Should I Still Be Hoping My Missing Cat Will Come Home?

[killamoosdra]

The answer is yes.  You should always hope that your missing cat will come home.  I have a habit of adopting feral kittens.  About 20 years ago a feral kitten adopted me while I was dating someone.  I would visit the boyfriend at his parents' home and this kitten would meow at me asking for attention.  I would meow back and we would have long conversations.  Not sure how his parents would feel, I did not attempt to feed her.  After about 2 weeks of this, I spotted the boyfriend's Dad feeding "Jinxie" a can of tuna.  I approached her and she allowed me to stroke her fur and began purring quite loudly.  Soon she was crawling into my lap and drooling through the purrs.  About 6 months of this passed.  The boyfriend and I decided to share an apartment together.  Jinxie still living with the boyfriend's parents moved into their basement and had a litter of kittens.  The basement had outdoor access which Jinxie kept clear of critters supplementing her diet of kitty food.  We adopted 2 of the kittens.  About a year later, we broke up.  

I brought the kitties to my new apartment which was in a rural area.  Little and Mister were allowed access to the outdoors and soon learned to catch mice and grasshoppers, etc.  I began dating a man to whom I am currently married.  We moved to the city and brought the cats with us.  2 years passed and we adopted a dog (the photo in my avatar).  We installed a dog door which the cats immediately began using.  Mister decided one day to go out roaming.  13 days and 6 hours later (to the minute) he returned home smelling of perfume and not looking much different than when he left home.  During his absence I visited many neighbors, tears streaming down my face.  No one had seen him, all wished me the best in finding him.  To this day I do not know exactly where he went.  I only know someone took him inside and tried not to let him outside, but he was able to escape still wearing that perfume to tell his story for him.  Little and Mister lived together with us for many years.  They have since passed and I have adopted a new pair of littermates, Jackie and Jill.

Jackie and Jill were adopted from a litter of feral kittens found on my friend's land about a 4 hour drive from where we live.  For the first month I kept them safe in their own well-equipped room while I got them used to being around humans.  After that month passed I opened up a door to give them a larger area and someone to sleep in the room with them.  Jackie was the wilder of the two at first but she quickly changed her mind.  Another month passed and my Mom decided to move across the country and needed me to adopt her cat Princess.  Princess quickly adjusted to her new environment after staying with Jackie and Jill in their room for a month and I opened the door to the rest of the house for all to enjoy.  Jackie and Princess decided the dog was not very bothersome and Jill decided the dog was her new best friend.

Another 2 months went by and Jackie learned that there was a door to the outside that the dog was using that Jackie wanted to explore.  She went outside smelled the fresh air and came back inside.  Another month went by and Jackie was in and out as often as the dog.  On 9/6/2015 Jackie was in the front yard while my husband and I were getting in the car to go out for lunch.  Jackie thought she might want to come along.  I told her she couldn't come with us but we would be home soon.  That was the last time I saw Jackie.  I have interviewed the neighbors who said she was seen in the front yard belonging to the people who live directly behind our house eating from a food dish, but hasn't been seen there for a while.  I checked my fence in the backyard and noticed there were cat food dishes on the fence that I did not place there! 

I have knocked on their front door but they refuse to answer.  They seem to own a cat which is always in their front yard or mine.  I do not think they would have brought my cat into their house because of this.  I have hung posters throughout the neighborhood and check the local animal shelters daily.  Because of my previous experience with Mister, I retain hope that Jackie will return smelling of that same perfume.

 

[fati87]

Hi everybody,

I feel all of your pain. I too have a dearly loved cat missing. My orange 1 year old baby boy went missing 2 months ago to this day. He went out on Aug 27 2015 for his usual evening prowl too and never came back. His routine was to go out in the evening around 9pm, most often I would go with him and we'd have a nice walk. If I couldn't accompany him, I'd let him out by himself and he'd be back by bed time. Then around 4am he would wake me and I would let him out again. By the time we were leaving for work, he would be back home. He was never out for longer than 5 hours, but on that gosh darned night he never came back. I went around the building calling for him but did not find him. I did not get a wink of sleep that night and was up as soon as the sun came out and my husband and I went around the neighborhood looking for him. I was terrified that we would find him run over by a car... We didn't find him, neither alive nor dead.

