My cat is still missing after 3 weeks

[catlady713]

My cat, Bodhi, has been missing for 3 weeks and I've done everything I can think of to find him. I've put up posters, searched my neighborhood, talked to neighbors, put food (like sardines) and water in my garage with a surveillance camera to see if he comes home, gone to my local shelter several times and even enlisted a pet detective to help me, but have had no luck. There have been several sightings of an outside cat that looks just like mine. I did manage to "kidnap" that cat and put a black collar on him so I can tell if a sighting is him or my missing cat. I just don't know what to do at this point. I'm starting to feel hopeless and worry that I will never see him again. What have others done to find their missing cats? What has worked? What hasn't worked? He's a very timid cat so I'm hoping that he's just hiding nearby and will come home soon. Ugh! This has been so stressful to go through. I feel helpless and could use some support or advise to help me get through this. Thank you.

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• catlady713
• Apr 2, 2017

 

[di and bob]

Is Bodhi neutered? If not he is most likely out roaming for a female and may be gone for weeks. Get him neutered to stop this kind of behavior and to stop the spraying that will follow. If he is, timid will work better actually, he won't go to strangers and possibly be harmed. He also is more likely to be hidden somewhere close by. I would GO to the local shelter too to look for him, they are very busy and may not know they have him. Put out an alert on those buy and sell programs on your local radio station, many people listen to them. Don't give up, check all nearby sheds and garages, he may have got locked up, go out very early and call softly for him, go further and further from home, he may have got chased off, I'll pray for his safe return, please keep us posted!

 

[SeventhHeaven]

Hi    Best time to search is between dusk and dawn my escapees normally surrender themselves by dusk or early morning

It's extremely stressful so sorry you haven't found him yet but don't give up. You can also send pics to vets many will have a data

base set up for lost found pets. *just incase* Add a Reward to all signs and notices that gives people incentive to return especially

when it's a lovely cat.. It sounds like you have covered all options.  Hope you find each other soon 

 

 

[catlady713]

Thank you, Di and Bob. Yes, Bodhi is neutered. I have started to walk further from my house to see if he got displaced and is lost. I've had no sightings of him but have had several of a cat that looks almost identical to him. That cat is the neighbor's outside cat that roams a block away from my home. I did manage to put a black collar on it and made sure the owners were okay with this, so I can determine if a sighting is of my missing cat or the orange doppelganger. It's been so difficult not knowing where he's at but I pray that he comes home soon. Thanks for all of your advise. I appreciate it so much.

 

[catsknowme]

  I am adding my prayers to yours. Bodhi is ADORABLE!

   I love that face and you can see in his eyes how much he adores you! I know only too well the agony of having them go missing.  Right now, my SiameseX kitten, Sherpa, is missing since last Tuesday afternoon.

          Definitely alert the children in your area - kids see alot more than they often get credit for. You might be able to join MyNeighborhood.com's local group. They have all kinds of community message boards including for missing pets and also a place to post if your child has gone wandering off. Another possibility is a buy,sell or trade FB board in your community. It sounds like you are doing the best you can....like I said earlier, the waiting and not knowing is terrible. Minutes feel like hours, your arms feel so empty......

         Come home soon, Bodhi!

 

[AVANS687]

I'm so sorry to hear about your missing cat. I know exactly how you feel as my cat has been missing for more than 2 weeks and I'm doing exactly what you are. It's very stressful and worrisome. I been searching endlessly. I pray both of our cats return safely. I also read something like putting their litter box outside because they have a keen sense of smell. My cat is un-neutered and sprayed a cardboard box, so I put it outside. Still no luck on my end. When your cat comes back you may want to get a gps locator for him. I have another male and I can't imagine if he went missing too so I actually bought the whistle for dogs and put it on his collar. There's a monthly fee involved but it's worth knowing where your cat is! Let's stay positive and they will return to us soon. Good luck and keep me posted on any other helpful tips you may come across.

