Have you lost your pet?

Search your home first — every inch

Cats especially hide in shockingly small spaces when frightened — behind dressers, inside closets, under beds, inside box springs, inside walls through loose panels. Do a full sweep with a flashlight before going outside. Call their name once, then go silent and listen.

Call your microchip company immediately

Report your pet missing to the chip registry right now. If someone scans your pet at a vet or shelter, they'll see the alert. Don't know your chip number? Your vet has it on file. Also call the AAHA Universal Lookup: petmicrochiplookup.org.

Prop open gates and doors

If safe to do so (no other pets or small children), prop open yard gates and even your front door. A frightened pet may return on their own if they can get back in. Leave a familiar blanket or bed right inside the opening.

Put your dirty laundry outside — right now

This is not optional. Take the most-worn clothing you have — shirts, socks, anything with heavy body odor — and place it in a pile outside your front door and near where your pet went missing. Your scent is the most powerful homing signal your pet has. Unwashed is essential. Freshly laundered clothes are nearly useless.

Put the litter box outside (cats)

Place your cat's used litter box — unwashed, with existing waste — outside your front door or in the yard. Cat urine and feces carry a scent that travels far and is unmistakably "home" to your cat. This is one of the most effective cat recovery techniques documented by lost pet professionals. Do not clean it first.

Set up a feeding station with your scent

Place food, water, and a worn item of your clothing near where they went missing. Refresh food twice daily. For dogs, add a piece of your clothing inside a crate or carrier left open near the escape point — a scared dog may seek the enclosed, scented space.

Stop doing laundry — preserve every scent item

Don't wash your pet's bedding, your own clothes, or scoop the yard. Every unwashed item is a potential lure. Your pet's bed, blanket, and toys carry their own scent — place these outside too. The goal is to make your home smell like home from a distance.

Create a scent trail back to your home

Sprinkle your pet's used bedding, worn clothing, or even their feces along the path from where they went missing back to your front door. Animals navigate primarily by smell — a scent trail is a literal road map home. Refresh it daily.

Leave familiar sounds playing outside

Play recordings of your voice, their favorite TV show, or sounds from your daily routine near the door or yard. A scared pet may not approach people — but familiar sounds can draw them close enough to find their way back.

Park your car where they went missing

Your car carries your scent and is a familiar landmark. Park it near the escape point and leave a piece of your clothing on or near it. Many pets have been found sleeping next to their owner's car.