Over the next few days I kept looking for him, posted flyers, registered him on helpinglostpets.com and with Animal Services and watched lists of found pets on the city's website. Over the course of these 2 months I got many calls from people about orange cats they saw but it was never the right orange cat. I cried every night looking at his pictures. I still do every once in a while. Up until 3 days ago, I kept his food and water bowls full and freshened them up every week or so. I didn't want him to come home when we were at work and not have any food or water. I also kept his cat tree and toys where they were. I was devastated and depressed. For 2 months my whole life revolved around my missing cat, I couldn't think about anything else, I was obsessed. I actually lost a few pounds. About a week ago I decided that even though I could not and would not give up hope, I needed to move on with my life. I had to stop waiting. It was extremely hard, but with tears in my eyes, I put his bowls away and put his tree and toys in the storage closet. It's easy enough to get them out if he comes home, but I can't keep staring at them. I just can't. I still keep his window cracked even though it's gotten cold now and I check lists of found pets every day.

Dzykki had outdoor access since we brought him home when he was 8 weeks old. At first, we'd be out there with him observing him as he discovered the world of smells and sounds outside. Then, as he got older and became more and more confident outside, chasing squirrels and bugs, we'd let him be outside by himself for short periods of time at first and then for longer. Dzykki wore a collar with an ID tag. We live in Toronto in an apartment complex with a large yard. It's a rather quiet neighborhood with a football field and parks nearby. We are on the ground floor, so I would keep my window cracked and Dzykki would squeeze back inside when he was done with his business outside. He is an incredibly smart and cautious cat - he hunted birds, climbed trees like a squirrel and stayed away from dogs and people he didn't know. On our evening walks he followed me around like a dog would. People always commented on that. Because of how much attention he got and how handsome he is, I do have a lingering suspicion that he may have been stolen and is kept inside by someone, although I can't imagine how they caught him - he was tough to catch even for us, his owners, when he did not want to be caught. Perhaps, he was lured by food. Another thought is that he is out mating. We hadn't neutered Dzykki because he was only 11 months old when he went missing. We wanted to wait till he was a fully grown cat to neuter him - a decision that I will always regret. I don't know how realistic it is that a cat that has never mated before would stay out for 2 months but I have read lots of crazy stories about cats (even indoor only cats) returning home after months and months of going missing. These stories still give me hope even though I know that these are exceptions and most cats do not come home. I keep hoping that Dzykki's street smarts and intelligence will keep him safe outdoors, or if he is kept by someone, he will eventually find a way to escape and come home to us.

Dzykki is like a kid to my husband and me. We don't just love him to death, we also respect him for his strong-willed independent nature. He is not a snuggle cat, he'll only let you pet him when he wants to. If he wants you to leave him alone, he'll give you a look that will make you feel like dirt. LOL

Below is my baby boy about a month before he went missing.

Dzydzy.JPG

• fati87
• Oct 27, 2015

 

[alisa brown]

He is adorable. I am sorry you are missing him it is an awful experience.

I am praying for you and for his safe return.

HUGS

 

[segelkatt]

I will never understand why people let their beloved cat outside, there are just too many dangers outside including mean people and those who steal cats for whatever reason. Toms should be altered before they have the urge to mate just like female cats, it keeps them from spraying, howling, fighting and wandering off. 

I hope your pretty boy will come home, but if not and you decide to get another cat, please consider to let your kitty be an indoor cat only.

 

[Norachan]

I'm sorry to hear your boy is missing @Fati87  If he hasn't been neutered he might have gone out to look for a mate. Are there any feral colonies in your area? Any farms that have a lot of unfixed cats? That would be a good place to look for him.

Male and female cats reach sexual maturity at six months or younger, so it's best to get your pets spayed or neutered before this.

Even indoor only cats go missing sometimes.  My cats used to be allowed out, but since I lost George we moved to a place where I was able to build a big, fenced-in enclosure for them.  Accidents happen and we can't always keep them as safe as we'd like to.

I hope Dzykki comes home soon.

 

[dysgenix]

I'm Sorry to hear about everyone on here that has a cat missing.  My cat Freddy has been missing for 5.5 weeks and I'm absolutely devastated.  He's indoor/outdoor and has always come back within a day for the last 7 years that I've had him.  I've done everything including flyering all over my hood, going door to door in a 5 block radius, brought flyers to vets/pet stores, checked shelters, craigslist, and even talked to 5 different animal communicators, yes 5!!!!   The good news is that all of them have been adamant that he is alive, and a majority have seen him having been taken in by an older couple.  They've all told me that Freddy would rather be home with me but that he got chased out of his territory and got lost/couldn't find his way back.  I continue my flyering campaign as vigorously as I can.  I live in a pretty urban/suburban area in Far Rockaway, NY which is on the outskirts of Queens.  I have gotten many calls but none have turned out to be my Fred.  There are so many feral cats in this area and many of them are black/white so while he has a distinct face most people don't notice details.  He's neutered but I know that he ventures off very far sometimes, I think he was neutered late.  He always sprayed in my backyard and got into many fights over the years protecting his property.  I know there's nothing anyone can do or say but i guess I'm just looking for some sympathy...I'll never give up looking for Freddy and hoping that somehow I can track him down.  To everyone else thats going through or been through an ordeal like this, just want to send you my love and sympathy cause I know how brutalizing it is.  Best of luck to everyone

