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Cat Forum / General Topics / July 2005HELP! Cat Advice DESPERATELY Needed!
This past Saturday morning, my all-time favorite cat ran away from our home. As of today (July 20) he has been gone over three full days. I have NEVER experienced this before and I need to know what to expect. I have not seen him since he left and I don't know whether or not to give up on him. I have heard so many opinions (he will come back, he won't come back, etc.) that I would simply like to take an informal survey to get a better idea of what MOST LIKELY will happen. PLEASE HELP ME! MY HEART IS TORN IN TWO. HERE ARE THE FACTS: He is a 2-1/2 year old male. He is neutered but still has his claws. He does not have a collar or a microchip. I know--this is stupid, but I really never thought I would need it with this cat because he is an indoor cat. He was born in my house and has lived here all of his life, along with his brother and another male cat. ALL THREE CATS HAVE GOTTEN ALONG FINE WITH NO PROBLEMS. The lost cat was easily the most affectionate of our three cats. He followed my wife and me EVERYWHERE and would lay on us whenever we watched TV or took a nap. He would even lick the hair on my head to "give me a bath"! The lost cat and his brother are both strictly indoor cats. The other male cat--not related to the two brother cats--is an indoor/outdoor cat. About six months ago, the lost cat started to try to get outside. He would zoom to any door when he heard it open and would try to dash outside. He has REALLY been obsessed with going outside. A handful of times he has succeeded in getting outside, but was always caught literally moments after escaping. I had been putting the lost cat in our screened-in porch, which seemed to satisfy his craving to wander, but I stopped doing that about a week ago when he managed to push through one of the screens and was free for a couple of hours before I was able to capture him again, lying on the front porch of a house about four houses down from us. This past Saturday morning, while we were both doing yard work, our three-year-old son opened the patio door to come talk to us. The cat slipped past him and we haven't seen him since. I have gone door-to-door asking about my cat. The only thing I discovered was that the cat had been in the back yard of a house that is six houses down from us as of Saturday evening. Beyond that, nobody has seen him. I have put up flyers in my neighborhood, called all the vets in my part of town, and alerted the local humane society. I WANT OUR CAT BACK. It is all I think about, and the worst part about it is not knowing what our poor cat could be experiencing right now. What has been YOUR experience when your indoor cat escaped? Also, PLEASE tell us what more we can do to help our kitty find his way home! EADGBE at hwbosshoss@aol.com wrote on7/20/05 5:00 PM: [snip] > This past Saturday morning, while we were both doing yard work, our > three-year-old son opened the patio door to come talk to us. The cat [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > What has been YOUR experience when your indoor cat escaped? Also, > PLEASE tell us what more we can do to help our kitty find his way home! You have covered all the bases, and he will either come back or he won't. You must get a grip. Please just believe that he is all right. Cats are very "savvy" animals. Tell yourself that he is having a great adventure, as he most likely is. It isn't at all strange for cats to find other homes and make extended stays, especially the friendlier ones. He may show up on your doorstep any time from tonight to months from now, as if he had never been away. Of course, there are other possibilities: if he has been hurt, he will most likely get himself home (I have had this experience with two cats -- both eventually were fine) or show up at one of the vets or the shelter you have called. And, yes, he could have been hit by a car and killed. If so, he is not suffering. But honestly, the likelihood is that he is all right and can find his way home when he is ready. He may even be lurking nearby and keeping an eye on you. Of course you miss him greatly right now, but a cat feels himself to be a sovereign being who ought to do as he pleases, and he doesn't know that he has caused you pain by roaming. We don't really own them; they own themselves. Know that he loves you, and that he is following his instinct and "dream" of being a "cat of the world". I believe you remain in his thoughts, and he will return if he can.  SignatureDiana Portal To My Pages http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/r/drdrive/ Thanks to everyone so far for your valuable advice and info. I guess the one thing that bothers me the most is this: What are the chances that my cat does not know the way back to our house? Do ALL cats have a good sense of direction, or can some cats get hopelessly confused and lost? Still wishing Albert would come home... > Thanks to everyone so far for your valuable advice and info. > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Still wishing Albert would come home... There was a post a couple of years ago (sorry I cannot find it now) about a man who hung his sox and underwear on their fence so the lost cat could find home. He also walked barefooted, in a star pattern for a mile or more around his home. His feet left a scent trail the cat could follow. The lost cat did pick up the scent and came home. Are you up to trying this? Good luck. MLB > > Thanks to everyone so far for your valuable advice and info. > > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > The lost cat did pick up the scent and came home. Are you up to trying > this? Good luck. MLB This is an excellent idea. Also try urinating all over the neighborhood also. Cats can smell your body chemistry through your urine. Also if your