually let him out again.
7.
We do not recommend cat collars, however, if you suspect your cat was lured away by another household feeding him, you should put a tracker collar on your cat for the first few days of his release to gain an understanding of his movements. The Mini Tractive GPS Tracker can often be bought on eBay second hand for around £20 and the fee for a month is around £13. There are cheaper alternatives but there is nothing better than Tractive in Guernsey. Make sure the collar is a quick release collar and once you have established your cats movements we would recommend you remove the collar for safety reasons.