Our cat dissapeared for 24 hours or so and now she seems a bit odd

[nutcracker]

She was last seen yesterday morning when she was let out. She stayed out all of last night (although she often does) and didn't come back until about 5 min ago, when she strolled in very very slowly, walked around the living room and went straight back out again.

She doesn't seem to be as lively as normal, and didn't touch her food at all.

Should I be worried, or has just she just been out burning the candle at both ends ?? She is a very sociable cat, and would not surprise me if she was leading a double life with 2 lots of food etc.

It would be a right pain for me to organise a trip to the vets, so don't really want to do that if she is just a bit tired .

Maybe she's been a naughty girl

Were there any strange lights last night? Do cats get abducted by aliens?

She could be in pain. Perhaps been in a fight?

Know nothing about cats... but has she been spayed? (or whatever you do to cats)

LOL Lupin, good job she has been done if she has, cos the last thing I need is a house full of kittens.

Tbh she does look like she has been dragged through a hedge backwards, had too much to drink and a huge hangover.

It is odd for her not to go straight for her food when she came in though. Maybe she ate out though.

Fight is a possibility as she seems to think she is invincible and will take on anything.

She let dd2 pick her up and sling her over her shoulder with no complaints though, and didn't seem in pain.

Think I will just try and keep a close eye on her, if she comes back in.

check her claws - if they are worn down and frayed she might have been hit by a car

If not pain, is it possible she's been chased by a fox / dog?

Ours are almost always teetering on the fence where a dog lives. Occasionally they'll come home petrified where they've obviously fallen off the fence and been chased.

Ahh right ok, will try and give her the once over when she comes back in.

also check round her face and chin - cars tend to catch them a glancing blow on the head - she might be a bit concussed. Cats go off and lie low if they are hurt and come back when they feel strong enough

I have a feeling that you might need a trip to the vets, sorry.

Maybe she has eaten something bad for her? I would ring the vet for advice.

She has gone again. One minute she was sat by next doors fence and then she was gone again.

If she was badly hurt, would she not stay at home once back here ??

I don't actually have a vets by the way, well not one she has been to recently. She had her injections not long after we had her but tbh I missed last years. It was on my list of things to do, that I need to ask favours for

She is insured but tbh I am not 100% sure what it covers.

God i sound like a crap cat owner.

I don't want to upset or worry you unnecessarily but sometimes cats go away to die.

You may be right NAB3, she still has not come back.

Hopefully it's just that someone else is feeding her, but as she looked out of sorts, I don't think it's likely.

Any news this morning?

No , she hasn't been seen at all since yesterday evening.

I walked the back way to school to see if we could see her, and then the other way back again but no sign of her anywhere.

Not eating is generally a bad sign Whe she comes back I would take her to the vet. Poor you xx

She is back again.

I have checked her over and she seems fine, is moving everything ok, although haven't seen her run yet, but having said that she tends to only move fast if she has to.
She has also just jumped up onto the window sill which is quite high, so I don't think she is injured.

However, she still hasn't eaten anything. Will keep her in tonight if I can, and see if she eats anything. If not i will try and get her to the vets.

Tbh I think someone else is feeding her.

How much does a consultation at a vets normally cost ?? I can't claim on insurance for that can I ??

I don't know whether your budget will
stand it but could you offer her a tiny bit of cooked chicken breast. If she isn't interested then you can finish the rest of the chicken (if you've only offered her a bit cut off the cooked chicken breast) so nothing is wasted. I find it tempts my cat, who regularly acts pathetic for sympathy, into disclosing that he can eat after all.

Don't have any chicken in, have got a peice of salmo, which I was planning for having for tea. Can I try her with that ??

She only has dry food, shall I get her some wet food tommorow ??

dont want to worry you nutty but ive had two cats who went off their food. neither of them seemed in any pain. the first one we think was poisioned, she got weaker and weaker and eventually died. the second one, we took to the vets who couldn't work out what was wrong with him. after a few days they said he was eating and sent him home, he wasnt eating at all so we took him to a different vet. they operated on him and found he had eaten the end of a dummy ds had lost, it had blocked his intestine i think and was slowly poisioning him. he died under the anesthetic because he was so weak, if we had taken him to that vet straight away he may have been alright.

however, a friend has a cat who seems to get some kind of weird colds and doesnt eat for days, she's always fine afterwards though.

if you cant afford the vet could you take it to your local PDSA? they just ask for a donation i think. (are you on benefit or working?)

I qualify for pdsa help, but the nearest one is miles away and although I have just discussed it all with my dad, he didn't offer to take me, just said 'be prepared for a long wait'.

I have a vets down the road which I think I could carry her too in her carrier if I have to. Will ring them in the morning and see how much they charge, but I doubt i'll have enough money for a check up.