Need to stop thinking of cats as own children

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. I did 100 circuits of the block at least trying to track his loca8tor. Asked and on people to check their gardens as I picked up faint trace. Feeling tearful, what if he stays out overnight/gets run over/lost forever/he needs special diet/needs warmth/ likes to sleep under the covers with me.
Of course the fool popped back over the wall just as I was in despair. DH and DD called me to say 'he's back'. He waltzed in and did 6 turds in his tray. Adding insult to injury. I think a dog barked at him and he'd gone a bit further than intended / got lost. Nice neighbour of many years wise cat slave kept me calm, 'he's just exploring, he'll be back'.

But they are our children.

I know but my neighbours all think I am mad woman. Even my hair looked mad...

I was in such a panic at one point I forgot to change garden shoes so walked the neighbourhood in...socks and crocs...the shame. No wonder he didn't want to be seen with me.

at the socks n crocs combo!

I've done the same, but in slippers and DH's duffle coat over my PJs. Shuffling around the neighbour's houses, peering underneath cars and mournfully wandering the churchyard. Worse on a saturday night, we live right in the middle of town. I'm sure all the revellers have had a good old laugh at mad cat lady, shouting and brandishing the locat8tor and rattling the Dreamies.

He'll do it again. I reckon they think it's "character building".

Lol Rubbish even worse some thought I was casing the joint I'm sure. The scanning device in my hand they probably saw as some kind of burglar alarm interference or car alarm silencer. in future I will be kind to fellow madly dressed people in the street.

I just spent an hour yesterday scrambling through brambles behind the neighbours garden to retrieve the loc8torcollar that my cat had lost again. I was slowly spinning in circles raising my arm up and down and then stopping and listening to see if I could hear the tag beep. The worst thing is it is on a public footpath beside a river, so walkers kept appearing and I had to pretend I was birdwatching or something.

I saw a programme on tv once about a woman who had been an old lady with dozens of cats. One had gone missing and she'd wandered out in her nightdress desperately shouting for it. With the stress she'd died from a heart attack and supposedly haunts the area, still shouting for her cat.

I watched it and just thought, Yep, that'll be me!

I had a week of despair. I stopped eating or sleeping. My furry child was missing and I was a wreck. Had a sad ending but she was found thank goodness.

Sparklingcat is indulged and spoilt as a direct result I think. I am often to be found on my hands and knees looking under cars or standing in my nightie shaking the Go Cat box at 3am.

That's hilarious fennel, birdwatching without binoculars. Did you hold up your cupped hands to your eyes like pretend ones?

Sparkling that's so sad, our worst nightmares. Hopefully at 3am it's just you and a few animals though with the fashion police not on shift

No code, I just kept peering up into the branches as if there was something interesting there.... Taking binoculars might not be a bad idea next time!

Yes we need props to disguise us on our rounds. Maybe a water diviner or metal detector. Might look a bit dodge walking round the streets with binoculars here

code I sometimes get the neighbourhood cats come to me when I am waving the crunchies about.

It was sad about my little black cat. She was only one. But I was soo grateful to have closure. People underestimate the reassuring knowledge that you know they not out there hurt or distressed even though the news is sad.

You must be like the pied piper with those crunchies. I agree -better to know than always be wondering what happened to them

I keep bin bags old blankets and cardboard boxes in my car boot since I first found a deceased cat. I have found quite a few and scooped them up and taken them to the vet to see if they are chipped. Can't bear the thought of someone feeling like I did.