 

[Necole]

My cat, Bodhi, has been missing for 3 weeks and I've done everything I can think of to find him. I've put up posters, searched my neighborhood, talked to neighbors, put food (like sardines) and water in my garage with a surveillance camera to see if he comes home, gone to my local shelter several times and even enlisted a pet detective to help me, but have had no luck. There have been several sightings of an outside cat that looks just like mine. I did manage to "kidnap" that cat and put a black collar on him so I can tell if a sighting is him or my missing cat. I just don't know what to do at this point. I'm starting to feel hopeless and worry that I will never see him again. What have others done to find their missing cats? What has worked? What hasn't worked? He's a very timid cat so I'm hoping that he's just hiding nearby and will come home soon. Ugh! This has been so stressful to go through. I feel helpless and could use some support or advise to help me get through this. Thank you.

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• catlady713
• Apr 2, 2017

Recently my 12 yesr old cat Precious went missing. It will l be 3 weeks this comimg Wednesday. She disappeared on the 12th. I know exactly what you are going through. This is the hardest thing i have had to deal with. Shes all i think about. I have done everything possible to find her. Shes an indoor cat. This is a recent picture of of her. I just don't understand. Want her back so bad my heart is broken . I hope you find your cat as well. If i get her back i plan on getting a GPS collar. I got her as a kitten and shes now 12 years old

 

[catsknowme]

Necole - Welcome to TCS! Unfortunately, many of us have missing kitties and you are so right - the "not knowing" is excruciating. It pays to remain hopeful but that is easier said than done. I am sending prayers and vibes that we all get the answers that we seek very soon.

 

[Necole]

Necole - Welcome to TCS! Unfortunately, many of us have missing kitties and you are so right - the "not knowing" is excruciating. It pays to remain hopeful but that is easier said than done. I am sending prayers and vibes that we all get the answers that we seek very soon.

U are in my thoughts as well. I csnt sleep i raised Precious as a kitten 3 weeks 80 ounces... shes 12 now. My heart aches. I dont understand at all.

 

[fionasmom]

Beautiful little girl.....

 

[Babypaws]

My thoughts and prayers are with you. I know how heartbroken you feel. I hope you’re able to find her. I have indoor cats and a few times I couldn’t find them “in” the house. I was going crazy thinking they accidentally got out of the house.
thank God I found them hiding….Prayers for you and Precious

 

[Bubblesmom2014]

My kitty is almost 7 and went missing 14 days ago because my grandson let her out by leaving the door open. I had no idea what had happened until bedtime when I couldn't find Bubbles. I searched everywhere! I know my kitty hasn't gone far because I have seen her at least 3 times since she got out. I have 11 cameras set up along with 9 live traps with canned food inside them. I do not know where she is hiding at the moment but it's not far from my house. I know the heartbreak of not knowing because I had no idea if she was still close by or not for about a week,
So far we have caught 3 stray cats, one opossum, and 7 raccoons! Everything except my cat bubbles. She will walk right past all the traps we have set up for her.

 

[Jcatbird]

Oh my! I just went through this too so my heart is with you all! Here are some things I did and let me say that I have had cats go missing for far longer than I thought possible but DID find them so don’t give up!
Cats don’t usually go far according to studies. They are masters at hiding, especially if something scared them. Don’t forget to look up! Tree branches, garage, shed or rooftops are good places to escape things on the ground. Cats are great climbers! Look under everything! Under outdoor buildings, furniture, tree limbs etc.. Look inside any place that could get closed like a neighbors garage. Once shut inside, they may hide out in a dark corner and only venture out when the whole world is quiet. Look in ditch culverts , openings beside dryer vents and any, seemingly too small ,space where a cat could squeeze in. Look at the times when the world of humans is quieter. Dawn, dusk or even mid morning after school buses are gone or the wee hours of the morning when nothing else is stirring. Use a flashlight to reflect on the eyes of the cat. That can expose them when the rest of them is hidden in the dark. Go around calling for them at ALL hours. The cat I just relocated was lost for two months but turned up at 11:30 in the morning. She was terrified and hid under a building even after I called her. It took tempting food, things that carried her familiar scent as well as mine and that of another of the cats here along with time and patience but she finally returned home. I used cat treats to help bring her in by shaking the package so she heard the familiar noise. Also, I never stopped looking or calling to her, even very late at night just so she could hear me, wherever she was. I set up a couple of tarps near my house to give her shelter if she was needing to hide close to home and I put feeding stations there for her as well as a feeding spot near two outbuildings. As it turned out, she first showed up at two of those feeding stations. I had been sitting , unmoving, watching for her just before the sun set and spotted movement. I wasn’t positive but thought it was her. The final sighting was at a second feeding spot. She was just really scared at being outside but very happy to come back when she knew it was safe. It took patience and time but I knew she must be out there. Just keep trying and don’t give up. I had also put up flyers and so had the local shelter and the vets offices. I put one at the local post office and at my driveway as well as talking to all the neighbors. You never know which effort will be the one that helps but one of my neighbors seemed to have seen her and that helped to keep my spirits up. I just kept trying. It’s not the first time I have hunted for a lost cat but I hope it is the last time I will ever need to do that. I hope all the lost ones here are really just sitting near and waiting for you to bring the cat treats after they have finished chasing butterflies.

