Cat got out. Distraught what to say.

Bowman

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3 days ago. There was a fight between a stranger Cat, the ones I have outside.
My inside Cat, behaves like a Dog, protective.

Usually when there is trouble. I open the the door, then close quickly.

This normally sends the offender away. But this day was different. My cat (BETA). was at the door, not usually where she is at these events.

I opened the door, saw some SUPER MASSIVE cat arguing with one of mine outside through the outside cat flap.
I was stunned at the size of it!

Anyway, my soul partner decided she would intervene. Found herself in a strange place, actually busted out the plastic walls I have on the deck.

Not seen her since. 3.5 days.
Winter, minus 10c.
I thought I heard a cry on the hill, but winds were some 60kmph. Glacier ice under snow.

I just could not get there, simple. So my outside cats heard that noise. Mother Cat took the kids up the hill.

This is all I have after searching 3 days of camera footage. Except some tracks leaving my garage in the snow.

Any ideas?

Thank you.
 

di and bob

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Put a worn t-shirt out so it may attract her, just keep calling and looking......I know how hard this is, I have been there myself. Make sure you contact your local shelter in case she was turned in and maybe contact all neighbors and tell them to watch for her. Offer a small reward to neighborhood children, they get into places adults don't. She may have been chased further away than you think, so make sure you expand your search. Always listen for birds yelling, they have sharp eyes and have pinpointed a cat for me. Cats are tough, she would find a place to shelter, so definitely don't give up, I have had them return a month later.
 

Mamanyt1953

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Also, remember that indoor cats usually go to ground very close to their homes...if they run away, they often come back and hunker down as close as possible. Take a flashlight and check low, enclosed areas, including thick brush and bushes.
 

Caspers Human

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Get some of your old T-shirts that have been worn but haven't been washed and put them inside her cat carrier.
Put her carrier out on the back porch where she can find it. If it gets cold outside, you can also drape a blanket over it but don't obscure the carrier. You want her to recognize that the carrier is hers.

Put some of her favorite foods in a bowl and put it inside the carrier.

Get her litter box and put it out on the back porch near her carrier. Not too close but not so far away that she can't recognize that it's hers.

Make sure you check your setup every day, multiple times. If you find her inside her crate, close the door and take her inside.

If she's skittish, tie a string to the door and pull the end into the house through a crack under a window or something.
If you find her inside, just pull the string! :)

Score bonus points if you can put a webcam outside in places where she might frequent.

The idea is to put up a virtual flashing sign that says, "This is your home!"

If she finds it and hunkers down, there, it should be a simple matter to scoop her up and bring her inside.

Fingers crossed for you! :crossfingers::vibes:
 

danteshuman

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Don’t give up hope! Stay calm. Place lost cat posts & fliers. Look under & in things. Most importantly listen for every small rustling noise. Most lost cats hide nearby & can be to scared to come out (but treats don’t hurt.) I couldn’t find a black cat in the packed garage then I heard the little jerk as he crawled away from me! I found him by listening. A flashlight will reflect in their eyes, if they are under a car. I would leave water outside.

If you have no other cats I would leave the door they escaped out of open with smelly food by the door. Sit and call your cat. When you sleep close the door.
 
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Bowman

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Thank you very much for the many replies, please forgive me if I cannot address each person.
Noted: I place a T-shirt outside, some other suggestions too.

Bribing the kids is a no-go. They are the kind that throw fireworks at wood piles, take metal poles and attack ip cameras.
Animal shelters (if any) are in the City 15km away. Pretty bleak place in fact.

It's -11°c most nights now. I have checked the outbuildings. Snow is falling, no fresh tracks.
I've started collecting memorabilia of her, stashing things. I'll hide her vet book from view.
Survival rates out here for cats is pretty low frankly. I try, it is all I can do.

'Beta nee Porter' was her name. Houdini by nature, Calico by birth. Resourceful...
But its a really tough place.

Thank you again, it me feel a little brighter writing about this.
Thank you so very much again.
Bowman 👍
 

Caspers Human

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Bribing the kids is a no-go. They are the kind that throw fireworks at wood piles, take metal poles and attack ip cameras.
Never underestimate the power of avarice, especially when it comes to a bunch of redneck teenagers!

Flash them a wad of greenbacks and say, "The first one of you to bring me this cat, alive and in one piece, gets this!"

Hey! I'm a Pennsyltucky boy! I've been on more than one "cat hunt" in my day! ;) ;) ;)
 

Meowmee

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Don’t give up. Bundle up and get out to try to find her, call her, look everywhere including the spot you heard the cry from. Set up a shelter with insulation close by. Get help from a lost pet tracker. If other cats are out there surviving in this so can she. 🙏🏻 She is found safely/ returns.
 
