help my cat is lost in my house

ballashotcalla

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i just got this cat yesterday and to make a long story short he is somewhere in my house but im not sure where and i have searched every inch of my house and i cant find him but i marked the height of food and water in his bowls to see if he is eating so my question is can i do anything more to try to find him or just let him come out when he wants can anybody please give me advice
 

tia's mom

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I am having the same problem with my kitten, I posted on the board and got some great advice, you might try reading replys for "can't coax her out of her hiding place" . I finally caught my kitten and put her in a large cat carrier with a few toys and food, I have left the door open with the litter box right outside of it, she seems more content now, she hasn't come out yet but at least I know where she is.
 

luvmykitty

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did you try looking in the tiniest and smallest spaces in the house? When I first got my kitty we let her run around my mom's house. When we went to look for her, none of us could find her. After a few hours though, my mom saw her coming out of her hiding place which was underneath the microwave stand- a place I had checked but couldn't see without using a flashlight. You could imagine how relieved I was considering I thought I was the worst first time kitty mommy ever!
 

zoggy

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My kittens hid behind my clothing drawers. There was a little space there that they snuck in. Basically if you cant see find them just by "looking", then you have to start looking in every hole and try looking BEHIND things that they could get access to. Use a flashlight :p
 

meowsersmom

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When I first got my kitten, he hid behind the refrigerator, took me all day to find him.
 

hissy

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Go into each room and lie down on your stomach on the floor. Now, look all around you what do you see? Some places scared kitties like to hide- inside folding couch beds. Underneath the recliner stool, check under your bed with a flashlight, look up- you might see a hole that the kitten has torn in the lining and he is hiding inside your mattress. Same goes with your armchairs and couches, flip each piece of furniture over carefully and examine it. Take off seat cushions. Look under heaters, behind refrigerators, inside cupboards- use a flashllight. Make a grid of each room and search systematically. If this fails, sprinkle catnip out in the center of each room, turn off the lights, burn a nightlight and just wait.

Good luck
 

leto86

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The same thing has happened here.. except not at my house.. at a rescue with 130 other cats running loose. It takes awhile to find them.. but with persistent looking, and maybe friends helping, you will find her. Look in all the places hissy said..

no chances she could have gotten outside?
 

maherwoman

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A couple ideas...

-Check your drawers (I mean the furniture kind...lol)
-Do you have any furniture that even has a CRACK of room underneath it?? You'd be surprised how little a space a kitty can fit into.
-Have you tried opening a can of tuna or wet catfood?

How old is your kitty??
 

emb_78

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Originally Posted by maherwoman

A couple ideas...

-Check your drawers (I mean the furniture kind...lol)
-Do you have any furniture that even has a CRACK of room underneath it?? You'd be surprised how little a space a kitty can fit into.
-Have you tried opening a can of tuna or wet catfood?

How old is your kitty??
Great advice!!! Oh yeah, Welcome to TCS!!!
 

jcat

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If you have radiators, look behind them, too. I know it sounds impossible for a kitten to fit behind there, but some manage it.
 

betty ann

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I definitely know how you're feeling... my VERY aptly named Cheshire Cat disappears all the time. You'd think it would be impossible for such an ENORMOUS cat to disappear, but you'd be surprised! Just give the kitten some time to come out of hiding. You just got him yesterday, so he's taking some time hiding before he comes out to explore his new surroundings. When I moved, both of my cats stayed in their covered litter box for a whole day before they worked up the courage to explore! Give him some time to adjust, and try not to force him out of hiding or he'll only be more scared. Think about how strange it would be for you to be a completely new environment!

That said, cats can hide ANYWERE. You'd be surprised at some of the bizarre places they can get into. Behind the washing machine and fridge, etc. Dinah used to crawl underneat the dishwasher when she was a baby! Also, make sure he didn't get locked in a closet by accident. Sometimes, cats can sneak into a cabinet or closet, and you may close them in without even realizing you've done it!
 

rosehawke

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I, too, would suggest you look in places you would think a cat would never fit. I think he's too big now (I hope!) but in the last week Mithril was still able to fit his 10+ pound body underneath the chest of drawers in out bedroom! This space is maybe a couple of inches tall. I watched him go under there and out again several times.

You'd be surprised at the places they can find to hide
 

rubsluts'mommy

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When I first moved into this apartment a month ago, I panicked the first morning because JoJo (who usually follows me around EVERYWHERE) was nowhere. I was still moving stuff, so after one search, I continued to move stuff. a few hours later, I did another search. still nothing. another couple of hours: I decided, for some strange reason, to look in my lower kitchen cabinets. My fuzzy monster was in the cabinet under the sink. No cleaning chemicals were under there yet, fortunately. I shooed her out and placed something large in front of it. Now I have child locks on there.

Try cabinets. Under dressers, if they're off the ground a bit. closets, behind the couch.

Good luck!

Amanda
 

jeff franzen

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Happened to us. Could only hear occasional faint meow.  We were convinced he was between the walls. We practically tore the house apart, sheetrock holes, plumbers cameras....

He was in the washing machine.

AOK now. 
 

saigo

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My Singer did this only I had her confined to my sewing room. I turned that room upside down 8 times over looking for her I was convinced she escaped outside but was certain that was impossible. I finally found her behind a dresser I had in the closet I had boxes stacked along side of it so never looked there b/c it was a real chore moving them.

Then after 10 days I let her out and she hid in the basement for 6 weeks! She finally started coming up to the landing and just examined us from a distance, any movement would send her back down. I thought she was going to live in hiding the rest of her life. But she is now the most affectionate of the bunch. I also found when she was in my sewing room I would get down on the floor and just talk to her and she would come out on her own.
 

lamiatron

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Happened to us. Could only hear occasional faint meow.  We were convinced he was between the walls. We practically tore the house apart, sheetrock holes, plumbers cameras....

He was in the washing machine.

AOK now. 
OMG this made me laugh. I'm sure this was a really stressful time for you, but the way you put it. I'm glad kitty is okay.

Its best to confine new kitty to one room while he/she gets used to his/her surroundings. This way, you can also monitor if kitty is eating and going to the litter box, (or having accidents under your bed, as it happened with one of my cats)

@Leto86  I hope you can find kitty once you do, try to keep him/her in a crate, or in one room at all times until your cat feels brave enough to explore.
 

mohamed

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it might be traped pour food all around the  house and if it is eating sneakly grab it
 
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