- Joined
- Feb 4, 2023
- Messages
- 16
- Purraise
- 27
I just want to share the story of my cat Sky who is missing.
I live in the middle of Africa and adopted this cat at 12 weeks old, and named him Sky. He was already an indoor/outdoor kitten when I adopted him (the first time I went to adopt him they actually couldn’t find him outside so I had to come back the next day). I adopted him and his brother, his brother Toph being the runt of the litter.
I kept them locked in my house for two weeks so they would become familiar with it, and then allowed them access outside again. At first they would stay very close to my house. I would be sure to bring them in every night. As they began to age and grow, they would not want to come in when I called and would run from me when I tried to bring them in at night. After a few months I allowed them to stay out because due to the structure of my house, I couldn’t contain them if I tried once they were old enough to climb/jump high. They would hang right around my house- if I turned on the light in the middle of the night they would both come indoors. Our morning routine would be me turning on the light and they would both jump down from the wall (which doesn’t reach to the ceiling) onto my bed. I would have a window open at night so they could do this (and honestly there are enough gaps between my walls and roof they could probably find a way regardless, as my roof is thatched). He was born into this environment and I did not bring him from a town or anything, I just adopted a village kitten.
At eight months old, I had them both neutered. They never wandered off far. Only one morning Sky didn’t come in. I went out and called him and shook his food dish, and eventually he came running over, after several minutes. Maybe this was the first day he thought about wandering off.
When they were ten months old, I was given another kitten by a neighbor. They were going to toss it into the bush if I didn’t take it. I agreed to take it temporarily until I could find it a new home. Sky instantly accepted the kitten and would lay with it and groom it. Toph hissed at it at first, but soon accepted it as well.
After a week of having the kitten, one morning I turned on the light and only Toph jumped into bed. I wasn’t too worried right away and went outside to call Sky and shake the food dish as I had done on one occasion in the past. He didn’t come. After a couple more hours I began walking and calling further from my house, shaking the food dish every so often. Toph seemed to know I was looking for Sky and every time I called Sky’s name, Toph would cry. He followed right behind me like a dog as I searched for Sky, but there wasn’t a trace of him.
So now, it has been 11 days and Sky has still not come back. Toph cries for him every morning still, but luckily has been getting a lot of comfort from the kitten, who I am keeping at least until Sky returns as a companion for Toph. I am still hoping he is alive out there and will choose to come back one day.
And now, just my speculation on what could have happened.
Where I live, there aren’t any roads so the chances of him being hit by a car are almost nonexistent.
The only predator around are foxes that occasionally wander by before being chased off, but my neighbors guard dog stays out at night and I feel he would have made a ruckus if a fox was anywhere close. He is known for hunting foxes and has killed several before. It’s possible Sky wandered off too far away for the dog to hear the fox I suppose, but by this point he was a very large cat. My house is also surrounded by trees, giving him lots of escape routes, but it’s still a possibility.
Another possibility could have been a snake, although I have never seen one near me due to people killing them off. I like to think he would have came home if he was bitten, but also a possibility.
I also wonder if there is any chance he was stolen. Near where I live, people do not keep cats as pets as much as they do in America. Most people have windows without screens that they open at some point, so I feel it would be difficult for them to keep my cat locked up if they chose to steal him. But I did have people ask if they could have one of my cats in the past, so also a possibility somebody scooped him up. He had on a collar and my neighbors all know I am looking for him, but I can’t completely rule it out. If he was picked up it was knowingly.
And lastly… he could have just chosen to wander off. Although I have never seen them, I know there are a number of “bush cats” that live near me, which are just feral cats. The father of Sky and Toph was a bush cat. The man who kept their mother told me all of his males eventually leave, but I thought getting my boys neutered would have prevented this. So maybe he has found some of the bush cats and is living with them. I wonder if he has left because of the kitten, although he seemed to like the kitten before he disappeared. Maybe he still felt run off. I don’t know.
I still hope every day he will reappear, but it’s hard to remain hopeful as the time lengthens. I miss him so much. It is strange when they are missing and you don’t know when to mourn for them or if they will just come back one day. It’s a weird in between state. Some nearby kids combed all of the area around my house for any sign of him, his hair, his collar, or anything but no luck. I still have his litter box and my old dirty shirt outside for him, and I have been calling him still sporadically, but due to the environment I’m not sure if there’s much else I can do. My neighbors are aware he is missing. He isn’t microchipped but the closest vet who could read a microchip is about 6-8 hours away from me anyways so that really wouldn’t help. I don’t know I’m just feeling sad and it’s hard to bond with the kitten while Sky is gone, but I don’t want to find it a new home while it is a companion for my Toph.
