To be slightly glad my DC ('dear' cat) never came home...

[rolloverandshitmarsbars]

Light-hearted, but serious
Since she disappeared 8 months ago I have not had to:

-Cover the worktops, fridge and cupboards with sellotape every night to prevent her sleeping all over them. No cats on worktops.
-Remove all traces of water droplets from around sink - she would lap them. No cats on worktops!
-Keep bathroom door closed so she didn't sleep in the sink/bath.
-Be sad about the nose scratches that appeared weekly on my other cats.
-Close doors to stop her sleeping on the baby.
-Open doors slowly, leading with a foot to stop her rushing through, upstairs and under the bed so that I get to lie flat, wriggle under and drag her out shouting and squirming.
-Tape cardboard and old bits of carpet to the lower half of all the doors I had to close because she scratched and destroyed them.
-Close all windows, even upstairs because she could and would get through them so she could get under the bed, or sleep on the baby.
-Discover poo hoards.

Unsurprisingly I got used to not doing these things quite quickly. If she showed up now, I'd be a little cross quite frankly.

Don't worry, at first I was sad and spent weeks coordinating house checks within a 2 miles radius, 3am night walks to call for her and I stuck a picture of her on top of the fridge so I could tell her off.
But, when I think of the additional work she created and what I have saved buying sellotape, I am afraid I just don't want her back. Unreasonable?!

[thecatneuterer]

Caitlin's posts seem perfectly reasonable to me.

And Hix, can you really not understand how people can be upset by jokes being made about lost pets? Losing a pet (as in not knowing what has happened to it) was probably the most traumatic event in my life to date - something that felt like a huge cloud hanging over ever waking minute, something that kept me awake at night and made me cry.

Many people consider pets to be part of their family. I'm sure you wouldn't think it would be reasonable to made jokes about missing children or that people who got upset about it should lighten up. Granted a lost pet will be of a lower magnitude of emotion, but it's still the same type of feeling we're talking about here.

[Silverdaisy]

Wow, poor cat. How good of you to do some searching, now you can rest easy. Now the true animal lovers who have read this post will worry about the cat. Thanks.

Animals are not expendable and purely there to amuse us.

[Hix]

People don't make jokes about people missing children because that really wouldn't be the same thing at all. I really can't think that anyone who has lost a child would say that losing a pet is just as bad.

[thecatneuterer]

Hix. If that's what you took from my comment you obviously didn't read it properly.

[TillyTellTale]

What do you mean "sellotape"? Did you cover the entire worktop, carefully slightly overlapping each strip, and then remove the lot in the morning?

Or did you just tape a sheet of cardboard or similar down as a cover on each worktop, so the cat couldn't knock it off?

[Silverdaisy]

Caitlin (and many others) - I struggle to see why you are being slated.

Op if you really only wanted a thread about how annoying our cats are then it would be different.

I would say how demanding they are and that my life changed to fit them.

They are amazing.

If one was missing then I would be too busy to post on mumsnet.

[LyndaCartersBigPants]

Fwiw I thought your OP was quite funny and fully expected people chiming in with their tales too. Can't understand why all the hostility when you have said that you missed her and tried really hard to track her down, but now that you've come to terms with her being absent you can see the funny side of the annoying little things.

I think people are taking this way too seriously for whatever reason. I'm a cat owner (cleared up a pile of sick this morning) and have been flamed on here a few times in the last 5 years or so. It can be upsetting but there are also lots of lovely supportive people on here, many of whom will be the same ones who have slated you this evening funnily enough.

Have a and a good nights sleep and you'll be back in the morning, glutton for punishment!

[justanuthermanicmumsday]

i dont know why you need our opinion you know whether its reasonable , read your post back to yourself.

sorry about your cat, id be upset only had mine 3 months so far.

[whois]

Wow super sanctimonious postings going on here!

OP loved her cat and looked for her when she went missingn, but now the initial upset is over is a little bit relieved she doesn't have so much extra work to do.

I can see where she is coming from. Not all cats turn out to be great pets.

