Did you know that there are over 135 million cats and dogs in the United States?
Did you know that around ⅓ of all cats and dogs in the U.S go missing?
And did you know that more than 80% of missing pets are never found?
These are some heartbreaking numbers, and I will share some more. Did you know that only 20-23% of the lost pets in the United States are reunited with their owners? According to peeva.org, not all those who end up in the shelters find peace and happiness. Around 25% dogs and 24% cats get adopted. Unfortunately 64% of those who go to shelters are euthanized!
We tend to think that cats never get lost. But the truth is that they do and just like dogs or other pets, they too get scared and they too try to hide themselves. But the good news is that since cats are more territorial, they tend to usually stay very close to where they got out. If your cat is a bit more adventurous, and a bit more confident, of course then he or she will explore a little more.
Cats go silent
When a dog is lost, almost always the owners or your entire search team will be calling his or her name out loud. And the chances are that he or she will bark when they hear their name. But when cats are lost, they get scared. With this comes the unfortunate silent treatment. To keep themselves safe, they go completely silent, making it a lot more complicated.
In Australia, more than 50% of missing cats were found within a 50 m radius. And around 9% were found within 1- 1 ½ miles. Indoor-Outdoor friendly cats travelled further than indoor only cats.
So there are many methods to find your lost cat. First most owners do a thorough search starting from home. Next step should be to call your neighbours. You can check with them if your missing cat has entered their houses, garages etc. Don’t forget to use social media to assist your search.
How can you prevent this from happening? Apple to the rescue?
Apple’s new gadget, AirTag was introduced to help those who tend to lose their stuff. This was probably designed for people who eternally lose their keys, luggage, bags etc. But what’s interesting is that it is now used by cat owners!
From what we know, this small, puck-shaped tracker, with the help of Bluetooth can track your goods, in this case your pet up to 300 feet. Each tag is around $29 and a pack of four is priced at $99 and you can purchase them through the official Apple site, eBay, Amazon and many other places.
Because it is light in weight, and somewhat water and dust resistant, this would be the ideal choice for many cat owners! To attach it to his or her collar. The AirTag features an IP67 water and dust resistance rating, which means it can withstand immersion in water up to one meter (3.3 feet) for 30 minutes in laboratory conditions. That means the AirTag will hold up well to liquid exposure from rain or accidental spills.
AirTag Battery
AirTags use a replaceable CR2032 battery that is designed to last about a year before it needs to be replaced. The batteries are user replaceable, and to swap out a battery, you can press and twist on the back panel of the AirTag to pop it off.
Original content written by Michelle Perez
