Lost cat, any stories of hope please?

[tiredvommachine]

My lovely cat hasn't been seen since Saturday morning :-(. He never stays out overnight and this is really out of character. I have added his details to our local lost pets FB page and knocked around the area asking if people can look out for him and also left his litter box out and some cover /food.
I know it's only been two days but I'm really sad and worried :-(
Anyone got any heartening stories about returning felines?

Mine disappeared for a week once. She had gone into a local store room that is only opened once a week. She was thin but made a full recovery and lived another 14 years.

Oh, and I had another cat that disappeared for a week in protest when we got a new puppy. He came back when he got hungry enough to outweigh his fear. He and the dog are now best friends. He is a fat cat, and the diet did him a power of good.. sometimes they have just found a soft touch neighbour. I hope your cat comes home soon. X

My rescue cat went missing the first time she left the house. She was so timid poor thing. Everyone said there was hope and she might turn up.
After a month of tramping the streets at dusk, putting up posters and leafleting she turned up my back garden!

As a teenager my darling cat, Merlin, disappeared for two weeks.

He returned very thirsty and emaciated. We could only imagine he had been locked up somewhere.

He was fine

Ah, you guys!
My gut instinct says that he's been shut in somewhere, he is neutered and doesn't seem to wander far.
To the pp who said about his collar, he's lost loads of them as they are the quick release type but he is microchipped. Bin day here tomorrow so you never know.

Keeping everything crossed for you op. I've had my cats disappear for a few days at a time.. and I really worry going into the 2nd night. But like you have said, I'd never keep them in because they love going out so much. I currently have a kitten who hasn't been out yet and I am dreading letting her out but she shows so much interest in going out and sits in the window all day watching an waiting for her chance

Mine went missing last year at the start of lockdown. He was an indoor ex feral who was terrified outdoors, but he saw his favourite cat of ours in the garden and shot out of the door to see him, then panicked and ran off. Absolutely no sign of him for four and a half months, but I religiously left food out and a wildlife.camera. Then one.morning when checking the camera there he.was! We put out a trap and got him four nights later. There is always hope!

Aw hope he’s home soon.
My old girl ran away for a week last year I was convinced she was gone she’s a beautiful big white/mink fluffy girl but she’s not friendly (fine with me) she came home a week later found her on my doorstep but she was very skittish and smelled of lemon air freshener type stuff looked well and didn’t seem overly hungry. She reappeared just even I’d lost hope as she didn’t go outside when we moved here so was convinced she’d gone.

My friends cat disappeared for nearly 2 weeks a couple of years ago. Then he suddenly turned up, looking a bit thin, but fine. She never found out where he’d been - assumed lock in a shed or something.

If it makes you laugh OP, we discovered, after leafleting, that our cat who followed the chap home from the pub had for the last year been spending his days sitting on a chair in the local Subaru showroom We'd naively assumed he'd been out doing cat things, but no! And they fed him whiskas every day.

The same cat came home one day sporting a collar which proudly proclaimed an entirely different name (and owner).

My completely not streetwise house cat jumped out of an open window and disappeared for 4 months (August - December). We thought he had either been stolen as he was an exotic breed or more likely run over/killed. We found him! Over a mile as the crow flies in a neighbouring estate being looked after by a group of neighbours who couldn't get close enough to him to catch him/scan him. I was tipped off by someone so stuck posters in the area and got a phone call the next day. It was the happiest day ever to bring him home again, he was very much loved. So if my goofy house cat can cross a dual carriageway and live rough in people's gardens for 4 months I have lots of hope for your lovely puss.

Another picture.. And again thank you for the comments 😘

7 weeks! Found by putting leaflets through doors and on lamposts further then you would think.
Got a call that he had been seen around some takeaways... owner went and called him and he appeared!

My lovely cat used to disappear every few months for a few months. She was a nosy lady who used to love climbing into cars or vans that doors or Windows were left open. We also used to live next to an industrial estate with a lot of lorry distribution depots which she used to love wandering about in. She disappeared once for four days, we received a phone call from a depot manager in Ipswich who’s driver had found her in a trailer, had her vet checked for a chip and thankfully home safe. She also went to Scotland with DH, she sneaked into his van when loading at 4am and he didn’t see her, realised she was there at Scotch Corner fuel station . Other occasions she came back disheveled and hungry days or a week later. She stopped when we moved some where more rural. Sadly she died last summer aged 19, I still chuckle thinking about all the stress she caused us and would waltz in, demand food and shout for a cuddle.

I was left in charge of my mum's cats when she went on her honeymoon. One cat disappeared the day she left and reappeared the day before she returned 3 weeks later (little shit!)

I know a few cats who gone missing. Usually got accidentally locked in neighbours sheds. I would put notes through people’s doors, after all we still receive post. That’s how my brother found his cat.

8 weeks missing and eventually got a call 2 miles away from someone who'd seen a poster.
I never thought anyone looked at posters, but delighted they do! (Only last year so not pre social media days).

Mine has form for this - I went out at the quietest time (4am) and called for her. Twice found her this way, once over a road behind a wall and once stuck up a tree in our local park. Do not recommend calling 'here pussy pussy' at 4am in the local park...

I know you must be worried sick. Our boy cat is a real homebody, the girl cat not so much. When we first adopted her she went out for 36 hours and it nearly broke me. When we moved her she was gone for 24 hours. Both times she came back of her accord. Is your cat really attached to you? Our girl cat is to me so as well as anything with her smell I hung out a used pillowcase of mine because she loves anything I've worn. I dont know if it helped but I like to think it did.

Another couple of tricks is to go out when its quiet and only call on the way home as your cat may follow you. Also look high and low rather than at eye level. I hope your cat is soon home

My neighbour knocked on my door once, asking if he could borrow my car keys

Not the car, just the keys. To let his cat out.
Cat was car crazy, and let himself in while I unloaded some shopping.
My cat would regularly go for s 2 week wander. Always very vocal on his regurn

Aspidistra
Not sure if here pussy pussy is worse than calling a cat I cat-sat for.
Cat was booboo

I was alternating between boobs and booze...

7 days came back starving and covered in cob webs. Think he was locked in a shed eating spiders

Kept knocking on doors and putting posters in local shop asking people to check their sheds. Was after a BH so think people were getting lawn movers and stuff in and out of sheds when he went in

Go out late night/early morning to see if you can hear him when you call

Hope he’s back soon

Dds cat was missing for 3 weeks, over a bank holiday
She turned up out of the blue at 3 am
Starving but in fine fettle
We think she’d been locked in an outbuilding
Most come home so don’t give up hope yet
.I do healing , but I don’t call myself a healer
I sent healing to Flossevery day and I will do it for your cat too.

I’ll use the photograph , what is its name.

@Dowser, that's amazing thank you.
His name is Boo

.. And again, thank you so much for all of the posts, really cheering me up