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

Willowy

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I don't think you said if he is or not. . .is he castrated? A mature uncastrated male will be very difficult to keep indoors during mating season. If he isn't, having that done will make him a lot more contented to stay inside.
 

FelisCatus

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4- Get plants in a small cup or jar, but what kind of plants, grass, flowers? real or artificial? still undecided.
To clarify, when I said 'cat grass' in my post earlier I meant Wheat Grass. If you go to a pet store and look for anything called 'Cat Grass' it should be safe for a cat. Or the company shouldn't even be selling it.

They usually come in a kit with dirt, seeds and the planter. You can also bulk order Wheat Grass from ebay and use your own planter and dirt... it would be much cheaper this way but you need to wait for it to arrive.

Here are examples of what to look for:

 

Willowy

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You don't need a cat grass kit; that's just for convenience. If you can get whole wheat, oats, or rye, all of those make good cat grass. Make sure it's the whole grain, not rolled or cut or anything.

You put some dirt (no artificial fertilizers) in a pot, cover it with a fairly thick layer of wheat, oats, or rye, and cover the seeds with a thin layer of dirt. Keep the dirt moist until the seeds sprout, and you should have nice tall cat grass within a couple weeks. It only lives a few weeks so start a new batch every 2 weeks and you'll have a steady supply.
 

Kflowers

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The microchip is in case he gets out, is hurt and found by someone who takes him to the vet, so they can call you. If he's found by someone who doesn't know about vets much and takes him to the shelter his only chance at survival will be if he has a microchip. Most shelters can't afford to get injured cats or other animals the medical care they need. Rather than let them suffer endlessly, they put them to sleep. If he has a chip they will call you. A chip also means you won't have to go to the shelter every day to see if he's there.

More, some cats get in cars and trucks and end up in shelters in towns other than the ones they live in. Don't think just because he hasn't and hates people he won't try to claim a car or truck belonging to a stranger. Cats don't seem to consider vehicles part of humans.

But, of course, it's up to you.
 

inkysmom

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I've taken in adult stray and feral cats aged two to almost five and turned them into completely indoor cats. They never go outside and never did for the rest of their lives. They were fine and lived very happy lives and never tried to escape. I always had at least two or more cats so they had each other to play with.
You've gotten a lot of great advice. If you want him to live a long happy healthy life with you, you'll keep him safe inside with you and neuter and microchip him.
If you don't, you risk him never coming back again every time he goes outside and all kinds of horrible awful preventable things happening to him.
If he's outside and you don't know where he is, you could be thinking that he's having fun while he's really lying suffering in horrible pain and slowly starving to death wanting to get home but unable because of severe injuries from a car or dog or other predator.

Or some horrible person like the monster who tortured Puppy Doe (huge news story in the United States) could trap him and abuse him. That's the risk of letting him go outside.

My beautiful indoor cat has a fractured leg now. It's a very bad compound fracture which the vet thinks is caused by his cancer being in his bones and weakening them. Especially since I never heard any crashes or saw him fall, he just suddenly was meowing in pain and couldn't walk on the leg a few nights ago. I drove him straight to the ER and had him stay in the hospital so he could get the strongest pain meds possible until he could have the biopsy yesterday. Drove an hour twice a day to visit him and drove them crazy nagging them that they weren't giving him his food and treats and enough water the way he likes.

Even home on two strong pain meds he cries and won't eat. This is probably from cancer and not preventable. Watching him struggle with a cast and looking stressed is heartbreaking. I've never had any pet have a broken bone or severe injury before. My horses have had injuries but they live out of my direct care. I've moved them many times if I wasn't happy with the care they received.
I'm not trying to sound judgmental, but I simply can't comprehend anyone who claims to love their cats and lets them go outside, unprotected from suffering and danger.
One of my best friends had a cat that liked to go out and he disappeared over a year ago. She says she's sad but still lets her other cat out supposedly for short times.

She just adopted two bonded ten year old brother cats who are indoor only. I told her not to let them out and how they could get lost and don't know how to be outside safely. I hope she listens.

I really hope you neuter and microchip your cat and read all the links and articles you've been provided on this thread. I'm also really glad your cat came home. He sounds like he was very scared.
 
