Missing Animal Response Network
Lost Pet Recovery Training By Kat Albrecht
by Kat Albrecht
What does talking to stray cats, urinating into a cup, and spreading dirty kitty litter all have in common? All three are methods that cat owners have falsely been told will help to bring their lost cat back home. But how do we know these methods are false or ineffective, especially when so many …
[Read more...] about Dirty Kitty Litter : A Questionable Cause Fallacy
by Judene Dyer
Lost Cat Tip - In a 2009 preliminary study of cats specifically panicked by fireworks, 90% of the cats were located within a 1 block radius of their homes (most were hiding on neighbor's property). In the 2017 Missing Cat Study (posted on MARN's web site), of the 1,200 missing cats that were lost …
by maradmin
WHY THE MISSING CAT STUDY WAS DEVELOPED "By MARN Director Kat Albrecht" My background in search-and-rescue work began in 1989 when I set out to train my dog to find lost people and ultimately switched over (in 1997) to search for lost pets. During my early research into lost pet behaviors, it was …
by Kat Albrecht
Many web sites (and even some pet detectives) recommend that if your cat is lost that you spread cat litter, cat feces, or scent articles of the cat owner around the home that the cat is missing from. The concept is that your cat ran away or is out of the area and by putting something with your …
by Kat Albrecht
I love a good mystery. And when one of my (Missing Animal Response) students told me that a super friendly cat had showed up repeatedly outside his apartment and asked me what he should do, I suggested a paper collar. My student already knew that we did NOT recommend taking the cat to the …
[Read more...] about Paper Collars: IS THIS YOUR COMMUNITY CAT?
Camille is an indoor kitty but she gets to play outside supervised. It was her daily routine of going out to play for a few minutes, when it was time to come back inside Camille was nowhere to be found. We panicked. We heard of Lisa Willems of The Feline Finders from a friend and… Read more “Camilles Adventure”
For my family, finding Lisa was invaluable. We love our Simba and he, like our children completes our family unit; when one is missing a part of who we are as a family goes missing. Once again, we are now a complete family! If you share the same philosophy of family as we do about… Read more “It is very difficult to detail in a review how important Lisa was to find our precious Simba…”
Tracey and Jeff(Luzerne County Pet Recovery Services), What you do is absolutely priceless for the animals, but you put so very much into it. Thank you very, very much for doing what you do. You’re also just awesome people. I hope we get the chance to get together in less intense circumstances! In the meantime,… Read more “What you do is absolutely priceless for the animals!!”
We were connected with The Feline Finders after our cat; Bunny was missing for a few weeks. We had tried to find our boy for weeks but were unable to get a valid sighting. After speaking with Lisa at The Feline Finders, she helped us identify where Bunny most likely was. Refocusing on this area… Read more “28 Days Later, or Bringing Bunny Home”
Hiring Bravo and Balynda Brown was the smartest choice I made when my cat, Napoleon, went missing! Bravo immediately established the areas where Napoleon had been traveling. It excluded the woods and the marsh across the street which had been my biggest fears. With this information, Balynda helped identify a suitable food station where I… Read more “Hiring Bravo and Balynda Brown was the smartest choice!!”
