Privacy Policy

MyCatIsLost is a free community website that helps reunite lost cats with their families and helps volunteers care for feral cat colonies. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and how you can delete it. It covers mycatislost.com, feralcattracker.com, and any app or page that links to this policy (together, “the site”).

We are a small, volunteer-run project. We do not sell your personal information, and we never will.

Questions about privacy? Email us at hello@mycatislost.com.

Information you give us

• Account information. Your name, email address, and profile photo if you sign in with Google, or your name, email address, and password if you create an account with email. Passwords are handled by Google Firebase; we never see or store them.
• Posts about cats. Lost cat reports, found cat reports, sightings, hazard markers, Cat Care board posts, and places you add (such as a vet or shelter), including descriptions, photos, and the location you choose to share.
• Contact phone (optional). If you add a phone number to a lost or found cat report, we keep it private. It is not part of your public post.
• Colony care records. If you use Colony Care, the colony locations, cat details, photos, and care notes you enter.
• Messages. Messages you send to other users through the site, including sighting details (where and when you saw the cat) that you send to an owner.
• Feedback and reports. Feedback you send us, with the page you sent it from, your browser type, any screenshot you attach, and your email address if you are signed in. Also reports you file about posts or users.

Information collected automatically

• Location. Only if you allow it in your browser, we use your device location to center the map and place your post. You can say no and type a location instead. Your last location is saved in your own browser so the map opens where you were.
• Anonymous ID. If you use the site without signing in, we create a random ID so you can post quick sightings and hazards, file reports, and manage what you posted.
• Device and usage information. Pages visited, browser type, general location from your IP address, and error reports that help us fix bugs.
• Notification token. If you turn on notifications, a token for your device, so we can send alerts once that feature is available.
• Browser settings. Whether you accepted our terms and which welcome screens you closed, saved in your own browser. If you accept the Cat Care terms, that is saved on your account.

We use your information only to run the site and help cats:

• Show lost, found, sighting, and Cat Care posts so neighbors can help.
• Let users contact each other about a cat.
• Put your phone number on a flyer, but only on a flyer you print yourself. Flyers printed by anyone else show the cat's page link and QR code instead.
• Send alerts you ask for, once that feature is available.
• Keep the site safe: review reported posts, stop spam and scams, and remove abusive users.
• Understand how the site is used and fix problems.
• Reply when you contact us.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We do not use it to build advertising profiles.

Public. Lost cat, found cat, sighting, and hazard posts, Cat Care board posts, and places people add (name, address, and phone of a vet, shelter, or similar business) are meant to be seen. Anyone can see them, including the photos, description, and the location you chose. Your display name and profile photo are public and may show on your posts. Please don't put your home address or other private details in a public post.

We remove location data from photos. Phone photos can carry the exact spot where they were taken. Before any photo is stored, the site removes that data.

Private. Your email address, contact phone, messages, and account details are never shown publicly. Two exceptions: our site administrators can see them when needed to keep the site safe (for example, to review a reported message), and messages our system flags as possible spam or scams are kept for that review.

Colony Care is always private. Colony locations, photos, and cat records are visible only to you (and to our site administrators when needed to keep the site safe). They never appear on the public map, and there is no setting that makes them public. We treat colony locations as safety information, because in the wrong hands they can put cats at risk.

We use a few trusted services to run the site. Each gets only what it needs to do its job.

We may also share information if the law requires it, or to protect someone's safety, including an animal's.

We use cookies and similar browser storage to keep you signed in, remember your settings, and measure site use through Google Analytics. You can block or clear cookies in your browser; the site will still work, but you may need to sign in again.

Advertising. We may promote the site with ads on Facebook, Instagram, and Google. The site itself does not show ads and does not use an advertising tracker (such as a Meta or Google pixel). If we ever add one, we will update this policy first. We will never share your posts, messages, phone number, or colony records with advertisers. You can manage ad preferences in your Facebook ad settings and Google ad settings.

Do Not Track. Browsers offer a “Do Not Track” setting. There is no common standard for it yet, so the site does not currently respond to it.

You can see, change, or delete your information at any time.

• Edit or remove a post. Open the post while signed in and choose edit, mark found, or delete. Deleting a post also deletes its photo and private contact phone. To remove a place you added, email us.
• Turn off location or notifications. Change the permission in your browser or phone settings.
• Get a copy of your data. Email us and we will send it to you.

To delete your account and data

1. Email hello@mycatislost.com with the subject line “Delete my data.”
2. Send it from the email address on your account, or tell us the email address you signed up with.
3. We will confirm the request and delete your account, posts, photos, messages, and colony records within 30 days, then email you when it is done.

If you signed in with Google, you can also remove our access in your Google account settings. That stops future sign-ins but does not delete data already on our site, so please email us as well.

We keep your account and posts until you delete them or ask us to. Lost cat posts are archived about 30 days after they are posted and stay in your account. Sightings fade from the map after 72 hours and hazards after 24 hours, but we keep the records until you delete them or ask us to. We keep reports, flagged messages, and records of banned users as long as needed to keep the site safe. Server logs and error reports are kept only as long as needed to run and fix the site.

We use the security tools built into Google Firebase and our host, including encrypted connections (https) and access rules that limit who can read each kind of data. No website is perfectly secure, so please use a strong password and don't share private details in public posts.

The site is not meant for children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child under 13 has given us information, email us and we will delete it.

If you live in California, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to ask for a copy, to ask us to correct or delete it, and to not be treated differently for asking. We do not sell or share personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. To make a request, email hello@mycatislost.com.

If we change this policy, we will update the effective date at the top. If the change is significant, we will post a notice on the site or email you.

MyCatIsLost
Email: hello@mycatislost.com
Website: mycatislost.com