up too it a bowel movement here and there might be a good way for the the cat to get a wif of you too, especially if your stink like mine :-) >> > Thanks to everyone so far for your valuable advice and info. >> > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > the cat to get a wif of you too, especially if your stink like mine > :-) My OH my, aren't you clever!mlb Diana: When I posted here about my cat running away from home, you responded with some words of true wisdom and kindness. I just wanted to say how much my wife and I appreciated what you had to say. You took the time to sit down and write us a thoughtful, detailed answer to our problem and I must say that your words really did make us feel better. I have just done some more crying (again) but I'm trying to keep my chin up and keep a good thought in my head. I just take it day by day and I never stop hoping that Albert will come back. I just wanted to let you know how much your words comforted my wife and me. Thanks once again... EADGBE at hwbosshoss@aol.com wrote on7/21/05 5:10 PM: > Diana: > [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Thanks once again... I'm happy to hear that you and your wife took some comfort from my reply. It's very nice of you to let me know this. SignatureDiana Portal To My Pages http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/r/drdrive/ It is now the morning of July 23. In a few hours it will be the afternoon and it will be exactly one week since I saw my beloved little cat. My hope fades a little more every time I wake up. At this point I just want to let go of Albert, but for some reason, I just can't. This is really eating me up. I just don't know what to do. EADGBE at hwbosshoss@aol.com wrote on7/23/05 8:23 AM: > It is now the morning of July 23. In a few hours it will be the > afternoon and it will be exactly one week since I saw my beloved little [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > want to let go of Albert, but for some reason, I just can't. This is > really eating me up. I just don't know what to do. Well, here's a suggestion or three: 1. Realize that whether or not Albert returns will not be in the least affected by your misery. Attempting to fill your time and mind with other things is not in the least disloyal or indicative of loving Albert any less -- it's just good self-care, and good sense. You have a little boy to think of. He doesn't need miserable parents, and I'm sure he would benefit from some extra attention that would take your mind off of Albert a bit. Ditto for your two other cats. If and when Albert comes home, you will be every bit as glad to see him if you've been able to buck up as you will if you've spent the entire time grieving. 2. If you have extra time, decide to volunteer a few hours a week with the Humane Society or some other organization that helps strays. That way you will be able to help others who are possibly in your same plight, while keeping a closer eye on the stray cat population in case Albert happens to show up among them. 3. Mainly, stop thinking of yourself as helpless. It is true that you can't help what has happened, or do much else to influence the outcome, but there are gazillions of things that you're not at all helpless about. Focus on them. You can find lots of support online, but I think you'll be better off not encouraging yourself to dwell on Albert. Sure, it hurts. I miss every cat I've ever had who is no longer with me. But life is full of hurts, and the better we cope and get on, the better we are able to notice and enjoy the pleasures and blessings that life is also full of. Sorry about the lecture, but I'm too far away to give you a good shake. :) SignatureDiana Portal To My Pages http://bellsouthpwp.net/d/r/drdrive/ Buddy you need a dog. They don't run off on you like a cat. Go to the pound and get you a puppy and all will be ok. > It is now the morning of July 23. In a few hours it will be the afternoon > and it will be exactly one week since I saw my beloved little cat. > > My hope fades a little more every time I wake up. At this point I just > want to let go of Albert, but for some reason, I just can't. This is > really eating me up. I just don't know what to do. Don't give up. Years ago, my Ginger cat was gone for three weeks before he came home. We later found out that he had been living in the basement of a neighbor's house. Have you visited the Humane groups in your area? MLB > Don't give up. Years ago, my Ginger cat was gone for three weeks before > he came home. We later found out that he had been living in the basement > of a neighbor's house. Have you visited the Humane groups in your area? > MLB Thanks for your comment, which was encouraging! One question: Did he COME home or was he BROUGHT home? And how did he manage to find food for 3 weeks? You really need to check the shelters personally. Ask for a tour of the kennels and look at the DOA logbook. You should fill out a missing cat sheet and it will be put in a book in case anyone brings it in. You need to check the shelter every few days. You have to do it yourself, a phone call will get you nothing at all. Do it today, some (city)shelters keep animals for only a week! If he is not in the shelters or in a DOA logblook, that is a good sign he is still looking for you. Anyone could have turned your cat in, well meaning or not. Larger cities may have more than one shelter (City and SPCA or County). Find out where animal control brings animals from your neighborhood. They might even be able to tell you if any animals were picked up in your area on the date or day after he got loose. You can leave your kitty's litterbox outside, the smell will be instantly recognizable from a distance, he may be just unsure which house is his since he rarely sees it from the outside. There may be another more territorial cat in your area preventing your cat from coming