New kitten can’t be found in house

[BigCoffinHunter]

Hello,
We adopted a 3 month old kitten last week. He has seemingly vanished. We haven’t seen him since Friday night, and have spent hours today searching. We have plenty of food, water and 2 litter boxes out. Our household is me and my husband, 26 year old son, and a 7 year old cat. We’ve been emptying drawers, boxes, checking the rafters and attic and all appliances, putting out tuna and milk, and my husband even brought the bird Netvue into the house. He’s never shown up on the camera yet. We keep doors closed when the room/closets have been 100% determined kitten-free. Any ideas? Do we just wait? It’s been over 48 hours now.

 

[silent meowlook]

Check underneath couches and chairs, they sometimes get stuck up in the underside. There is no way he could have got out? Was he very scared when you brought him home? Check the dryer. If you have a fireplace, check in the chimney. Use a bright light and look for eye shine. Check outside your house. Look for any pushed out screens. Check all windows for screen damage. Sometimes it is just a little corner pushed out that falls back into place. Check under the dishwasher. Check any area that could lead into a wall. Remember they can get through very tiny spaces.

 

[ArtNJ]

Ugh, seen a few posts on this over the years. He may be in the walls or behind the cabinets. Maybe inside a box spring, reclyner or couch, laundry machine or the garage. Sometimes they go behind/under appiances. Putting food out and being whisper quiet especially at night is the best bet. Hopefully the kitten comes out in the middle of the night and eats. Ideally, you want to figure out where the kitten is hiding and position the food accordingly.

Not going to lie, this is very problematic. It has usually had a good outcome . . . but not always. Fingers crossed

 

[BigCoffinHunter]

There is no way he could have got out? Was he very scared when you brought him home?

There’s no way out that we could find, but that’s a good idea to check around, I’ll do that in the morning. Yes, he was quite scared, but let us pet and hold him awhile and he didn’t struggle when picked up. It’s so weird. I have one room left to check but I’m hoping he appears by morning.

 

[BigCoffinHunter]

He may be in the walls or behind the cabinets. Maybe inside a box spring, reclyner or couch, laundry machine or the garage. Sometimes they go behind/under appliances.
Not going to lie, this is very problematic. It has usually had a good outcome . . . but not always. Fingers crossed

How do they get inside the walls?

 

[ArtNJ]

How do they get inside the walls?

Potentially from the cabinets. Check if any of them have access. We, for example, have one of those rotating shelving cabinets that I think may have access. Its super rare that a cat gets into the walls, but we seem to have one poster every year or two with this problem.

If you find him, set him up in a safe room for a while. A safe room is usually a bedroom, where the worst place to hide is under the bed (which isn't bad at all, although once in a while they claw their way into a box spring which is annoying). A safe way for them to get used to you and set their hiding spot to somewhere unobjectionable before letting them roam.

 

[Kflowers]

Our lower kitchen cabinets are about 3 inched above the floor. There is supposed to be a board connecting them to the floor. In one corner, the board did not meet the board from the other wall. There was a small opening, smaller than a fist. It was a big enough one for someone to get into the wall. Look for that type of opening. Lie on the floor and use a flashlight to see what kitty sees. Later, when he's found close the opening. We used duct tape because appearance doesn't matter.

 

[Robyn5678]

Cats can be sneaky and a kitten can hide in a myriad of places since they are so tiny. Check and see if they got up inside the bed or sofa. Mine used to get up under the love seat and down inside the arm

 

[cmshap]

I agree about the possibility of being inside furniture. My cat Willy used to climb inside the inner workings of a recliner all the time when he was young. (And on that note, don't operate any reclining mechanisms if you have any chairs or similar furniture until you find him.)

But whenever I see these threads, my first thought is that the cat somehow snuck outside. They can be extremely stealthy and slippery that way. Think outside the box, meaning if you think "there's no way he got outside," then you aren't going to consider looking outside.

 

[Margot Lane]

…though my cat wasn’t lost I am able to call him to me every single night by imitating a mama cat’s “come here, my kittens” call. Works like a charm, tho I don’t know if it works on a hiding cat. It’s worth a shot. it might comfort him to hear it at least. Many videos on momma calling kittens on YouTube.

 

[Robyn5678]

Also as a side note, if the kitty is scared all the rummaging and searching may make him even more scared. They can go a few days without food and water. Can you set a camera up aimed at the food water and litter to see if maybe you’re missing him come out at night?

