I am the Cat Butler and two weeks ago I lost my cat Arya in San Francisco.
We were filming our next video about taking your cats outdoors
when she escaped from her harness while we were biking.
I was shocked that this happened because I had tested this harness
thoroughly at home and Arya was not able to escape.
Usually I take my cats Teemo and Arya biking in a pet carrier which is more secure.
But that day I wanted to try out the harness method because I had seen other people
successfully use it for their cats. That was a big mistake.
Arya escaped from her harness and the chase was on.
First I had to check if Teemo was okay.
I had crashed the bike into the pavement in order to not run over Arya.
Luckily Teemo looked okay. I had lost sight of Arya, but a jogger had spotted
a white cat darting down a private driveway. Arya had run into someone’s garage.
Do you see a cat running by?
Excuse me?
Do you see a cat running by?
I think so, is it white? Yeah!
Yeah, that way?
There was Arya. Hiding in the corner behind a workout machine.
I thought to myself the chase was over. This is where I made another mistake.
I was too impulsive and did not think clearly. I just wanted Arya safe in my arms.
When you corner a scared cat you should always block all exits so it cannot escape.
I should have asked the owner to close the garage while we attempted to grab Arya.
Because the garage door was open Arya was able to slip past me and escape once again.
She ran like a cheetah and I was unable to catch up to her.
At this point I had lost Arya again and no one knew where she went.
I asked everyone on the street if they saw a white cat and some offered to help look for her.
We looked around for a while. We looked under cars, behind bushes,
or even up a tree. But no luck.
By this time I started to panic.
I started to blame myself and felt guilty for letting this happen.
I thought to myself. If only I had tested the harness more.
If only I had been more patient in the garage, then Arya would have been safe in my arms.
At that moment, I knew if I became emotionally paralyzed I would not find my cat Arya.
I can’t control the past. I can only control what I do now to find my cat.
Arya needs me to focus. I needed help.
I called friends and family to help spread the word of my lost cat.
Getting more eyes and ears can help increase my chances of finding Arya.
Then I used social media. I posted on Nextdoor,
a neighborhood community app, and some local lost and found facebook groups.
Lastly, I called the local SPCA to report my cat missing and provided Arya’s microchip number.
If someone were to bring Arya into the Shelter they would know it is my cat
and would notify me. I knew I could not rely
on someone else finding Arya. No one else loves your cat
like you do, and no-one else is going to look as hard as you will!
Studies have shown that the longer your cat is lost the less likely they will be found.
61% of lost cats were found dead or alive within one year.
34% of lost cats were found alive within 7 days. After 90 days,
lost cats were less likely to be found alive. I knew I had a small window to find Arya.
I was mentally prepared to sleep on the streets till I found Arya alive.
At this point I had an important decision to make.
Do I bring Teemo and the bike home, and risk not being nearby when Arya is spotted?
My bike was hindering my search, I had Teemo to worry about,
and I did not have the right tools to find Arya.
I decided to go home because I assumed Arya would still be in the area.
This was my thought process. Knowing Arya’s personality, she usually
hides for long periods of time when she senses danger, like strangers coming into our house.
I figured she found a good hiding spot nearby
and was in survival mode. If she would move locations,
it would be at night. Also based on a scientific study I found.
75% of cats were found within 500 meters of where they escaped.
That is because cats are territorial creatures and tend to stick to places they know.
Indoor cats have an even smaller territory than outdoor cats.
This means they only feel comfortable exploring their “home territory”,
so they probably won’t travel much further than a small distance from where they live.
So I made a gamble thinking Arya will still be in the vicinity where I last spotted her.
I dropped Teemo off and gathered my tools. Arya’s favorite treat,
a pet carrier, and a bell. I had trained Arya to ring a bell.
She associates the sound to delicious treats.
Maybe it would entice Arya to come out of her hiding spot.
I quickly drove back to where I lost Arya. Without my bike I was able to be more mobile.
I went door to door asking nearby neighbors to call or text if they saw my white cat.
Arya could have sneaked into their yard or garage and I needed as many eyes and ears
if I were to find Arya. Arya loves treats.
So I placed her favorite treat all over the area, hoping to lure Arya out of her hiding place.
But no luck. I must not give up.
I need to think smarter. It was time to think like a cat.
Retracing Arya’s steps, there are three directions
she could have gone after darting down the driveway.
She could have crossed the street and entered a massive park.
The problem with that logic. Dogs.
The park was packed with them. Cats have an incredible sense of smell and sound
that work together to detect immediate threats. Arya is scared of dogs and she would have
sensed the threat in that direction. So we can cross that direction off.
To the right there was a group of kids. Arya is afraid of people and I don’t
think she went in that direction either. To the left there were construction workers
and loud noises. I did not think she went
past either of these obstacles. So where could she have gone?
Through the process of elimination, only the alley made sense, but I had checked the alley
more than 5 times and I had not seen Arya. I decided to look again more carefully.
My heart stopped.
I saw a white lump camouflaged with the white wall of the house.
Arya was hiding behind some garbage cans with her head under the trash.
My heart was beating with excitement. I did not want to make the same mistake again.
So I quickly walled off all exits with the garbage cans.
Threw treats all over the place to distract Arya.
Then lunged at her and hastily put her into the pet carrier.
I ran back to my car and made sure it was Arya. Gorgeous blue eyes looked back at me.
It was Arya. There is a saying,
“You don’t know what you have until you lose it”.
Our cats are precious to us. Keep them close and safe.
Teemo and Arya I will always be there for you.
As a cat owner I am always trying to improve myself.
Besides being more careful in securing Arya to the bike.
I think putting a GPS tracker on Arya would have been helpful.
It would have pinpointed her location and made it easier for me to locate her.
There are two GPS trackers I would consider getting.
The Tractive or Jiobit GPS trackers.
Both have pretty accurate GPS tracking and decent battery life.
I will link the GPS trackers in the description below.
It is nice to know that Arya is able to sleep in her favorite bed tonight.
I hope you are able to learn from my experience. If you want to support the channel,
Teemo and Arya have a cat store that sells cat products like scratching posts,
beds, and toys. The products are made
of the highest quality and meant to last. I will link it in the description below.
Comment down below if you lost your cat and what did you do to find them?