My Cat Did Not Return Home, Is It Over ?!

[She's a witch]

Have you been looking at night or very early in the morning? It’s the best time to find missing cats as they are more active.

As for the collars, the only safe option would be breakable collar, but well, they break and get lost. Tracking collar can also be dangerous. Microchipping would be your best bet.
Good luck!

 

[AIice]

You've posted before about wanting to keep him at home. And members here gave you information about that. If you don't make him an indoor cat, he will roam when he wants and for as long as he wants, and he will return home if and when he wants.

He's not a pet, he is your child, and you his mother. But, a mother would not let her child (and that is what cats are - childlike) wander outside.

Hopefully, he will come home! And, when he does NEVER allow him out again. And, if you need to ask us for advice on how to accomplish that, please just ask us to help.

Should I really lock him inside the house? I tried but he ended up being so bored and always sitting above the garage watching the outside world; not even another cat can entertain him. Felt like his time/life is being wasted. If he returned I would still let him out if he asked, but this time with a tracking collar. Am I not making the right decisions?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Only you can decide what the right decision is for you. But, if you let him roam, then you have to accept the possible consequences - he leaves home for days, or forever - or he even falls prey to other animals, people, or traffic.

Have you ever considered an outdoor enclosure where he could be outside but confined to a specific area? Have you ever heard of a catio?

 

[FelisCatus]

Only you can decide what the right decision is for you. But, if you let him roam, then you have to accept the possible consequences - he leaves home for days, or forever - or he even falls prey to other animals, people, or traffic.

Have you ever considered an outdoor enclosure where he could be outside but confined to a specific area? Have you ever heard of a catio?

There’s also sick people who posion cats...

or mice/rats and then the cat eats the posioned mice/rat and dies from that.

Also if you’re in a hunting area, which it kind of sounds like: hunters leave out animal traps which do not discriminate.

 

[AIice]

She's a witch , Yes, I've been looking all the time, from morning to 4 am dawn with a knife in my pocket, committed to do anything for my cat , but I gave up on searching in nearby area as it's nothing new to him and he should know the way back home.
Walked in the middle of two very long and crowded roads, checking if he's on the other side, in a garbage, or dead anywhere. Found nothing.
--------------------------------------


It hasn't even been 15 minutes, and a stray cat ate all the wet cat food that I put in a bowl(~half the can) and now waiting for more. There's almost 0 wind right now, should I wait for it?

 

[FelisCatus]

If I was a cat, I would rather have a boring life surrounded by the ones I love (you in this case for him) than to wander and be killed.

Lots of animals wait for even up to a year in a no kill shelter just for the chance to be adopted. I think they would all pick a shelter over the dangers of the outside world.

The last cat I adopted from a shelter had 5-6 issues treated before I adopted him. Guess what, all of these came from being outside...
-ear mites, clogged ears due to the ear mite gunk
-teeth removed due to infections
-eyes crusted so much he couldn’t open them
-matted fur
-internal worms
-fleas

They are now free of all of these issues (having lost a few teeth) but they purr with me all day and get a tummy full of food and play time.

Now tell me how being inside but bored and safe is worse .

 

[FelisCatus]

I forgot to mention I put on Cat TV every single day and all of my cats get a taste of nature without the dangers.


They love it. Then I take out my Da Bird toy and they think there is a real bird flying around.

After they chill with catnip.

Life doesn’t get any better than that, lol.

——

You can also put out a can of tuna during the day as it is stinky and should go far.

I am off to sleep as it is 1am here.

Best of luck, and I hope you take our advice and everything works out!

 

[AIice]

If I was a cat, I would rather have a boring life surrounded by the ones I love (you in this case for him) than to wander and be killed.

Lots of animals wait for even up to a year in a no kill shelter just for the chance to be adopted. I think they would all pick a shelter over the dangers of the outside world.

