Tips for creating an effective lost poster.
KEY WORD- Make the word “LOST” visible and eye catching. People who have pets can imagine your heartbreak. Seeing that your poster is asking for help, rather than advertising something for sale will draw them over.
TIME- The time, date and location he was last seen.
DESCRIPTION- Clear description of kitty. List any identifying scars, or markings. Long hair, short hair. Spayed, or neutered. Male, or female. Micro chipped Last seen wearing a collar, or not. Clarify cat collars are usually break away so even if he left with one, it may be gone now.
CONTACT- Your current contact info. A phone number is the most important detail. The tear away number flyers are nice in case someone does not have a pen handy to write down your number. Be sure and let them know they can call or text 24/7 with any clue big or small..
PICTURE- A recent picture of kitty that preferably shows his whole body, not just his face.
KEEP IT SIMPLE- Don’t be to wordy. People don’t need to know that kitty loves to play with a feather ball, or purrs when you rub his left front paw. Keep it as simple and direct as possible. If your poster looks to busy it can become overwhelming.
LINKS FOR FREE LOST FLIER TEMPLATES:
Pawboost
Adopt-a-pet.com
https://www.findlostcat.com/cat-flyer-templates/
POSTING FLIERS- bring tape, tacks, or a stapler
POST FLIERS AT:
Schools
Community & Senior Centers
Grocery Stores & Markets
Telephone Poles
Animal Shelters
Veterinary Offices
Restaurants
Post Office
Gas Station
Parks
Dog Parks
Church’s
Bus Stops
Gym
HAND OUT FLIERS
- Door to Door
- Parks
- Joggers
- Mailmen
- Trash Men
- Delivery Drivers- pizza, Uber, bottle water,
- Bus Drivers
- Local Neighborhood Sporting Events & Concerts
- Door to Door Solicitors
- Schools
GET ONLINE:
Nextdoor- https://nextdoor.com/ Nextdoor is the free private social network for your neighborhood community. This is an excellent forum to alert your neighbors. It’s free, secure and can quickly get the word out to your immediate neighbors even if you don’t know them.
Craigslist- Place an ad in the lost and found section of craigslist. It’s free.
Facebook- post on your page and ask your friends to share. I believe there are also some lost and found pet pages you can join to add your pet.
GIVE A HOOT: Once your cat is found be courteous and remove all flyers from your neighborhood. This will not only halt the search, but shows you are respectful and want to do your part to prevent your flyers from littering the area. It’s nice to post a follow up flyer wuth keyword “HOME” in place of LOST". You'd be surprised how many people do care about you finding your pet and would like to know hes home safe. You can remove those after a week, or so.
IMPORTANT: Days or weeks may pass with no leads. Do not get discouraged. Don't give up!