Missing Cat Supermoon Search

[murphymomma]

I live downtown Santa Barbara, and on a very busy traffic corner, my 6 month old kitty jumped from the porch to the tree and disappeared on the fourth of october. he has a microchip and i miss him so much, a month later now and i don't even remember october because all i thought about was murphy. do you guys think cats are more active during a full moon? let alone an escaped indoor cat roaming downtown santa barbara? on the 14th there is supposed to be a super moon, biggest in 30+ years, what do you guys think?

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• murphymomma
• Nov 5, 2016

 

[Caspers Human]

Have you called your vet...the Humane Society...Animal Control...the Cat Sanctuary (if there is one in your town). ?

Drop off a good, clear picture at each place. Leave a donation at the cat sanctuary if you can afford it.

The first time we took Casper to the vet, we gave her a picture to be placed in his record folder just in case this sort of thing happens to Casper. He's got a microchip too but I still think a picture is better. People can recognize a cat by sight but it takes a scanner to read a microchip.

Definitely tell all your friends, family and neighbors. They would be your first line of recovery.
All of my neighbors know Casper. (Even though he is 100% indoor cat.) I tell people, if they see an all-white cat running around loose, just grab him then give me a phone call. I also tell them that I'll buy them a case of beer for helping to bring Casper home. (Root beer if they don't like regular beer. )

You could poster the neighborhood if it's not illegal.

A little humor....

Don't just make a poster tha says, "Lost Cat... Reward."
So many people ignore posters like that.
If you make a poster that says, "CATCH THIS CAT & WIN FREE BEER!!" I bet you would soon have an army of college students out searching behind every clump of bushes in the neighborhood!

It might be brighter at night during a full moon. That would help cats see better but that also means they can be seen more easily, too. But, no, the full moon doesn't have any special, magical powers that affect people or animals... not even a "supermoon." That's all just superstition.

I've seen cats go walkabout for weeks and even months so don't give up hope just yet.

We'll be praying for you, tonight!

Keep your chin up! Okay?

 

[murphymomma]

Thank you! I have done everything possible, flyers, posters, craigslist, tabby tracker, toto, lost my doggie, i payed a program to do an amber alert and fax flyers to local shelters and vets, i also volunteer at one of the local shelters. his litter box is outside as well as socks and tshirts and water, the crows keep eating the food but i replace it at night, as i walk and search on foot i have a gel medication that smells like syrup that murphy used to love so i'm marking the paths i walk back to my house. i also leave bits of chicken under street lights late night hoping a cab or taxi might see him chowing. i've made a sweatshirt with a picture and info on it and even wore two posters on me and face paint for halloween and walked around downtown for everyone to see, i get sightings but never see murphy and am afraid it's just other cats

 

[dandila]

Indoor cats who escape usually hide out very close to home.  Look underneath everything beginning at your house and three house lengths in all possible directions.  I bet Murphy is still close by.  Trail cameras are very useful placed in front of the feeding bowl.  Knock on neighbors doors and ask to search backyards if possible.  Although your neighborhood is urban I would think there are tons of good hiding places for a cat.  Don't give up.

 

[murphymomma]

the sad thing is i am my only neighbor on my block and i will keep re checking but i keep getting discouraged because i feel like my desperate self has looked in every possible place. i also know that yes he is an indoor cat but he would always sit in the window and on the porch rail during the busy times of day when greyhound busses drive by and partial semi delivery trucks came to the deli below me. he is used to a very noise environment and it has been a month so i'm not convinced he's hiding at this point

 

[Caspers Human]

Don't forget that he'll be a moving target that you'll not be likely to spot if you look in just one or a few places.

The cat moves... you move... etc., etc...

You've got to stay on the move and keep looking.

Even though you've already checked-in at the animal shelter and other places, you should also check back every week or so.  Most people won't remember if you stop in only once.  Be the squeaky wheel...  Right? 

If you're putting up posters, replace them with new ones every so often.  Make them different.

People get used to seeing the same-old-same-old.  You've got to keep the message fresh in people's minds.

Somebody else might have found him and taken him indoors, already.

He might be safe and sound inside somebody else's house but if they don't know that you're looking for him, how would they know to call you?

Keep those posters fresh!  The "free beer" thing was a bit of a joke but there is a grain of truth to it.  How many signs that say, "Lost cat / Reward" have you seen?  Do you even remember the last time you saw one?  But I bet if you saw a sign that said, "FREE BEER!" you would remember.  (If you don't want to say "free beer" you could probably say "free pizza" with the same effect.)

My point is not about beer or pizza.  My point is to give people something that they care about and will remember.  Many people won't remember a "lost cat" poster but they will remember a poster that says something that they want.

I don't want to sound like I'm being mean but let's be honest...  You're not going to get your cat back by sitting at home and worrying.  The bottom line is to keep trying...keep beating the bushes...keep making visits and phone calls...keep talking to neighbors and friends.  This is going to take shoe leather on pavement.

If Murphy is, indeed, still out there, you WILL find him and bring him home if you keep trying! 

 

[murphymomma]

i've hand tucked flyers in every neighbors door handle or crack or gait around me, posted 5 different rounds of flyers now And if any shelter or vet or animal control picks him up he will be scanned for the microchip right? Good idea about the uniqueness of wording i will spit on my next round!

 

[murphymomma]

do it* not spit

 

[Caspers Human]

As far as I know, all vets and shelters scan every animal that comes through the door.
Even the non-profit cat sanctuaries are supposed to do it.

An "El Cheapo" scanner only costs about $100 to $300.
The good ones that shelters use cost more but, still, there is no excuse for any place that handles animals on a regular basis not to have at least one microchip scanner.

 

[dandila]

All cats hide during the day and come out at night to explore.