Cannot Find Cali

[CharlieandBuster]

HELP!!!

I adopted a feral cat about 3 months ago and she has grown comfortable in my home. She always wants to cuddle, play, cuddle, eat, cuddle, and cuddle. I love her and the attention, but I can't get a break.

So, I recently took in her old friend Cali. Cali was a timid one that Buster would care for. Buster would beg for food and take it to Cali even. That said, Buster isn't so welcoming to her at this time. I put Cali in the kitty room where there is a tree, toys, food, water . . . all the essentials, and I divide my time between the two. Cali, though shy, would approach me to be pet and to eat.

Last night, I only managed to get 3 hours of sleep, if even. I did a room swap, Buster in the kitty room and Cali in the rest of the apartment since Cali has been eager to explore a bit lately. All seemed well, at 5:00am Cali was sitting on top of me as I slept. Then, at 6:00am, I got up and got ready to feed them. Buster was being her usual loving (to me) self when I went in the room to see her, but Cali is nowhere to be seen.

I live on the third floor and the only way outside would be through the front door that is locked. Escape options I had considered were: fireplace (it was closed), behind the washer and dryer (the door was closed), windows are only crached an inch (barely) and held firmly in place, locked front door, and that's about it.

I don't have much furniture and have checked everywhere, in every nook and cranny, in closets that had their doors closed, cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom (bathroom door is always closed), behind books in the book shelves, behind and under all furniture (including stove and fridge), every blanket bundle . . . I just don't know where else to look.

I have read that leaving stinky food out might draw her out, but Buster is foodcrazed and eats anything and everything I put out if I am not shooing her away. It also doesn't help that she avoids Buster out of fear.

I just don't know what to do! I need to find Cali! Someone please help.

 

[susanm9006]

Since it is unlikely that she has gotten out, I wouldn’t stress out. I would check inside dresser drawers, up in the box spring of your bed, inside the sofa and in all cupboards.

 

[Desertmouse]

First off, thank you for taking these sweet hearts in!

The good news is that it sounds like she is in the house! I think if I was in your place I would get some stinky food, or even some tuna, turn off anything that could make sound and open the can. Then I would put a bit in a bowl and take Buster into the kitty room and let her enjoy it there with the door closed, the put the rest down in the middle of the room, grab a book and sit somewhere with a view of the food and just read quietly and keep a eye out for her.

If you can get her to wear one, you might want to consider getting a collar with a bell for at least Cali if not both of them. I find it so much easier to find Sadie by ear then by sight.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Cats can get themselves into the DARNEDEST places! Don't give up thinking that she can't be inside. I searched a one-room apartment for FOUR HOURS one time, and missed a very determined cat. This article may help you find her:

Help! My Cat Is Lost!

And this one will make her transition easier:

The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside

 

[susanm9006]

One of my girls hid while my house was burglarized some years back. Afterwards I searched everywhere, calling her name for hours and finally accepted that she had run outside through the broken window or door. I finally found her in the bedroom where the bulk of burglary activity had taken place, wedged against the wall behind the bed’s headboard with her feet braced on top of the baseboard so that when you looked under the bed you didn’t see her. She stayed in this position for nearly four hours.

 

[maggiedemi]

Are there screens in the windows?

 

[catlover73]

Check inside your fridge. One of my friends had a cat that liked to climb in her fridge and hide behind large beverage bottles. She actually had a note on her fridge to remind company to please check the fridge before closing it. Her cat was very friendly so any family members or friends could safely pick the cat up and remove him from the fridge.

Do you have a basement? My cats hide in my basement when my building has annual fire alarm testing. I can coax them out by bringing a bowl of food down stairs. They come out if I shake their food bowl.

Check anywhere you have shoes stored. I found my small girl Starbuck hiding in a pair of my hubby's gym shoes in his closet. She usually hides under the bed when I have company. The closet was closed and my hubby had not been in his closet for hours. She was hanging out with us before our company arrived. She has never hidden in that spot again.

I hope you find Cali soon.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

Thanks for your responses.

Ok so, I am panicking here. I put out food and water for Cali in her usual spot in the kitty room and sealed Buster in her kennel while I went in for a short dinner shift. The food has not been touched and it has been 15 hours since I have last seen Cali. I am in a one-bedroom apartment with very little furniture: no boxsprings, there are no holes in the sofa, no drawers, just bookcases (I checked behind all books). Unless she can squeeze through a closed door, there I no way she could have gotten through to the washer and dryer, the windows barely have room for a finger to fit through and have screens intacts, the only exit is a window (screen not touched), balcony (it's a cliff, but door is still closed, fireplaced (closed), front door (locked), and the washer and dryer ducts maybe (door closed). All cabinets, dishwasher, fridge and freezer, fireplace, and closets are a no-go. I am doing my best to contain myself here but am starting to really freak out!