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AIice

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Ok I'll pass on getting plants, seems like a lot of constant work. Thanks for the information.

is he castrated?
Yes.

inkysmom inkysmom K Kflowers
I've read that Microchips can develop cancer. I just don't want to risk it, especially after hearing of your cat, so sorry for him :(. In my area everyone is too scared to touch an animal, let alone save/adopt. They(or their parents) think they'll instantly transfer a deadly disease, even if it's a kitten that is lost and clearly has no way of surviving alone. that's how I ended up adopting another cat, spent days trying to her home, and failed :mad2:
No shelters and very few and hard to find vets. I'm sure I'll have 0 use of the Microchip in entire cat's lifetime.
____________________
Furballsmom Furballsmom
Can you tell me why do you suggest no other collar than "breakaway"? I had one before and the cat managed to free himself from it. I'm actually planning to use a Tracking Collar before going to work or sleep. Not good?

maggie101 maggie101
Really nice, but it costs way too much(+$100) just to get it shipped to my country. Appreciate your constant help :lovecat:.
 

cuppa

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Breakaway collars are absolutely necessary if your cat is going to be outside and highly recommended for even indoor cats. With a collar that cannot come undone, if the cat gets caught on anything (fence, branch, etc), the cat can easily strangle itself.
 

inkysmom

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My last dog was microchipped for all of his almost twelve years and he never developed cancer. I've never heard that and if you're going to let your cat outside the chances are very strong that he won't live long enough to develop cancer anyway.
Cats who go outside live maybe three years tops if they're very lucky before something tortures and kills them.
I've had all of my indoor cats live twelve to twenty years. And with cancer you can monitor them, give them comfort and pain meds as I'm doing and have done for many other cats in the past and choose a vet to come to the house to humanely euthanize them with no pain or suffering while you and their pet family surround and hold them lovingly.
It's the most beautiful loving peaceful way to die. At twelve to twenty years of age. Most of my cats died between fifteen and twenty.
As opposed to being tortured and suffering and starving to die alone and slowly and maybe being ripped apart by predators like vultures or coyotes or dogs . Or killed in a shelter only because there was no microchip. If there was you would have been called to pick him up.
Cancer in old age after a long comfortable happy safe life as opposed to suffering and a slow agonizing death in the prime of youth is just incomparable.
It's really a shame that you keep asking for advice and then rejecting it outright. I only keep giving it because I feel so sorry for your sweet cat who stands to suffer from any bad decisions.
My cat has multiple myeloma which is a cancer of the blood cells. I don't think in any way that it's from his microchip which is slightly under his skin; that's completely ridiculous. I would be more likely to blame the brown water that came out of the faucets for eleven years at my last apartment that he lived at with me and where most of my cats developed cancers, or pollution from living in a city for my whole life, or from feeding fancy feast and science diet for over a decade.
Multiple myeloma is rare in cats. He looks like a Maine Coon, maybe there's a genetic link. But it's not the microchip, that's ridiculous and it saves many more animals than it risks.
It's very sad that's all that you took out of my story
 
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Jcatbird

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I just have to tell you of a cat that showed up at my house in the cold of December. Obviously froghtened but had a collar. I observed her over the next months. She finally looked lean. I started feeding her and getting angry that someone had probably dumped her. Just weeks ago I realized she had started staying in a dilapidated building and had been chased by neighboring dogs. Because I love cats, that ripped it for me. I caught her and brought her in. I called animal control, who wanted me to bring her in. I posted a found cat note in the post office. I called every vet anywhere nearby and I had her checked for a microchip. I was hoping for a chip. Nope! Nothing worked! No way to find her family. I was so sad for her but I started giving her love and trying to figure out how to get around the laws of finding a cat with a collar. Surrender and euthanasia! No way. I got up and bought bright orange poster board and placed ,” found cat” signs in areas I hesitated to go. My phone number only. Long story short, her Dad appeared. He had gotten a new puppy and she had run off. There are laws in much of the U.S. that say all cats and dogs MUST be on a leash. Before I turned the cat over I gave the guy the third degree to be sure it was his cat. Lots of questions because I felt he had not kept his cat safe. Accidental escapes do happen though. In the end he convinced me that he was a good parent or he never would have gotten the cat back. I would have taken her to animal control and worked with them to sponsor her for adoption instead of being killed. Anytime I see a cat wandering loose I think the family does not understand the risk to the kitty. Dogs, cats, raccoons, cat haters, sick people, etc. etc, can and do kill. Other cats can fight yours. They can just be frightened off by big noises. Things just happen to outside kitties. Lifespan is much shorter. The kitty here was lucky that I found her and went to great lengths to find her family. (I’ve buried more than a few that we’re not so lucky) Lots of people do cat rescues but not everyone will trust that a cat left alone wasn’t just dumped. They are liable to keep them or surrender them to a shelter. I am so very glad that you had a happy ending. Cats do wander. Thank goodness you found your baby before anything bad happened. Yay! Please microchip. I have found a kitty trapped in a fence by a collar. That beauty died before I found her. Walking on a leash will get kitty outside safely. No more stressing out for you. Toys inside are totally fine for kitty. My cats love the games on the Internet for cats, the music online for cats and they chase each other besides playing with me. Maybe a second kitty is in order if you think yours is too lonely but be sure that you can handle the double work and responsibility. Then nobody is bored. Birds out the window, a small fish tank, a cat tree from Chewy that looks like a real tree! There are lots of creative ways for you to adddrress all the concerns you have for keeping your baby happy. Just having your love counts for more than you seem to realize. Many cats never get that. Kitty has a great life inside with you. You are not short changing her in any way. Love, snuggles, good food, care and play and you should both be okay. She’s a beautify kitty and it is such a relief to know you aren’t still out there wondering, worrying and hunting her. I’m so, so glad you were reunited! :heartshape::clap2::woohoo::banana1: It’s a very happy thing to hear! Thank you for sharing that!
 

