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

[stewball]

I'm glad you're keeping happy though. Actually you sound like you have a happy disposition.
I just said to blighty who is leaning against my leg washing where's whisky and then I saw his head just above the bed. We're having a late night. It's 3.10am. Oh well. I can get up when I want. Their plates are full all the time. They graze so they only wake me when they're play fighting on me. Nowhere else in the whole house but on top of mummy.

 

[Norachan]

 
Hi, just wanted to let you know that my cat returned today after being missing for just over 3 months. im more shocked because i live in a 3rd floor flat! He did go slightly mad when he returned early hours and smells like his been sleeping under cars but he is all well and good.
Im basically trying to say dont give up hope!! i will be keeping him in for a few weeks to get settled, i just hope he doesnt do a runner again

That's fantastic! Did he come home on his own or did you manage to find him? I guess it must be a bit of a shock for him to be back in a warm, cosy apartment after sleeping rough for so long. I hope he settles down soon.

If George ever comes home I'm getting him one of those collars with a tracking device on so as I know where he goes and what he gets up to. I think it will be worth it how ever much they cost, just for the peace of mind.

 

[Norachan]

It's amazing how their feet make so much noise. It sounds like a herd of ? racing along the plain.

Yes, you're right! They can be all silent and stealthy when they are creeping up on a bird or another cat, but if you try having a lie-in past their breakfast time they start stomping around and making the floorboards shake.

 

[feralvr]

Hi, just wanted to let you know that my cat returned today after being missing for just over 3 months. im more shocked because i live in a 3rd floor flat! He did go slightly mad when he returned early hours and smells like his been sleeping under cars but he is all well and good.

Im basically trying to say dont give up hope!! i will be keeping him in for a few weeks to get settled, i just hope he doesnt do a runner again

Ooooooooo LOVE LOVE happy endings like this. It certainly does come true, their homecoming after such a long time gone. So happy for you AND for you kitty.

If George ever comes home I'm getting him one of those collars with a tracking device on so as I know where he goes and what he gets up to. I think it will be worth it how ever much they cost, just for the peace of mind.

:lol3: on the tracking collar. Not a bad idea!! :bigwink: Still thinking about your beautiful boy and hope that one day he will surprise you and be the miracle you are longing for to come true. :cross: GEORGE

 

[stewball]

Yes, you're right! They can be all silent and stealthy when they are creeping up on a bird or another cat, but if you try having a lie-in past their breakfast time they start stomping around and making the floorboards shake.

:lol3:

They drove me mad today. Meowing, scratching and even banging on my bedroom door. I've never had cats that disturbed me when I'm asleep.

 

[stewball]

Please don't ever give up hope.

 

[roxie]

The tracking collar sounds like a good idea. I wouldn't mind having one for all seven of my cats!:high5: Especially when I'm trying to get them in for the night. Sometimes after I've been calling them for 30 minutes I'll find one of them around the corner, just a few feet away. They only hear you when they want to! Hope you're doing okay. Still sending prayers and lots of good vibes for you and George.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Norachan,

I think about you and George each and every day.  I hope that each morning I will wake to read of his return. 

Patches has been gone now for 7 1/2 months. Recently I have been feeling deep in my gut that something is wrong.  He is either sick or has passed.  I decided to try again to find him.  All my previous attempts have produced very little.  I knew he had been spotted not too far in late May, but had heard not much since.  We have a neighborhood online site that links us to several neighborhoods.  I decided to post there and see if anyone has seen him.  So far he has been spotted by a few and one of them even fed him for a time.  Yet he hasn't been spotted since there since April.  I was shocked to find where he was located.  It has much farther than I expected.  I had another inquiry today, but it turned out to be a different cat. 

I have another appointment with the animal communicator I use on Friday.  I hope to find out if he is alive.  I also would like to know his location.  I would love to find out who is taking care of him.  It just tugs at my heart each and every day.

On my deck where my ferals/strays hang out.  I have 3 plaques that all say "HOPE".  I purchased them last year when Patches disappeared for the first time.  I usually put them in storage once cold weather arrives.  Yet I cannot bring myself to take them down.  It feels like "hope" is all I have when it comes to Patches.

Please know you are in my thoughts daily.

 

[Norachan]

Thank you for your words of encouragement. I think that George and Patches must have gone missing on the same day. This Thursday, Halloween, makes it 7 months and 2 weeks since I last saw him. This time of year always brings me bad luck as well as bringing back sad memories.

