8 month old kitten gone missing- don't know what I'm asking for, advice, experiences , thoughts?

[ProperLavs]

I bought a pair of litter mates in April, one male, one female. The male is a feisty mouser the female a really dopey, good natured long haired tortie. A bit clumsy and dreamy.
Last Thursday she just didn't come home. Neighbours had seen her in the nearby school car park sunning herself that afternoon. We live in a village at the foot of the South Downs, so lots of open countryside all around.
I have contacted all the vets round here , given microchip number( annoyingly pet log didn't have them registered I have just found out). Put up posters, called door to door, posts on local fB pages, all that. She is on all vets missing pages.l
I Am frantic with worry. Because she was so dopey I worry she has become trapped, injured or worse.

Her brother is clearly missing his playmate too.

Has anyone had a kitten go missing and return?

The odd thing also is that she was getting a really huge belly. If I hadn't of had her spayed I would have thought she was I wonder if she has another home? But I haven't even seen her out and about though.

If she never comes back what are your thoughts on getting another kitten/ cat? Would that piss my male one off?

Thank you for reading. I just needed to get this down. My kids are really upset as you can imagine. It's the not knowing.

Just came on to do almost the same ‘not sure what I’m asking’ post. We’ve just come back from a weekend away to find no sign of our 1.5 yr old home-loving tortie. Neighbours haven’t seen her since Friday and weather has been atrocious all weekend.

I’ve spent the morning scouring the village, knocking on neighbours and phoning the local Vets. Haven’t posted on FB yet as kids haven’t realised she’s missing and I don’t want them to see it there first.

I suppose I’m looking for encouraging ‘my cat came back after a week and was fine’ type stories, but I know exactly what you’re going through. I’ve got loads of work to do but can’t concentrate on anything.

Gutted for you too neen It has crossed my mind that she was taken because she is a good looking beast. It's the not knowing.

Although she was as dopey as hell she was always the more adventurous of the 2 kittens, less cautious, would stray further. She couldn't even retract her claws properly though and was always stuck to the cat post and carpet and the only things she managed to catch in the summer was the odd insect. She was crap at balancing. Her brother could tightrope walk whereas she would fall off a log.
There are lots of encouraging stories, I am reading them, but it doesn't actually make me feel better because mine isn't here
I can't settle either.

Husband just sent me this photo asking if it was ok for a ‘missing’ poster. Made me cry. Miss her company so much already. Kids will be devastated.

I keep thinking she’s just going to saunter in when I least expect it but I’m know it’s not likely. So out of character for her to stay away.

What a beautiful cat. I'm sorry you're both going through this and sending best wishes that they both return or at least are safe where they are

Thanks Bullet.

I am really, really sorry to post this, as it is possibly going to distress you, but my immediate thought when you mentioned the huge belly is that she has FIP, in which case she went off to die. Did the hugeness come on suddenly?

There are other causes of a huge, swollen type belly, and none of them are good I'm afraid. Although worms is a relatively benign possibility too.

If she doesn't come back I would get your other one tested for corona virus before getting any more cats.

I really hope I'm wrong. And of course the usual advice is to leaflet and door knock neighbours asking them to check any outbuildings where she might have become trapped.

I have just read up on the symptoms of FIP and there certainly was no weight loss or lack of appetite, nor did she seem unwell, lethargic or distressed, so let's hope that can be ruled out. None of the websites mention a big belly with FIP though.

both cats are wormed etc too. perhaps I shouldn't google big bellies in cats. If she's dead, she's dead. I would actually rather know than not know iyswim?

Maybe someone took her in thinking she was pregnant? Could you put up posters that she needs medication? Might put them off wanting to keep her? Or offer a small reward?

It's the wet form of FIP that causes fluid retention in the belly and it can have a sudden onset.

Did her belly suddenly become large? Over a period of how long did you notice? Was it soft, like fat (in which case it probably was fat) or a bit hard?

I really, really hope it's not that. But whatever it is I think it's better to know.

But certainly posters/leaflets and door knocking are your best bet at the moment.

it wasn't overnight fast, more over a month? But it did look pregnant, that's for sure. Her belly was quite squishy and she didn't seemed distressed when we held her.
Thank you for educating me about this though. I had not heard of it and luckily never had a cat who suffered from it. All my other cats in the past lived to good old ages.

We have had a neighbours cat lock herself in the shed, worth asking people to check

I have had the experience of a near feral cat scoot at near five months after we had tried so hard to settle her, her dope brother then settled to become a much more affectionate cat. A couple of years later we saw her in a road half a mile away. I was happy that he had found a home he could settle in.

One of the cats we currently have though was catnapped quite brazenly under our noses. She was about two and the more adventurous and fit of our two cats, and had been unsettled by the arrival of a puppy a year before but seemed resigned to him. Then after we came home from holiday, a neighbour had been coming in twice a day to feed them and all our neighbours knew she belonged to us and was well cared for and loved, she stated to go missing for days at a time. Another neighbour warned us that a man across the road was feeding her. The whole thing dragged on for months to over a year with me holding back DH from going over to thump him even though I wrote to point out the child whose cat she was was upset and we were the ones who were there for her if she became ill, she was overdue vaccinations . His response was to suggest I go over to get her for vets appointments, he couldn't look after a cat full time because he was away on business all the time! His house went on the market early on so I hoped it would fizzle out and I kept her in a couple of days before his moving date. He then refused to move out, telling the new owners he needed my cat, and only agreed to let the removal vans in after threats from solicitors and on condition the new owners looked after her for him and he could visit. Obviously the new owners when they realised the situation went back on their word. I have no idea what he was feeding her or doing with her because she then developed a terrible anxiety (we presume, we discounted everything else) related alopetia. We got over that and she is still here, happy and healthy twelve years later. There really are some strange people out there.

I hope he turns up

I was told Not to let them out for 6 weeks, I didn’t and here they are

Hello. So sorry to hear your cats are missing. Out of all our cats, 2 have gone missing 1 for 4 days and 1 for 48 hours. Both were trapped in garages. Despite asking people to check they rarely do. Both of mine were found when we went out calling gently at dusk or dawn. When it was calm and quiet so we could hear them respond to us and they were not scared to do so. Fingers crossed you find them soon.

Posters put up all over the village tonight and called and called but nothing in reply. Weather still foul so maybe a little hope that she’ll emerge tomorrow as it’s forecast to clear up a little in the morning. Not feeling very positive really.

Mine can’t miaow. If I do my normal stupid o’clock waking again I’ll call for her.
Fingers crossed for us all. It’s her age that bothers me too, just a baby

Look who’s just jumped in through the window! Starving hungry and musty smelling, but as pleased to be home as we are to see her!!

Hope this is repeated in your house soon ProperLavs - thinking of you x

Hoping she’s home now OP but if not please go and ask your neighbours if you can check their sheds, garages and gardens for her. Lots of people don’t bother to look despite leaflets through the door, and even if they do look it won’t be more than a cursory glance. You will look more thoroughly for your own cat. This is all the more important if you don’t think she can meow loud enough to alert people to her presence.

So glad for for neen what a relief.
Mine isn't back and I actually think this is it for her. I have a feeling i my guts about this. There was something not quite 'right' about her really. She never seemed to react much to anything. She would play outside, runs and chase, but wouldn't react to any invitations to play in the house.
She often just sat staring at blank walls and never held her tail up, ever, it always was dragged along the floor. It was like the lights were on but no-one was home.
I hope she has a safe home somewhere but I suspect the truth is more sinister.

I have asked neighbours to check sheds already, but I might to more leafleting as a last ditch attempt.