We’ve heard the expression ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, but as someone who has had a beloved pet go missing, I know all too well that it takes a village to find them, says Wanstead resident Liz Hickson
The paradox of an increasingly digitised world is also increasing isolation – so, for many, pets play an increasingly important role. The PDSA’s 2023 Animal Wellbeing Report states that 94% of pet owners believe owning a pet makes them happy.
So, when our pets go missing, for many of us, it will be a deeply upsetting time, with owners frequently experiencing grief, anxiety, stress, guilt and self-blame. According to pet microchip provider Petlog, almost 5,000 dogs and over 20,000 cats were reported missing between January 2023 to June 2024. Unfortunately, as I’m only too aware from my own recent experience, having a pet go missing is an extremely distressing experience, and one I wasn’t alone in given the various lost and found pet sites on which I posted details of my beloved cat, Harry. But there are a number of very simple ways our community can help owners when a pet goes missing:
- Pick up any abandoned dog and cat collars and contact the number given on the tag.
- Share posters to any local WhatsApp groups you are in. And if you live near the missing pet’s home, put a poster up in your window (a distraught owner will really appreciate it).
- Check doorbell and camera footage and look in your sheds, garages and gardens, and take your time to do so – a cat who is hiding won’t come out immediately.
- If you knock a cat or dog over, please stop, and if you can’t find them to take to a vet, alert a local Facebook group of the details.
- Like, comment and share social media posts about lost pets to keep them front of mind.
- If you see a bedraggled-looking pet on a doorstep, knock on the door it’s outside. It might just save its life.
- Get to know your local cats, and if you do see a cat you think may be lost, put a paper collar on it and post on local social media (pet owners will appreciate that you care).
Sadly, I don’t know what happened to Harry – I don’t know how, when or where my much-loved boy died, just that I found him mauled by foxes (possibly posthumously) on my doorstep. I do know that I have turned the various possibilities and my potential alternative actions over and over in my mind, thinking what I didn’t do and what I could have done differently to keep Harry alive. And, as I work my way through my very real guilt and grief, in my denial I still trawl lost and found pet sites, hoping there has been a dreadful mistake. I still turn up to potential sightings of him. But in my loss, if this article helps someone else’s pet to be found alive and well, then some good has come out of bad – and I think Harry would appreciate that.
If you are grieving a pet, help and support is available. Visit wnstd.com/pet