The year that I found George I also took in a pregnant female cat who had two kittens. The male kitten, Zebedee, got on really well with George and they spent all their time playing together. On October 26th, just as he turned 6 months old, Zebedee was hit by a car and killed. George seemed to really miss his friend and I was really heartbroken about losing such a beautiful kitten.

Last year I took in another three stray kittens. The bigger male and female were quite wild at first but the smaller male, Kuro Chan, just wanted to be held and petted almost from the start. Then on October 26th, exactly one year after Zebedee was killed, Kuro Chan disappeared. I've no idea what happened to him, I looked all over and called City Hall to see if any cats had been killed on the road around that time but they had no records of any accidents.

This year one of the stray kittens that I have been feeding, Peanut, disappeared on October 26th as well. I had his mother, Tuppence, spayed about a month ago and he had started to follow her into the house to get food and allow himself to be petted and played with. I'm sure something terrible must have happened to him, there is no way such a tiny kitten could survive on his own. I've been apologising to Tuppence for not taking better care of her baby. I feel so sad that all her kittens died and she'll never have any more. It's crazy I know, getting her spayed was the best thing I could have done for her, but I still feel sorry about it.

I told myself a few months ago that if George wasn't home by the 26th I should accept the fact that I'm not going to see him again. But as you say, Hope is all I have and I can't stop myself from checking every time I see a cat just in case it's George.

So thank you Roxie, Stewball, Shadow'sRescue and everyone else for reminding me to keep hoping. In spite of everything I'm still not ready to give up on my boy yet.

 

[Norachan]

 
Patches has been gone now for 7 1/2 months. Recently I have been feeling deep in my gut that something is wrong.  He is either sick or has passed.  I decided to try again to find him.  All my previous attempts have produced very little.  I knew he had been spotted not too far in late May, but had heard not much since.  We have a neighborhood online site that links us to several neighborhoods.  I decided to post there and see if anyone has seen him.  So far he has been spotted by a few and one of them even fed him for a time.  Yet he hasn't been spotted since there since April.  I was shocked to find where he was located.  It has much farther than I expected.  I had another inquiry today, but it turned out to be a different cat. 

I have another appointment with the animal communicator I use on Friday.  I hope to find out if he is alive.  I also would like to know his location.  I would love to find out who is taking care of him.  It just tugs at my heart each and every day.

I hope your gut feeling isn't right. I think we probably expect the worse when our cats go missing, just as a way of preparing ourselves for bad news. Remember that Patches and George are probably able to take good care of themselves and must roam much further than we imagine. Sometimes when I'm out on my evening run I see cats that occasionally show up near my house to be fed as far as five miles away. Who knows how they find their way around or how they feed themselves when we're not feeding them, but they do.

I hope the animal communicator can help you find Patches, I know exactly how you must feel as time passes and he still doesn't come home.

There was snow on the top of Mount Fuji for the first time this year today. Maybe out boys will start heading home now it's getting colder.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Last evening I had 2 more people respond to my posting about Patches being lost.  Unfortunately their are close by neighbors and it's another neighborhood cat they are seeing.  I wake up every morning and hope that Patches was been here.  I have surveillance cameras on my deck and yard.  The cameras help me to keep track of the cats coming and goings as well as to watch for predators both wild and human.  There have been absolutely no sightings.  Patches has been gone since March 15, 2013.  My heart just breaks when I think about where he might be.  I knew when he was gone last summer and still un neutered, he was traveling many many miles.  He was spotted about 7 miles from me once.  I had hoped when he was neutered the wandering would stop.  The first winter he spent with me, he rarely left.  It was also a very very mild winter.  He would leave for an hour or so each day, but just stayed in his shelter with Shadow.  Last winter was a different story.  He would come a few times a week and sometimes just to eat. 

Let's just hope that the cold weather brings Patches and George home.

I will update tomorrow after my animal communicator session.

 

[Norachan]

Patches sounds like a very independent boy.  He's probably having a great time exploring new territory and has no idea how upsetting his long absence is for you.

Let me know how it goes with the animal communicator. I hope you get some good news. 

 

[roxie]

Norachan, I'm so sorry to hear of your recent losses and past ones. I know it really hurts. The number 21 seems to be my unlucky number. My dog Bonnie died September 21, 2006. My cat Zeus died October 21, 2006. Oreo, another cat, died September 21, 2012. I never liked October. Normally someone close to me, animals and humans, die in October. Plus it's depressing because winter is coming. You gave the kitties a home, food and love. That's more than they would have had if they had never met you. Don't blame yourself. You're doing an awesome thing taking care of all of them.

