Lost pet: what to do in the first 6 hours

The hours right after a disappearance are when the search radius is smallest and the pet most findable. Here is the protocol — in order, without panicking.

Hour 0-1: immediate search

• Secure the house: leave one access open (garden gate, cat flap) so they can come back alone.
• Sweep the neighborhood on foot, at a quiet hour if possible. For a cat: hiding spots within 300 m (garages, decks, bushes). For a dog: usual walk routes, parks, sniffing spots.
• Talk to the first neighbors you meet — immediate word of mouth is the fastest channel.

Hour 1-2: the digital alert

• Post a Pista alert with a recent sharp photo, precise area and time of disappearance. Zone watchers are notified immediately.
• Never put your number on a public alert: Pista messaging relays contacts — protection against scam calls ("we have your dog, wire the reward").
• Share the alert link on your networks and neighborhood groups.

Hour 2-4: the official web

• Report the loss to the pet registry (I-CAD / filalapat.fr in France) if the animal is chipped — free and mandatory, it activates the national network.
• Call local shelters and pounds: a captured "stray" often transits through them.
• Nearby vets: a found animal is often brought in injured.

Hour 4-6: the physical trace

• Print the poster from your Pista alert — built-in QR to the public page, zero exposed contact details.
• Put it where people stop: bakeries, parks, building entrances (with permission).
• Do another search round at dusk — that's when frightened animals move.

And after?

Don't ease off after 24 h: most reunions happen in the following days. Keep the alert running, follow reported sightings on the alert timeline, and read the search-radius rule for cats if it's a feline.