I live in the middle of Africa and adopted this cat at 12 weeks old, and named him Sky. He was already an indoor/outdoor kitten when I adopted him (the first time I went to adopt him they actually couldn’t find him outside so I had to come back the next day). I adopted him and his brother, his brother Toph being the runt of the litter.
I kept them locked in my house for two weeks so they would become familiar with it, and then allowed them access outside again. At first they would stay very close to my house. I would be sure to bring them in every night. As they began to age and grow, they would not want to come in when I called and would run from me when I tried to bring them in at night. After a few months I allowed them to stay out because due to the structure of my house, I couldn’t contain them if I tried once they were old enough to climb/jump high. They would hang right around my house- if I turned on the light in the middle of the night they would both come indoors. Our morning routine would be me turning on the light and they would both jump down from the wall (which doesn’t reach to the ceiling) onto my bed. I would have a window open at night so they could do this (and honestly there are enough gaps between my walls and roof they could probably find a way regardless, as my roof is thatched). He was born into this environment and I did not bring him from a town or anything, I just adopted a village kitten.
At eight months old, I had them both neutered. They never wandered off far. Only one morning Sky didn’t come in. I went out and called him and shook his food dish, and eventually he came running over, after several minutes. Maybe this was the first day he thought about wandering off.
When they were ten months old, I was given another kitten by a neighbor. They were going to toss it into the bush if I didn’t take it. I agreed to take it temporarily until I could find it a new home. Sky instantly accepted the kitten and would lay with it and groom it. Toph hissed at it at first, but soon accepted it as well.
After a week of having the kitten, one morning I turned on the light and only Toph jumped into bed. I wasn’t too worried right away and went outside to call Sky and shake the food dish as I had done on one occasion in the past. He didn’t come. After a couple more hours I began walking and calling further from my house, shaking the food dish every so often. Toph seemed to know I was looking for Sky and every time I called Sky’s name, Toph would cry. He followed right behind me like a dog as I searched for Sky, but there wasn’t a trace of him.
So now, it has been 11 days and Sky has still not come back. Toph cries for him every morning still, but luckily has been getting a lot of comfort from the kitten, who I am keeping at least until Sky returns as a companion for Toph. I am still hoping he is alive out there and will choose to come back one day.
And now, just my speculation on what could have happened.
Where I live, there aren’t any roads so the chances of him being hit by a car are almost nonexistent.
The only predator around are foxes that occasionally wander by before being chased off, but my neighbors guard dog stays out at night and I feel he would have made a ruckus if a fox was anywhere close. He is known for hunting foxes and has killed several before. It’s possible Sky wandered off too far away for the dog to hear the fox I suppose, but by this point he was a very large cat. My house is also surrounded by trees, giving him lots of escape routes, but it’s still a possibility.
Another possibility could have been a snake, although I have never seen one near me due to people killing them off. I like to think he would have came home if he was bitten, but also a possibility.
I also wonder if there is any chance he was stolen. Near where I live, people do not keep cats as pets as much as they do in America. Most people have windows without screens that they open at some point, so I feel it would be difficult for them to keep my cat locked up if they chose to steal him. But I did have people ask if they could have one of my cats in the past, so also a possibility somebody scooped him up. He had on a collar and my neighbors all know I am looking for him, but I can’t completely rule it out. If he was picked up it was knowingly.
And lastly… he could have just chosen to wander off. Although I have never seen them, I know there are a number of “bush cats” that live near me, which are just feral cats. The father of Sky and Toph was a bush cat. The man who kept their mother told me all of his males eventually leave, but I thought getting my boys neutered would have prevented this. So maybe he has found some of the bush cats and is living with them. I wonder if he has left because of the kitten, although he seemed to like the kitten before he disappeared. Maybe he still felt run off. I don’t know.
I still hope every day he will reappear, but it’s hard to remain hopeful as the time lengthens. I miss him so much. It is strange when they are missing and you don’t know when to mourn for them or if they will just come back one day. It’s a weird in between state. Some nearby kids combed all of the area around my house for any sign of him, his hair, his collar, or anything but no luck. I still have his litter box and my old dirty shirt outside for him, and I have been calling him still sporadically, but due to the environment I’m not sure if there’s much else I can do. My neighbors are aware he is missing. He isn’t microchipped but the closest vet who could read a microchip is about 6-8 hours away from me anyways so that really wouldn’t help. I don’t know I’m just feeling sad and it’s hard to bond with the kitten while Sky is gone, but I don’t want to find it a new home while it is a companion for my Toph.