Advice for Finding Lost Cat

[TreehouseCat]

I need advice and shared experiences on finding a lost cat.

My cat got out of the house last night, normally he doesn't charge the door or have interest in going out but for some reason when my dad was letting the dog outside and he slipped past him. He ran around and tried to run back in but my mom not realizing what was going on closed the door and he ran into it (its glass so may not have realized it was closed), freaked out and jump over our fence into the front yard. They lost sight of him from there.

We searched every hour last night, calling his name, I put up flyers on the entrances and exits to our cul-de-sac and on community mailboxes. Today I passed out flyers to every house in the cul-de-sac (about 140 houses) and posted on Facebook groups, Craigslist, next door, and Pet Harbor. Tomorrow I plan on branching out and posting flyers around businesses and neighborhoods across our major cross streets (though I'm really hoping he didn't cross any major roads). I've put out his food, litter box, blankets, my hair brush, dirty clothes, and am sleeping in a lounge chair in our backyard - trying to get our scent out there. Is there anything else I should be doing?

For some history: he was born outside and his mother brought him to our yard, I worked to socialize him to me and the family, but he's still shy around strangers. He's been indoors only since he was 4-5mths old, he's now 3yrs old. His mother and another cat we call brother still come around for food. He hasn't interacted with his mother for 3 yrs and she's even hissed at him through the glass door, with brother cat they occasionally lay on each side of the door from each other and have sniffed each other through a cracked door. I'm hoping their scent trail will lead him home.

I tried twice to harness train him, both went badly. The first time the leash got away from me and he bolted into a neighbors yard, my mom spotted him on the wall hiding under a tree limb and pulled the leash to get him. The second time he got spooked and bolted but I was able to open the door to get him inside before he got out of the harness. Both times once he was inside he ran under the bed and in the mattress lining of the guest bed, and no amount of coaxing got him to come out for 2-3hrs. Given this behavior I'm inclined to believe he ran til he found a safe place and is holed up there. I'm hoping he remembers being a kitten and is able to get his bearings and find home. I think his feral upbringing may be a blessing and curse. Hopefully momma taught him enough to stay safe, but also he's going to act like a feral cat, and stay where I can't find him.

Anyone have a previous outdoor cat get out and remember where home is? Anyone with a similar tempered cat? What worked for you? In your experience how far did the cat go? Did they cross major roads?

Thank you for your insights!

 

[Norachan]

What a gorgeous boy! I'm so sorry to hear that he's outside. Indoor only cats don't go far, they don't like to leave their home territory. If he got spooked and bolted out of the door he will have run to the closest safe space and hidden himself there. He will still be very close to home, I think it would be better if you concentrated your search in your immediate neighborhood.

It sounds as if you're already doing most of the things I would recommend. The best time to look for him is dawn and dusk, as cats are more likely to be active at that time. Do you have motion activated cameras around your house? Or do you have a trail camera? If you catch a glimpse of him on camera it would help you spot his hiding place.

Do you know where his mother and brother hang out? They might not let him stay in the same place they live, so may have chased him into a neighboring yard.

I've had two of my indoor/enclosure only girls go missing. One for 4 weeks, the other for almost six weeks. They were both feral born, like your boy, and managed to survive on their own. One cat eventually climbed back into the enclosure on her own. The other was spotted by someone who saw my lost cat posters and let me know where she was. She'd gone about 3 miles from home, but hadn't crossed any major roads. Actually I live on the outskirts of a tiny village, so there are no main roads near here.

If he is very skittish you might need to borrow a humane trap to get him back indoors.

 

[TreehouseCat]

Thank you for the reply! You're right he hasn't gone far, I spotted him early this morning on the fence between our and our neighbor's house, very close to where he had jumped the fence the previous night. I caught his eyes with the flash light, he was pretty concealed under some tree branches. I was able to get pretty close to him and talked to him calmly, but the way the branches are I couldn't reach him without risk of hurting him or scaring him to the point of running, still he jumped down to the neighbors yard. They don't have many places to hide in their yard and I was able to shine the flash light around but didn't see anything, they also have a large corner lot that borders several other yards. I'm 98% sure it was him, he apparently has a doppelganger in the area, a female with a longer winter coat and a bit more brown. She fooled us the other night, but seems to stick close to her caretakers' house.

