Newly adopted cat lost inside our house

Elphaba09

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If you have an older house, there may be gaps or openings that you do not know about. When we first moved into our home, all of our cats found a spot in an upstairs closet with a small opening. (That opening led to a secret room.) They were under the floor. We found all but one of the cat. The one that was lost just happened to be our least vocal cat, Fennimore. I was a wreck for almost 37 hours! He finally made a noise that my son heard. He was behind the bedroom wall on the other side of the house. We cut a hole in the wall expecting to just find the space behind the lathe and paster; however, we found the second secret room and had to cut a hole big enough for my son to climb through. He did not see him at first because Fennimore had climbed back under the bedroom floor. Eventually, he was convinced to come out.

If you do not find any odd spaces, ask the rescue group or even the local fire department. They may be willing to help. (We found out that our neighbor is a volunteer firefighter and that they would have come by with some heat sensor to help us find Fennimore.)
 

LeiLana80

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We once had a cat discover a teeeny gap in the wall/ceiling around the furnace area and through there squeezed into our basement ceiling. That was not fun. Then we though we plugged the hole and he found another tiny opening and was back up there within hours.
It was day 2 of him being our pet and he didn't respond to any calls for food or petting or anything. We had to use catnip to lure him closer and then grab his front legs and physically drag him out and down.
Good luck. Look in all the "impossible" places.
 

Norachan

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Wockhardt

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W Wockhardt Try playing the recording in Post 8 of this thread as you walk through your house.

.I need a sound recording of mom cat "trumpeting" call for kittens

Most cats will respond to this.

Do you have any Pet Detectives in your area that use sniffer dogs? They're usually very good at locating cats that are hiding or have got stuck
The only pet detective in my area is for dogs, but I sent an email anyways! And I played that recording walking around and no response :(

Im currently missing yet another kitten of mine as well
I am with you in spirit, Wockhardt 🧡 hopefully your cat returns
Thank you! I hope yours returns quickly aswell!

If you have an older house, there may be gaps or openings that you do not know about. When we first moved into our home, all of our cats found a spot in an upstairs closet with a small opening. (That opening led to a secret room.) They were under the floor. We found all but one of the cat. The one that was lost just happened to be our least vocal cat, Fennimore. I was a wreck for almost 37 hours! He finally made a noise that my son heard. He was behind the bedroom wall on the other side of the house. We cut a hole in the wall expecting to just find the space behind the lathe and paster; however, we found the second secret room and had to cut a hole big enough for my son to climb through. He did not see him at first because Fennimore had climbed back under the bedroom floor. Eventually, he was convinced to come out.

If you do not find any odd spaces, ask the rescue group or even the local fire department. They may be willing to help. (We found out that our neighbor is a volunteer firefighter and that they would have come by with some heat sensor to help us find Fennimore.)
Hmm, I'll think about contacting the fire department, I'm not sure what they would say though!
 

cat nap

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(A previous cat we took care of, for some neighbours,..hid behind...and inside the bottom of the laundry machine.
Right by the pump.
Didn't even know a cat could crawl into that space.
Luckily we heard him move...when everything was quiet in the house.)

(I just played the recording that Norachan mentioned,.. the 'trumpeting call for kittens'..and my female cat came right away.)

Is there any way you can also go outside...and play that recording. Maybe she did get outside somehow...and is near your home.
 

Bird

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I’ve lived with my two cats in the same small house for years and I swear my cats can go into a secret interdimensional hidey hole and I can’t find them. Looked all over for my cat last week and finally found her curled up asleep inside a tote bag. Make sure you check inside all bags and boxes, on high shelves, on low shelves, under blankets. My cats love hiding inside closets. They can get on the highest closet shelf. I think it’s time to search outside too.
 

lollie

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You may also consider contacting whatever person or shelter you got her from. They could have some ideas or information, as in- oh, didn’t someone tell you? She’s a door dasher. They also would know the best way to go about putting out a kitty alert, in case she did get out.
 
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Wockhardt

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Wonderful news, everyone!

I spent 2 hours canvassing the neighborhood in the frigid nighttime, rented a FLIR camera, and I was honestly losing hope of seeing her again. I returned home and walked to my bedroom, and to get to my bedroom, you need to walk past the bathroom where we housed all of her amenities, and sitting in her litterbox staring at me was the cat (named Hermoine)! I have no idea where she could have been hiding for the past three days tomorrow; we're buying a GPS Collar, and do you guys think buying an extra tall gate would help at all?

I want to thank you all for the help. All of you truly helped to alleviate the anxiety I was feeling.
 

rubysmama

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Oh, I'm so happy to read that. :clap:

Now if only she could talk and tell you where she was hiding.

Just one thought about the GPS collar, I know it's so you can keep track of her, however, my concern is if she was hiding in a small spot, she might get the collar caught if she tried to go there again. Although if it's a breakaway one, it might be ok.
 

sivyaleah

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I'll try behind the dishwasher, thanks!


I meant to say she was last in her own cat bed, in her own private room. The door is left open, our house has no basement, we do have floor registers but is it really possible for her to get in them?
Yes. If the cover is loose, she could have pried it open further and slipped in. It's happened to others but I would think you'd notice a loose vent cover.
 

sivyaleah

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Wonderful news, everyone!

I spent 2 hours canvassing the neighborhood in the frigid nighttime, rented a FLIR camera, and I was honestly losing hope of seeing her again. I returned home and walked to my bedroom, and to get to my bedroom, you need to walk past the bathroom where we housed all of her amenities, and sitting in her litterbox staring at me was the cat (named Hermoine)! I have no idea where she could have been hiding for the past three days tomorrow; we're buying a GPS Collar, and do you guys think buying an extra tall gate would help at all?

I want to thank you all for the help. All of you truly helped to alleviate the anxiety I was feeling.
Oh wow! Yay! I had not seen this before I posted above.
What a relief. You may consider bringing her in for a vet check - cats really can't go without food for days on end as they are prone to fatty liver disease if that happens. I personally would want to be sure she doesn't need any medical attention after being gone that long!
 

tarasgirl06

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W Wockhardt Try playing the recording in Post 8 of this thread as you walk through your house.

.I need a sound recording of mom cat "trumpeting" call for kittens

Most cats will respond to this.

Do you have any Pet Detectives in your area that use sniffer dogs? They're usually very good at locating cats that are hiding or have got stuck
This is the BEST!!! And yes, "Sugoi, sugoi!"
We have a trapdoor in my roomies' closet that accesses the crawlspace. I made sure to explain this to them and insist that a barrier is in front of that door at all times. I also have 2 drawers below one of the closets in the master bedroom that open into a space where I think there's access to the crawlspace -- at least there's a draft there if I open the drawers out all the way -- so when I'm getting something out of there or putting it back, I close the drawer(s) immediately. No chance of a problem!
ConCATulations, W Wockhardt and Hermione! WOW. Yeah, Hermione seems to be a magical cat (not that every cat isn't...:chessirecat:) so maybe a GPS collar would be good, as long as it's a safety type!
 

fionasmom

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So happy she returned. That is exactly what the cat I described did...Alix. I was literally running up and down the street yelling for her and she was finally found on a dining room chair hiding under a tablecloth that hung low enough to conceal her.
 
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