Use FOUND CAT in large type, a clear photo, the cross streets, the date and a phone number. Leave out your address and keep one identifying detail back.
The six things it needs
A found cat flyer needs six things: the words FOUND CAT, one clear photo, a short description, the nearest cross streets, the date you found it, and a phone number. That is all. Anything more makes it harder to read from a sidewalk or a car. Unlike a lost cat flyer, it does not need a name, a reward or a sad story. Its only job is to make the owner stop, look and call. Keep at least one detail off it so you can test the people who phone. Write it for someone who is frightened and walking past at speed, and who is looking for their own cat’s face and nothing else.
Before you print
Make sure a flyer is the right step. If one ear has a flat, straight edge, this is probably a sterilized community cat, and Best Friends Animal Society says to leave ear-tipped cats who appear healthy right where they are. Check for a collar and get a microchip scan first, since a chip can end the search that same day. Best Friends says most vets and pet supply stores will scan a found pet at no cost. If you have not filed a found report with your shelter, do that today too, because that is where many owners look. Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States, lists flyers as one step alongside asking neighbors and posting online.
Wording that works
Here is a version you can copy. FOUND CAT. Friendly gray tabby, adult, blue collar. Found Tuesday, October 6, near Oak and 5th. Is this your cat? Call or text 555-0100. Use real sentences only where you must. Give sex only if a vet has confirmed it, since people often guess wrong. Age can stay broad: kitten, adult or senior. Color and pattern matter more than breed, because a cat that looks like a Siamese to you may be a mix to its owner. Say whether the cat is safe with you, as in: Safe and indoors with me. That one line can bring huge relief to an owner.
The photo
Use one photo, taken in daylight, showing the cat’s face and enough of its body for the pattern to be seen. Crop out your room, and turn off any filter. Print it large, because the picture is what stops people. A black cat needs brighter light and a plain background so its shape shows. Do not use a photo that shows your only secret detail. If the cat has a white patch on its belly and that is what you are holding back, shoot it sitting up. If you do not have a good picture, take five more. For the owner, a clear face is worth far more than your careful description of its coat.
What to leave off
Leave off your home address. Use cross streets, or a nearby landmark, and a phone number. The Animal Foundation in Las Vegas says the flyer made through Petco Love Lost uses a QR code in place of your personal contact details, which is an option if you would rather not print your number. Leave off a name you have invented, as it will only confuse things. Do not write free to good home, and do not say what will happen if nobody calls. Above all, hold back one thing. It could be a marking, the color of a collar, a nick in one ear or a tail kink. If someone says this is their cat, ask them about it. Do not give hints.
Where to put it
Start much closer than you would for a dog. In the Huang study of 1,210 missing cats, published in 2018, cats found alive had a median distance of about 165 feet from where they escaped, and 75% were within about a third of a mile. For indoor-only cats, 75% were within about 450 feet. It was an online survey, so treat those as a guide. So put flyers on the closest streets first and hand them to neighbors. Harris County Pets in Texas says to return to the area where you found the animal and put up a sign. San Diego County suggests posting found posters where the pet was found and at dog parks. Vet offices, pet stores and laundromats help too. Do not put flyers in or on mailboxes unless they have postage, because USPS rules bar that.
When the phone rings
Have your questions ready before the first call. Ask: Can you describe your cat? Is there anything on it I would not see in the photo? Can you send a picture of it at home? A real owner often has dozens of photos and will talk about small habits without being asked. Someone who only repeats what is on the flyer, gets stuck on the hidden detail, or asks you to pay or send a code is a reason to stop. Do not give out your address on the first call. Meet with someone else present, at your door or in a public place. Harris County suggests a public place such as a police station. Our post Lost pet scams: how to tell a real finder from a fake one covers this from the other side.
Keep it current
Check on your flyers every few days. Rain ruins paper, so replace any that have run, or slip them in a clear plastic sleeve. If you move the cat to a shelter or a friend’s house, change the flyer so people call the right number. Our free poster maker works for found pets as well as lost ones, with tear-off tabs if you want them. San Diego County also suggests looking at the Lost posters in your neighborhood and at the shelter’s lost and found log, so read other people’s flyers while you put up yours. When the cat goes home, take every flyer down the same day. Lucky Dog Animal Rescue asks for the same after a reunion.
Sources
Best Friends Animal Society: bestfriends.org/node/572187. Humane World for Animals: humaneworld.org/resources/how-help-stray-or-found-cat. The Animal Foundation: animalfoundation.com/what-we-do/lost-found/found-pets. Huang et al., Animals, 2018: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5789300. Harris County Pets: countypets.com/Pet-Resources/Lost-Found. San Diego County Animal Services: sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/das/lost-found/found.html. USPS Domestic Mail Manual 508: pe.usps.com/text/dmm300/508.htm. Lucky Dog Animal Rescue: luckydoganimalrescue.org/articles/2024-08/ownership-resource/lost-pet-guidance.