Mother cat and kitten missing for 2 weeks

Dheeksha

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I got covid19 and hospitalized 3 weeks ago. 2 weeks back when I was not in home my 4 month old kitten jumped out of window and ran away. Mother cat was shouting. My mother immediately released the mother cat also so that she will bring the kitten back. Kitten and mother cat didn't come back after that. I was discharged from hospital yesterday and came to know what happened. I searched the neighbourhood. Nobody has seen them. Actually they aren't bothered. I'm losing my mind. They are totally indoor cats. But mother cat was a stray until she was 3 months old. Will my babies come back? Are there any chances they are alive?
 
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di and bob

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There is a big chance they are still alive. They are most likely scared and hiding nearby. Contact the local shelter and show them a picture and have them watch out. Or makeup posters. Keep calling them every few days, they are extremely busy this time of the year and may overlook them. Your mother needs teaching on how to properly look after cats, have her help look too. There is a chance they may be coming into heat and will come closer when they are mated. Look for tom cats gathering around. Cats as young as 4-5 months can come into heat. Follow any sounds of the birds screaming, I have found a lot of cats that way, they have much better eyes than us. Put out food. Cats, especially cared cats are most active at night. walk around after dark, calling softly and shining a flashlight to pick up any eyeshine. I am so sorry, I hope you find your little ones soon.....
 

fionasmom

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Dheeksha Dheeksha you have been through so much. I remember your other posts about your cats. Now COVID on top of everything else. I am glad that you recovered and were able to come back home safely and I hope in good and restored health. When the pandemic peaked in India I wondered about you and other TCS members.

Keep looking as your strength allows. My cousin in FL found her cat 2 weeks after a major hurricane destroyed her house completely, with the cat inside. She was hiding in beach grass too afraid to even move.
 

jefferd18

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I am so sorry that you were sick and now have to deal with this.

Can you put food out and around your house? Can you place some traps in your yard? Are there people in your neighborhood who feed their cats outside or a cat rescuer who may have trapped them? Cat people like ourselves are the ones to look at first. Even if they don't have your cat they might give helpful tips or leads on how to find her and the little one. Plus, they usually become a sympathetic lookout.

I don't mean to slam you with so many questions, just trying to give you different areas to explore.
This is the start of kitten season so try to stay in contact with the shelters. Also, please make sure to take care of yourself.

Female cats usually don't travel far, so the chances are good that she may very well be closer than you think.
 
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Dheeksha

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Dheeksha Dheeksha you have been through so much. I remember your other posts about your cats. Now COVID on top of everything else. I am glad that you recovered and were able to come back home safely and I hope in good and restored health. When the pandemic peaked in India I wondered about you and other TCS members.

Keep looking as your strength allows. My cousin in FL found her cat 2 weeks after a major hurricane destroyed her house completely, with the cat inside. She was hiding in beach grass too afraid to even move.
Thank you for thinking about me. I will definitely search for them... But I feel so emotionally drained and I still have breathing problem.
Now I'm preparing the posters. I'll put some reward. So that people feel little bit serious about it ( I hope).
I don't know whether Pinky (mother cat) find her kitten or not. Don't know whether they are still together or not. How could they get any food? India is on lockdown now.
 
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Dheeksha

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There is a big chance they are still alive. They are most likely scared and hiding nearby. Contact the local shelter and show them a picture and have them watch out. Or makeup posters. Keep calling them every few days, they are extremely busy this time of the year and may overlook them. Your mother needs teaching on how to properly look after cats, have her help look too. There is a chance they may be coming into heat and will come closer when they are mated. Look for tom cats gathering around. Cats as young as 4-5 months can come into heat. Follow any sounds of the birds screaming, I have found a lot of cats that way, they have much better eyes than us. Put out food. Cats, especially cared cats are most active at night. walk around after dark, calling softly and shining a flashlight to pick up any eyeshine. I am so sorry, I hope you find your little ones soon.....
I wish your words are true and they are alive. My country is in lockdown now. How could they get any food?
Yes, I'm making the posters. If the mother cat go into heat and become pregnant.. will she leave the kitten so soon?
My mother is an aged woman. It is difficult for her to look after these many cats on her own. On the other hand i had a little complication in the hospital. She was very scared and at one point of time she thought I was going to die. So I cannot expect anything from her. She cannot catch the kitten. Her only option was to release the mother cat. When they didn't come she panicked. She cried and called everyone. They told me. This is all too much for her.
 
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Dheeksha

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I am so sorry that you were sick and now have to deal with this.

