Missing cat

[biscuitbadger]

We let our cat out at the weekend for the first time. He's a rescue cat and we've had him 6 weeks. Saturday he had a little sniff about the place and then I called him in for dinner, all fine. Yesterday we let him out again in the afternoon, called him in for dinner, nothing.

Continued to bang food bowl and call him on and off all evening, nothing.

No sign of him this morning.

We actually go away today for two nights and have a friend coming to feed him. We don't have a cat flap, so if we're not here and he does come back he won't be able to get in.

I'm now absolutely kicking myself for letting him out. Have hardly slept, am just waiting by the back door for him!

If he doesn't come back this morning I feel like I should stay here for if/when he does turn up. But I don't want to cancel our (expensive, special treat) two nights away with the kids. I just want him to come home!

It's not your fault, you kept him in long enough for him to know where home is.

Ours used to do this when we took them away, we had to leave one of them behind for a week with food from the ndn.

:-(

Ask your neighbours to check their sheds and garages, and put his bed/blanket/contents of the hoover outside so that he can follow his own scent back. He might have gotten a bit confused and lost.

I sympathise. Mine was recently missing for 8 days and I didn't sleep.

Well we went round all the neighbours and there have been a couple of signings of him - at around 5pm for three days in a row now. He appears to be fine but doesn't hang around to let anyone near him.

I think he's gone wild. We return home tomorrow, what should we do to entice him home?

Do some cats just not want a home?

*sightings

Any sign of your boy Op? Wondered if he came running back when you came back? Fingers crossed for you.

I found him! After calling him for hours I finally spotted him in next doors garden, and lured him over with some food.
He's hungry and grubby and glued to my side! Also he's on house arrest for two weeks...

That's brilliant news.

Great news!

He sounds as shaken as you! I'm so glad you found him.

Aw brilliant news glad he's home safe & sound. I bet he's as relieved to see you as you are him, though of course being a cat he may be too dignified to show it

Hooray!

Maybe keep him in for a couple of weeks :-)

Brilliant news!
Our boy did similar to this when we moved. He went out. Went missing for. Couple of days then just howled in the hedges in the garden-he wouldn't come in and would run off if we went near (he was neutered)...

I think it's part of scoping the place out. He's in and out all the time now. He's not been missing since.

I do like happy endings

Strange creatures, cats.

He's such a timid thing, I think he did want to come home but was too scared to leave his hiding place. He's so desperate for strokes today he's even going to the children

I think we need to get a cat flap fitted so if he pulls the same trick again at least we wouldn't have to lock him out overnight. (Choice is between getting one in glass patio door, or tunnelling through a wall...)

If you've had high winds where you live (or maybe even Storm Doris!) then cats can easily get lost - or not find their way home - in heavy winds. They lose their 'radar', which is mainly worked by their sense of smell - so they usually 'smell' their way home, but can't do when heavy winds blow all their 'familiar smells' away.