The last cat I adopted from a shelter had 5-6 issues treated before I adopted him. Guess what, all of these came from being outside...
-ear mites, clogged ears due to the ear mite gunk
-teeth removed due to infections
-eyes crusted so much he couldn’t open them
-matted fur
-internal worms
-fleas

They are now free of all of these issues (having lost a few teeth) but they purr with me all day and get a tummy full of food and play time.

Now tell me how being inside but bored and safe is worse .

I think it's normal for a cat that has no home, but mine had a home that he runs to when sensing danger & deciding "not the time for roaming", also he(or most adopted cats?) only eats clean food. So most of these issues are avoidable. Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks for suggesting the Cat TV, I'll try this one out!

 

[Faikey]

I think it's normal for a cat that has no home, but mine had a home that he runs to when sensing danger & deciding "not the time for roaming", also he(or most adopted cats?) only eats clean food. So most of these issues are avoidable. Correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks for suggesting the Cat TV, I'll try this one out!

Cats who have a home will still run out for days, sometimes weeks. I keep all my cats locked in. One time my unaltered male cat got out and was gone for 3 weeks. After panicking and going to shelter after shelter, I found him in the complex next door hanging out with a feral colony. I meowed at him and he ran over to me. Do you have a lot of strays? If so look for the colonies - that cat is most likely hanging out there.

Every time I've had a cat get out they've been nearby. It takes effort and yes your cat will whine at your but ultimately you'll save it's life. My main coon would get annoyed at my roommate when I was gone, and she would let her out all night. I found her once locked inside of the apartment's maintenance closet outdoors.

Can you make meowing noises? This has been an extremely effective way for me to find lost kittens, even feral cats, and is the reason I have all the cats I have. I meow around and eventually something shows up.

 

[AIice]

Faikey
Thanks for the advice. Yes, there used to be a feral colony in a neraby area, but if he's there, he should be able to return home in 3 minutes walk for food or sleep. I'll keep checking the area nevertheless.

There's one cat that he's friendly with, but it spends most of the time in front of my house. I wonder if stalking it would lead to my cat ...

 

[Faikey]

Faikey
Thanks for the advice. Yes, there used to be a feral colony in a neraby area, but if he's there, he should be able to return home in 3 minutes walk for food or sleep. I'll keep checking the area nevertheless.

There's one cat that he's friendly with, but it spends most of the time in front of my house. I wonder if stalking it would lead to my cat ...

Its not that the cat doesn't know how to get home. It's probably enjoying partying with the strays 3 minutes away. Thats what my missing cat of 3 weeks was doing. Usually where there's colonies there's a person who is providing a lot of food and water so there's no real incentive to go home besides enjoying all the females (especially if he was unaltered as an adult). Seek the colonies out and meow around. Find the groups of cats and you'll find your cat too. Post fliers as well as people may have also taken him in as a pet. Happens often in areas with a lot of ferals and colonies - people mistake it as a friendly stray rather than someone elses pet.

 

[AIice]

Its not that the cat doesn't know how to get home. It's probably enjoying partying with the strays 3 minutes away. Thats what my missing cat of 3 weeks was doing. Usually where there's colonies there's a person who is providing a lot of food and water so there's no real incentive to go home besides enjoying all the females (especially if he was unaltered as an adult). Seek the colonies out and meow around. Find the groups of cats and you'll find your cat too. Post fliers as well as people may have also taken him in as a pet. Happens often in areas with a lot of ferals and colonies - people mistake it as a friendly stray rather than someone elses pet.

Is the colony close to your home?
Also, where do I post the fliers? on people's houses' walls ._.?

 

[Kflowers]

I think it's time you looked along the road. What if he was hit by a car and is lying injured by the road? wouldn't you want to find him and get him to the vet before he died? He's an outside cat, you have to stiffen your spine and do what's best for him. Look by the road before he dies injured and alone.

