Our cats vanished while we were on holiday - what are the chances they will come back?

[castille]

We hadn't had them long - a mother cat who just appeared one day in April, then had 2 kittens in our porch a week later. One kitten has been given to a friend and we were were keeping the other one (now 3 months old) and the mum.

Went on holiday for 2 weeks with neighbour coming in to feed them. She said they were around for the first week but seemed a bit cross at being "abandoned", then at the end of the week they stopped appearing for food and they haven't been seen since.

DDs are distraught. They have put up posters and called all the vets and animal rescue places and local police, but so far no news.

Are they likely to be together or will the mum not bother about her kitten now that he's weaned? And is there any chance they will come back?

sad bump

Oh Castille I do sympathise with you my kitten went missing last week but lucky she is back with us. I was distraught, poor you. I really have no experience but I hope someone that does will come along soon with some wise words of wisdom.

One of my cats went missing a few weeks ago, some friends found him a couple of weeks later wandering about a mile from our house. Put the word out to everyone you know - or even pay for an ad in the local paper.
I made a Facebook group for my cat and linked all my friends and told them to get all their friends who lived locally to join. That was how we got him back - the friends who found him checked the facebook picture on their mobile phone and phoned us on the spot.
I can tell you it was two weeks of utter sadness though so I really feel for you

Hard to know. It's possible that they just moved on, maybe found someone else to feed them. The mother cat might have been being fed somewhere else before she appeared at your place and the kitten would just go where its mum went. I wouldn't give up hope just yet, though.

The DDs have spoken to lots of people locally and everyone is keeping an eye out so we are still hopeful

Maybe the mum is a rolling stone - which is how she ended up at ours in the first place - so it doesn't take much to give her itchy feet again. Though she's affectionate, she's quite independent, but her kitten is so little

@Facebook group

Any sign yet, Castille?

Maybe mum cat has gone back to her real owners and taken kitten with her?

Sorry for you.

Hooray, we got the kitten back yesterday! He had been found by a family living across the fields who saw DD's posters and called. Poor thing is a bit scrawny and has a bit of diarrhoea - could that be because he's been eating loads since we collected him? Otherwise he seems ok and is very happy to be back, he's been purring like a motor.

Also had a call 2 days ago from someone who had seen the mum at the school nearby but when we got there there was no sign. The DDs go out several times a day looking, and we're sure she hasn't gone far... so fingers crossed.

And now we've got the mum too! The guy who'd seen her called back earlier to say she was back again, the DDs hurtled off on their bikes and came back with cat + ear-to-ear grins!

Poor thing is starving and limping a bit, will take her to vet tomorrow.

But big sighs of relief all round

Brilliant! So happy for you!

so glad you've got them back - recommend getting them chipped now & neutered, so you don't end up with anymore.

Chipping and neutering and perhaps a cattery next time you go away? Would give you peace of mind.

The mum was tattooed and neutered a month ago. The kitten can have the same in 3 months, and we are definitely sending them to a cattery next time to avoid all this palaver