Can you put food out and around your house? Can you place some traps in your yard? Are there people in your neighborhood who feed their cats outside or a cat rescuer who may have trapped them? Cat people like ourselves are the ones to look at first. Even if they don't have your cat they might give helpful tips or leads on how to find her and the little one. Plus, they usually become a sympathetic lookout.

I don't mean to slam you with so many questions, just trying to give you different areas to explore.
This is the start of kitten season so try to stay in contact with the shelters. Also, please make sure to take care of yourself.

Female cats usually don't travel far, so the chances are good that she may very well be closer than you think.
I kept some food outside but there are so many cats and dogs at my place. They are all eating it. There are no cat people here. But some people leave food for animals.
I searched some houses. People are not caring at all.
They don't wander far away no? And also if they are nearby why can't they come on their own? My head is spinning. Mother cat can bring the kitten to home no? If they got scared and hiding somewhere.. how could they search for any food?
 
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jefferd18

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I kept some food outside but there are so many cats and dogs at my place. They are all eating it. There are no cat people here. But some people leave food for animals.
I searched some houses. People are not caring at all.
They don't wander far away no? And also if they are nearby why can't they come on their own? My head is spinning. Mother cat can bring the kitten to home no? If they got scared and hiding somewhere.. how could they search for any food?

I don't know how long you had the mother but she is most likely very scared. Keep close watch over the houses/apartments that leave food out for animals.

Females tend to stick around, it is the males who wander for a mile or more in search of females. And she and the kitten will stay close together for awhile, its all they know. Check out any sheds or abandon property. Putting out flyers and posters helps with keeping mom cat and the baby in the minds of neighbors. Staying in contact with shelters is something that needs to be done every few days. Can you put out a trap?- maybe place a blanket with their scent inside.
 
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Dheeksha

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Cats eat mice and rats, which live wherever humans live, so they can usually find something to eat. So don't worry about that part. I think the mama cat, because she was homeless before, just assumed she was thrown out of the house for good and decided to take care of herself (and her kitten, I'm sure).

Try sitting outside at dusk and look at all the cats who come by, put some posters up in different neighborhoods, put a piece of their bedding outside where they can smell it. Anything you can do to have more people looking and try to convince the mama cat that she should come home.
 

fionasmom

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Take care of yourself while you look for the cats. You are no doubt weak and tired, along with stressed and worried. There were some logical suggestions posted here and I think that you need to believe that these cats could survive and that they may be close by. No one blames your mom. She thought she was going to lose you and it would have been hard to think clearly about the cats all the while being so worried about you.
 
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Dheeksha

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I don't know how long you had the mother but she is most likely very scared. Keep close watch over the houses/apartments that leave food out for animals.

Females tend to stick around, it is the males who wander for a mile or more in search of females. And she and the kitten will stay close together for awhile, its all they know. Check out any sheds or abandon property. Putting out flyers and posters helps with keeping mom cat and the baby in the minds of neighbors. Staying in contact with shelters is something that needs to be done every few days. Can you put out a trap?- maybe place a blanket with their scent inside.
Take care of yourself while you look for the cats. You are no doubt weak and tired, along with stressed and worried. There were some logical suggestions posted here and I think that you need to believe that these cats could survive and that they may be close by. No one blames your mom. She thought she was going to lose you and it would have been hard to think clearly about the cats all the while being so worried about you.
Cats eat mice and rats, which live wherever humans live, so they can usually find something to eat. So don't worry about that part. I think the mama cat, because she was homeless before, just assumed she was thrown out of the house for good and decided to take care of herself (and her kitten, I'm sure).

Try sitting outside at dusk and look at all the cats who come by, put some posters up in different neighborhoods, put a piece of their bedding outside where they can smell it. Anything you can do to have more people looking and try to convince the mama cat that she should come home.
I'm trying very hard for them but I didn't find them. Everyone is saying they didn't see that coloured cats. How come is it possible? How did they vanish just like that. Everyone says male cats wander far away. But when my male cats escape they wander near my house. Here a complete indoor female cat and kitten went somewhere that nobody has seen them.
I gave posters to all the houses in my street and in my neighbouring street. Some are saying a dog might have attacked them because 20 days is too long and they won't survive. I can't even hear such words. How should I bear this pain. I love Pinky and lucky so much. Just to give a dewormer to them I contacted 5 vets for their opinion. I'm that mad about them. I just can't beleive something terrible happened to them. I want them. I want them to be safe.
 