 

[shadowsrescue]

 
Patches sounds like a very independent boy.  He's probably having a great time exploring new territory and has no idea how upsetting his long absence is for you.

Let me know how it goes with the animal communicator. I hope you get some good news. 

Well, Patches is still alive, but he is not in good shape.  He is presently not being fed by anyone and hunts when he can or finds garbage. He is extremely skinny and not getting proper nourishment. He is no longer very close to me.  He has an injured front paw, that is preventing him from getting to me.  He said he would come for food, but doesn't want to stay and the journey is too far.  He says he is content with his life, but has turned very wild.  He wants to take care of himself.  He says that if winter is too unbearable he will find me.  He doesn't understand why I care so much.  He does not want to be an owned cat. 

He was very difficult to communicate with.  At first he didn't want to participate.  He didn't offer much and then abruptly left the conversation. 

I am so sad.  I doubt he will survive the winter.  My gut was right that things are not good with him.  I cannot change him.  I just don't understand why such a sweet and loving cat who loved attention, loved food, loved my other outdoor cat, loved coming inside my house, etc..  just up and left.  He was very upset with me about neutering him. 

I will continue to send him love and offer him food and shelter on his terms. 

Not a happy conversation.

 

[feralvr]

Not a happy conversation.

So very, very sorry on that communication. Yes, must be extremely hard to hear and to know that you can't get to him. I think he will find you if he needs you, hun. Still, it hurts deeply like no other. Patches

 

[feralvr]

Continuing those strong vibes for George to stay safe and come home to you someday. We all have to hang on to hope. :nod: Being hopeless is not an option!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Norachan]

Continuing those strong vibes for George to stay safe and come home to you someday. We all have to hang on to hope.

Being hopeless is not an option!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Well, Patches is still alive, but he is not in good shape.  He is presently not being fed by anyone and hunts when he can or finds garbage. He is extremely skinny and not getting proper nourishment. He is no longer very close to me.  He has an injured front paw, that is preventing him from getting to me.  He said he would come for food, but doesn't want to stay and the journey is too far.  He says he is content with his life, but has turned very wild.  He wants to take care of himself.  He says that if winter is too unbearable he will find me.  He doesn't understand why I care so much.  He does not want to be an owned cat. 

That's very sad. I was hoping to hear that he was on his way home. At least he knows where you are if he needs you.

I was talking to one of the volunteers from Tokyo Animal Rescue the other day. She said that one of the male cats she had neutered had suddenly started turning up to be fed again. She hadn't seen him for over a year but he has somehow made his way back to the feeding station. She said he has a lung infection, which maybe why he decided to head home after fending for himself for so long.

I hope Patches lets you help him once winter sets in.

Norachan, I'm so sorry to hear of your recent losses and past ones. I know it really hurts. The number 21 seems to be my unlucky number. My dog Bonnie died September 21, 2006. My cat Zeus died October 21, 2006. Oreo, another cat, died September 21, 2012. I never liked October. Normally someone close to me, animals and humans, die in October. Plus it's depressing because winter is coming.

 

[roxie]

That proves there's still hope for George to come back! That kitty was gone a year and made it back. I bet you're looking forward to having a place with a fence and garden space. I love putting a garden out. I didn't get to put one out this year because of my neck surgery. I'm definitely looking forward to putting one out this spring! When does it get cold there? Does it get really cold? Our weather has been strange. Yesterday it was in the upper 70's and today it was in the 50's. The cats are enjoying it though.

 

[asherdash]

You probably have tried this but I'll say it just in case. Have u tried looking at weird dark hours? Only if it's safe! I have gone walking around outdoors between 2:30am-4:30am looking for one of the "regular" strays around here and I saw many cats I'd never seen before

 

[Norachan]

That proves there's still hope for George to come back! That kitty was gone a year and made it back. I bet you're looking forward to having a place with a fence and garden space. I love putting a garden out. I didn't get to put one out this year because of my neck surgery. I'm definitely looking forward to putting one out this spring! When does it get cold there? Does it get really cold? Our weather has been strange. Yesterday it was in the upper 70's and today it was in the 50's. The cats are enjoying it though.

Yes, that's what I think too. It must be much harder to survive in a big city like Tokyo than in a rural area like this, so George has got a good chance of making it home again.

There is already snow on the mountains around here but it's not that cold yet. Last January and February it went down to minus 15C and we had two meters of snow in one night.