Our cat, Pico, escaped off his harness and disappeared into the green space behind our new home. We were feeling hopeless trying to find him in the dense vegetation, but Bonnie guided and supported us on our search. Her tips helped lure Pico back closer to our home and allowed us to catch him on… Read more “Bonnie Beltz To The Rescue”
I can’t say enough about Sharon Morris with her calm demeanor and extensive knowledge gave my nephew clear guidance that you can trust in his time of need. Just 24 hours gone my nephews phone was hit at least twice by scammers claiming they had found the dog and clearly did not. Then we found… Read more “Sharon Was Terrific”
Our petite tortoiseshell rescue found a hole in the fence the first day she was out with us under supervision and promptly got lost in deep woods on our rural property. Team Bravo came out after about a week and scented her very close to our home but miles away for Aidy given the terrain!… Read more “Mission Accomplished”
Megan is our adult daughter who has some very significant special needs. She wanted a kitten for quite some time and we were surprised how long it took us to find one for her… but just before Christmas 2020, we found a cute little kitty that she named Pookie (after Garfield the cat’s special teddy… Read more “POOKIE’S STORY”
Carmen helped me out in one of the most difficult times in my life: losing my wonderful, brat cat. Her dogs were both great, tracked where my cat has been, and gave me great tips to finding him! He was gone for 5 days with hours and hours of searching day and night. My cat… Read more “She’s The Real Deal”
With the Missing Animal Response Network, & their pet detective, Jamie Bozzi, & search-dog Indy, we were able to narrow down & focus our search efforts on specific locations of where our lost cat had recently been. Watching Indy react to certain areas &, later, hearing from witnesses who had seen our cat, cemented the… Read more “Thank You MARN”
Thank you for all your tips for finding a cat. My cat had been missing for 7 days. I never gave up. I searched for him days and nights and one very cold night at 11:30pm I called his name and heard a frantic meowing. What a wonderful sound .He was a half a block… Read more “We Found Him”
I know negative news travels much faster than positive, but I wanted to take a moment and tell you how much I appreciate everything Balynda and Bravo have done for not only Rascal and me, but all of the missing animals that they have worked on. Over the past weeks I have had the opportunity… Read more “Balynda and Bravo”
Hi MAR team. My name is Suzan. I want to share my happy ending story that might help any other unlucky pet parents like I had before this night. My indoor scared cat ran from home on Suday afternoon. I just realized it at night. I called her in very sad way, and going around… Read more “I FOUND MY CAT”
Our dog Roscoe got out of our apartment on a Tuesday afternoon. We looked for him for the rest of the afternoon into the evening. The next day we placed posters and fliers while continuing to look. Because of posts we made on Facebook for lost dogs, Balynda and Bravo were recommended to us. Shannon… Read more “Closure”
I can’t begin to express how grateful I am for Balynda and her team. While I was home in NC visiting for the holidays, my rescue Pomeranian slipped out the front door while I wasn’t home. After countless hours and days of looking for him with no leads, we were sure someone had picked Rascal… Read more “Rascal the Pomeranian Rescue”
With the Missing Animal Response Network, & their pet detective, Jamie Bozzi, & search-dog Indy, we were able to narrow down & focus our search efforts on specific locations of where our lost cat had recently been. Watching Indy react to certain areas &, later, hearing from witnesses who had seen our cat, cemented the… Read more “We got our cat back! Thank you, MAR!”
Hello from St. Louis, Missouri. I wanted to say I can’t thank Lisa enough for helping me through my lost pet last week. Pebbles was missing for 6 days and we did everything Lisa said. Her great ideas she helped calm my nerves and last night the day before Lisa was heading to St. Louis… Read more “GREAT ADVICE AND SUPPORT”
I’ve known Bravo personally for several years including during all of his training & I have seen the incredible progress he has made. Bravo was born to do this job & he loves it. There is no other dog I would ever trust the way I trust Bravo & his amazing loving owner/trainer, Balynda Brown… Read more “DON’T MESS WITH THE REST WHEN YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST”
Recently, we reached out to Mike Chapman for his expertise in helping to find a very shy dog on the run. In my 40 years of owning dogs, this is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with something like this. Mike accepted our case, and led the way with knowledge, compassion, optimism, and… Read more “P.E.I. loves Mike Chapman!!”
On February 14 after just moving in to our new home 4 days earlier our little 17 lb American hairless terrier, Peanut somehow came out of her collar and ran off. We did as most would do and immediately started to look for her and put flyers up. The following day as our panic was… Read more “Trailing Peanut the Hairless Pup”
Tracey and Jeff (Luzerne County Pet Recovery Services) went above and beyond for our new rescue this holiday season. Samwell has only lived in our home for four days when this foster family penned “escape artist” ran through a closing door on December 19th, 2019. From the moment we reached out for help, Tracey was… Read more “Went Above and Beyond for Our New Rescue This Holiday Season.”
Recently, we reached out to Mike Chapman for his expertise in helping to find a very shy dog on the run. In my 40 years of owning dogs, this is the first time I’ve ever had to deal with something like this. Mike accepted our case, and led the way with knowledge, compassion, optimism, and… Read more “P.E.I. Loves Mike Chapman”
I am so thankful that MAR exists Belinda Brown is a hero to me. She swung into action with useful advice and coaching. It was her advice to set up food stations that saved my dog, Xin. Thank you is not enough to express my gratitude. Xin is very much a part of me that… Read more “Belinda Brown brought my dog home to me”
Hi Kat, I wanted to tell you how invaluable the information on lost/displaced indoor cats is on your website. The information was spot on about the cats behavior when lost outside their home. Our visiting family left our front door open long enough for our Gordy to escape. This happened late at night after we… Read more “INVALUABLE INFORMATION”
Balynda, who has now become a friend, is excellent at what she does. Both she and Bravo are wonderful. They will be IMMENSELY valuable to North Carolina when they graduate. We are lucky!!