 

[Bubblesmom2014]

Oh my! I just went through this too so my heart is with you all! Here are some things I did and let me say that I have had cats go missing for far longer than I thought possible but DID find them so don’t give up!
Cats don’t usually go far according to studies. They are masters at hiding, especially if something scared them. Don’t forget to look up! Tree branches, garage, shed or rooftops are good places to escape things on the ground. Cats are great climbers! Look under everything! Under outdoor buildings, furniture, tree limbs etc.. Look inside any place that could get closed like a neighbors garage. Once shut inside, they may hide out in a dark corner and only venture out when the whole world is quiet. Look in ditch culverts , openings beside dryer vents and any, seemingly too small ,space where a cat could squeeze in. Look at the times when the world of humans is quieter. Dawn, dusk or even mid morning after school buses are gone or the wee hours of the morning when nothing else is stirring. Use a flashlight to reflect on the eyes of the cat. That can expose them when the rest of them is hidden in the dark. Go around calling for them at ALL hours. The cat I just relocated was lost for two months but turned up at 11:30 in the morning. She was terrified and hid under a building even after I called her. It took tempting food, things that carried her familiar scent as well as mine and that of another of the cats here along with time and patience but she finally returned home. I used cat treats to help bring her in by shaking the package so she heard the familiar noise. Also, I never stopped looking or calling to her, even very late at night just so she could hear me, wherever she was. I set up a couple of tarps near my house to give her shelter if she was needing to hide close to home and I put feeding stations there for her as well as a feeding spot near two outbuildings. As it turned out, she first showed up at two of those feeding stations. I had been sitting , unmoving, watching for her just before the sun set and spotted movement. I wasn’t positive but thought it was her. The final sighting was at a second feeding spot. She was just really scared at being outside but very happy to come back when she knew it was safe. It took patience and time but I knew she must be out there. Just keep trying and don’t give up. I had also put up flyers and so had the local shelter and the vets offices. I put one at the local post office and at my driveway as well as talking to all the neighbors. You never know which effort will be the one that helps but one of my neighbors seemed to have seen her and that helped to keep my spirits up. I just kept trying. It’s not the first time I have hunted for a lost cat but I hope it is the last time I will ever need to do that. I hope all the lost ones here are really just sitting near and waiting for you to bring the cat treats after they have finished chasing butterflies.

This is not the first cat I have had go missing. I had one cat escape from our house one time and she was picked up by the neighbor kids. They were terrible to her. When she finally came back home they had shaved her fur, cut her wiskers who knows what else. She went missing for a couple of months. When the family that had her moved away she managed to get away from them and come back in the house from one of her many escape routes. I have 11 camera's and two double door live traps, and 7 regular live traps with food and water set on my property to catch Bubbles. So far we have caught 7 raccons, 3 stray cats, and one opossum. I'm sure combined with the weather and other kritters running around she is hiding pretty well. I have been going out every so often shaking her treat box calling her name to see if she will meow. So far I have not heard her meow but we have seen her on several cameras in the past few nights. So that gives me hope that she is trying to find her way back home or looking for her food. The one double door trap had been triggered the one night so she wasn't able to go in for food. That was very heartbreaking for me.

 

[Babypaws]

People including kids can be so cruel….it broke my heart reading the posts about the missing kitties.I hope and pray they are found by their owners and are in good health.
You have to be an animal lover to feel the hurt. I have a feral cat I had brought inside (on porch) last October. It took 4 months in order to be able to pet her. I have a vet appointment in a few weeks to get her checked and get her shots before I introduce her to my indoor cats. Even now I worry every time
someone goes in or out the door because I’m afraid she’ll get outside.
Prayers to all of you for a quick return.