*URGENT! Lost feral kitten inside house!*

[turtbat]

Hello! I am looking for any advice or tips on how to locate a 6 week old feral kitten that my roommate brought home last night. There is an abandoned  litter of feral kittens at a local high school and she brought one home last night, bathed her, fed her, and groomed her. My roommate has plans to rescue the rest of the litter today and nurse them back to help before adopting them out. When we went to bed last night, we put the kitten in a small room with food, water, and a basket she was sleeping inside and closed the door.

However, when we woke up this morning the kitten was not in it's room, we have been looking everywhere without success. The door to the kittens' room was not open, but there is nowhere for her to hide. The other cats in the house are indoor cats so there is no way she has left our home. We have checked all appliances and the regular spots but have yet to find any sign of the missing kitten.

She has not mewled/meowed/made any kind of noise that we have been able to hear during her entire stay, so I worry if she is stuck or in trouble she wouldn't be able to call for help.

There are two 15 year old female cats in the house, one is mine and one is my roommates. Flo, my roommates cat wanders the house all night and seems completely unbothered by the loss of the kitten. My cat, Turtle, just moved in last week and stays confined to my room for a moment, but I wonder if it would be worth a try to let her out to search??

**Any tips or advice are welcome. The kitten ate and drank water last night, and has only been missing for 4 hours so far, so it is possible she's still alive. Please respond ASAP if you think of anything.**

 

[shadowsrescue]

Think like a cat.  Get on the floor.  Cats can squeeze into the smallest of spaces.  Look behind and under.  Check heating vents, inside bookcases, between wall and furniture. 

When I brought my feral/stray into the house I could not find him for hours in his safe room.  He had squeezed himself between a book case and the wall and was stuck.  Keep looking.

 

[angelinacat]

The kitten is terrified.  Leave him be and I bet he will show eventually.  When we moved into our new house, my Maltese tuxedo hid under the bed for 24 hours until he felt confident enough to come out.

 

[Kat0121]

 
Hello! I am looking for any advice or tips on how to locate a 6 week old feral kitten that my roommate brought home last night. There is an abandoned  litter of feral kittens at a local high school and she brought one home last night, bathed her, fed her, and groomed her. My roommate has plans to rescue the rest of the litter today and nurse them back to help before adopting them out. When we went to bed last night, we put the kitten in a small room with food, water, and a basket she was sleeping inside and closed the door.

However, when we woke up this morning the kitten was not in it's room, we have been looking everywhere without success. The door to the kittens' room was not open, but there is nowhere for her to hide. The other cats in the house are indoor cats so there is no way she has left our home. We have checked all appliances and the regular spots but have yet to find any sign of the missing kitten.

She has not mewled/meowed/made any kind of noise that we have been able to hear during her entire stay, so I worry if she is stuck or in trouble she wouldn't be able to call for help.

There are two 15 year old female cats in the house, one is mine and one is my roommates. Flo, my roommates cat wanders the house all night and seems completely unbothered by the loss of the kitten. My cat, Turtle, just moved in last week and stays confined to my room for a moment, but I wonder if it would be worth a try to let her out to search??

**Any tips or advice are welcome. The kitten ate and drank water last night, and has only been missing for 4 hours so far, so it is possible she's still alive. Please respond ASAP if you think of anything.**

Is there any furniture in the room? If so, kitty could be hiding in or behind it. My foster cat Henry liked to hide behind a big roll top desk in his safe room. Every time I thought I had it cat proofed he found a way to go hide behind it and he's 8 years old and 10 pounds. He's no kitten! I finally had to break down a bunch of cardboard boxes and pack them behind the desk. He can't get back there anymore. I would leave some food out that has a strong odor like sardines. Cats love them and that scent is really hard to miss. If you have access to a video camera that you can hook up in the room, you can catch kitty coming out of hiding to eat and use the litter box. You'll find the hiding place that way as well. Good luck. I hope kitty turns up soon!

 

[turtbat]

 
Is there any furniture in the room? If so, kitty could be hiding in or behind it. My foster cat Henry liked to hide behind a big roll top desk in his safe room. Every time I thought I had it cat proofed he found a way to go hide behind it and he's 8 years old and 10 pounds. He's no kitten! I finally had to break down a bunch of cardboard boxes and pack them behind the desk. He can't get back there anymore. I would leave some food out that has a strong odor like sardines. Cats love them and that scent is really hard to miss. If you have access to a video camera that you can hook up in the room, you can catch kitty coming out of hiding to eat and use the litter box. You'll find the hiding place that way as well. Good luck. I hope kitty turns up soon!

We've torn apart the entire house, moved all the furniture, haven't found it. Also, the adult cats don't seem to be curious or interested in looking for it which makes me fear it may be dead:/

 

[Kat0121]

 
We've torn apart the entire house, moved all the furniture, haven't found it. Also, the adult cats don't seem to be curious or interested in looking for it which makes me fear it may be dead:/

If the last place you saw the kitten was in that room and the door was closed, it stands to reason that he/she is still in there somewhere. Is there a closet maybe that kitty got into or any type of crawl space? they can fit into places that you would never imagine they could especially if they are that small. Do you know someone with a dog? I ask this because when I was first looking for Henry and couldn't find him, I brought my dog into the room and she sniffed him out in about 30 seconds. If you can borrow a dog for a little while, I'd bring him or her in the room on a leash and let them check the room out. I'd bet that if kitty is in there, the dog will zero in on that spot because of the cat's scent. If the dog sniffs out the cat and you find it, I'd take the dog out of the room at that point because it's presence could stress kitty out even more. A treat, pat on the head and a "good dog" and your detective is happy. 

