Over 15 million pets go missing each year.  There is virtually no help for people and plenty of con artists and other disreputable people willing to cash in on your heartache.  Please be careful when you select help.  Don't be afraid to ask questions and check references.  Be careful of pet detectives who use old information as references.  You want to see recent successes.  I'd avoid Carl Washington who seeks you out when you put an ad in the paper.  I'd also steer clear of National Pet Recovery, out of St. John, MI.  NPR also sells pet products under the name of Echo Enterprises.   Do your research.   Call the police departments and animal shelters of the areas people you may want to hire work out of.  If you do hire someone, ask to go on the search with them.  Don't let anyone tell you that if you really cared about your pet you wouldn't mind paying big money for their services.  Don't believe them if they tell you if they can't find your pet nobody can.  Don't allow your fear, saddness, and concern to dominate your judgement.

 

Also, be careful of pet communicators.  While I believe that there are some very gifted people out there, most of them will probably give you information so general you can't possibly use it then make you feel terrible or try to make you pay more money to get more useless info.  Some will tell you they have vital info and that your cat's life depends on it.   They are very vague in what they tell you.   I'd watch out for Donna Velardi too. 

 

I've listed some websites to look at if you lose your cat.  But most importantly, microchip your pet and make sure he or she has a collar on as much as possible.  And tell your vet to talk to people about missing pets.  My vet didn't have microchip equipment.  He said he was getting it.  Mugoddai was scheduled to get one when he went missing.  I've also been hearing of a microchip with a tracking device.  It's available in Japan, but I'm hoping they become available here.