My cat has gone missing

[EnfieldParental]

We have returned from holiday to find our beloved family cat has gone missing.

My DD (8) is absolutely devastated as he was 'her' cat and they had a great, loving bond.

He is a young black cat with a white splodge on his chest that we joke is his 'bow tie' and although he has somewhat scowling green eyes, he is very affectionate and playful.

If you live (or know anyone who lives) in the Bush Hill Park area around Trinity Avenue, or along the trainline between Edmonton Green and Bush Hill Park, or just off the A10, please can you look out for him? I've heard that children are especially good at looking for cats!

Our cat sitter last saw him on Saturday 20th July and I'm really worried about him in the hot weather so please (please) check any sheds or garages, even if you've been in them recently.

He does not have a collar (kept trying to lick them off and got his jaw trapped), but he is microchipped.

I am desperately hoping for his safe return, we absolutely adore him and his big personality.

[ElizabethinherGermanGarden]

He is unlikely to have gone further than a 5-block radius. This is quite big! For example, in the heavily built-up terraced area where my cat went missing, it was about 3000 houses. I leafletted them all, which took two days, and put up posters and 11 days later, I had a call from a lady who had recognised him and lured him into her bathroom with a tin of salmon and locked him in until I got there.

I put all the usual online messages (Facebook is good for this) but it was the paper leaflets that got the biggest response and led to him actually being found. It was completely worth it as far as I was concerned, although I know I was lucky in that my cat wandered off when I had leave from work so I was able to do it.

Don't give up hope - you may well find him and the tired-cat cuddles when he comes home will be the best.

[EnfieldParental]

Thank you @ElizabethinherGermanGarden - I'm not sure how big a five-block radius is (I shall Google!) but we've started flyering the immediate area and have plans to keep doing this further and further out, so it's reassuring to know it may be worth it.

[AndSheWas85]

Yeah, the flyers do work. I found two kittens that were in good health and definitely not feral. But nobody on my road owned them. Posted a good few flyers in the surrounding area. Sure enough someone got in touch and through the microchip ID could prove they were hers. They buried under the fence and went on an adventure...
Hope your puss comes home soon, people notice new furry visitor's to their garden/area and most will put out and extra bit of food and water for them

[AndSheWas85]

Just to add re the flyers, besides using the letterbox route we stuck up extra ones near traffic lights so you have a captive audience during the red lights/traffic
This was how the kittens were reunited with their owner, their friend saw, immediately recognised them and a few hours later they were back where they belonged

[EnfieldParental]

Thank you @AndSheWas85 - the traffic light poster isn't something I'd considered! Will give that a go.

[raspberryk]

It's less than a week, our cat often goes walkabout when we go on holiday, she comes back when she knows we are back home. She's been missing for months numerous times as well she just strolled home. I once responded to an advertised cat who had been hanging around, she had wandered about a mile and was feasting off rodents in a hoarders garden having the time of her life

[EnfieldParental]

My cat came back! I was worried I was just kidding myself that we would be one of the lucky families whose cat returned safe, but he came back home in the middle of the night, yelling for food. Utterly delighted No idea where he could have been. We'd had no sightings around the neighbourhood, but he's fine. Significantly skinnier, but no injury or illness and his coat's lovely. I guess it will remain a mystery.

Thanks for all the advice!

[AndSheWas85]

Yeah! I love a happy ending.