If there is a crawl space or any other way that kitty could have gotten out of the room with the door closed and you think kitty is out loose in the house, your best bet is to be patient and very quiet. If kitty is scared and hiding somewhere, he/she will eventually need to eat/drink/use the box and will wait for a time when he/she thinks no one is there. Putting it's food in a humane trap is also a good way to get it back. I'm guessing that kitty is alive and is hiding on you because he/she is afraid of the new surroundings with all it's strange noises and smells. 

 

[turtbat]

Update: we are going to borrow a feral cat trap from the SPCA and see if we can catch her! Hopefully the house will be quiet enough for her to feel like she can look for food.

 

[detmut]

giphy.gif

• detmut
• May 20, 2015

 

[turtbat]

Just to let you all know, my roommate was able to locate the missing Kitty! She is doing well and we are back on track. Thanks for the comments

 

[Kat0121]

That's great! Where was she hiding?

 

[turtbat]

That's great! Where was she hiding?

She was stuck under a chest that we looked under several times, this leads me to believe she was moving about as we were searching for her. I'm just grateful she's okay!

 

[Kat0121]

She was stuck under a chest that we looked under several times, this leads me to believe she was moving about as we were searching for her. I'm just grateful she's okay!

I'm glad she's OK too. Can you block off underneath the chest with towels or cardboard or something so she can't get back under there again?

 

[shadowsrescue]

So glad she is safe and thank you for updating.  Make sure to completely cat proof the entire room.  I would make her area really small for now.  She is so tiny and you don't want her getting herself stuck somewhere and getting hurt.

 

[turtbat]

We have removed all of the furniture that isn't specifically for her, and put her in what is basically an oversized closet. I'm more worried about the alpha cat of the houses behavior towards the kitten now, because it's starting to seem like the kitten wants to hide from her. It's my roommates cat, Flo, who's 15 and has lived in the house for 8 years. She is being very predatory towards the feral kitten and it's really concerning.

I cannot believe how small this kitten is, she can stand on one of your hands just fine. Her mother abandoned the litter a week or so ago and she hasn't learned how to lick/clean herself yet, nor make any noises. Regardless, there are lots of people who are doing everything in their power to make her healthy and loved! I have high hopes for her.

 

[Kat0121]

 
We have removed all of the furniture that isn't specifically for her, and put her in what is basically an oversized closet. I'm more worried about the alpha cat of the houses behavior towards the kitten now, because it's starting to seem like the kitten wants to hide from her. It's my roommates cat, Flo, who's 15 and has lived in the house for 8 years. She is being very predatory towards the feral kitten and it's really concerning.

I cannot believe how small this kitten is, she can stand on one of your hands just fine. Her mother abandoned the litter a week or so ago and she hasn't learned how to lick/clean herself yet, nor make any noises. Regardless, there are lots of people who are doing everything in their power to make her healthy and loved! I have high hopes for her.

That's definitely a good idea. I wish I could have taken the furniture of Henry's room but there's no way I could have moved a huge rolltop desk alone. I can't blame the kitten for wanting to hide from the resident alpha cat. I'd do the same if I were her. 

She sounds adorable. That is awesome that you have a lot of people helping out with her. That's great for socialization. Can you pose a picture of the little cutie? I'm so glad that she's safe and sound. 

 

[shadowsrescue]

 
We have removed all of the furniture that isn't specifically for her, and put her in what is basically an oversized closet. I'm more worried about the alpha cat of the houses behavior towards the kitten now, because it's starting to seem like the kitten wants to hide from her. It's my roommates cat, Flo, who's 15 and has lived in the house for 8 years. She is being very predatory towards the feral kitten and it's really concerning.

I cannot believe how small this kitten is, she can stand on one of your hands just fine. Her mother abandoned the litter a week or so ago and she hasn't learned how to lick/clean herself yet, nor make any noises. Regardless, there are lots of people who are doing everything in their power to make her healthy and loved! I have high hopes for her.

I would keep her completely separated from the other cats.  When you are ready for introductions (this shouldn't be for awhile as the kitten is so small) please try to do cat to cat introductions.  Here are some articles and a video to help you out.  It will make the transition much smoother. 

http://www.thecatsite.com/a/the-ultimate-yet-simplified-guide-to-introducing-cats

http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/a-simple-little-trick-to-use-during-new-cat-introductions/

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/cat-behavior/introducing-your-cat-new-cat

http://jacksongalaxy.com/2010/10/01/cat-to-cat-introductions/

 

[turtbat]

DSCN1560.jpg

• turtbat
• May 22, 2015

DSCN1575.jpg

• turtbat
• May 22, 2015

She's outrageous

 

[Kat0121]

She's so adorable! 

 

[supermax1943]

Detmut...your little video of the cat crawling into the corner of the couch is just the best!!!

Perfect for a simple description of how a cat or kitten can get into places we cannot believe they can.

The little kitten that was lost has owners that now will be experts on the subject of where can a kitten hide!!

I can remember going through the same experience, not fun, but the outcome I will never forget!