                 Jeremy

 

[Margret]

I'm Sorry to hear about everyone on here that has a cat missing.  My cat Freddy has been missing for 5.5 weeks and I'm absolutely devastated.  He's indoor/outdoor and has always come back within a day for the last 7 years that I've had him.  I've done everything including flyering all over my hood, going door to door in a 5 block radius, brought flyers to vets/pet stores, checked shelters, craigslist, and even talked to 5 different animal communicators, yes 5!!!!   The good news is that all of them have been adamant that he is alive, and a majority have seen him having been taken in by an older couple.  They've all told me that Freddy would rather be home with me but that he got chased out of his territory and got lost/couldn't find his way back.  I continue my flyering campaign as vigorously as I can.  I live in a pretty urban/suburban area in Far Rockaway, NY which is on the outskirts of Queens.  I have gotten many calls but none have turned out to be my Fred.  There are so many feral cats in this area and many of them are black/white so while he has a distinct face most people don't notice details.  He's neutered but I know that he ventures off very far sometimes, I think he was neutered late.  He always sprayed in my backyard and got into many fights over the years protecting his property.  I know there's nothing anyone can do or say but i guess I'm just looking for some sympathy...I'll never give up looking for Freddy and hoping that somehow I can track him down.  To everyone else thats going through or been through an ordeal like this, just want to send you my love and sympathy cause I know how brutalizing it is.  Best of luck to everyone

                 Jeremy

Most grocery stores have bulletin boards. This is a place everyone goes to eventually. I believe it's the most likely spot for an older couple to see a poster and realize that Freddy has a human who loves and misses him. Try to get every grocery store within a, what, ten mile radius?, fifteen? however far you believe it's possible that Freddy could have gotten on his own, with a little extra to be safe.

Best of luck. We all hope you can find him.

Margret

 

[Norachan]

Most grocery stores have bulletin boards. This is a place everyone goes to eventually. I believe it's the most likely spot for an older couple to see a poster and realize that Freddy has a human who loves and misses him. Try to get every grocery store within a, what, ten mile radius?, fifteen? however far you believe it's possible that Freddy could have gotten on his own, with a little extra to be safe.

Best of luck. We all hope you can find him.

Margret

 Try Post Office notice boards too. Older people are more likely to check there.

Good luck, I really hope he comes home.

My little Sophie was gone for 6 weeks last year, but someone spotted one of my posters and called to let me know where she was.

Don't give up.

 

[segelkatt]

Most grocery stores have bulletin boards. This is a place everyone goes to eventually. I believe it's the most likely spot for an older couple to see a poster and realize that Freddy has a human who loves and misses him. Try to get every grocery store within a, what, ten mile radius?, fifteen? however far you believe it's possible that Freddy could have gotten on his own, with a little extra to be safe.

Best of luck. We all hope you can find him.

Margret

That sounds like a really good idea. Many years ago I put up a poster about a missing cat at a grocery store and within a week somebody called and said their daughter had brought home a cat that sounded like mine (this was way back in the 70s when nobody had computers and cell phones and microchips were unheard of), and sure enough it was my cat. He had been found hanging around the grocery store, one of those neighborhood stores, not a supermarket,  where the girl had picked him up, it was 4 blocks away and my cat had never before left the little yard with a high wooden fence around it. He had lost his collar with his name and phone number but it was obvious that he was not a stray as he was a white Persian and he was not dirty or matted and very friendly. The girl must have picked him up the same day he went missing and she did not want to give him back but the parents insisted that she did or she would be a thief once she saw the sign at the grocery store. Unfortunately these days too many parents would not make the girl give back the cat.

I do so hope that your furry baby will find his way home again.

 

[dysgenix]

Thanks everybody for the advice/encouragement... I have brought flyers to some grocery stores already but not to the post office. Thats a good idea and I will get on that ASAP.  Unfortunately there is a blizzard in NYC right now so I am snowed in for today.  I am hoping that Freddy has shelter whether or not he is actually with other people.  The communicators haven't all agreed that that is the case so I can't believe them 100 percent which is definitely stressful and nerve-wracking.  I'm praying for him and for everybody else on here missing a friend.  