 

[maggie101]

Once found, I have clickered trained my cat to come when called. As a last resort,cats do not like loud noise.

 

[maggie101]

…though my cat wasn’t lost I am able to call him to me every single night by imitating a mama cat’s “come here, my kittens” call. Works like a charm, tho I don’t know if it works on a hiding cat. It’s worth a shot. it might comfort him to hear it at least. Many videos on momma calling kittens on YouTube.

Videos of kittens meowingng has helped

 

[fionasmom]

There is also a possibility that if he is in the house he is moving around very stealthily, so has not sequestered himself in one place and just remained there.

 

[catman925]

- As others have said, look carefully and thoroughly for any hole or access to a dark place. At 3 months old, he's still small enough that you shouldn't discount anything. It's kind of like when you're looking for keys and you've already checked all the logical locations. Check all the illogical locations. Check inside pots in your cupboard, underneath dressers you don't think he can fit under, check inside every drawer and inside the dresser under the bottom drawer as well.

- Since you have another cat that I'm assuming is going to help eat any food you put out, isolate the older cat for now (put in a bedroom). This way you can determine for certain if the kitten is indoors if the food you put out is getting eaten. With the older cat around, it will be impossible to know if the kitten is eating the food or not.

- lf it was me, I'd make posters now and put them up in the neighborhood. Even though you'd swear he didn't get out, until you find him, everything is a possibility. Better to have the posters up now while you're scouring your house because if you wait till later, he'll be that much harder to find if he's outside.

If he is outside:
- He most likely won't go far with the possible exception if where you got him is relatively close (like within a few towns). Cats' noses are nearly as good as dogs and there have been cats that found their way home across state lines. My theory is they're using their noses to recognize smells along their journey to a new location.
- For the most part, though, he won't go far. Even since this is a brand new location. He'll get outside, realize he doesn't know where he is, find a hiding spot, and stay right near there. I helped find a neighbor's cat that disappeared the day they moved in. It was 46 days later and the cat hadn't even gone half a block away. It was practically in their back yard.

- Once you do catch him, like others said: limit him to a small room to start like a bathroom. This needs to last up to two weeks depending on how scared he is. He needs to get over the shock of a new house and all the new smells, especially since there's an established cat already there. Cats are OCD, they hate change. So for most cats, you need to provide a buffer using a small space they can feel safe in while they process that they're in a brand new location. Some cats don't need this, but most do. Visit him every day and slowly introduce him to coming out. Let him retreat back to the safe space on his own and be patient if he's scared. He'll get over the transition and will inevitably take over your house

Good luck!

 

[Kflowers]

Look very carefully through any piles of clothes, through all the sheets and blankets on the bed, lifting them off one at a time, behind things like books, dust pans.

Go into the basement and look up in the walls and in the attic and look down. Watch your other cat is he interested in any particular area in the house? If not, do you have a friend with a dog who likes to sniff out things? On a leash such a dog might well help. Don't be surprised if your cat starts focusing on a wall. If he does the new kitten could be behind that wall.

 

[Margot Lane]

Also look UP. Can any of your ceiling tiles be displaced? Any pipes or heating ducts? I have read more than 1 thread where the cat is hiding under the mattress springs or armchair.

 

[Robyn5678]

Any kitty sightings?

 

[cmshap]

How do they get inside the walls?

When I was a kid, we had a neighbor whose cat managed to get stuck inside a wall. There was a missing baseboard in one spot in a corner, beneath some cabinets. The cat climbed inside somehow.

They had to actually cut some drywall off in order to get the cat out. The cat was super friendly, BTW, and ended up safe. But it somehow got stuck and couldn't get back out on its own.

I don't remember specific details other than the above, but I remember hearing about this story when I was younger.

 

[BigCoffinHunter]

We have moved the cam to the basement this afternoon, having thoroughly searched the upstairs. There is a door shutting it off. I purchased kitten food (we had adult cat food out) and sardines/tuna, changed the litter and are hoping for a sign tonight.

I saw a lost cat on Facebook at the humane society but I’m not sure he’s the same. To me, the ears are placed differently. Might check it out when they open anyway, in case he did get outside.

I see no indication on the outside of the house such as a broken screen, but I like the idea of posting signs, so I’ll do that tonight too.