Stray Cat Runs Off

[MoonstoneWolf]

Cat's name is Tourmaline. He first showed up April 21, 2020 but had to stay outside due to mother's allergies. So he took up with feral cats (namely Treasure and Sopdet). A year later we found him sick. Called friend to take him to animal emergency. He had 1% chance of survival but gave him that chance. Fast forward 3 1/2 months. He was meeting friend's other two cats. For the most part he got along. Out of the blue yesterday Tourmaline went after Friend's cat. Friend's brother got involved, pulling Tourmaline off the cat and got bit and scratched, rushed to ER. Friend's mother mad. Told friend to get rid of dangerous cat. So I said I would take him back but sadly he has to be outdoor cat again. We have no doubt that he can survive outside IF he stays in this area. So Tourmaline got his vaccinations this morning and brought here at 12:30 pm. Friend hung around for 25 minutes talking and Tourmaline settled down like he remembered the place. Friend left. Tourmaline stayed laying there seemingly content for 20 minutes. My mother called me inside as she needed help so I go inside. While I'm inside for the 4 to 5 minutes, Tourmaline takes off. All we see is him running up the driveway and going under the cars parked in our driveway across the street. Yes he used to go over there all the time when he lived here but my question is, is 3 1/2 months long enough time for Tourmaline to follow friend or find her instead of staying here? I am very worried, very heart sick over this situation. The people across the street won't be home til 3am as work 3 jobs. I'm so scared I will never see him again and no one in my stupid area answers me. Please, can someone help me.

 

[fionasmom]

Help! My Cat Is Lost! – TheCatSite Articles
How to Find a Lost Cat

Get out as soon as you can and start looking. From your description, if I am understanding correctly, Tourmaline had been with your friend for a few months so if he was bonded to her he might have gone after her. Get your friend involved since Tourmaline might respond to her and start searching immediate area, then expand, use Nextdoor if you have that app, make fliers.

I don't know how friendly Tourmaline is, but if he is a typical cat, AC will have trouble getting him as his instinct will be to run and they aren't going to mount a pursuit for a cat, more than likely.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

My friend is not answering her phone. She's mad at me for taking him back. And she lives 15 miles away. OMG this is horrible

 

[fionasmom]

I don't see how he covered 15 miles in that time, if I am doing the adjustment for your time to PDT. Start looking for him. Yes, I do think that there is a chance he remembers his old home and might be exploring.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Ok. Sorry. She drove him here in the car and dropped him off at my house. While he was with her he was inside the entire time getting well. Across the street he used to visit the chickens. Never bothered them. Just visited. The reason for this post is because of hearing about relocating cats and how they try to find their previous home. So would he consider my pace his previous home or her place even though he has never been outside while with her.

 

[fionasmom]

But he lived outdoors at your place at one time?

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Yes he did. Sorry I edited my comment with more clarification

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

If he’s exploring that’s fine. He survived a year even in -20° windchill. I just don’t want horror story of him trying to find her and getting killed come true. So do you think he ran after her or not? From the clarification of the comments here. I have to tell the vet something.

 

[fionasmom]

I don't know for sure but even if he started out after her, and she left in her car, I don't see him following in hot pursuit. I still wonder if he is getting reacquainted with his old home territory and is in some corner or another while everyone is worried about him.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

I don't know for sure but even if he started out after her, and she left in her car, I don't see him following in hot pursuit. I still wonder if he is getting reacquainted with his old home territory and is in some corner or another while everyone is worried about him.

But he hasn’t ate all day. He's not across the street. He went after her then. I'll never see him again I'm crying

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

He's gone forever

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

He's back and getting reaquanted with Treasure and Sopdet. Yowling and all but nothing serious. Plus he probably smells like the vet from getting vaccinated yesterday. How long does it take for cats to get reaquanted? Also none of them are eating. Is that typical for this kind of situation?

Ugh I'm going to start getting huge bills for calling and asking the vet these questions.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

 

[CatladyJan]

Tourmaline should be in quarantine for at least 10 days since he bit someone, I'm surprised your vet didn't tell you that.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Actually he was quaranteend for a month after biting Sanya and nothing happened. I'm sorry I didn't mention that.

 

[vince]

A day's worth of missed meals won't kill them. They're just having non-recognition aggression issues because one smells of the vet. It generally passes in a day or so. My cats always are upset when that happens. The worst was when my girl kitty went in for spaying. It took three days for things to settle down after that. As long as they don't all show up for food at the same time, they probably will eat soon.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Well my friend or I guess ex friend is refusing to even talk to me. Something about me stealing her cat and how if she can’t have him I shouldn’t. I never threw those fits when she took him that morning and resigned myself to the fact that he would never come back to me. And I’m not the one who’s brother tried to break up a cat fight. That was a stupid thing to do yet I’m at fault and I was 15 miles away at the time it happened. I also didn’t tell her to get rid of him. Her mother did. Yet all of it is my fault for some reason.

 

[Norachan]

Ugh I'm going to start getting huge bills for calling and asking the vet these questions.

Vets won't charge you anything for calling and asking questions.

Yet all of it is my fault for some reason.

Now that the cats are all safe it might be better if you just focused on yourself and your mum. If your friend needs a break from you let her take one.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Now she's calling AC on me claiming I stole Tourmaline from her and in fact it was her mother that made her give Tourmaline back to me. She is no longer welcome in my life. So anyway needing to find someone to take him for his neuter. I have 8 days to find someone as I can't leave Mom alone. I'm not going to trust her to take him. So one dilemna escalates into another.

And before I get the lectures, yes I should have checked and had him neutered last year. I honestly though he was a neighbor's cat that they let out only to find out I was negligent on both those counts. And then he was too sick for the neuter operation. Ugh. And then you wonder why I say I'm a terrible caretaker. This kind of proves it as I've been doing this for 3 years now. Maybe I don't deserve any of the ones here now but they depend upon me so what can I do? Treasure and Sopdet will go to no one else and Tourmaline has been bounced around at least 4 times that I know of. Who knows what happened to him before he showed up at my doorstep.

Sopdet is gone and Tourmaline got jealous (in a cat way) because Treasure was marking me. There's a lot of conflict here and I'm crying. Tourmaline walked off with tail between legs. So yea I'm a horrible caretaker.

 

[MoonstoneWolf]

Sopdet ran off because of the Tourmaline situation and hasn't been seen since yesterday morning. Treasure is outside yowling as usual running around looking for her. Tourmaline is also running around frantically looking. I'm at wits end with all of this. I was thrown out of the house because of a cat fight in the backyard. Mom is PO'd. Says it's my fault for bringing the cats here and she no longer wants to see me. I guess that's that then.