 

[catlover73]

I would check the area of the washer and dryer area any way. Cats can get into very small spaces when they want to. Are all your vent covers any place heat or air conditioning comes in or out still securely in place? Have you checked behind and under all your appliances? Have you checked behind and under all your furniture? Have you checked any laundry that may be laying around? Have you checked any closet space or cabinets in your bathroom? I understand how scared you are so I am trying to see if I can think of any new places to look.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
Do remember to check up high - the tops of bookcases, back against the wall. A Prayer that you find Cali safe and sound!
.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

I would check the area of the washer and dryer area any way. Cats can get into very small spaces when they want to. Are all your vent covers any place heat or air conditioning comes in or out still securely in place? Have you checked behind and under all your appliances? Have you checked behind and under all your furniture? Have you checked any laundry that may be laying around? Have you checked any closet space or cabinets in your bathroom? I understand how scared you are so I am trying to see if I can think of any new places to look.

I pulled out the fridge, pulled the washer and dryer, all furniture is clear, laundry clear, closets clear, cabinets clear, bathroom clear, vents intact, kitty room and closet emptied and checked, .

I am especially stressed since I barely got her on Saturday and she still hasn't been to the vet to be checked, vaccinated, and chipped (though she has been picked up and released as part of the TNR program here-they do not chip them).

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
CharlieandBuster - have you checked - at floor level - the joinery of the kitchen cabinets - especially at inside corners? Builders sometimes leave small spaces unfilled at the "kicks" where cabinets meet the floor, and on another forum, at least one cat found a way under the kitchen base cabinets.
.

 

[CharlieandBuster]

Yes, I checked under the cabinet in the kitchen and bathroom. It's been almost 20 hours now since I last saw her, and I am thinking that hope is lost. I only had her for 3-4 days so she hasn't quite bonded with me yet. The most telling part of the whole deal is how calm and nonchalant Buster is behaving. He would be tense, if even a little, knowing Cali was anywhere around. I don't get it? Did someone unlock and open my front door at 6:00 in the morning while I was in and out of sleep just to let her out? That seems to be the only possibility that I can think of here, as farfetched as it may be.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
CharlieandBuster - Never give up. Take the drawers out of every piece of furniture if you haven't already. Cats can manage to get into the smallest of spaces.

J

 

[CharlieandBuster]

OMG. I was just about to put on some shoes and go outside and she was just there sitting down calmly in front of me like nothing happened. I just cried! My baby is okay!!! Thank you guys so much for your support, I am going to smother a kitty with hugs and kisses now . . . as much as she'll let me.

 

[catlover73]

I am glad Cali came out of hiding. She must have found somewhere to hide and fallen asleep. My black cat Casey likes to run into my laundry room and hide behind my hot water heater. When he was a kitten he was stuck in there for a few hours while we were running errands. He did not even meow to let us know he was stuck. He is bonded to my other cats. One of them came into the living room and meowed at me until I went to the laundry room. Casey was asleep on my dirty laundry. I picked him up and put him on my bed to finish his nap. He does not hide in the laundry room anymore.

 

[maggiedemi]

I'm so glad you found her! I wonder where she was hiding? Mine hide up inside my mattress and they used to hide under the recliner until I blocked it off.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

OMG. I was just about to put on some shoes and go outside and she was just there sitting down calmly in front of me like nothing happened. I just cried! My baby is okay!!! Thank you guys so much for your support, I am going to smother a kitty with hugs and kisses now . . . as much as she'll let me.

CharlieandBuster - This is wonderful news! This is the first thread I checked this morning after signing on, and you and Cali have made my day!
.

 

[duncanmac]

Yes, I checked under the cabinet in the kitchen and bathroom. It's been almost 20 hours now since I last saw her, and I am thinking that hope is lost. I only had her for 3-4 days so she hasn't quite bonded with me yet. The most telling part of the whole deal is how calm and nonchalant Buster is behaving. He would be tense, if even a little, knowing Cali was anywhere around. I don't get it? Did someone unlock and open my front door at 6:00 in the morning while I was in and out of sleep just to let her out? That seems to be the only possibility that I can think of here, as farfetched as it may be.

I'm glad you found her - when we first got Barry, he got out of his safe room and hid for 36 hours in a desk drawer - its one of the flat-pack things that is open in the back. We were both very surprised when I opened the drawer and found him. He then would hide under the deep freeze (there is a lot of room under there).

 

[tarasgirl06]

CharlieandBuster So glad Cali is safe and sound! I wonder where the hiding spot was?
M maggiedemi My Tarifa was doing the same thing by slinking into the back of my dad's recliner. As soon as I discovered this, it would be the first place I'd look when I couldn't find her, so she seems to have abandoned that spot.