To be losing hope that my cat will come back?

[sadkittymum]

I rescued my lovely cat around nine months ago. He was an ex stray/semi feral but very friendly. He was very poorly and we fixed him (I’m a vet, although new to cat ownership!). He lived with us in our flat then we moved to a house about six weeks ago. He escaped a couple of weeks back (we have been keeping him indoors) but only went as far as my neighbours garden and we managed to get him back in quite quickly. Since then he has been meowing to go out. I would let him out but he is on medication and I wanted to be 100% sure he was ready. I also don’t currently have a cat flap. He escaped again last night at about half six and is yet to return.

This time, unlike last time, he must have gone further afield as there’s no trace of him anywhere. I’ve been out countless times today to look, called him from the porch, put his litter tray out etc etc. Not a trace of him. He is on all the local groups and nothing. I thought he was eating the food I’d left out but I think it’s a different cat on the estate thats stealing it. It’s now been about 30 hours and I’m terrified he’s not coming home.

I miss him so much. I don’t know how I’m going to do tomorrow morning without him he always comes into bed with me in the morning before I get up. I’ve been crying on and off all day. My partner works long hours (even longer than mine) including overnights away and he really is my little soulmate. I can’t bear this. Neither of us work from home so there’s not even going to be anyone around in the day to let him in even if he does show up. I just can’t see him coming back.

any positive stories where people’s cats have shown up after a few days? I’m worried sick about him.

My cat disappeared for 8 days a few years ago. I honestly started to make peace with the fact I didn’t think I would ever see her again and one evening she just appeared in the kitchen (we had a cat flap). She was jittery and starving so think she might have got stuck somewhere and she generally doesn’t go very far now after that incident. Please hang in there. Could you go back to you old address to see if he is hanging around?

Mine went missing for 6 months, then came back home well fed.

My cat disappeared for a week when we were on holiday one yr. she came back and acted as though she’d never been away. There’s still plenty of time.

Thanks so much for this. We’ve moved a good 20 mins down the road by car so I don’t think he would manage that.
yes my main worry is we have no cat flap. So he doesn’t really have a way of getting back in as I can’t just leave the front door wide open all night, and all the windows open up too high. I’ve got the garage open and set up for him so I’m hoping he comes and hides out in there. I’m just so worried, I’m hoping his stray cat roots serve him well and he’s just gone on an adventure!

Our cat disappeared in central London 34 years ago. She was gone for 11 days. She appeared at the kitchen window one morning, meowing loudly in outrage after stressing us beyond belief, skinny but fine and lived a long and happy life with us for another 17 years, passing away at 21.

Chin up. 30 hours really isn’t terribly long.

I returned a cat to his owner (via the vet scanning his chip) apparently three weeks after he had been hit by a car.

He was an absolutely beautiful old tuxedo Tom, so incredibly friendly but very very thin, though obviously previously well looked after (good glossy coat, perfect skin, bright eyes, no fleas etc) I thought perhaps he'd belonged to an elderly person who had passed away. His humans were delighted to get him back, they had thought him dead, but he was just lost

Oh gosh, so distressing when they up and off like that. Cats always think they know best and don't give a rats about us when they decide to pull stunts like this. I hope he's home soon.

My cat went missing for two weeks and turned up 40 miles away. Don't be worrying yet, you've done all the right things.

My cat went missing for 3 nights. Very unlike her. Then turned up like she’d been away 10 mins!

I have had many cats and they are a constant source of worry lol. It's dry and not too cold, he was "fixed" but I think once it's after 6 months they've got a taste of hormones and they still like to go wondering. I wouldn't panic yet, in my experience of mine they 99% of the time came well called and always came in for the night but occasionally took off and turned up a day or some later. Longest was 8 days, starving, stressed and filthy during the coldest week of the year, obviously locked in someone's shed.

Just get another cat, mate.