Teddy, Lynn, and Winston worked tirelessly for 12+ hours each day for 13 days! Niko was lost at the beach on Long Island, NY.. VERY difficult area.. Niko traveled 5-6 miles in different directions… He was spotted by several people… who tried to “catch” him… there were a lot of snags along the way because… Read more “Wonderful Caring People”
Deborah Cooke and Katie Albright both helped me greatly in getting my Archie back home! I’m so, so very grateful. Just by speaking on the phone and following their advice resulted in my getting my cat back after 13 days of him being gone. Deborah’s suggestion to drip Mackerel juice in a star leading to… Read more “I Owe You Guys”
I cant even begin to explain how amazing Bonnie Hale and her search dog Bodhi are!! Our cat Westie, new to outdoors and the area, went missing 12 days ago. Even with daily searches and 400 lost cat posters, several hopeful but deadend sightings we couldnt find her. Researching and reaching out to anyone who… Read more “Bonnie and Bodhi Search Team”
“Annalisa Berns is a true detective who works methodically but also empathizes with pet owners and can think like a lost cat! She got in touch with us immediately, created a map (specific to our neighborhood) to guide our search, developed likely scenarios preventing our kitty from returning home and gave us a plan of… Read more “Lost Cat FOUND with Consultation!”
“It was eleven days of pain. Gus went missing the afternoon of February 12th. After searching, posting posters, flyers and driving all over, we called Annalisa. She came over on February 22nd, with Search Dogs June and Hope. As she tracked Gus’s scent trail, she kept us posted with GPS maps that reflected his exact… Read more “Gus Found Thanks to Annalisa Berns and Search Dogs June and Hope”
When I first contacted Tracey, my cat, Chance had been missing for 4 weeks. We had just moved into a new townhouse and at 5:30am I let him outside to go to the bathroom. I accidentally fell asleep while giving him “a minute.” When I woke up around 6:10 I panicked and searched the bushes… Read more “2nd Chance”
I met Tracey through a mutual friend on July 12th. I coordinate a transport for Mary Ann Morris Animal Society out of Bamberg SC and we had a dog get loose on transport on April 21st – Luci. We were all devastated and desperately tried for the next 4 and a half months to get… Read more “Thank You”
I met Tracey through a mutual friend on July 12th. I coordinate a transport for Mary Ann Morris Animal Society out of Bamberg SC and we had a dog get loose on transport on April 21st – Luci. We were all devastated and desperately tried for the next 4 and a half months to get… Read more “Thank you!”
Just wanted to say thank you for posting the information about lost cat behaviour on the web. It was instrumental in finding my cat Duke who suddenly vanished into thin air (or so it seemed) last Tuesday. I did the usual – stuffing lost cat flyers into 200 plus mailboxes in my area, talking to… Read more “LOST PET HELP LEADS TO THE RECOVERY OF DUKE”
I rescued these brothers in October of 2016. Both these cats are Curious/ Clowns, however Pi is a little more shy and reserved. They both settled in to farm life beautifully. I did often worry about them because they like to get into vehicles if a door or window is open…….. then on October 23… Read more “The Adventures of Pi and Loki”
A week my 2 indoor only cats got out through a broken window screen. You advised in an article that I should thoroughly search close by neighbors properties and I found them within an hour hiding in a delapetated shed at the back of my neighbor’s property just two houses away. They were completely quiet… Read more “2 Lost Cats”
Tracey is a naturally gifted pet detective, mentor, and friend. Her passion for locating missing animals is evident when you work with her. She is motivated, driven, and focused on the MAR techniques essential to successfully and humanely recovering beloved missing pets. Recently, we worked together to capture a male mixed breed hound named Fred… Read more “By Grace Alone”
Susan Long quite simply saved the day. There is so much emotional baggage tied up in that dumb, lovable, exasperating dog (and now he’s even more expensive). From the moment Susan answered the phone, she was all in on our behalf, arriving a few hours later to galvanize us into action. Oliver was found within… Read more “Susan to the Rescue”
On June 30th, 2018 I was devastated to find out that Tashi, my 1-and-a-half-year-old Lhasa Apso, got loose at the Granville North Carolina rest stop, from a dog transporter who was supposed to drive him from our old home in Northern VA to our new home in Tampa, FL. The County Humane Society, Animal Control,… Read more “TRANSPORT ESCAPE”