Like you said I at least know to focus my time and efforts here, and very glad he didn't cross major roads! I'm very thankful he's so close but also frustrated that I couldn't get him, and that he didn't come to me. Its like he's reverted to his feral roots in defense. I'm not sure what to do about momma and brother cat if they are scaring him off, mom has her hiding spots in other yards (and in general is very passive and on denfense with other cats), but brother spends all day in ours (he's what I consider passive aggressive, acts friendly with tail up when approaching momma but can scoot her out of food or water dish). I put some of my cat's fur and hair from my hair brush along the wall perimeter to hopefully to signal this is his territory too, along with the litter box smells. I've borrowed a trap before from our county TNR program back when I got his mom fixed, hope I don't need to go that far with him, but that may be an option I need to explore. I have a gray trap that was given to me, but it has a slant closing which I've heard has a higher risk of injuring their tail.

I'm glad you got your cats back home, thats always encouraging to hear!
I feel so close and yet so far!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

OK...so we know he will go high. That's good to know. Cats are crepuscular...that means that they are MOST active at dawn and at dusk. That flashlight is your best friend. He will almost certainly remain very close to your home. Favorite spots to hide are small, dark, enclosed areas (including under dense bushes). And since he goes high, possibly in trees if he got spooked. That's where the flashlight will come in very handy when you're out just before sunrise, and just after sunset.

I cannot tell you how many success stories we have had with escaped cats who have been recovered...sometimes found hiding by their guardians, sometimes just showing up at the door as if it were the most natural thing in the world! Don't give up on him! There's every reason to believe that he'll be back inside where he belongs. It really doesn't take a former feral long to realize how much better "in" is than "out."

Jcatbird , any ideas that haven't been mentioned? (Jcatbird is one of our feral/stray whisperers)

 

[TreehouseCat]

Thank you for the reply and encouragement! I'm a little disheartened that I haven't managed to spot him last night or this morning. Your mind starts to question things and I'd started questioning if that was even my cat that I saw. If he's so close and able to move around why not come to our yard? We have lots of places to hide: bushes, trees, a tree house, lots of porch furniture (all of which I keep checking). It makes me doubt what I'd seen, but it had to him! He looked just like him and he let me get much closer to him than any other cat I approached.

My neighbor (whose yard he jumped into) allowed me to search his yard last night after sunset with the flashlight. I looked high and low, in small nooks, and along their wall around tree coverings but didn't spot him. Their yard is mostly open grass and the wall they share with us has no bushes along it, they also have two small dogs so I can't imagine he's hanging low there all day. I also don't see him as a tree climbing cat, but who knows...

After watching some videos and testing it out I did put out the trap last night along with an outdoor camera (I'll close it up when not able to monitor it). He's got a strong survival/prey mentality. He's pretty resistant to places that only have one opening (no cardboard boxes, bags, or enclosed beds for him) so I don't expect it to be easy. I used tuna and the only canned food he'll sometimes eat as bait. He's very picky with food, likes his kibble (though he loves the sound of me shaking and opening a canned food), so I don't think he'd eat at another caretaker's house if his food is an option. This morning I've put various smelly foods around the yard and put some freeze-dry raw bits that he likes along the wall. My hope is to get him in our yard at least so that maybe a trap will work at night. I still have the usual feeding station at our backdoor for momma and brother, and the occasional fuzzy cat that comes by. This way they're not likely to get trapped by the food lure. If I'm real quiet in the lounge chair they'll come within 3ft of me to eat just fine, and I figure if my Siggy is able to get that close to eat then I can set up a house trap for him.

I do wonder if too much food might be a deterrent though, given his nature to "bury" his food maybe he thinks the smell is attracting predators? We also have a spotlight in the backyard thats always been on at night, it doesn't bother the other cats but maybe it's scary to him? I've read that for some cats calling their name is like drawing attention to them and makes them more fearful. So I've been trying to use familiar phrases instead like "time for bed/grooming/lap-time/dinner" or even using our dog's name in conversation. I'm walking around the inner block of our neighborhood multiple times in the morning and evening to get my voice and scent out there. At this point I'm assuming, and hoping, he hasn't crossed any streets (drawing below for reference), if he has maybe staying in the inner block will lure him back. Heck I even put his favorite nap spot, the Christmas Tree up in the back yard!

I feel like the only thing I can do at this point is wait, which is so frustrating. I feel like I'm rambling but it also feels good to collect my thoughts here and have the input of others with experience.