When mine went missing someone told me to put his litter tray outside so he can smell his own scent. He was home the next day. I really hope he turns up. X

…yet people would never say ‘just get another dog’ to dog people…

My cat used to go exploring and missing for upto three days. Get some dreamies and shake them by the door, keep calling him. He'll come back.
Worse case he's at a neighbours house so knock for anyone where he could be in their home or garden if he's not back by tomorrow.
It's more than likely he'll come back and is in the area. He wants to be able to go out so he's just doing his instinctive behaviour.

Friends have just got their cat back after several weeks on the run. He didn't find his way back though as he escaped during a housemate but was found and taken to a vet for scanning.

Have you left something in the garage that smells of your cat/home? Asked neighbours and local vets?

My cat went missing many years ago. I spent 3 days pounding the streets looking for him. Rang vets, railway (he loved the railway) etc.

On the fourth day I had to go work and left early convinced I would find him. Instead of rushing around shouting, I stood in one place for 10 mins at a time. Eventually I heard a very faint meow and I found him injured in the bush.

I'm not trying to scare you, this was just bad luck. Try the 'slow' search, stand still for 10 mins, call and listen. This is helpful if your cat is trapped somewhere or hiding.

Edit to say my current cat is indoors and has a catio. Don't care what people say, he's happy and safe.

Our cat was missing for 6 days. We went out with photo posters and attached them to trees. A
motorist pulled over to look at the poster as he could see a cat in the tree above the poster. The bloody thing was stuck up the tree and didn't even miaow at us as we pinned her poster up. We needed a friend with ladders to get her down.
6 days and nights up a tree which included a night of thunderstorms. She was sodden and starving. We assumed she was chased and scarpered up there. I think cats shut down and hide themselves when frightened so they might not respond to hearing their name. She was less than 20 feet from our house.
We loved her to bits but she was as thick as mince.

Must be something in the air at the moment. Mumsnet seems to be full of lost cat threads.

Ours is a real menace for this. He went out late on Monday morning and hasn’t been home yet. I’m trying not to panic as he did exactly the same thing last week and didn’t reappear until the early hours of Thursday 🙄

Aww, you poor thing OP.
My daughter moved out of home a couple of months ago. The previous owner of her flat had a cat. Since my daughter moved in, the cat has appeared a few times at her flat! Thankfully the owner is aware, as my daughter was able to let her know through the estate agent's/solicitor's.
It's early days, so don't give up hope and please keep us posted!

My indoor ragdoll got out a few months ago and was missing for ten days. He turned up two streets over, he had been living in the garden of a neighbour who had been on holiday, eating their cats food, and using their cats litter tray! We that it hilarious that he was too posh to poop outside. Try not to panic, put notices on your local fb groups and posters too. Door knock your neighbours and ask them to check gardens and sheds. I hope he comes back soon.

My best friend's cat went missing during a really hot spell in the summer and turned up exactly five weeks later at 2 in the morning. Apart from having lost about half of her body weight she was healthy and very very happy to be home.

I've also seen daily posts on my local Nextdoor group from someone whose cat was missing, and he turned up today after 39 days. Apparently he seems to be well, but has lost loads of weight.

Please don't despair, OP - cats often do find their way home after several weeks. Fingers crossed that yours will too.

Seriously?!

One of mine went missing last year. After 48 hours I was convinced I'd never see her again and kept driving round at night calling her name and rattling a Dreamies bag, putting posters up, asking passers by if they'd seen her.

After four days she sauntered in like nothing had happened.

Many years ago another of mine went missing for five days.

Any time they're out a little longer than usual I get a tight knot in my stomach and start fantasising about making them house cats but I know that would be selfish of me.

My cat returned after 6 years!
bold and brass 🤣

I know it’s old fashioned but print out some pictures, put your phone number on and post them all over the neighbourhood. Lampposts, newsagents windows ( normally have to pay for that ) mailboxes. We did this when one of ours went missing years ago and someone streets away had seen our posters at the bus stop and found our cat on top of their wardrobe having got in when the window was open and couldn’t get out.

Have you looked at the petsreunited website as well. It’s also very good.

Good luck

I wonder if theirs was the cat I found!