A while back, I posted about my lost cat, Mysty, a 1 year old unneutered silver tabby male. He's been missing since April. Having read some of the posts about ferals and stray cats appearing in people's backyards and on their doorsteps, I'd like to know if a cat that originally was a feral kitten (my Mysty), would revert back to a feral or wild state while roaming or searching for females in heat? I guess I'm hoping that Mysty is still alive, but to make a story short, here goes: Mysty, a feral kitten, was found living under our back porch. We began putting food out for him on the porch and gradually began taming him. When fall approached, we let Mysty spend more time indoors. He was still an outdoor cat, but spent increasingly more time in the house. I kept him in the house every night and let him outside in the morning. He always took a long afternoon nap inside the house. Since April, some data in chronological order:
1) Mysty spotted walking by the school building (next to my street) one afternoon
2) Mysty seen with a big, black cat on the corner of our street. They walk off towards the school together
3) Cat that fits Mysty's description found lying by side of main road about 1/2 a mile from my house. When my husband goes to investigate, cat's body is no longer there.
4) Neighborhood child claims he saw Mysty walking in front of some houses on a busy, main road 1/3 of a mile away
5) Man living 1 mile away responding to "Lost Pet Flier" informs us that a gray tabby is hanging out by his house at night and eating cat food his wife leaves out for strays. The gray tabby is really fast, he says. Man has older cats of his own, but no longer calls back to report seeing the cat.
6) Gray cat seen with black and white cat in neighborhood 2 1/2 miles away
I should also note that one of my neighbor's cats, a brown Siamese male, has been missing for a week. Several weeks ago I saw this Siamese cat walk across my backporch. He was wearing a collar and I.D.
I want to add one more bit of data that happened after a cat was found lying by the side of the road about 1/2 mile from my house. The owner of an Archery Club, located on that main road, calls in response to my "Lost Pet Flier" to say they have been feeding a stray; a scrawny, skinny, all black cat. They have not seen a gray cat, however. "Rest assured," the Archery Club owner jokingly responds, "if we see a gray cat in the woods, we won't shoot him."
All of these cat sightings, but I still have no clue as to what happened to Mysty. In addition, I live right next to a heavily wooded area. Is it possible that Mysty reverted back to his old feral kitten state and joined a feral colony in the woods?? Since Mysty really knew the area and was very street smart, it's difficult for me to believe that he may have been hit by a car. Any thoughts on this missing cat dilemma would really be appreciated!
1) Mysty spotted walking by the school building (next to my street) one afternoon
2) Mysty seen with a big, black cat on the corner of our street. They walk off towards the school together
3) Cat that fits Mysty's description found lying by side of main road about 1/2 a mile from my house. When my husband goes to investigate, cat's body is no longer there.
4) Neighborhood child claims he saw Mysty walking in front of some houses on a busy, main road 1/3 of a mile away
5) Man living 1 mile away responding to "Lost Pet Flier" informs us that a gray tabby is hanging out by his house at night and eating cat food his wife leaves out for strays. The gray tabby is really fast, he says. Man has older cats of his own, but no longer calls back to report seeing the cat.
6) Gray cat seen with black and white cat in neighborhood 2 1/2 miles away
I should also note that one of my neighbor's cats, a brown Siamese male, has been missing for a week. Several weeks ago I saw this Siamese cat walk across my backporch. He was wearing a collar and I.D.
I want to add one more bit of data that happened after a cat was found lying by the side of the road about 1/2 mile from my house. The owner of an Archery Club, located on that main road, calls in response to my "Lost Pet Flier" to say they have been feeding a stray; a scrawny, skinny, all black cat. They have not seen a gray cat, however. "Rest assured," the Archery Club owner jokingly responds, "if we see a gray cat in the woods, we won't shoot him."
All of these cat sightings, but I still have no clue as to what happened to Mysty. In addition, I live right next to a heavily wooded area. Is it possible that Mysty reverted back to his old feral kitten state and joined a feral colony in the woods?? Since Mysty really knew the area and was very street smart, it's difficult for me to believe that he may have been hit by a car. Any thoughts on this missing cat dilemma would really be appreciated!