 

[Norachan]

Great idea putting the Christmas Tree out!

If he comes home can he get into your house by himself or would you actually have to let him in? Do you have a small window that you could leave open on the ground floor? Or a window you could put a ladder or table under for him to get in through? Failing that, how about leaving your garage door cracked open for him?

Unless anything happens to make him move further off, such as a fight with another cat or being barked at by dogs, he probably won't venture any further away from home.

If you want to attract his attention without leaving food out Asian fish sauce, Nampla, works wonders. In all my years of doing TNR and searching for lost cats I've found this to be the most potent smelling thing you can get. It's made of fermented anchovies, so smells really strong. Dilute it about 50/50 with water, put it in a squirt bottle and spray the grass, bushes or wall where you want to attract him to.

The smell lasts for a couple of days in dry weather. It will attract other wildlife too, but if you put your camera up nearby at least you'll be able to get a better picture of him.

Don't give up. I care for a former feral colony that are supposed to be indoor and enclosure only, but several of them have got out over the years. Even the 4 or 5 months they had outdoors as feral kittens seems to have given them the smarts they need to survive and stay out of trouble. They are a lot more skittish when they are out of their familiar territory. I can pet them indoors but not if I spot them outside. However, they know my voice and smell and will follow me home if they see me outside.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! How are things going?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And do be aware that he probably would run from you right now. That's very typical of indoor cats who get out. EVERYTHING spooks them. Take his favorite treats along with you when you search. Spend several minutes in an area, allowing him time to "connect" with you again. Should you spot him, if you can, sit down nearby, and offer those treats. Let him come to you as he realizes that he does, indeed, trust you.

 

[TreehouseCat]

Sorry for the delay in updates! I had to return to work and any free time I've had has been dedicated to walking around the block looking for him, posting new fliers and signs, talking to neighbors, and following any advice I could. At the 1 week mark since he got out I was so depressed and could only think of the worst outcomes. I was so happy to see him that Wed morning sitting on the wall, I thought he'd be home soon, but instead I'd had no other sightings of him. And the neighbors who did reach out to me with info, and sent me pics of cats they thought might be mine, often turned out to be the other cat that looks a lot like him. Thanks to those pics I was able to note some differences between the two that I could use to ask questions to future callers and be able to tell the difference from a distance. My very kind boss actually bought me night-vision binoculars to help - the flashlight is still the best tool when scanning an area to catch the eye-shine, then pulling out the binoculars to get a better look at the cat.

So the good news: I shined the flashlight into my neighbor's yard Tues night, caught some eye-shine at the base of the back wall and used the binoculars to get a better look, thanks to the pics folks sent me of the other cat I was able to tell without a doubt it was my cat! To further confirm this he got spooked and slinked across the wall away from me: to me it signals this is a frightened cat trying to make himself as small as possible vs a confidant outdoor cat who would just run/jump away. It was 10:30p so I didn't feel comfortable knocking on my neighbors door at that hour, I attempted to jump the wall but once he ran to the furtherest end I had to let it go. Mind you this is the same large yard I saw him jump into on Wed 8/10 at 5am, that my neighbor allowed me to search that evening around 7pm, and then on Thurs afternoon they had their landscapers come, so I was afraid he'd already moved on.

The not-so-good: Last night I spotted him again in their yard on the far end, sitting on a small brick wall they use to hide their pool equipment/pumps etc. I had my dad watch from the binoculars while went over at 9pm to ask my neighbor if I could go in their yard, they very kindly said yes. He jumped from the wall down amongst the pool pumps, if I tried to approach he'd slink to the other side. I sat down at the entrance of the encircled area and just talked calmly, I had some treats with me so set one within arms stretch of me and tossed the other one a little bit closer to him. I sat and read an article from my phone in a calm voice and he came out to eat the treat closest to him but then slinked back not going for the one closest to me. I was there about an hour when I tried to push a little closer, then he got spooked and ran around the yard and then towards the front gate and the street. I'm hoping he made a sharp turn and hid behind their shed rather than jumped the wall, I decided I'd spooked him enough and left.

