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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Pearl has gone missing

155 replies

hiddenhome · 15/04/2015 17:19

Dh went out to do the school run and she wouldn't come in. I came in from work to a note saying she was out in the garden so I opened the door and there was no sign of her. I rattled her Dreamies bag, but nothing.

We think she may have got into one of the empty houses as we live on a new estate and they're still building. Dh asked some of the workmen, but they hadn't seen her. The doors on the empty houses are left open during the day then locked at home time.

I'm going to make some messages and put them through people's doors. We live on a small estate and there's no main roads nearby.

I feel sick, she's not a year old yet and she'll be frightened Sad she usually never goes out if the immediate vicinity, but the workman said he'd seen her playing at the end of the row possibly with another cat - a tabby whom I've seen around. She is very sociable due to coming from a large family.

OP posts:
Original poster
hiddenhome · 17/04/2015 21:08

Thanks Sparkling

I appreciate people's kind wishes.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 17/04/2015 21:16

I remember you from the flood, and your other cat going missing, it's just not fair. Flowers

MuttonCadet · 17/04/2015 21:19

I hope you find her safe and sound soon. Thanks

Sparklingbrook · 18/04/2015 09:00

Morning hidden. How are you?

Original poster
hiddenhome · 18/04/2015 12:00

Hi Sparkling nothing this morning. Didn't sleep very well. Feel like a total twat for not fixing the fencing up with netting sooner, no excuses, just laziness/procrastination Sad

Went out very late last night, but no sign. Estate is only small, so I'm sure we'd have found her. She may have crossed the road over to the established estate, so me and dh are going to put posters up there and near the chip shop tonight.

Have posted on social media and left a leaflet at Tescos who say they'll display it in their staff room.

She has a collar and brand new ID tag on, surely someone will phone me at some point. I guess they'll just think she's someone's pet if she goes to them for food.

How on earth people cope when relatives and children go missing is beyond me. I'd rather have a body than not know what's happened.

I'm supposed to be this great responsible owner, yet I now have two cats missing.

If Fat Cat had been out in the garden with Pearl, she'd have seen the tom off. She 'argues' with him and he just goes away. She's big and sturdy though. All this grief for the sake of half an hour.

I will order the netting and brackets today. I've told dh it's happening and he is going to fix it up. He's upset too.

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QueenOfTheSlipstream · 18/04/2015 14:03

When our girl went, I don't think she'd actually gone very far. At the time she was an indoor cat so didn't have a clue about the outside world when curiosity led her out the front door when it opened itself. We had a sighting of her in a neighbour's shed over the road where it looked like she'd been hiding but she gave us the slip when we tried to get her. And then she was managed to get back to our shed where I found her three days later. I don't think she'd eaten a thing the whole 9 days and it had been very cold (November). But they're tougher than you think.

Thinking about you and Pearl and sending all good wishes and cat-returning vibes. We were all in pieces the whole time, so I know how it feels. They are little tinkers...

x

chockbic · 18/04/2015 14:08

Ah, bless you.

Sometimes they do go off. Especially if it's sunny.

Flowers
timtam23 · 18/04/2015 14:09

Came back to this thread hoping for news. So sorry that Pearl is still missing. Try to stay hopeful hidden, it is still early days, still a very good chance that she will turn up. Good idea to leaflet over a wider area too - the more people looking out for her the better. Does tesco have a community notice board in the main store where you could put a leaflet for customers to see? Thinking of you Flowers

Original poster
hiddenhome · 18/04/2015 14:28

Tesco do have a notice board, but they said they're not allowed to post personal type messages or notices on it. No reason why Hmm

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Original poster
hiddenhome · 18/04/2015 14:30

Queen, I have read that they don't go very far.

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fenneltea · 18/04/2015 22:03

My ex feral house cat escaped about a year ago, she was seen in neighbouring gardens by other people, but we didn't see her at all. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

We ended up putting a couple of traps out, and on the second night we luckily caught her, we bought one like this www.fcsupplies.com/?product=defender-live-rabbit-trap

If you think she's still in the area it might be worth a try?

FloraWebb · 19/04/2015 11:33

Don't know if this has already been mentioned but Cats Protection will lend cat traps. Got my missing kitty back that way.

Sparklingbrook · 19/04/2015 11:56

Morning hidden. How are you?

Original poster
hiddenhome · 19/04/2015 15:28

Just arrived home from work.

I plan on putting food out - some smelly fish to see if that gets eaten. Also, some water.

I'll look onto traps of the food gets eaten. Would that be okay?

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Original poster
hiddenhome · 19/04/2015 15:33

How would I know where to place the trap? Do I definitely need to know she's still in the area? Could I set it on my front lawn?

I was reading the websites last night and surprised to learn that most displaced cats are actually in the immediate area, but are too frightened to make a noise or come when you call them. We've been going around softly calling to her. I don't have permission to search underneath all the neighbour's sheds or anything. I wouldn't feel confident enough to do that. They probably already think I'm crazy due to going around spreading vacuum fluff around the place.

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thecatneuterer · 19/04/2015 15:34

You haven't already been leaving food out? That's the first thing you should do when a cat goes missing in these circs. You should do it for at least a couple of weeks really.

Thinking of you and really hoping for a happy outcome.

Original poster
hiddenhome · 19/04/2015 15:38

I didn't think of leaving food out. I didn't imagine she'd still be in the area Sad I don't know a lot about cat behaviour when they go missing. I imagined that she's done a bunk down into the next village or something.

I'll put the skippers and water out shortly.

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Original poster
hiddenhome · 19/04/2015 17:15

Food and water are now out on the lawn. Hopefully, the neighbours won't let their dogs eat it.

Will a cat be able to smell this food from a distance?

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thecatneuterer · 19/04/2015 17:17

Probably not. But a lost (which she could be if she's hardly been out) cat will roam around looking for food, and then stick around in a place where they find it.

Otherwise she could just roam right past your house and not stay there and you would never see her (assuming you don't have a cat flap that she's just to using?)

timtam23 · 19/04/2015 17:48

With hindsight I think my cat was probably fairly close by for the 3 days that he was missing. We had absolutely no sightings of him though. When DH went out at night with food he attracted plenty of unknown cats & 2 foxes! I hope your food gets eaten - probably worth a try with a CPL trap as well. Where did Pearl usually spend most time - in the back garden or at the front of the house? I'd probably choose one of those for the trap position. Fingers still crossed for her return.

Original poster
hiddenhome · 19/04/2015 18:08

She spent time in the back garden. I can't put food or a trap there as we back onto the neighbour's gardens.

We don't have a cat flap as the patio door is all glass. Neither of them wander very far. They just sit on the fences and perhaps the garage roof. Q

OP posts:
Fluffycloudland77 · 19/04/2015 18:12

Are you worried you'll trap a neighbours cat?.

Original poster
hiddenhome · 19/04/2015 18:16

No, I'm worried in case the neighbours see food and a trap near the garages and remove them because they suspect weirdness or something. I don't know these people. I don't want to make anyone angry because I had problems where we used to live. That's why we moved. I'm paranoid that I make anyone angry. I just want to do things discreetly and quietly.

I'm scared that I don't find her. I don't honestly see how I can. She could be anywhere.

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RubbishMantra · 19/04/2015 18:32

Oh, bless you love.

If my neighbours told me they were putting out a trap to catch their beloved cat, I would completely understand. I wouldn't get angry, or think weirdness. Surely they'll understand?

thecatneuterer · 19/04/2015 18:34

Surely no one would care about food being put down? And if it comes to leaving a trap just explain to them. You are definitely over-thinking that part.