How likely is it that a cat will return home after 3 months? My beloved George went out for his regular evening prowl on April the 3rd and I haven't seen him since.
George's mother was a feral cat that I have been feeding since she was a kitten. She had her first litter (she has since been spayed) but didn't take very good care of them. By the time I found the kittens George was the only one still alive and he was so weak that he couldn't walk. I brought him into the house, half expecting him to die overnight, and fed him. He was such a tough little guy and started eating straight away. I took him to the vet, got him treated for worms and other stomach problems and he was soon eating huge amounts of food. Two years later he's grown to a sturdy 6 kilos.
He's always had outdoor access, I live in the country so there isn't much around here except for fields and woods, and he regularly stays out overnight or sometimes for as long as 24 hours. He's neutered, so I don't think he goes looking for females or starting fights with other tom cats. When he comes home after his nights out he never seems that hungry, which makes me think he is hunting and eating what he catches. However, he's never been gone for so long before.
I've done everything I can think of to find him. Searched the whole area, including empty barns he may have got into, called all the vets and animal rescue centres, registered him as missing at the town hall and animal control centre, put posters up all over town. (I replace these with new posters and a different picture of him every month, the latest poster offers a reward for any information.) I've also spoken to two different animal psychics, who weren't a lot of help, and George's picture is broadcast daily on the lost pet spot on our local TV channel.
I'm trying to stay hopeful. I know he knows this area well and seems to be able to hunt. He'd occasionally bring me home little "gifts" of mice and frogs. There are no predators in this area big enough to take a full grown cat and people keep their dogs chained up or indoors. I call animal control regularly to ask if any cats have been turned in or found dead on the roads, they keep records of this kind of thing and have promised to let me know about ANY cats they find, even the ones who look nothing like George. I have the feeling he is still alive out there somewhere, probably having a fine old time roaming around the woods. It's really heartbreaking not to have him at home. I've had a lot of cats but he really is a special one.
I know some people find their pets months or even years after they go missing but I think these cases must be the exception rather than the norm. How likely is it that I'll ever find George again?
George's mother was a feral cat that I have been feeding since she was a kitten. She had her first litter (she has since been spayed) but didn't take very good care of them. By the time I found the kittens George was the only one still alive and he was so weak that he couldn't walk. I brought him into the house, half expecting him to die overnight, and fed him. He was such a tough little guy and started eating straight away. I took him to the vet, got him treated for worms and other stomach problems and he was soon eating huge amounts of food. Two years later he's grown to a sturdy 6 kilos.
He's always had outdoor access, I live in the country so there isn't much around here except for fields and woods, and he regularly stays out overnight or sometimes for as long as 24 hours. He's neutered, so I don't think he goes looking for females or starting fights with other tom cats. When he comes home after his nights out he never seems that hungry, which makes me think he is hunting and eating what he catches. However, he's never been gone for so long before.
I've done everything I can think of to find him. Searched the whole area, including empty barns he may have got into, called all the vets and animal rescue centres, registered him as missing at the town hall and animal control centre, put posters up all over town. (I replace these with new posters and a different picture of him every month, the latest poster offers a reward for any information.) I've also spoken to two different animal psychics, who weren't a lot of help, and George's picture is broadcast daily on the lost pet spot on our local TV channel.
I'm trying to stay hopeful. I know he knows this area well and seems to be able to hunt. He'd occasionally bring me home little "gifts" of mice and frogs. There are no predators in this area big enough to take a full grown cat and people keep their dogs chained up or indoors. I call animal control regularly to ask if any cats have been turned in or found dead on the roads, they keep records of this kind of thing and have promised to let me know about ANY cats they find, even the ones who look nothing like George. I have the feeling he is still alive out there somewhere, probably having a fine old time roaming around the woods. It's really heartbreaking not to have him at home. I've had a lot of cats but he really is a special one.
I know some people find their pets months or even years after they go missing but I think these cases must be the exception rather than the norm. How likely is it that I'll ever find George again?