When a Lincoln Square couple's cat went missing, advice from neighbors proved crucial to a happy ending. View Full Caption Facebook

LINCOLN SQUARE — Just to reassure our readers at the outset, this story about a missing cat has a happy ending.

But the saga started with a tabby named Graham busting out of an open, second-story window, dropping to the sidewalk below and making a run for it while his owners slept.

When Max Bever and Michael Mutolo awoke last Sunday morning, they immediately noticed they were a cat short of their usual pair (Graham has a brother, Neko). A telltale piece of flapping window screen provided their first clue that Graham likely wasn't hiding anywhere inside their condo.

They grabbed a bag of cat treats, hopped on their bikes and conducted a search of the area around their home near Rockwell and Lawrence.

No Graham.

As panic set in, the steps the two took next in their real-life "Finding Dory" provide a blueprint of sorts for cat owners who might find themselves in similar straits.

After contacting their microchip company to report Graham lost, the couple blanketed a four-block radius with flyers, and Mutolo immediately posted the cat's photo and the details surrounding his disappearance to a neighborhood Facebook page.

[Facebook]

Smart move. According to a tip sheet shared on the website of the cat rescue organization Tree House, "Most lost cats who have always lived indoors will not go far from home."

More often than not, they'll hide out under a neighbor's porch, in a bush or a car, keeping still and quiet.

Pet owners' instincts may be to cast as wide a net as possible for a lost cat, but in keeping their search super-local, Bever and Mutolo were reaching the people with the greatest likelihood of spying Graham.

"[Facebook] was the group we credit for our first sighting," Bever said of the key role social media played in the hunt for Graham. "We knew he was nearby."

On Monday night, the two came this/close to catching Graham, whose wanderings brought him close to home, but the quicksilver feline eluded their grasp, bolting as they approached.

Not so smart move: Bever and Mutolo were thinking like dogs, not cats.

Unlike their canine counterparts, cats rarely respond to commands, even under the best of circumstances, much less a stressed-out puss like Graham.

After researching cat behavior, the two learned that Graham likely didn't even recognize them, and in calling for him, they were frightening him away.

"He freaked out," Bever said.

At the suggestion of neighbors, the couple investigated the use of humane traps to safely capture Graham, who theoretically should've been getting hungry enough and thirsty enough to enter their snare.

Bever and Mutolo obtained a pair of traps, one each from Tree House and PAWS, and covered them in blankets to mimic the type of dark and secretive environment cats favor.

"You put them where the cat would think to go, where the cat would feel safe," said Bever. "The way to trap a cat is to think like one."

(Yes, humane traps can lure wild critters like possum and rodents, which is why the recommendation is to monitor them every half-hour or hour.)

Initially the two placed Graham's food in the traps as a lure but were advised to swap it out for something with a stronger odor.

Fresh sardines and Popeyes chicken did the trick and after three and a half days on the lam, Graham entered one of the traps and is now safely back home and acting as if nothing ever happened.

Graham back home with his brother Neko. [Max Bever]

"We really lucked out with the kindness of our neighbors," said a grateful Bever. "If there's a takeaway, it's hard to stay calm but do the research, talk to neighbors, ask for help."

All the texts and emails reporting Graham sightings, all the advice from other pet owners on cat behavior, made the difference, he said.

"Cute animals unite everybody," Bever said. "The work Mike [Mutolo] did on social media broke through. It was something where people said, 'This is local, I can do something.'"

Perhaps the most important lesson the two learned from the ordeal: All the escape routes — windows — are closed in the couple's condo and the air conditioning is on.

"We're almost happy there's a heat wave," Bever said.

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