Cat Outside

[clyde]

How long do you think a male (neutered) cat would wander before coming home? I think Clyde may not have been the one hit and may be out exploring. The longest he was out before was 2 days, but it is now 8 and he isn't back yet. It's been unusually warm and dry, and maybe since there was a lot of activity and fireworks over the last week that he may be skittish.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Mike

 

[furbum]

I don't really know about how long he would stay out but I would start making signs and calling the local shelters. I mean, because he needs to have food and drink and you can't count on others feeding him or even on his hunting/scavenging skills/luck. The fireworks probably terrified him..

Here's wishing you some good luck and I do hope you find him soon.

 

[hissy]

www.lost-pets.org

 

[tnr1]

Best Friendsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] Animal Radio recently interviewed Kat Albrecht, author of The Lost Pet Chronicles, and she gave some very good advice on finding a lost cat:

Most people donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t differentiate between searching for a dog and searching for a cat, which is a huge mistake, because they are like apples and oranges. Cats are territorial, so when an indoor cat escapes outside, they feel displaced into unfamiliar territory. A displaced cat (and also an injured or sick cat) will hide and they will be silent. So walking around and calling the catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s name doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t work.

What that cat does is to look for the first place where she can hide, and she will stay there. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had people who have recovered their cats six weeks later, and the cat was two houses down, living under the neighborâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s house or under their deck.

Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve actually recovered lots of cats by treating them like ferals and setting a humane trap. These cats will sit there and watch and even listen to their person calling, but they will usually not respond.

Eventually, some of them will reach a threshold point between the seventh and tenth day where they finally do meow or they go into the humane trap, but many of them, especially the ones with skittish temperaments, just continue to hide.

As for a cat who is used to going outside, we really do advocate making your cats indoor-only. However, if an indoor/outdoor cat does go missing, it may be that theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been chased by a dog or beat up by another cat. They may run into an unfamiliar area, and they may hide in fear as well, or than can be transported out of the area by crawling into a car or the back of a truck.

Outdoor cats are still territorial. They donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t generally travel great distances by themselves, so theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re going to be found within their territory or just beyond it. Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll want to get into your neighborâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s yard to search under their porch, under their house, and in potential areas where the cat is trapped, because, again, the behavior of an injured or sick cat is that they will crawl in or under something thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s familiar to them and they will hide. And again, they wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t answer your call.



Joy Moffat
Member Services
Best Friends Animal Society
[email protected]

 

[beckiboo]

Is there any news about poor Clyde? I was fortunate to have my outside cat Will come home after 8 days. He has been home for a week now, and luckily is staying close to home. As I have foster kittens and cats inside, I am afraid to try letting him inside.

I hope you can post good news about Clyde. Were you able to see the body of the cat that was hit?

 

[opilot]

Mike: I have personal experience of our cat Slyvester being "lost" from a new
house after moving. He got out in unfam. territory. He was "lost"
for 6 wks. We found him by a miracle, only 1 mile from home!! So,
keep up hopes.

My old guy Didi also once went missing for about 1 week total.
I was terrified, but he came back safe and sound. I still don't know
where he went tho!!

Good vibes, and PLEASE keep looking! Go out daily - that's how
we finally tracked down Slyvester...