I'm hoping he continues to see the yard, and pool pump area as a safe place - I'd be at square one again if he moves on to another place. It seems my only options now are to wait for him to come to our yard (as spooked as he is I don't see this happening for a while, plus if he's scared of the outdoor cats that hang around our yard it might take even longer), or trap him... which I really didn't want to do. Like I said I don't think it'll be easy to trap him, especially if he's managing to find food, that fact that came for one of the treats seems somewhat promising though. I'll also have to hope my neighbor is understanding enough to let me set a trap in their yard (they do have two small dogs) and allow me to hang around for a length of time to monitor the trap/hear the door close. And if it doesn't happen in one night ask if I could try again, and again? Oh I wish this were easier! Any other tips, ideas, options?

Thank you all again! Trust me I've been trying everything, including the fish sauce Norachan!

 

[Furballsmom]

For wily feral cats it's been suggested to try kentucky fried chicken, and also try carl buddig ham - I don't know why but these seem to work. The only problem is that you'll possibly be catching everybody in the neighborhood, but you could maybe contact a rescue group that does TNR to help with those cats. Hang in there!

 

[TreehouseCat]

I contacted someone who had reached out to me with advise, whose done TNR and rescue work, to borrow a trap. She said for a timid, scared cat I wouldn't want to try and get him in one go, rather get him used to the trap over a couple of days before setting it to go off. I wasn't sure how I was going to have a conversation with my neighbor about possibly having a trap set-up in their yard, with two small dogs, over the course of days. I came home lamented to my mom and decided I'd first try to use the carrier and see if the familiar scent, enclosed space, and some treats would entice him to go in on his own. I'd already gotten my neighbor's permission to go back there Thursday night to try and catch him. But it turned out he wasn't there, I looked all around their yard and couldn't find him. Dejected I went home and got ready for bed, mind you I'm still sleeping outside on a lounger, and as I'm reviewing the camera footage for the day I see him!

He was at our back door! At 7:30p while I was talking to my mom, he was sitting out there. And at 8:30p he was smelling everything, scratching a tree, rolling on the patio, looking so natural and comfortable. At 8:50p I went out to put food down and look in the neighbor's yard before I went over there. And at 9p while I was at the neighbor's looking for him, he was at our back door getting food! By the time I realized all this I searched all over our yard and he was gone. We'd had so much wind lately the motion detection alerts of trees blowing had become white-noise to me and I assumed he'd still be in the other yard so I didn't think to look earlier. I'm kicking myself now!

Unfortunately it's not practical to leave the door open 24/7, its still quite cold at night and we wouldn't want the dog to run out and spook him. So we re-positioned the cameras around the back door and moved some scent items closer to the house to try and get him to stick around. The plan was to set a house trap once we saw him on the cameras. But he didn't show at all on Friday night! I feel like every time I think we're making progress I'm just fooling myself...

I'll try the KFC tonight and I'm thinking of getting Feliway to spray around the back door area, just in case the other cats are intimidating him (not that he seemed to mind the other night ).

 

[TreehouseCat]

I just reviewed footage from a trail camera I have set up at the far end of the yard, looks like my Siggy was in that section of our yard last night at about 2:20-2:40am but never came close to the house. Cross referencing the time stamp with the security cameras at the back door/patio around that same time "Fuzzy cat" was eating at our house (it's a big fuzzy cat that eats at our house more than we thought it did and is much more dominate than Momma or Brother cat, who will back away when its around). So it seems Friday night was some bad luck on timing. Still, to do trapping I'd need Siggy to be more consistent on his timing, I wouldn't want to leave a trap unattended over night. At least I know he did come by last night.

 

[Norachan]

Well, it's good that he is still in your neighborhood and is visiting your house and yard regularly. I know it's very frustrating for you, but at least he's close by and OK.

I guess if it's warm enough for you to sleep outside the weather is pretty mild where you live. Do you ever get cold, wet weather? That's usually what drives these AWOL kitties home.

Getting him used to a trap is a good idea. You want to make sure that the base of the trap doesn't feel any different to him than the surrounding ground. So if you are going to set up the trap on the lawn put some dry leaves or hay in there. If you're leaving it on the path cut some cardboard to size for the inside and have a piece of cardboard outside as well.

Yeah, don't leave a trap unattended. Animals can freak out and do themselves some serious damage if they're in an uncovered trap for too long.

Good luck, I hope you get him soon.