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I'm trying very hard for them but I didn't find them. Everyone is saying they didn't see that coloured cats. How come is it possible? How did they vanish just like that. Everyone says male cats wander far away. But when my male cats escape they wander near my house. Here a complete indoor female cat and kitten went somewhere that nobody has seen them.
I gave posters to all the houses in my street and in my neighbouring street. Some are saying a dog might have attacked them because 20 days is too long and they won't survive. I can't even hear such words. How should I bear this pain. I love Pinky and lucky so much. Just to give a dewormer to them I contacted 5 vets for their opinion. I'm that mad about them. I just can't beleive something terrible happened to them. I want them. I want them to be safe.
"..a dog might have them....." Oh, that's a cheery person, I would stay away from that one.
I believe most cats can and do get away from dogs every day. They are much more nimble, flexible, and faster than any dog. They can get into tight spaces that not even the smallest dog can squeeze through. Plus they can climb trees. And what are the odds that the dog got BOTH of them?
People are busy with their lives and if a cat doesn't want to be seen than they are not seen-almost like they are invisible. Keep up the good work, two weeks is not that long at all. She is getting food from somewhere, somebody is putting it out or she is going to a nearby dumpster. Check the parking-lots of stores at night.
 

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I do agree that cats are very quick and also very adept at blending into the background. Check as much as your health will allow and don't give up. Given the conditions right now that are facing India I don't think that people are really even paying attention to whether or not a cat is around. The remark about the dogs is mean and did not need to be said.
 

fionasmom

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The consensus from most lost animal groups and even an experiment that Home Again microchipping did showed that how far a cat might go depended on personality. However, only the most outgoing and curious cats ever went far away. Indoor cats, cats who were more reserved or shy, frightened cats, cats who were not by nature curious usually stayed quite close to their area. The distance varied depending on the study but it ranged from about 300 feet to about 17 houses in a traditional neighborhood setting. Almost entirely, these cats hid in complete silence as their instinct to avoid predators immediately kicked in. Dogs are different. Even a pet dog who takes off running can average 35 miles a day depending on breed. Your cats are definitely in the area. If they are frightened enough, they might be moving around which means that while you are looking at spot A they have moved to spot B and so the search continues.
 

jefferd18

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Female cats are more homebodies than
fionasmom fionasmom jefferd18 jefferd18 W Willowy
di and bob di and bob
Can you say how far do indoor only cats can travel in 20 days? It'll be very helpful to me in searching them.
All the calculations have it as less than a mile, with females being more of a homebody than an intact male cat. If she is really really trying to get away from a place then she can travel up to ten miles a day.
I think she is close by.
 
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Dheeksha

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fionasmom fionasmom jefferd18 jefferd18 W Willowy di and bob di and bob
Lucky is now 5 months old. When they were in the house Pinky used to give her milk. She is a very caring mother. But now it is difficult for her to find food for herself. Will Pinky still take care of lucky? It's been nearly 20 days since they have been lost. As days pass by I'm very afraid that Pinky might leave Lucky and the little kitten has to look after for herself. They both were very pampered. They don't know anything 😣. I want them to be safe and stay together no matter what. I have to find them very soon. There are hundreds of apartments & houses in a 300 mts radius. It is becoming extremely difficult. And on top of that people are acting insane due to the current situation in India. God save me and my babies. I'm doing what I can do and leaving rest to the god.
 
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fionasmom fionasmom jefferd18 jefferd18 W Willowy di and bob di and bob
Lucky is now 5 months old. When they were in the house Pinky used to give her milk. She is a very caring mother. But now it is difficult for her to find food for herself. Will Pinky still take care of lucky? It's been nearly 20 days since they have been lost. As days pass by I'm very afraid that Pinky might leave Lucky and the little kitten has to look after for herself. They both were very pampered. They don't know anything 😣. I want them to be safe and stay together no matter what. I have to find them very soon. There are hundreds of apartments & houses in a 300 mts radius. It is becoming extremely difficult. And on top of that people are acting insane due to the current situation in India. God save me and my babies. I'm doing what I can do and leaving rest to the god.

Cats who know one another tend to stay together, especially if these two had been close when they lived with you. Safety is in numbers and their scent is familiar and therefore comforting to one another. If Pinky was nursing Lucky just before they got out of your house then chances are she still is nursing her.
Cats don't always get their meals from hunting. That is why I suggested checking out nearby dumpsters and finding out if somebody in your area is putting out food, even if its for a stray dog. Cats have been known to eat dog food. Have you put out any traps yet? How about putting out a blanket or towel that they may have laid on.


Start out slowly, with the houses that are the closest. Take it one house at a time. Always ask them to please keep an eye out and make sure they have your phone number. Make up a flier, get some copies made and then put them in the doors of those who are not at home. I don't know if there are shelters where you live, but if there are, please keep in constant contact with them.
 
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