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Original poster

One of my cats is missing. What chance it will turn up again?

35 replies

Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 12:55

No-one in the family has seen him since Friday. TBH, he is very much an outdoor cat and it is not unusual to only see him once a day, but it is very unusual to not see him for nearly 48 hours now.

Ds2 and I have been round his usual haunts calling him (always worked before) and ds2 has also been round the neighbourhood knocking on doors asking if anyone had seen him. A neighbour came round earlier to say he had seen a cat, but it turned out to be our other one.

It is the not knowing what might have happened to him that is worrying me. We live on a busy road but he does not usually go on it (is very scared of it) and anyway, if he had been runover, surely someone would have found him and taken him to the vet? He is mircochipped, so we would know by now, wouldn't we?

Alternatively, a fox has had him. Is that likely?

How likely is it that he might have been snatched? He is only a black and white moggy.

As we did not see much of him, I don't feel the grief I have felt when childhood pets died, but it is awful simply not knowing what has happened to him.

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HecatesTwopenceworth · 26/04/2009 12:57

Possibly more likely that he's got himself shut in a shed or garage. Could you ask your neighbours to check there?

How old is he? Cats don't 'go away to die' that's a common myth, but could he have been taken ill while out?

SimpleAsABC · 26/04/2009 12:58

Hey Dumbledore,

Have no advice to offer but really sorry to hear about your moggy.

What are the chances he's "adopted" another home? I know my aunt had a cat that did this when she was younger, the other family had been giving the cat food and things in their garden and eventually he didn't leave. They did seek her out though and explain about the cat and she was happy for it to live there (possibly just across the road, but that level of detail is both beyond me and irrelevant!).

I hope you're ok, and that you hear something soon.

ouchitreallyhurts · 26/04/2009 12:58

oh dear I know how you feel - one of mine has done this to me twice now and each time I thought the worst but she returned (one time after a fortnight!)

its lawnmowing time - all of a sudden sheds and garages are being used for the first time this year so maybe he's explored into one and got shut in?

could you put some signs up and ask neighbours to check sheds?

i don't think foxes tend to go for cats but I do know how worrying it all is, chin up xx

Original poster
Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 13:00

No he is 3, coming up 4, in the peak of health I should say.

Yes, the shed/garage idea had occurred to me. I am hoping ds2 covered all the right houses and alerted the right people earlier, but it is hard to know where your cat's territory extends to.

I am cooking Sunday lunch right now. That usually brings him yowling...

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ladyhelenatealltheeggs · 26/04/2009 13:01

Oh I know what you are going through. Our cat Dave (he's mainly an indoor cat) went missing for 3 weeks about 2 years ago. I was devasted as I thought he was a goner - 3 weeks really was way to long I thought for him to have just got lost. Anyway, one night, he just turned up at the back doors. We still have no idea where he had been and he's never done it since. We'd done all the canvassing locally, put up signs, enquired with the council (they do a , ahem, pick up service for run over cats etc) and had given up, MIA presumed dead we thought. He's asleep on the sofa at the moment! There's always hope!!

YouKnowNothingoftheCrunch · 26/04/2009 13:02

I know a friend of ours lost a cat for 3 weeks once (near a busy road, everyone convinced she was dead) and she just wandered back in again one day as though nothing had happened. So don't give up hope!

Is he a full male or has he been done? Full males are very likely to go walkabout (particularly if they get a whiff of a queen in heat)

Very unlikely to have been snatched, but possible shut in somewhere or someone else is feeding him.

I hope he comes home soon

SimpleAsABC · 26/04/2009 13:04

Ladyhelen.. I like "dave" for a cat name. Our cat dave..!

Original poster
Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 13:04

It is nice to read the hope stories.

My parents once had a cat who climbed up into the space above the front wheel of a car (under the bodywork iyswim). Owner of car drove off and cat was not discovered (safe and well) until the journey ended - some 30 miles away, would you believe?

So I know there are incredible tales of survival out there. I won't give up hope yet.

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Original poster
Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 13:05

He is not a full male if you take my meaning! So not up to any naughty business.

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LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/04/2009 14:33

DG, I was in exactly this situation yesterday. We put up posters searched the area - and found him by chance a few hours later in a road so far from home that we'd never have thought of looking there. This is the third time he has gone missing overnight and he is only six months old.
My old cat once went missing for 8 days, and turned up safe and well.
Don't give up hope, I think they start getting more roamy at this time of year as it is spring and all the ickle birds are tweeting.

