In July 2013, my cat Edison ran away. Everything about it was my fault and I continue to hold onto the guilt. Although I still cry over Edison, I want to save other pet parents from the heartbreak I go through everyday because of his loss. I share my story of Edison running away in hopes of educating others on how they can keep their pets safe. For Lost Pet Prevention Month, I want to revisit Edison’s story and suggest ways that you can save yourself from every pet parent’s worst nightmare. I’m giving away an ID collar and tags so you can keep your pups and kitties protected at all times!
Edison was the first cat that I adopted on my own in 2010. He was a special cat. I had a bond with Edison that I never thought I could have with a cat. At the time I wasn’t well-versed on the dangers of cats being outdoors because growing up our cats were allowed outside. I’m not trying to make excuses, but Edison preferred to be outside. I always said that if he could live outdoors, he probably would. I totally jinxed it.
Fast forward to July 2013. It was my birthday weekend and Matt and I had just moved into our new home. Everything was going splendidly until the third night that we were in our house. I’ll never forget it. Matt said to me, “Edison is on the back patio. Do you want me to bring him in or leave him out?” I replied with hesitation, “Well, just leave the door cracked and he’ll come in.” I never saw Edison again.
For months and months and months I scoured our current neighborhood and went back to the area that I used to live in. I posted signs everywhere, checked shelters, asked neighbors for help and put “lost” posts on Craigslist. Unfortunately I didn’t know about ‘lost and found’ social media groups and I wonder if that would have helped me. Every now and then I post his info in some of the Facebook groups hoping that maybe someone has seen him. I think for the next 15+ years I’ll be holding out hope.
Lost Pet Prevention Month
So, how can you avoid the devastation that I endured?
Microchip your pets: All of my animals are microchipped. If you adopt a dog or cat from a shelter or rescue, odds are they will already be microchipped. If they aren’t, there are several programs that will offer low cost microchipping, which can be an inexpensive as $10. If you move, be sure to update your contact information! A chip is no good if the phone number, email and address are out of date.
Update your pets’ collar tags: Preferably, your pets should wear collars. I take my dog’s collars off in the house but if we do anything outside, they go right on. Each of them has a tag with their name and our current address and phone numbers. Once again, a tag is no good if the contact information is not current. You can also consider a nifty GPS collar for your cat or dog. Isn’t technology great?!
Keep your cats inside: Obviously if I didn’t let Edison out, he’d still be with me today. I really didn’t know any better at the time. Now I know how dangerous it can really be. You can get a harness or stroller to take your cat outside so they get some fresh air. You can also consider an enclosed structure, like a screened-in porch, for your cats to enjoy.
Don’t leave your pets outside: There are several reasons why you shouldn’t leave your pets outside. One, of course, is weather. Dogs and cats are prone to heat stroke and hypothermia just as humans are. If your pet is desperate to seek shelter, they may attempt to escape your backyard. The same goes for boredom. If your dog is always left outside, they’ll become bored and stressed. So what do they do? Try to dig under a gate or jump over a wall. I’ve heard “my dog escaped again!” one too many times and typically that poor dog is subjected to a life outdoors. The other danger with leaving your dogs and cats outdoors is them being stolen. It sounds cruel but it happens all too frequently. People will steal dogs in hopes of breeding them for money. Dogs, cats and small animals like rabbits will get stolen out of yards to be used as bait animals for dog fighting. It’s a harsh reality but it’s information we must keep in mind in order to avoid heartbreak.
Be cautious during holidays: Many major holidays can be extremely detrimental to pets’ safety. On the 4th of July dogs may become startled at the sound of fireworks and attempt to run away. And how about Halloween night? There’s lots of door opening for trick-or-treating and black cats are at risk for stolen for inhumane rituals. Even holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving can be risky because if you have lots of family and friends at your house, the doors are constantly opening and closing, leaving your pet the opportunity to escape. My dogs are trained to not run out the door without my command, so that is a good precaution to take.
I don’t wish what I’ve endured with the loss of Edison upon anyone. No one is immune to their pets running away but luckily for us there are lots of ways we can keep our pets safe! With all of the smart phone technology available to us, we can even track our pet’s every move.
Find a lost or stray pet? Here are five great online pet recovery strategies to help you get them back to their forever home!
Giveaway
Now I’m giving you the opportunity to win a PetHub ID tag and collar gift package which includes the items shown below! Since it’s Lost Pet Prevention Month, I want to help you keep your pets safe! Keep in mind that these ID tags can be used for a dog or cat!