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Bowman

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Nothing yet.
Thank you again for the thoughts and messages.
I do go out, call. I cannot get up the hills behind our house. It's treacherous. Snowed again, promise of breaching -20°c tomorrow.
I know Pennsy a little, gets mighty cold there too.
I check the cams, not much else I can do. T-shirt is up as of yesterday.
But my gut feeling is that my wonderful soul mate, nuts Cat injured herself up there, through being cocky.

The kids, well some young adults.... Have you faced the Devil?
No point in paying him.
The house is pretty silent, her buddy in here, very confused.

Anyway, thank you very much for the concern. Never again will I open a door like that. I'll treat it as a space station with air locks.

Such stupidity.
Thanks from the heart again.
👍🌷
 
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Bowman

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I have a question. I sincerely do not believe my cat will come back.

I tried to add a friend from outside but Beta hissed, snarled, everthing.

Each time I look at her, she reminds me of Beta, same family, roots.

Should I do this? Have any of you, done the same?

Thank you, sorry.
 

di and bob

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It takes a long time to introduce cats, but it can be done and often is. I have done this many times but you first have to keep them in separate rooms and then switch them to get used to each other's smells. There are many threads /forums on here how to do it. All the luck!
 

Meowmee

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I have a question. I sincerely do not believe my cat will come back.

I tried to add a friend from outside but Beta hissed, snarled, everthing.

Each time I look at her, she reminds me of Beta, same family, roots.

Should I do this? Have any of you, done the same?

Thank you, sorry.
I am doing this with one of my outdoor guys. He had to be caged for a while due to contagions, neuter, and fearful aggression. It helps any fearful/ stressed cat to feel safer. He was on meds etc. Now he is out and they are meeting for brief times in person. One of my cats is friends with him already, he was also brought in from outside 3-4 years ago. Quinn is the hard one, still hissing etc. and they had swatting matches but I think it will be ok in time. Zena will stay in his own room until they are ok and he is more adjusted etc.

So put the new kitty in a room and let him adjust, then slowly intro to resident cats. Do scent exchange with towels etc. let them eat together etc. play together.

This will help to ease your stress over your lost baby.
Don’t give up on her though, she needs you too. I rescued someone’s cat a few years ago who was out in freezing weather and snow/ ice storms etc. for over a month!

He was using my shelters and eating food put out for my colony. It turned out he was lost, they had moved and our house was half way between his old house and the new one. He was indoor outdoor and they had not kept him in long enough to acclimate him so he was trying to go back to his old house.
 
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Bowman

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Thank you human beings.

No sign, I do not expect one. We were so close, but now after 6 days, I started think a little.
I got licks on my body, followed me everywhere. The toilet was never private, she was very strong, but kind too.
My other Cat looks for her.....

My outside cats just want food and warmth. They get that, as much as I can.

I feel she practiced each and every moment of her escape. The end though, was not what she suspected. She often scraped walls, windows, anything frankly.
Totally annoying of course.
I miss her cuddles, licks, following me everywhere. But I think this was a breakout.

The most unusual cat I've ever known really.
But the way she used her shoulder, body mass to punch a whole through my deck plastic window......

She'd planned this, after all, she is/was one of the outside cats.

Sad, but true.

Hopes, but no regrets. She was full of life.
Thank you everyone.
Hugs
 

Mamanyt1953

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And more hugs back to you. I know that feeling. It is...beyond comprehension, the difference that eight pounds of floof makes in your life. You have no clue until it is gone. And one more hug, just because.
 
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Bowman

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Thank you again cat lovers. Over a week now, no sign except some cat paws in the snow by the gate. They looked small, but it had snowed again. Of course my hopes lifted since they all know where to get in, (outside cats) this one apparently didn't.
However, common sense struck. Overnight we had -21°c. Unless it found a kind person who took it in, it's now a snow ice combo wasteland. Only foxes, deer and what some call 'sheep dogs' survive around the hills. Only nutters venture out.
Apart from the slippy terrain, it was in fact those dogs that stopped me going up the hill. Nasty, nasty creatures.

So all in all I must presume MPD. Sadly.
There's nothing more to say on this I suppose. But thank you for reading about our plight, more hers than mine, but never the less......

Thank you again.
Paws and hugs back.
 
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Bowman

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Utterly incredible. Some of the coldest elongated weather we've had for some time now, frigid!

Last Monday I thought I saw her in the yard near the window. I called, the Cat left.
I felt a little lighter after that, some hope at least.

The weather broke a bit, some sun, ice melting, temps up.

Heard a meow earlier, called, nothing.

When we came home, I heard the same meow. Of course by now, I'd given up hope. I saw some foxes near our place the last two weeks. Oddly though, our cats don't mind them!

Anyway, more meows later, calling. Finally able to climb the hill.

My wife heard her, this time, lots of calls for help.

She had got stuck in a old outside toilet! There was wood blocking any jump.
Totally stuck.

Grabbed her. Very thin, totally lucky and tough.
Inside again, thank heavens.

Now all we need is peace in Europe.

Thank you very much for your eyes and thoughts, a very greatful Dad.
Hugs.
 
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