[whois]

Losing a pet (as in not knowing what has happened to it) was probably the most traumatic event in my life to date

Then you are exceedingly luckily that nothing really bad has ever happened to you and your loved ones! Count your blessings rather than pour disgust on someone else who has got a bit of oerspective in in their life.

[Sparklingbrook]

YY everyone count their blessings when their pets go missing. At least you didn't lose a loved one eh?

[soimpressed]

My cat does some of the things you mention. The coming through the door foot first particularly rang a bell. She is always on a mission to sneak upstairs! I thought this was all part of having a pet cat. I think she is hilarious and love her to bits. If she were to go missing I would be heartbroken.

[LyndaCartersBigPants]

I know what Whois is saying - I lost a cat last year, I was devastated, not least because of how upset the DCs were about it, but also because she was a lovely animal.

Didn't really compare to either of my parents dying though.

[oldgrandmama]

Poor cat. I hope she's now got a great home, with an owner who loves and tolerates her, accepts her funny little ways and isn't neurotic about workstops, sinks, washbasins and sleeping on the baby. I don't reckon OP's cat got lost, I reckon it buggered off.

[AnnaLegovah]

To some people their pet IS a loved one.

[AmberLeaf]

I'm still trying to picture a sellotaped work top

[ShitOnAStick]

I hope your cat has a nice new home op. I think people have been a bit unfair, op wasn't trying to offend and was trying to start a "jokey" thread but misjudged it.
Name change and start again op, I hope you stick around.
You are crazy for sellotaping the counters though!

[bragmatic]

8 months down the line and she's still supposed to be combing the streets and crying into her pillow?

[Petal02]

If my cat disappeared and never came home, I would utterly devastated. We adopted her when she was six weeks old, she'd been rescued by the RSPCA. She's grown into a beautiful, confident, healthy young animal - and she's a fully fledged member of our family.

She's a diva, a drama queen, a very fussy eater and sleeps in the strangest places. I wouldn't change a thing about her, and would take a bullet for her if the need arose. But hopefully it won't.

[mrssnodge]

I kind of do sympathise with OP- My Dc begged & begged my for a kitten- (from one of the their friends cats) _ im not that keen on cats , I eventually gave in after weeks of tears and begging, and actually said yes on the understanding to my oldest DD at 19 that when she moves out she takes the cat with her! Roll on her leaving two years later, no she would not take the cat- despite- actually getting another cat herself- neither would DD2 or DS! So although Im 'fond' of the cat , and will of course look after her -now 8 years later I do kind of resent it a little bit!!

[MajorGrinch]

I thought the opening post was amusing & definitely undeserving of the abuse she got.

But it was pretty obvious it was going to go that way as, post for post, Cat Owners seem to have no sense of humour in regards to criticism of their pets. Plus, you mentioned cat poo & that is never an issue coz they're free spirits y'know

[HarpyFishwifeTwat]

10 months on from my darling cat being killed I'm still a fucking wreck so your light-hearted delight that a little creature that trusted you disappearing and possibly being killed or abused has really upset me.

Like thecatneuterer this is one of the most traumatic things that has happened to me.

[LucilleBluth]

There are some weirdos on this site.......and I'm not talking about the OP.

[6cats3gingerkittens]

Well I just have to join in. Over the last 12 months 2 of my cats have taken themselves off on walkabout for months at a stretch. Both have come back to me in good condition and very loving. They are micro chipped and wear a collar and name/phone number tag. Various kindly folk phoned me to say that they were in their garden or had followed them home. I suspect that these same people gave them food as well as shelter from the torrential rain. Plotting the phone calls on a map leads me to believe the little buggers were never more than 200 yards away but I never saw them. I would have welcomed a few muddy paw prints on the work tops. I hope your cat is well and happy somewhere. Binkie and Polly send loving purrs to your wanderer.

[Hix]

You can't not make jokes about things just because some people are experiencing disproportionate and unresolved grief.

I'm sorry for you that you are so traumatised so long after the event Harpy and I honestly need you to speak to your GP about counselling.

If you are still feeling this way then it's not for the rest of the world to tip toe around you.