Feral cat has not come back

[catsknowme]

Prayers and vibes that Oreo returns very soon! If you have special sounds/songs that you make/sing when you play with him, try doing those instead of just calling for him - it helps keep the anxiety out of your voice & sometimes stimulates the play response in their brain. I had a young cat named Jack get outside a couple of winters ago and he was gone for over a week, during blizzards. I would randomly call with the "coo-cah-doo" sound we use during teaser play and he responded from our neighbors yard. It took over an hour of me coaxing him into a carrier with food inside. I had to sit in the snow and I put cardboard topped with heated cornmeal-filled socks under the carrier so the food wouldn't freeze.
Don't forget to use a flashlight at dusk when you search - those glowing tapetums have located many a cat!

 

[Alwayslooking]

Prayers and vibes that Oreo returns very soon! If you have special sounds/songs that you make/sing when you play with him, try doing those instead of just calling for him - it helps keep the anxiety out of your voice & sometimes stimulates the play response in their brain. I had a young cat named Jack get outside a couple of winters ago and he was gone for over a week, during blizzards. I would randomly call with the "coo-cah-doo" sound we use during teaser play and he responded from our neighbors yard. It took over an hour of me coaxing him into a carrier with food inside. I had to sit in the snow and I put cardboard topped with heated cornmeal-filled socks under the carrier so the food wouldn't freeze.
Don't forget to use a flashlight at dusk when you search - those glowing tapetums have located many a cat!

Thank you so much for your advice. Oreo comes from behind houses on another street. He will come on my porch and then leave and go back across the street. I was able to pet his head and pick him up to put him in the carrier to be neutered. I had him in a kennel at my other house that we plan to move to in the garage there for three days. I was hoping to get him use to the garage before I let him out in his new surroundings. He started pooping and peeing all over the place in the kennel and meowing to high heaven. I decided to bring him back and catch him again closer to the time for our move or just leave him in his territory. I couldn't stand to see him so miserable.

 

[Alwayslooking]

Thank you so much for your advice. Oreo comes from behind houses on another street. He will come on my porch and then leave and go back across the street. I was able to pet his head and pick him up to put him in the carrier to be neutered. I had him in a kennel at my other house that we plan to move to in the garage there for three days. I was hoping to get him use to the garage before I let him out in his new surroundings. He started pooping and peeing all over the place in the kennel and meowing to high heaven. I decided to bring him back and catch him again closer to the time for our move or just leave him in his territory. I couldn't stand to see him so miserable.

I brought him back and let him out and I haven't seen him since. That was 3 weeks ago today. I have driven around on the other street and looked everywhere for him. He has never responded to my call. Last year, another cat was eating on my porch and he was a dominant male. Oreo left for 3 months and then just showed up in my yard one morning. I'm just heart broken. The other cats that I have had fixed showed up the next morning for their breakfast. I think the difference is that Oreo was kept for a few days and was traumatized. I put food out now every morning on my porch and will do that for a while to see if he comes back.