Success stories desperately neeeded

[Mrsp2011]

Hi everyone, first time posting here. Looking for some comfort stories if you would be kind enough to share. Our wee rescue cat Rosie has gone missing for 9 days now. We've only had her 3 months (after losing our last cat of 13 years to cancer a few months ago) we've tried everything I can think of to get her back, all the scent tricks, on all the Facebook forums I can think of. 500 leaflets delivered and 50 posters put up. Been out looking for her at all hours of the day and night. She has a wonderful personality and really helped us with our previous loss. I am trying to stay positive, but starting to give up hope now. She is chipped but not been handed in anywhere. To top it all off I'm due our first baby in 3 weeks time and now can't think of anything but our wee Rosie coming home. Please tell me there's still hope she might return??

I'm very sorry to hear that. I know how distressing it is. You are doing everything you possibly can. Are there any houses being renovated close by or other building sites where she might have got shut in?

Do neighbours have garages/sheds? If so I think I would go and knock on doors and ask them if they have been opened recently and, if the time frame fits, ask if they can open them to check while you're there. It really is worth actually speaking to people I find rather than just relying on leaflets etc.

Earlier this year one of my cats who had been missing for three months was found (by me - by a remarkable coincidence) some miles from home. And as a rescue worker for a charity I have returned many cats to families that had been missing sometimes for years by means of the chip. So there is hope.

I'm sorry to hear this - you must be frantic. I have a success story if it's any help.

About two years ago, the rescue cat I'd had for a fortnight went missing for 10 days. I'd adopted her a week after losing a beloved 14 year old cat to a liver tumour and, while not 'replacing' the other cat in any way, the complex process of socialising her with my other cat and dog had really distracted me from my grief - so I was heartbroken as you can imagine. We'd still been keeping her in, but it was summer and I'd left a window open but forgotten to close the door to that room, so she must have slipped out that way.

We searched everywhere, put up signs etc. but after 10 days I'd almost given up hope. Then, my husband went into the garage for something ... and came back in through the patio doors in triumph, saying 'Look who I've found!' - our lovely cat was in his arms! She went straight to her food bowl! There was a nasty scratch/bite on one of her back legs, but otherwise she was fine and the vet easily treated the wound with antibiotics.

Obviously we'd searched the garage several times in the first few days, so I can only assume she had been for a good wander (she managed to lose the expensive collar and nametag I'd bought for her which were nowhere at all in the vicinity of our house!) and then come back, been unable to get in, and settled in the garage at some point for shelter.

There is definitely still hope, and I really hope you find her before your baby arrives - I would say, keep checking places like garages and outhouses and if practical make sure she always has a route into your house in case she comes back at an unexpected time.

One of our cats went missing a couple of years ago. He was 4 months old and we rescued him and his brother at 4 weeks so I was super protective of him. My husband tried telling me he would come back but after a week I'd given up hope. We put some posters round the village after he'd been gone just over a week and the next day someone called to say they found him messing about on the road a mile and a half from where we live. He'd managed to cross the river and presumably several roads.
He was missing 11 days in total.
He had a nasty mouth infection and was very skinny but he recovered and is just a little more wary.
There's definitely hope still but I know how heartbreaking it is. Keep ringing the vets to check no cats have been handed in and ask people to check sheds and garages

Thank you all! Really appreciate your stories! We are going tomo (Hoping to get folk in) to actually knock on doors, and physically hunt in Gardens - assuming permission being granted! We have been leaving our integral garage door open with her wee blanket, so if she does come back she's got somewhere to rest until we get back. Will def keep the search active, our weather is wild today and predicted to get worse, just hope she's found shelter somewhere 😢

Success story: one of my cats came back after SIX WEEKS. We had pretty much given up hope on him, he'd been away so long (after spending four weeks going out every night and weekend calling and flying and generally being a total neighbourhood nuisance). And then one day someone called me to ask whether I had lost a cat, as one had walked in their front door and parked himself on their sofa, and his collar had my number on it :) he was absolutely fine, no injuries, not ill, still as friendly and lovable as ever, just a bit skinnier.

So there is always definitely hope! My top tip would be to post on local Facebook groups - people were so lovely and helpful. Good luck and OP x

One of mine went missing for 11 days once, this was long before Facebook/smartphones etc so there was a limit to what I could do to find him. I honestly thought he must be dead and then he turned up out of nowhere. He was filthy and starving so must have been shut in somewhere.
My current cat went missing for 3 days a few years ago and again was probably shut in somewhere so it's definitely a good idea to be persistent with asking people to check sheds etc and also checking anywhere having major renovations.
Good luck and I hope you find her soon

My SIL's cat went missing when he was about a year old ... he returned totally out of the blue, 10 months later!!! Very thin and flea ridden but otherwise he was fine. My SIL had of course given up all hope and couldn't believe it when he came back.

Years ago when I was a teenager one of our cats went missing. For 2 months we searched but nothing. After about 3 months I had a feeling to get up and go to the front door. She was there dragging herself up the front steps to come home.

She was rushed to the vets (on a weekend) and apart from being very thin and COVERED in ticks and with a damaged front leg (which she had to have removed) she made a full recovery and lived to be a ripe old age of about 20. The vet think someone had cat nabbed her (she was a beautiful and friendly cat) and she had escaped, damaging her front leg in the process and had crawled to get home safe.

We had one go missing for I think over two weeks when I was a kid.
Any neighbours gone away? Could she be shut in somewhere? (One of our kittens got into the empty house next door and couldn't get out! Luckily we found her.)

Thank you all for your stories! Really appreciate them and it helps keep our spirits up! Had convinced myself that she would be at the back door this morning - our Christmas miracle, but unfortunately not, so it's really nice to hear the success stories this morning! X

Your story is similar to mine. We had a cat for 18 years, had to have her pts when she went into Chronic heart failure. Got another rescue cat, had her for 4 months and on the 7th December she went out after breakfast and never came back. Like you we have done all we can think of to try and find her. It is as if she has just vanished. No positive ending I am sorry to say but I understand what you are going through. Catchat have lots of ideas if you have lost a cat, Streetlife is a local forum which I have found helpful, they say empty the hoover bag contents outside to give a scent to guide them home, same with their blanket. We have done all of this and more with no luck. I hope your puss comes home.

I know of a cat that went missing for 4 months and eventually it transpired that he was only in the next street over! Their back gardens almost backed onto each other. It was only discovered when his new owner took him to the vet and he was scanned.

Cats do tend to stay fairly close, and they are also excellent at taking care of themselves, so try not to worry. If she's registered on missing pets sites and FB pages, and the local vets know, and there are posters up, there's not much more you can do.