 

[chirone]

Listen to your heart... I would not believe in Animal Communicators

 

[lunakitty15]

Hi,

It's been a while since you've been on, so idk if you will see this. I made an account to share with you my crazy coincidence (or fate-who knows). My cat Luna disappeared. She went out often, but wasn't a wanderer-she was always in the yard. She was only gone less than a week. I went online looking for stories of cats who returned after a while to muster up some hope when I came across your thread. As I was reading through the pages, she showed up!! Walked right in like she owned the place and meowed at her food bowl lol. I just wanted to say that I am very sorry your beloved George didn't come home, but wanted to tell you that after reading through all the pages, I think you've been a big inspiration and comfort to a lot of people, and the amazing work you've done to rescue cats all while you poured your heart into searching for him is amazing. I hope you find peace knowing that whatever happened to George, so much good came out of it, too.

 

[Norachan]

Hi @lunakitty15  ,

Thank you for your nice comment. Yes, I'm still here. Finding TCS was one of the good things that came about from losing George. I still think about him every day and half expect to see him again some time. I hope I have been able to comfort a few people who've had cats go missing.

I'm really glad that Luna found her way home. It's so scary when they take off like that, isn't it? I hope she's had enough wandering and stays where she is safe from now on.

 

[zeezapeeza]

Norachan-

I came across this thread when I googled " lost cat one month." I spent hours reading about your George and the others. I have 'wasted the day' but I needed to regain hope. You really helped me do that! I wished that when I skipped to the end of the thread you would have found your George, and I'm really sorry you have not (yet).

I have three cats, two adult females from shelters and my newest addition, Roxy, I got at ten weeks old from an employee's sister, whose cat had kittens. Well, Roxy is all kitten and she is ten months old now. She had access to the outdoors and sometimes stayed out all night with my other cat. On May 31, I opened the door in the morning, and the one adult came in, but no Roxy. Bad feeling, but had had to get to work, kids to school, etc.

Skip to today. False leads, posters, emails to my subdivision, long walks at night. We are in a semi rural area and in my subdivision the homes are on 4 acre parcels. Most everyone has sheds, horse trailers barns, etc. A highway is close by. Quite a number if culvert pipes are around here also. I wish I could say that I have searched every nook and cranny, but it seems so impossible. And what if she moves to a different place... Three major thunderstorms since. I did not heard the coyotes around the time she dissapeared, but I have heard them since in their packs, yipping, not real close, but close enough. Those are the worst nights.

She is so young that I wonder about her cat skills. She is such a beautiful cat, creamy white with black Siamese markings and sky blue eyes, that I fear someone would just keep her. She is fixed and chipped. Very affectionate. She is very curious and I also fear she is wandering. I too have taken to running more so I can look for her and distract myself. I have read many tips about how to find a lost cat, and how not to. Well, I was doing it wrong. I really thought she would come if she heard my voice. Now I feel so lost because I feel like I have wasted time and have no idea where to even put a trap or camera. And we are going on 5 weeks.

Its so funny that one of the prior posts on this thread mentioned a premonition. I had that the day before she vanished. It was as clear as can be. But I failed to close the doors that my kids leave open, and I should have called her in before I went to bed. Cant help beat myself up over it. Now my thoughts on what happened to her run the spectrum like everyone else on this thread, and it is hard to calm my mind to see if I can sense anything. I stare at her picture multiple times a day and pray. I did get a few great vibes recently that she was making her way back. I really hope it wasn't my emotional mind generating these vibes.

Anyway, I just wanted to tell my story and thank you so much for keeping people's hopes alive, especially mine. I try not to talk to others about Roxy being gone for so long, since most are certain of the death of my cat by coyotes, and give me the kind, pity look (crazy cat lady wont come to terms about simple laws of nature). In my research, I came across a pet detective's site that stated it was rare for cats to be killed by coyotes. Cats smell them and stay away, and it is very unlikely that one could sneak up on a cat. This is what I choose to believe

Since it has been so long, I feel like I have no plan of action at this point. It is so frustrating. I love that I can remember her on my tummy purring so contently and staring at me with her slow blinks the night before she disappeared. Our souls were connected at that moment. Why do these little critters have such a hold on our hearts? Not knowing is so hard. I feel so powerless to not be able to help a 6 lb kitty.

Thanks for listening. Hope you and your family of cats (and George) are well!