Original poster
Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 16:26

Oh gosh LGP, when you said you found him "in a road" I really thought the worst for you. So glad he was safe and well.

OTOH I am now feeling a bit worried as I have just been out with my children putting posters up and I refused to allow them to put the posters up outside their school (about 7 mins walk away) as I said it was unlikely he would have strayed that far (the posters were asking people to check their sheds and garages so I was trying to put them outside the houses of the gardens I think he might go in). The thing is, how can you know how far a cat might stray.

This is so hard, not knowing where he is or what has happened to him.

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moshie · 26/04/2009 17:37

Have you rung round the local vets, especially the local emergency vet, because sometimes the microchip can move and so the scanner misses it.
Good luck, hope he turns up safe and sound.

underpaidandoverworked · 26/04/2009 18:12

Last - and first time - my cat went missing overnight, we ended up with kittens 9wks later.. She'd got out of bloody bathroom window after ds forgot to shut the door

Did have cat years ago that went missing day after I moved house and turned up a month later - after I'd been out and bought a kitten to replace her. DH wasn't happy - he didn't want 1 cat never mind 2

Original poster
Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 18:57

Moshie, I will try the vets tomorrow probably. I am not sure how I feel about knowing the microchip can move. I was clinging to the hope he hadn't been run over because we had not heard from a vet, but maybe he has.

Underpaidandoverworked, I like hearing these stories of magical reappearing cats. If mine is gone, he has more than a few weeks in which to decide to come home as I won't get another until at least September.

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RockinSockBunnies · 26/04/2009 19:03

Can you make some home-made posters, pop them into platic sleeves to keep them waterproof and stick them up around the neighbourhood?

scienceteacher · 26/04/2009 19:07

Let me reassure you...

When we moved to the USA, our cat was delivered to us by the shipping agent, having been picked up from our UK home two weeks earlier.

She recognised us immediately, ate, left her marks around the new house. We let her out to do her business and she vanished. We did not expect to see her again.

A week later we hear miaows outside the back door - it was our cat. We had no idea where she had been for a week and it was midwinter (subzero conditions and snow) - but she was fine after her adventure. We were gobsmacked that she found her way home having only been in the house a couple of hours.

She spent the next three years asleep in the house.

MarlaSinger · 26/04/2009 19:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Insanity · 26/04/2009 19:29

My cat does this every year, about this time (although he has yet to do it but im sure he will) I find that the warmer weather brings out all the little rodents that cats love to chase so perhaps he is having lots of fun and will turn up soon?

It must be worrying and I hope your cat turns up safe. They are part of the family after all! x

Original poster
Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 19:45

Rockinsockbunnies, yes we did that this afternoon. Included a photo of the cat on it. It was a bit sad doing that, it reminded me of what it must be like for parents of missing children, having to select a photo of their children for the police (though obviously nothing like as bad).

Thanks for the good wishes and positive stories. I know there must be a lot of rodents out there as the missing cat's brother, although around all day and clearly fine, has hardly eaten anything.

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LadyGlencoraPalliser · 26/04/2009 20:15

I hope you don't have to wait this long

Original poster
Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 21:17

He's back! he's BACK!! He's BACK!!!

I was just talking on phone to MIL telling her he was missing and I had spent all day looking for him and thus could not tell her what dh had been doing when in he came, miaowing really loudly as always! My two older kids who were supposed to be in bed, came rushing down to give him love, and he has eaten some food and (I think) gone out again (!) but at least I know he is back.

Thank you everyone for your support and positive stories. I only had to wait 48 for him, but it was too long.

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Original poster
Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 21:18

48 hours

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MuffinBaker · 26/04/2009 21:19

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Mine went missing for 6 hours and the relief, omg

naughter catty corner

sod that

huge cuddles

is he okay?

MuffinBaker · 26/04/2009 21:20

I haven't seen my cat since yesterday morning

Original poster
Dumbledoresgirl · 26/04/2009 21:25

LOL MuffinBaker, he doesn't like hugs or cuddles so when he walked in and I shouted "Morty!" in delight at seeing him, and then my 2 oldest boys came thundering down the stairs to see him, it was virtually all I could do to stop him haring through the catflap again. But he seems absolutely fine. Had some cat treats, ate the food that has sat there all day waiting for him (and his brother ate too - funny how they eat when they see another eating) and then off he went again, into the night.

I am sorry to hear your cat has been missing too. Maybe he is just like my Morty and enjoying the warmer weather and all the baby animals?

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