If your cat is lost, it's best to search for it at night, ideally after 9 PM. Domestic cats are generally timid and won't be in public during the day; they'll usually come out to forage at night when it's quiet, making this the most effective time to search. 
The best time to search for a lost cat:
1. Search immediately after discovery.
If you discover your cat is missing, you should go out to search for it immediately, but don't be too impulsive. If it slipped out of the building through the door, you can search up the stairs. If it got lost outside, you can search in hidden corners or bushes while calling its name.
2. Search after 9 PM
If your cat goes missing and isn't found immediately, you can go out to look for it after 9 PM. Cats are nocturnal animals and will come out to forage when they're hungry at night. During this time, you can place its favorite food near where it was lost, so it will come out when it smells the familiar scent.
3. Searching in the early morning
If your cat has been missing for a long time, you can try searching for it in the nearby garbage dump in the early morning. Usually, stray cats will choose to look for food in the garbage dump in the morning, so this method is very effective.