Hellenww

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You don't need a lot of money to entertain a cat. You can do a search for homemade cat toys. Here are 2 sites:

15 Easy DIY Cat Toys You Can Make for Your Kitty TODAY!
The 10 Best Homemade Cat Toys Your Cat Will Love

It takes more work to make a cat tree or scratcher. Look at https://www.chewy.com/b/trees-condos-scratchers-456 for ideas on what you'd like and hopefully you can find something in your country.

It takes a little learning to keep grass but once you learn, it takes 5 min a week to put together and water every few days. I get wheat berries at a grocery store. A bag last over 6-9 months. You only need a small bag of soil. I use heavy votive candle holder that I get from the dollar store. I've also grown it in coffee mugs. Every 9-10 days I start an new one so have 3 going at once.

https://www.vitacost.com/bobs-red-m...T3G2ULMv47pFrLKlJTRoC1CUQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
 

di and bob

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ONLY breakaway collars, even inside in case they escape. you can go to the Crossing the Bridge forum and see the heartache from a cat hanging themselves. As for not worrying about the dangers outdoors? Don't kid yourself! I just buried a cat i had been feeding for 9 years, he was an old hand at crossing the street. My Chrissy and my Casper were BOTH killed on the road, a road Casper had been crossing for twelve years! My cats are now all inside cats, I have enough heartache. From owls, dogs, and cruel people too. It's not worth it! PS we built a lovely outside 24 x 24 'Catuary' for them outside to be safe, it will have to be enough!
 

Willowy

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Microchips may not be useful in the OP's country/area. Even in rural areas of the US, not all shelters have scanners.

But, yes, definitely a breakaway collar because cats can strangle themselves on a regular collar. Even dogs sometimes get strangled by their collars but cats go a lot of places dogs can't (trees, tight spaces, etc.) so they're at much higher risk.

I think people are just giving links so you can see a picture of the product. You don't need to order it from that source :). Just look around local pet stores/local websites and see if you can find something similar.
 

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Breakaway collars are absolutely necessary if your cat is going to be outside and highly recommended for even indoor cats. With a collar that cannot come undone, if the cat gets caught on anything (fence, branch, etc), the cat can easily strangle itself.
My cat long time ago was cleaning herself and got her collar stuck in her mouth. Luckily I had sizzles. I was asleep so I'm surprised it woke me up. What if it happened where I couldn't hear her?
 

cuppa

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My cat long time ago was cleaning herself and got her collar stuck in her mouth. Luckily I had sizzles. I was asleep so I'm surprised it woke me up. What if it happened where I couldn't hear her?
Yeah! When my cats did wear collars, I'd often later find them just laying around. They came off somehow. Either caught on something or kicked off
 

FelisCatus

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Ok I'll pass on getting plants, seems like a lot of constant work. Thanks for the information.
Lol, if you think this is a lot of work and you’re complaining about ‘your’ cat being bored inside then maybe taking care of a cat is not for you.

You complained about them being bored, we explained how dangerous it is outside and suggested what you can do, followed by you being too lazy to try.

You don’t just get a cat, throw them in a corner and play with them whenever YOU want. They should be a part of your family, or don’t complain the next time you let them out, against all of our advice and they go missing.
 
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