Fuck, my cat is gone and it's all my fault

[Madratlady]

Girlcat escaped from her carrier outside the vets and was over the nearest fence and gone before I could grab her. It was my fault, I didn't clip it up properly. The vets is 7 miles away. We searched for a couple of hours with no luck. I'm doing some posters and leaflets. I just want her home. She's chipped at least so someone might find her and take her to the vets.

OMG! How terrible I hope to God you find her. I would be frantic. We lost a cat two months after we moved to our new address and she never came back. i think the that general opinion was something freaked her out and she ran and then lost her bearings. I will never know. Yesterday her sister got run over and could not be saved. We are all devastated I so hope your story has a happier ending and that you find her - it's heartbreaking.

Hope you find her op

We went back for another look and called her and shook the food bag but it's getting a bit late to be wandering about on other people's property and calling for her tonight. Still no sign of her.

Boycat is being very unsettled tonight.

DH says it's about 5 miles home, maybe less across fields. Is it likely that she'll find her own way back to us?

It's not impossible Madrat but more likely is for someone near to the vets to find her.
What's she like with strangers? Is she timid?

Yes she won't even talk to visitors if if we have people round. Catching her is likely to be difficult.

But hunger might change how she feels Madrat.

I really hope so. I hate knowing that she'll be be out there scared and cold tonight :(

Yes I know Madrat, it is a horrible feeling. Think positive though, it's very early days.

MIL's cat was given to a friend to live on a farm over 15 miles away from MIL's house. 6 months later cat arrived back at MIls house hungry and tired but very much alive. She must have crossed countryside, a motorway and a large part of the city to find her way home

Give it a week and she'll be on your doorstep.

Stupid question but did you take a torch? Their eyes reflect in the beam.

Poor you

i am hoping to read this thread and see good news. That's the problem with cats, they roam free. Dogs are easier to contain. Keeping everything crossed for you all tonight

We had a torch Fluffy, no kitty eyes though,

Neither of them are big roamers, she occasionally feels the need to assert herself by staying out overnight but she's usually waiting for me near the door if I go see if she's ready to come in at 4am.

I'm hoping she has a good homing instinct and comes back to us, although we'll keep going over a couple of times a day to call for her and a lost cat is apparently big news in the village because the vets receptionist said several people had popped in just to ask about the 'missing cat' and a few people stopped to talk to us and said they'd look out for her.

Try to get some sleep tonight anyway. Going out at 2 in the morning because you think you can't bear to stay in bed isn't going to help anybody.

I have to be at work for 12 hours tomorrow (missing cat not an excuse to be off, illness barely is there, and I only have 4 more shifts before maternity leave so pulling a sickie on my last weekend shift would look really bad) so I can't be sat in the vets car park at 2am no matter how much I want to. DH will go over again in the morning and I'll stop by on my way home tomorrow evening.

Well done DH - and best of luck.

keeping everything crossed for you OP - xxx

Just to say we recently moved house and our blind cat went out (or was let out by my husband) and went missing. For eight days. We did everything to find her, or I thought we did, but got a phone call and found an emaciated poor little cat (who had travelled just seven houses down the road). Please don't give up hope as I never, ever, thought we would get our cat back. Eight days for a blind cat was so dreadful but she must be amazingly resilient. Don't give up.

Sorry she isn't back yet, but its great that the locals are all looking out for her. I'm sure she'll find her way home soon!

On cat's homing instincts, my sister moved in with her MiL temporarily whilst waiting on some damp proofing work before moving into a new house and during this time the cat was kept indoors. After they moved into the new house their cat went walkabout. He chipped up two days later...at the MiLs! They had been combing the streets around the old house looking for him there!

My old neighbour took her cat a couple of years ago to her mums in the country for Christmas (flat mate usually catsitted but was away this particular year. On the first day, cat manged to fly out of the back door in thick snow in the middle of nowhere. She came back 2 days later...starving hungry.

Any sign this morning, Madrat?

This happened to me on Thursday but lucky outside my house. I put the cat in the top which opens and forgot to shut the front door bit properly and he fell out. It's easily done.

I do hope you get your cat back soon. He may be travelling home littlest Hobo style now. We had one who got in a van and returned 7 weeks later.

It did take my friend a week, but she got her kitty back after he escaped like this after being picked up from a chattery. Good luck!

Oh no I hope you find her soon. Mine is a house cat and I'm constantly on alert as if she ever got out she wouldn't come back! ! We have had a few near misses. I how she comes back soon

Just checking for an update.

Here's some more helpful info and advice including a search site for vets and shelters in your area, where a lost cat might be taken, regional and national lost/found registers.

www.catchat.org/lost.html

Really hoping to see some good news here soon.

We had almost the same experience with our old cat. If you can (or DH probably) walk from the vets to your home. That will leave the scent for her to follow. I know it's a long way but it's how we got our boy back