{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T12:48:43Z","timestamp":1789822123101,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":12,"publisher":"American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["javma"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2007,1,15]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Objective<\/jats:bold>\u2014To characterize the process by which owners search for lost cats and identify factors associated with time to recovery.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Design<\/jats:bold>\u2014Cross-sectional study.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Sample Population<\/jats:bold>\u2014Owners of 138 cats lost in Montgomery County, Ohio, between June 1 and September 30, 2005.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Procedures<\/jats:bold>\u2014A telephone survey was conducted.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Results<\/jats:bold>\u201473 of the 138 (53%) cats were recovered; median time to recovery was 5 days (range, 0.5 to 81 days). Most cats (48 [66%]) that were recovered returned home on their own or were found in the neighborhood (5 [7%]); most other cats were recovered through posting of neighborhood signs (8 [11%]) or calling or visiting an animal agency (5 [7%]). The highest success rate for any of the search methods that were used was only 12% (posting neighborhood signs). Only 26 of the 138 (19%) cats had some type of identification at the time they were lost (ie, identification tag, rabies tag, or microchip). Owners allowed 82 (59%) cats to spend at least some time outdoors. The percentage of sexually intact cats recovered by their owners (4\/16 [25%]) was significantly lower than the percentage of neutered cats recovered (69\/122 [57%]).<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusions and Clinical Relevance<\/jats:bold>\u2014Results suggest that the percentage of lost cats recovered by their owners is low, possibly in part because of the lack of use of traditional identification methods and the general acceptance that cats may roam. Veterinarians can help educate owners about the importance of identification and the need to keep cats indoors.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.2460\/javma.230.2.217","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2007,1,16]],"date-time":"2007-01-16T15:31:26Z","timestamp":1168961486000},"page":"217-220","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":40,"title":["Search and identification methods that owners use to find a lost cat"],"prefix":"10.2460","volume":"230","author":[{"given":"Linda K.","family":"Lord","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thomas E.","family":"Wittum","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Amy K.","family":"Ferketich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julie A.","family":"Funk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"P\u00e4ivi J.","family":"Rajala-Schultz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1272","reference":[{"key":"ref1","series-title":"US pet ownership and demographics sourcebook","year":"2002"},{"key":"ref2","series-title":"J Am Vet Med Assoc","first-page":"211","article-title":"Search and identification methods that owners use to find a lost dog","volume":"230","author":"Lord","year":"2007"},{"key":"ref3","article-title":"US Census Bureau Web site. State and county quick facts. Montgomery County population"},{"key":"ref4","article-title":"Dayton, Ohio, detailed profile Web site"},{"key":"ref5","series-title":"Mail and telephone surveys: the total design method","author":"Dillman","year":"1978"},{"key":"ref6","series-title":"Sampling of populations: methods and applications","author":"Levy","year":"1999"},{"key":"ref7","series-title":"Community approaches to feral cats: problems, alternatives, and recommendations","author":"Slater","year":"2002"},{"key":"ref8","article-title":"Humane Society of the United States Web site. Guide to cat law"},{"key":"ref9","article-title":"Hawaiian Humane Society 2005 report to the community"},{"key":"ref10","series-title":"J Am Vet Med Assoc","first-page":"48","article-title":"Demographic trends for animal care and control agencies in Ohio from 1996 to 2004","volume":"229","author":"Lord","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref11","article-title":"Humane Society of the United States Web site. Keep your cat safe at home"},{"key":"ref12","article-title":"American Bird Conservancy Web site. The Cats Indoors! campaign"}],"container-title":["Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/view\/journals\/javma\/230\/2\/javma.230.2.217.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/downloadpdf\/journals\/javma\/230\/2\/javma.230.2.217.xml","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/downloadpdf\/journals\/javma\/230\/2\/javma.230.2.217.xml","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,7]],"date-time":"2025-03-07T14:10:09Z","timestamp":1741356609000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/avmajournals.avma.org\/view\/journals\/javma\/230\/2\/javma.230.2.217.xml"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2007,1,15]]},"references-count":12,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2"},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2460\/javma.230.2.217","relation":{},"ISSN":["0003-1488"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0003-1488","type":"print"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2007,1,15]]}}}