home also. Keep looking, they don't say cats have 9 lives for nothing. Do you have a motion activated light. Place it near the door so that a cat will activate it and the light shines inside where you can see it, this way you can keep an eye on the door without sitting out there looking all pathetic. >> Don't give up. Years ago, my Ginger cat was gone for three weeks before >> he came home. We later found out that he had been living in the basement [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > COME home or was he BROUGHT home? And how did he manage to find food > for 3 weeks? >> Don't give up. Years ago, my Ginger cat was gone for three weeks before >> he came home. We later found out that he had been living in the [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > home or was he BROUGHT home? And how did he manage to find food for 3 > weeks? Answer: He came home just like nothing had happened. As to food, I never found out. MLB My heart goes out to you! I hope you find him. We get all kinds of strays or lost cats in our yard. I always try to find the owners first, because I know that is what I would want someone to do if one of ours gets out of the house. > This past Saturday morning, my all-time favorite cat ran away from our > home. As of today (July 20) he has been gone over three full days. [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] > What has been YOUR experience when your indoor cat escaped? Also, > PLEASE tell us what more we can do to help our kitty find his way home! Besure to check garages, yours & neighbors--cats get locked in... Also, basements, etc. Also, be sure to look up as well, trees, porches, etc. > This past Saturday morning, my all-time favorite cat ran away from our > home. As of today (July 20) he has been gone over three full days. [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] > What has been YOUR experience when your indoor cat escaped? Also, > PLEASE tell us what more we can do to help our kitty find his way home! are indoor cat has done that and just when we thought we would never see her again she showed up. keep eyes open and call her a night before going to bed they seem to do most there wondering a night..good luck to you i hope you find her. >This past Saturday morning, my all-time favorite cat ran away from our >home. As of today (July 20) he has been gone over three full days. [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] >What has been YOUR experience when your indoor cat escaped? Also, >PLEASE tell us what more we can do to help our kitty find his way home! If there are females in heat in the neighborhood,he may stay gone until they go out of heat... In any event,I must tell you that I have lived in an Apartment complex that has a Tom Cat resident (owned by no one in particular) that will leave for literally Months at a time and still show back up. Usually with more scars and less fur.... They (the experts) say if a Cat leaves somewhere under its own power..as in walking away..it can always retrace it's own scent back. Don't ever give up hope. Ray WebElder http://members.tripod.com/~thewebster/catts.html >This past Saturday morning, my all-time favorite cat ran away from our >home. As of today (July 20) he has been gone over three full days. [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] >What has been YOUR experience when your indoor cat escaped? Also, >PLEASE tell us what more we can do to help our kitty find his way home! Ray: Thank you for your kind words of encouragement. I feel better every time someone says something positive. I also appreciate any and all facts and anecdotes, because I do use them to form opinions about my situation. One question I do have: My cat is neutered. Would he STILL be attracted by females in heat? I always thought that cats lose their sex drive when they are neutered/spayed. > If there are females in heat in the neighborhood,he may stay gone > until they go out of heat... [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > http://members.tripod.com/~thewebster/catts.html I'm not convinced they loose every _ounce_ of their sex drive,no more than us old men do. Whenever I have noticed a female in heat,there are usually 4,5 or more males hanging around..I suspect this _cat activity_ alone may very well attract other cats...perhaps even neutered ones..if only to "see what is going on". Kinda like people watching wherever a crowd has formed...just to see what is going on. It may also be that some kind person has given refuge to your cat? I'm sure over the years of my taking in strays that I must have at some time given a home to someones pet that got loose. Have you put up any posters around the neighborhood? Ask the neighborhood kids to keep an eye out for your cat. Do not offer a reward,however...you will be surprised how many cats just like yours Kids can find for reward money The good kids will return them to where they found them..others will just dump them and now there are other cats lost besides yours. Quietly give a reward later if you like,should your cat be found and returned.. If one of mine got loose,I personally would not worry for quite some time. Ray WebElder http://members.tripod.com/~thewebster/catts.html http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Labyrinth/9826/meshead.html I DON'T "SUFFER" FROM INSANITY..I RATHER ENJOY IT! >Ray: > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >by females in heat? I always thought that cats lose their sex drive >when they are neutered/spayed. >This past Saturday morning, my all-time favorite cat ran away from our >home. As of today (July 20) he has been gone over three full days. [quoted text clipped - 60 lines] >What has been YOUR experience when your indoor cat escaped? Also, >PLEASE tell us what more we can do to help our kitty find his way home! |
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