Missing cat found after profile put on dating apps

A pet owner has been reunited with her lost cat after making profiles for her on dating apps Grindr and Tinder.

Erin Johansen's black and white tuxedo cat Ruby went missing last weekend, leaving Erin, 22, and her friends scouring her local streets for any sign of the timid animal.

Despite putting up posters on lampposts Erin had no news of six-year-old Ruby, so a friend suggested she use his profile on gay dating app Grindr to help find her.

At first unsure about the idea, Erin was surprised when users started reporting sightings of Ruby after seeing her photo pop up on the app around Brighton, East Sussex.

However, the friend neglected to change the personal specifications for Ruby – so the profile described her as being single with an average body build, interests in karaoke, movies and reading and looking for dates.

Ruby was finally spotted sauntering around in a neighbour’s garden a few doors down from her home, much to her owner's relief.

Erin, who works at a nursery and a juice bar, said that though her cat was not found through the apps they were still a massive help in her search and she would do the same again.

Erin said: “In the end Ruby was found just a couple of gardens over.

“Someone saw one of the posters and told me, so I just scooped her up and took her home. Although the apps weren’t the way she was found, I think it was a massive help.

“People kept their eyes open after seeing the profiles on Grindr and Tinder. It worked quite well, so I think I would do it again if Ruby got lost again.”

About eight people contacted her about Ruby, three of whom via Grindr to say they had seen her cat.

‘Chill, curious and goofy’

Her friend, who wishes to remain anonymous, changed his account to a photo of Ruby, with a note saying: “A bit strange but our house cat has gone missing.

“If anyone has seen this cat please message me to let me know, it would be great help.”

Because the friend forgot to alter the other details of his profile, other details described her as being “chill, curious and goofy”.

But Erin, who lives in the Elm Grove area of the city with husband Lorcan Johansen, 24,  added: “There’s a huge LGBTQ+ community around Brighton and we were hoping to put the word out to as many people as possible.

“We didn’t think to change the other bits of the profile. I thought we would get messages making fun but everyone took it really seriously and were just looking to help.

“I didn’t think about it before but the Grindr and Tinder profiles were a good idea.”