Summer is in full bloom and with it sunny days aplenty. Has your pet joined you in spending more time in the great outdoors, maybe venturing a bit off his usual beaten path? Or maybe your indoor cat keeps poking his nose out the front door, itching for a run in the sun. What do you do if your furry friend is a no-show come mealtime? And bedtime? Stay calm and carry on with the following plan. • First, search in and around your home. Explore every little nook and cranny – under the beds, in the hamper, under loose floorboards – where your little critter could’ve disappeared. Shortly after we got our family cat, she managed to find her way into the walls of the house. A day of playing Marco Polo (“Megans”; “Meow”) eventually ended with a hole being punched in some dry wall. [caption id="attachment_12616" align="aligncenter" width="300"] You never know where a cat will hide (photo: Priwo).[/caption] • Move the search to your yard. An indoor cat that has managed to escape will likely not go too far, so check under the porch and in the garage. Squeeze a favourite squeaky toy or shake a box of dry food or cereal to lure your canine or feline out of possible hiding. • Ask your neighbours if you can check their yards. Maybe your pet is hiding out in their garage and can’t find his way out. • Report your pet missing to the company that holds his microchip database. • Check with animal services, local shelters and pet hospitals about new arrivals. Go in person – how you describe your pet and how someone else does could be different. [caption id="attachment_12658" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Check every nook and cranny of your home if your little furball goes missing (photo: Kevin Dooley).[/caption] • Post a sign that your pet is missing. Some good places to post the sign (with permission, of course) are: vet offices, animal shelters, pet stores, libraries, grocery stores and local businesses. Lampposts and other public posts are good, too, but check about bylaws first. *Be specific when describing your pet on the poster: include its name, breed and gender; whether it's been spayed or neutered, and declawed; coat length and colour; eye colour; any distinguishing marks; whether it was wearing a collar (and a description of the collar) and when it went missing. Also include a recent colour photo and your name and contact info. • Place an ad in your local newspaper and community weekly, as well as online. Craigslist and Kijiji are good places to start. • Stay connected with your community. Folks in Calgary can download a mobile app that lets them stay on top of animals reported lost and found. Check out what’s available in your city. Have you ever had to find a lost pet? Or have you found someone else's pet? And where's your pet's favourite known hiding place?