- Paw Print Digital Pet ID Tag with Call Center Number (Your choice of color, quantity – 1)
- Reflective ScruffTag Collar with Digital ID (Your choice of size and color, quantity – 1)
- Peace Love Paws Recycled Stainless Steel Digital ID Tag (Quantity – 1)
- Heart of Bones Stainless Steel Digital ID tag (Quantity – 1)
This giveaway is valued at $100, as the winner will receive all four items! Proper ID tags are necessary to ensure your pet’s safety, so enter to win using the Rafflecopter widget below! For full giveaway disclosures, see here.
*US entries only*
Ruby has gotten away several times due to equipment failure or my dad leaving the gate open and every time has been terrifying! I don’t leave collars on indoors due to the risk of entanglement when The Ginger Sisters roughhouse, but I now use only leashes with locking carabiners with Ruby (a challenge with her being so small; most very sturdy gear is for huge dogs), clip her collar to her harness, and of course both girls are microchipped. Boca is not a flight risk like Ruby – she would not go far if she slipped away.
I’m the same as you with the collars. Khloee and McKenzie roughhouse a lot and I’ve heard horror stories about dogs being accidentally strangled because of a simple collar accident. McKenzie Rae used to just want to run but now she follows Khloee’s every move and Khlo always stays right by us. McKenzie Rae did bolt out the door when we rescued her once but she came right back inside when she saw Khloee sitting in the doorway.
Two; they never came back… ;[
I’m so, so sorry. I feel your immense pain.
I got really sad when I read about Edison. I guess we all underestimate how quickly a pet can get lost. Thanks for the handy tips! I’ll share them on Twitter. 🙂 Ellie
We haven’t had a pet “run away” but we did have a Boxer that I got as a graduation gift that got out our front door by accident and a couple of teenage boys thought it would be “fun” to run off the road into OUR driveway and hit Whiskey. It killed him immediately and took a huge chunk out of the kids truck. Needless to say had I not been 8 1/2 months pregnant with my son I would have probably went to jail that day.
Oh my God Stephanie. I can’t even imagine what you went through with that loss. How incredibly awful. My heart hurts for you. I fear that type of thing happening to my babies 🙁
I have never had a pet run away but I would be devastated if something happened to them. My dogs have there tags but I want to get them both microchipped so in case something happened I could have them back home ASAP!! I always with them when we go outside, but you never what could happen.
What a heartbreaking story about Edison, I’m so sorry. Most of us didn’t know back then what we know now. That’s one of the reasons I blog, to share with others what I’ve learned. I know that’s one of the reasons you blog too. Wonderful post, I’m sure it will help more than 1 person who really needs it.
Love & biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
The loss of Edison tears me apart everyday but like you said, I blog so I can share my experiences with others. You never know when the info could help a desperate pet owner!
When I was young our family dog ran away and we never found her so I am very protective of the dogs I have had as an adult.
That is so, so sad but I’m glad you’ve kept a close eye on the dogs you’ve had since then!
I had a cat run away when I was in high school. His name was Rusty. He was gone TEN MONTHS, and then showed up one say on the front porch…a miracle. My dog and cat now are both chipped. MY cat stays indoors. My dog is on a leash outside with tags on his collar too. So sorry about Edison 🙁
You are so lucky, Lisa. I held out hope that Edison would just waltz right up to the house one day but he never did. I love those miracle stories.
So sorry about Edison! Almost every time I decide to “trust” Matilda in an unsure situation, I end up losing her for a few minutes. Cats seem so independent, I can see why you’d have made the mistake of not bringing him in – we all want our pets to enjoy freedom, but it’s so risky with all the temptations and dangers out there.
Am fortunate she has not run away
yes, all 3 of my girls ran off, did not run away. just liked the freedom. plus i live in an area with lots of deer, and other animals, horses, dogs, etc. the oldest one liked to go visit the neighbors all of the time. they are terriers and like to go after deer, etc. i dont let them run off leash b/c there is so much going on in my area and i live in the country, so it would be hard to find them. the oldest is microshipped, and the other 2 just have tags on their collars. i am in a neighborhood where everyone knows everyone’s animals.
It’s so cool that you have neighbors that watch out for everyone’s animals! That is so super helpful. I bet a lot more animals would find their homes if more people were like that.
None of my dogs have escaped but all are microchipped plus the wear tags on their collars with our address and phone number plus the vet’s phone number.
None of my dogs have ever ran away. I have a secure fenced yard and I always stay outside with them. If we go outside and are not in the yard, they are leashed and have ID on.
We are fortunate that our dogs have not run away. They are in the fenced in yard with us, on a leach with us, or inside.
So glad valuable lessons were learned when your baby ran away.
Our dog ran up the street one day to the neighbor’s house. They knew who he was so they brought him back. We now watch the door when company comes and goes. My dog has tags and is microchipped.