Dear Kat, I am writing you in response to my interactions with Tracey over the last few weeks. Tracey is a naturally gifted pet detective, mentor, and friend. Her passion for locating missing animals is evident when you work with her. She is motivated, driven, and focused on the MAR techniques essential to successfully and… Read more “By Grace Alone”
I met Tracey Dreibelbis on day seven trying to catch Fred whom had escaped from my neighbor’s boarding facility. She was very professional and informed me of Fred’s patterns over the past few days. She came up with a plan to catch Fred using my fenced in yard. We baited my yard with McDonald cheese… Read more “It Takes A Village”
I had already been helping my wife Tracey with MAR work and she had won the MAR course during one of Kat’s training seminars. So I decided to take the course and fill in the gaps of what I had already learned and what I was missing. To my surprise I had opened a door… Read more “Every Shelter or Animal Rescue Group Should Take This Training Course”
A week my 2 indoor only cats got out through a broken window screen. You advised in an article that I should thoroughly search close by neighbors properties and I found them within an hour hiding in a delapetated shed at the back of my neighbor’s property just two houses away. They were completely quiet… Read more “You Helped Me Save My 2 Lost Cats”
Just wanted to say thank you for posting the information about lost cat behaviour on the web. It was instrumental in finding my cat Duke who suddenly vanished into thin air (or so it seemed) last Tuesday. I did the usual – stuffing lost cat flyers into 200 plus mailboxes in my area, talking to… Read more “Instumental In Finding My Cat”
I took Kat’s on line course and it changed my life. Even if you choose to not have a search dog you will learn the science behind how, where and why animals go missing and what you can do to help
I took the class expecting it to be superficial information that I already knew. I couldn’t have been more wrong! This class is in depth, research based, and very professional. I couldn’t wait until the next week’s lesson arrived. I highly recommend it for anyone that is helping to recover lost pets.
I had the opportunity to take the MAR 10 week course with Kat Albrecht over the winter. I found it to be an incredibly in-depth and informative course. Not only in the volumes of well thought out but professionally presented information she presented but also in the weekly telephone support she provided. Kat is truly… Read more “An Incredibly In-Depth and Informative Course – Sharon M”
I had bought Kat Albrecht’s books wanting to have more information in “Search and Rescue” comparing it with “Map Dowsing” the way I search for missing animals. I was happy when I found out about the Mar 10 week certified course “Kat Albrecht” was teaching. I sure was looking forward to my first class and… Read more “Kat is a Gem as A Teacher, You Will Be Learning From the Best! – Karin N.”
After many years in lost pet recovery, I found this course still taught me a great deal. It was one of the best courses I have ever taken. Kat’s knowledge, skill, experience, humor, compassion, and dedication make this a wonderful learning opportunity. I also find the ways Kat provides for MAR graduates to communicate with… Read more “One of the Best Courses I Have Ever Taken – Judene D.”
Loved the MAR training and the insights from my MARs classmates. Very beneficial information in how to up my skills in searches for lost pets!
The knowledge I gained and continue to learn from the MAR training is amazing, I have always tried to find pets. Now I believe I am acquiring proper, proven,skills to reunite more families. The connections made, because of the MAR class, with other like-minded people, to share experiences and advice is irreplaceable. Definitely so worth… Read more “Definitely so worth it! – Jennifer H. Comer”
I was delighted to take a MAR training course from Kat. I was impressed with the details, depth, and the variety of materials shared with us during our course. The classes were convenient, informative and delivered with skill and an obvious passion for passing on her experience and knowledge to others so that more people… Read more “The Classes Were Convenient and Informative – Crystal C.”
The MAR course helped me understand the behavior of a lost pet and the science of a search. The techniques learned through this course are credited for saving many lives and reuniting families.
I found the MAR course incredibly useful and learnt and enjoyed learning about lost pet behavior as well as the behavior of owners and finders. Would highly recommend the training to anyone working in the field of lost pet recovery.