The Day I Nearly Lost My Newly Adopted Cat #LostPetPreventionMonth

There's nothing much more terrifying than the thoughts of a beloved cat or dog going missing. Even indoor pets aren't immune from getting lost because accidents can and do happen to even the most vigilant pet parent, as I found out all too well in the summer of 2007.

It was late June and like every cat before her (and since), Angel Tara had adopted the screened-in bathroom window as her favorite spot for "snoopervising" her domain. I woke up that morning at 7, wandered into the bathroom, and discovered that at some point during the night the screen had broken and was now laying flat on the lawn.

Tara was gone...and did I mention that I had just adopted her 5 weeks earlier??? She didn't know anything about her new neighborhood. She wasn't even that familiar yet with her new name!!!

Always great in a crisis, I started running up and down the street (in my pajamas) yelling her name. My cat-loving neighbor, who didn't even know yet that I'd adopted a new cat, told me that at 5AM she had been awakened by a loud crash coming from my yard.

Two hours. Tara had been on her own in unfamiliar territory for two hours.

Now even more on the verge of hysterics I wandered back home into the backyard...and Tara walked out of the bushes right underneath my bedroom window.

My smart little monkey didn't decide to explore the neighborhood; she stayed right there waiting for me to come and find her.

Relief doesn't even begin to explain my feelings that morning...I don't think I'd ever felt so blessed in my entire life. Things could have turned out so differently. We were incredibly lucky.

Lost Pet Prevention Month was launched by PetHub because one in every three pets will go missing at some point in their life. They don't always get the happy outcome that Tara and I did, either. Less than 20% of dogs and 2% of cats that go missing will ever return home.

Following our scare my dad was given the task of finding out what went wrong. He discovered that the window screen clips (held in place with screws) were completely stripped. Whether this happened gradually over time or because of Tara's weight pushing on it, we'll never know. I even wonder if she may have seen another animal in the yard that night causing her to throw herself at the screen, breaking it herself.

We drilled new holes and replaced the four clips with eight new ones. We also added a piece of wire as extra reinforcement across the bottom of the screen. Now on a regular basis I check out the security of every window, screen and door in our house. Reinforcing existing windows and replacing any that are beyond repair is one of the easiest ways to ensure your cat's safety.

Another important proactive step to take is to always have some form of ID on your cat in case the worst happens. Tara didn't have any...if she had wandered off and been found, no one would have known where she lived. I couldn't have been happier that Mudpie came home with a microchip, which I immediately registered. (I think it should be mandatory for shelters to include a microchip as part of your adoption fee.) Just make sure to keep your information up to date and to ask your vet to scan the chip during routine exams to make sure it's readable and hasn't moved.

A safety collar with ID attached can also help increase the chances of being reunited with your pet. PetHub has a complete line of digital tags available which are QR code scannable and links to your pet's online profile which can include multiple emergency contacts, microchip data and critical medications. Special tags that identify medical issues such as diabetes and epilepsy are even available! In 2013, an analysis of hundreds of dogs and cats recovered through the PetHub lost pet recovery system showed that a whopping 97% made it home in less than 24 hours. In fact, 25% made it home in under an hour!

Part of being a responsible pet parent is making sure your cat is safe at all times. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so spend a little time making sure your home is completely secure, and should something catastrophic still occur, proper identification can help to ensure a happy ending.

Have you ever had a scare with a lost pet?

Tell us about it!