 

[AIice]

I found this in our neighbour's house, looked from above. What is this? looks like fresh blood. But the weird thing is that they still didn't clean it, even after I knocked their door and told them about the cat.(they refused to open, I'll wait one more hour, then call the cops if insisted). They don't know that I know about this yet.

 

[ArtNJ]

Dont be so panicked about cat you get into a war with the neighbors for no valid reason imho. That could be anything. In the unlikely event its blood, there is no reason to think your cat is in their house.

If you have an indoor/outdoor cat, sometimes you just need to try and be calm and wait. You can walk the street, put up flyers, but you also need to try and stay calm. Cat could come home like nothing happened anytime. Its spring after all, there are critters to chase and fun to be had.

 

[Caspers Human]

What if your neighbors were coming home from the grocery and dropped a package of meat on the ground as they were trying to open the front door?

Have you considered that?

It's not reasonable to assume something is true when you haven't got evidence to prove it.

I don't want to sound like I'm being harsh but you've have to make a choice between two options:

1) Keep your cat indoors where he'll be safe.

2) Let him go outside and take his chances.

If you let him go outside, you have to resign yourself to the fact that, some day, he might never come back. He might get hit by a car. He might be stolen by some unscrupulous person. He might get eaten by a coyote, a Great Horned Owl or any one of a hundred wild predators that think a cat would make a good midnight snack. There are also many evil people who would think nothing of beating, shooting or poisoning a cat to death. Your cat might, also, just decide that he doesn't want to live with you, anymore, and simply go somewhere else.

You can either keep your cat indoors and not let him go outside unless he is supervised or else you can let him roam free and be like, "Que Sera, Sera..." ("Whatever will be, will be.")

You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

 

[FelisCatus]

What if your neighbors were coming home from the grocery and dropped a package of meat on the ground as they were trying to open the front door?

Have you considered that?

It's not reasonable to assume something is true when you haven't got evidence to prove it.

I don't want to sound like I'm being harsh but you've have to make a choice between two options:

1) Keep your cat indoors where he'll be safe.

2) Let him go outside and take his chances.

If you let him go outside, you have to resign yourself to the fact that, some day, he might never come back. He might get hit by a car. He might be stolen by some unscrupulous person. He might get eaten by a coyote, a Great Horned Owl or any one of a hundred wild predators that think a cat would make a good midnight snack. There are also many evil people who would think nothing of beating, shooting or poisoning a cat to death. Your cat might, also, just decide that he doesn't want to live with you, anymore, and simply go somewhere else.

You can either keep your cat indoors and not let him go outside unless he is supervised or else you can let him roam free and be like, "Que Sera, Sera..." ("Whatever will be, will be.")

You can't have your cake and eat it, too.

+1

 

[Kflowers]

Do not put fliers on people's houses. That is probably illegal. Telephone or electric poles are good. On the bullatin boards of the pet supply stores near you, any store where you ask if you can put the flier up. Keep a list because you MUST go and take the fliers down after you find him. To not do so is rude and makes it unlikely that the store owner will help another cat in danger.

When a cat is looking out the window he is not being bored, he's watching the world around him. If he was outside, he would be doing the same thing and trying to watch his back at the same time. When they are outside they are running at high alert constant adrenaline at the ready. It's a very stressful way to live. What they feel is very similar to what you are feeling right now as you wonder if he is alive, safe, being tortured, or dead. Is this a pleasant way to live?

 

[Caspers Human]

When a cat is looking out the window he is not being bored, he's watching the world around him.

Also known as "Supervising."

 

[FelisCatus]

This thread confuses me... it goes from “I just let him roam, he is no ones pet”... to “I have a knife in my pocket and will do anything for MY cat” and “I will call the cops”.

Which is it? Are they your pet cat or no?
————
Since I should offer advice and not just criticize: do you have any cheap trail cams you could put up around the nearby colony or trails?

If you’re walking around at 4am when the sun isn’t up yet, it should be easier to find cats (and some other animals) if you shine a flashlight, as the light will reflect in the eyes