The first 24 hours if your pet goes missing

Minute 0–30: Search the area

Most lost pets — especially cats — don't go far. They hide. Before you do anything online, walk a widening loop out from where your pet was last seen.

• Bring their favourite treats or a noisy toy.
• Check under porches, inside open garages, behind recycling bins, and in dense shrubs.
• For cats: look low and quiet. They freeze when scared, not run.
• For dogs: the opposite — they run. Check the direction they were facing when last seen first.
• Call their name gently. Shouting can scare a spooked pet deeper into hiding.

Minute 30–60: Post a Lost.ca listing

Head to Report a lost pet. One minute. Include:

• A clear, recent photo. A phone shot from last month is perfect.
• Exact last-seen location. Nearest intersection plus a landmark ("corner of King and Queen, near the Tim Hortons").
• A distinctive feature or two. Collar colour, a limp, a notched ear — anything that sets your pet apart from a similar-looking one.
• Contact info. Phone is fastest; email also works. Finders use this to reach you directly.

Hour 1–3: Call shelters and animal control

Many shelters only hold strays for 72 hours before moving them to adoption programs. Call every facility within 20 km, even if it feels redundant. See our Canadian shelters directory for names and numbers.

Ask each shelter:

• Have you taken in any [species] matching this description in the last 24 hours?
• If not — can I leave a detailed description with you now in case one comes in?
• When should I check back?

Hour 1–3: Update your microchip registration

If your pet is microchipped, confirm the phone number and email on the chip's registry are current. A microchip is useless if the contact info is from three addresses ago. See our Canadian microchip registries guide for the main providers and how to log in.

Hour 3–6: Share widely and print

The more eyes, the faster the reunion. In this order:

1. Share the Lost.ca listing link on your local neighbourhood Facebook group, Nextdoor, Reddit community (r/[YourCity] usually has helpful threads), and any community bulletin boards you use.
2. Text the link to 5–10 people in your neighbourhood individually. A group chat or a direct text gets read faster than a public post.
3. Print flyers and staple them at dog parks, vet clinics, coffee shops, and intersections the pet passes regularly. See our poster checklist for what actually gets calls.

Hour 6–24: Check the Found feed constantly

Most successful reunions on Lost.ca happen because the owner found their pet in someone else's sighting — not the other way around. Open the Found feed every few hours and filter by your city.

Also check your dashboard — it highlights recent sightings that match your pet's species and area automatically.

What to avoid in the first 24 hours

• Don't panic-post 20 updates. One good listing with a clear photo and location beats a Facebook wall full of "HAS ANYONE SEEN".
• Don't pay scammers. Cold calls claiming "I have your pet, send a deposit" are almost always fake. Real finders don't ask for money up front.
• Don't assume the chip is enough. Chips require a shelter or vet to scan them. They don't call you automatically.
• Don't stop looking at night. Many pets — especially cats — move around once things quiet down.

When to contact a lawyer, vet, or police

If you suspect theft rather than an escape (you watched someone take your pet, your pet was tied up outside a store), file a police report in addition to posting. Most municipalities treat pet theft as theft under the Criminal Code. Police are unlikely to actively search but a report is useful later if you see your pet in someone else's possession.

Next steps beyond 24 hours

Most pets come home within the first week. If you're past 24 hours and still searching:

• Expand flyers outward — 1 km, then 3 km, then 5 km.
• Contact rescue groups, not just shelters. Small rescues often see animals shelters don't.
• Check classifieds (Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace "pets" section) for anyone trying to rehome an animal matching your pet's description.
• Don't remove your Lost.ca listing. Reunions happen weeks later.

Report a lost pet now