Have you ever lost a cat and found them again?

[DownTheLane]

My mum had this happen to her, I do still remember it well. She had a cat named Lady, she was very attached to my mum and our house. She'd never leave the garden, unless she was right at my mum's side, preferably even in her sweater. She was a very anxious cat with bad separation anxiety, completely imprinted on my mum. So we were very distraught when we suddenly couldn't find her anymore. She never left, this was not like her. I remember putting up missing posters while crying, I was so scared of what could have happened to her.
It turned out that some kids saw her on the sidewalk (which we highly doubt, but even then she'd just be chilling right in front of our house) and decided she didn't look good. They took her and brought her to a lady nearby, who had a lot of animals who looked a little neglected. Apparently they took her to the vet, because she wasn't eating properly and seemed too thin. Now, she was always a slim cat, especially since she was around 14 years old when this happened. And the stress from being ripped from her safe environment and forced into this weird house she didn't know, mustn't have helped her appetite.
The vet suggested putting her down! Which the catnapper luckily didn't do. Eventually we got her back, I was left out of the confrontation because I was still young. But apparently this lady had the guts to send us the freaking vet bill! She didn't even really need medical help, just less stress.
Good thing they didn't put her down. She lives a little over 2 more wonderful years, but was never quite the same afterwards. She was still very cuddly, absolutely lovely and even made friends with our new puppy. She died peacefully in-between my mum legs, in her sleep.
And no, we didn't end up paying the vet bill.

 

[fionasmom]

DownTheLane that is quite a story. I suspect that happens more than we think. In fact, right now I believe it is going on in my neighborhood with a mysteriously missing pet. Glad your mom got her cat back, at least.

 

[DownTheLane]

DownTheLane that is quite a story. I suspect that happens more than we think. In fact, right now I believe it is going on in my neighborhood with a mysteriously missing pet. Glad your mom got her cat back, at least.

I really can't even imagine why someone would do this. Especially with the excuse of "I care for the animal". I really hope the issue there gets resolved soon, it's so heartbreaking to have it happen to you.

 

[fionasmom]

It is not my cat, but in the neighborhood at a two story apartment complex, an indoor only cat fell off the balcony. These are low two story buildings and the cat would have either clearly survived, possibly with minor or no injuries, or would have been in the area of the fall. Owners have tried everything and I believe someone has the cat.

About a year ago, I found a notice for a missing American bull terrier. Not a common dog. Fast forward to I happen to walk by a house and see one....but something seems "wrong" about the dog, the house, and the human. I go home and call the person who lost the dog, on a chance that it might be theirs. It was. The dog went to work with the owner every day at a yoga studio. Dog laid on a yoga mat in the back and watched the classes. However, a hoarder-type person who worked in the office building next door "decided" that the dog was mistreated because he went to "work" and lured the dog out with a treat and took it home. The owner got the dog back easily because she had complete documentation that it was hers....but to be "nice" to the dog the hoarder had fed it peanuts and other human junk food which gave it a huge skin allergy. Sort of like your mom's story.