 

[TreehouseCat]

I live in Arizona, so wet weather is few and far between. We're getting to the nicest time of year in terms of weather, with highs of 77F and lows of 40F. We've had some really windy evenings though which may be affecting when he shows up. Again last night he came around but only at the far corner of the yard, he was in and out of the area from 2:41-5:40am, but never came close to the house. I've been leaving the closed trap sitting outside, now I'll try keeping it propped open and put food in there. At least to get him used to it if I need to go that route (I keep hoping he'll just be sitting at the back door waiting to come in).

I guess I just need to keep telling myself to be patient. I keep wanting this to happen faster than it is so we can get our lives back to normal, but this isn't going to be as fast a process as I want it to be.

Thank you for your encouragement and help!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Patience is the most fundamental thing in these cases, and the hardest thing in the world to manage! However, you know he is still out there, and that he knows where home is, and that, my Friend, is half the battle!

 

[TreehouseCat]

Help! I’m so upset and afraid right now.

Things were going pretty good with the trap, Siggy was eating from it with both door propped open and so I closed one door tonight and moved the trap closer to the house. But as I was getting ready for bed I saw him on the security camera enter the trap and eating. I was exited, one mor step closer to getting him home. But then I saw brother cat at the edge of the camera, readying himself to pounce, I rushed downstairs while watching the scene on my phone. As Siggy was exiting the trap brother cat attacked him! I pounded on the glass door before I opened it to yell at him. He chased him into the bushes behind our pool hissing at him, I hissed back and eventually chased brother to the other end of the yard. I stood and stared down brother for a long time, I then sat next to the bushes Siggy ran into and tried my best to talk calmly to him. I heard some rustling and three sneezes or coughs from him, then he must’ve taken off because I couldn’t find him after that.

I’m so afraid now! What if brother scared Siggy from entering the trap again? What if he scared him from our yard completely? Or if he now feels empowered to continue to do so? I’m so so worried about my boy and don’t know what I can do

 

[Norachan]

Oh no! That's very upsetting.

I think Siggy is going to be afraid of the other cat, rather than the trap. Do you have anyway of containing this brother cat for a few days? Is there any way you could trap him and keep him crated, such as in a garage, until you've got Siggy back indoors?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I think that's an excellent idea. And I also think that Siggy won't go far. May take a few days, but I believe that he will be back. I can't tell you how often I've thought one of the ferals has chased another completely away, only to find the runner back eating again in a day or two.

 

[TreehouseCat]

Thank you for the replies! I’m not sure about trapping brother, he’s been pretty wary about the trap. And I’ve brought up the idea with the family and they’re not so keen on it. I’m also thinking if Siggy’s too scared to enter the trap in our yard, maybe I can try trapping in the neighbor’s, I just don’t think our live feed camera would work at that distance.

Thankfully Siggy did return to our yard yesterday, and the trail cam spotted him on the wall multiple times throughout the night. So at least you were right and he wasn’t scared off completely. He didn’t go in the trap at all, however brother was at the other end of our yard when I was watching so I can’t blame him for not wanting to try. Momma sure didn’t seem wary, saw her get half way in while Siggy was watching. I was able to get her attention before she set it off. Last thing I need is for Siggy to have another reason not the enter. Then I got too tired to monitor the trap so closed it up for the night. We’ll try again tonight, my dad’s off tonight so he can help watch it. Thank you again for all the support!

 

[TreehouseCat]

I’m sooo happy to report that there’s finally a happy ending and Siggy is back home!!

Thankfully my dad was able to stay up late to watch the cameras and spotted him go into the trap and trip the lever at 12:07am. I had the sound notifications on my phone so instantly met them once he got the trap inside. I released him in my bedroom where he stayed the rest of the night and stuck very close to me. You can tell he’s so happy to be home again! He’s lost a lot of weight and was sneezing quite a bit that night. He’s not sneezing nearly as much now. He’s drinking water fine but he’s eating very little at a time and rather sporadically. As long as he is eating I want to hold off on going to the vet, I’d rather he settle back in before putting him though anther stressful experience.

I honestly never thought it would take 20 days to get him back. I’m just so so thankful he went back in that trap! Funnily enough Momma cat got herself trapped earlier that night after she already ate some wet food and dry food at our backdoor, and even after getting trapped my dad still had to shoo her away from it 4-5 times that night. I guess if I ever need to trap her again I know it’ll be easy

Thank you for all the advice and encouragement I really appreciated it! It’s so nice to be able to go some place online and be able to talk to folks that understand and love cats.