 

[Norachan]

Hi @ZeezaPeeza  I'm sorry to hear that Roxy has been gone for so long. I don't think you should give up hope yet. A blue eyed cat with her markings will stand out, people will pay attention to a cat like that.

Are you still putting up Lost Cat posters? If someone has taken her in and they keep seeing your posters they'll realise how badly you are missing her. I've found it helps to offer a reward too. You don't have to say how much, just put something like Reward for any information leading to the recovery of ~~.

I have a blue eyed cat called Sophie that sounds a lot like Roxy. All my cats have access to a fenced-in enclosure, but Sophie has managed to get out twice. The first time was in October and she was gone for six weeks. I'd almost given up on her, but a farmer caught sight of her near his barn and because she is pale coloured with blue eyes he remembered her. When he saw one of my posters he called to let me know where she was and I was able to bring her home. The second time she got out was in February. We get very cold winters here, it gets down to -20C at night and we have loads of snow. This time Sophie was gone for a month, but she managed to find a nice lady who leaves food out for stray cats and slept under her deck until the lady could get close enough to read my number from Sophie's collar.

Cats are amazingly resilient, but if they wander further than they usually do or if something happens to scare or disorient them they can't always find their way home. Just keep looking for Roxy and trust in her ability to take care of herself.

She's going to be near a food source, so you could ask your neighbors if you can check around their barns. Cows and horses need feed and wherever there is feed there are mice, right? I bet Roxy has found her self a nice dry barn with plenty of mice in and she's just not in any hurry to come home.

Hugs. 

 I know how awful this feeling is.

 

[zeezapeeza]

Yes, Norachan, I think you are right. She must be near a food source by now. I did put up posters, but I will put up more this weekend. Maybe send out another email to my neighbors. They are a great group of people and some really went all out when I sent the first alert that she went missing. There were so many sightings in the first two days! Unfortunately it was mostly another neighbors cat and a white feral tom cat. This caused me to go in the wrong direction at first, and not really look closer to home.

On a positive note, I wound up humanely trapping the feral tom. He looks alot like my girl, just lighter markings. He appeared the night Roxy went missing and may have played a role in her becoming displaced. He was not fixed and was very mean. Turns out he was probably very much in pain. I visit him at the shelter regularly. They fixed him and then realized he was drinking and urinating quite a bit. Stage 2 renal failure They are not sure why in such a young cat (2-3yrs old). But they hope with a special diet he may have a good couple of years of happy kitty life. I feel honored to have helped him out. The folks at the shelter are saying they can now handle him and he is not acting so feral. He must be feeling better!

Anyway, thank you for your reply. It really helped me not feel so alone in this search. It got me out of bed this morning at 5am to go on another walk to look, when all I wanted to do is stay in bed and feel hopeless. I went and checked on a culvert that I had been meaning to check out. But no Roxy. I might just borrow the trap again from the shelter this weekend and try that. Not sure where to place it though, especially with no sightings in almost 6 weeks now. Do you think this is a good idea? Maybe I will place it near the area I caught the tom.

Thanks again!!

 

[daezae]

I don't have much in the way of advice but just adding my voice of support. I hope he returns to you. He's a gorgeous boy. It sounds like you're keeping the faith alive which is so helpful in these situations. Definitely keep with the updates. I'm hoping for a happy end.

 

[bellab]

Hello. Does anyone still post on this thread? I came across it and this website..you probably know why My heart goes to all of you. I've been reading this with tears in my eyes and down my face. I really do hope and pray all of your kitties are safe and healthy and come home. I see how supportive everyone is to each other on here and so helpful. I was wondering if there is anyone still here that maybe I can vent to and explain what happened-my situation. Maybe if i can talk to others that can relate or something it will/can help me. Maybe even tell me something i don't know or something i didn't realize. Please? Thank you.

 

[segelkatt]

We are still here. My cat did not come home and it has been years, I have moved several times and all I can hope is that he found a good home elsewhere.

 

[bellab]

Aw. That makes me sad. I'm sorry. I've read every single comment/reply on this post. I know it's old. But since I'm late I have to scroll through again sometimes. I saw that a few months ago you were giving advice and said what happened to your one cat. I hope your cat found a good home too. How long ago was it? I'm not sure if anyone wants to or can give me advice or not just advice but maybe after explaining my situation and my kitty can give me an opinion from an outsider. Only people that I talk to about it is 3 family members. And maybe 2 neighbors. It happened recently. I'm not even sure if I post it here or start a new post but I figured I was already reading this so I just signed up.