My cat is missing and I'm a wreck

[Normaknowall]

Only two days but he's such a creature of habit . He's 2 and we live in a reasonably busy area right next to a park. I've been out at night calling and walking the roads - no sign of a body, at least. Alerted the vet and chip people, tried the local cat homes, no sign. We are in a block of flats with a shared garden, neighbours are not friendly really so no one has seen him. He's a beautiful ginger boy, neutered, a hunter explorer since he was a tiny kitten. He broke out of any open window so we decided to let him be an outside cat. So it's all my fault really that he's gone.
I'm sorry to ramble, just so distraught that he's missing and I don't know if he's dead. I can take despair, it's the hope that kills you - it's so true! DH has been looking too, he's just as sad. We are lying on our bed in tears.
Just looking for some ideas on how to cope, really. We feel so stupid being so upset.

So Sorry to hear this. Ring the council and see if he has been picked up.
Is it possible for you to print some posters and put them up on lamp posts
I do hope he comes home soon.
Thinking goos thoughts for you. x

good thoughts!

Think he'll come back. There are so many stories on here we really must get a sticky.

General advice is to

• leaflet
• leave litter tray outside
• empty hoover contents outside (they smell the home)
• inform vets
• tell all neighbours
• shake treat bag around when it's quiet and call

And very much don't give up!

I am thinking of you. I would be a wreck too. Hope you find him.

Thanks for the good thoughts! We are putting up posters - but we have to be careful as we're right next to Holyrood Palace and heritage areas, they are very picky about things on lampposts etc.

Oh and smear smelly wet food around your boundaries (like tuna/mackerel)

My cat came back after almost 3 months looking like an extra from The Walking Dead. Don't give up hope quite yet.

I'll try. Thanks for your suggestions, everyone.

Fingers crossed for you OP.
My cat always wonders off- and each time she does, we worry about her so much.
But she always comes home!
My cat always ends up in our neighbours' homes/garages so you should definitely try and ask around to get people to check their garages and sheds.

We lost our 4 month old kitten 3 weeks ago for over 48 hours,I was exactly the same as you but she did come back, she was not chipped or spayed but found her way back so don't give up hope cats are very clever.

This is what we did time permitting, informed all local vets and animal rescues, put a post on fb which so many people shared, put her on pets reunited also, we put up posters everywhere and leaflet dropped we searched for hours the first night until 3am and then got up again at 5 and started again.

As a last ditch attempt the second evening we leaflet dropped and offered a reward (pet insurance) we begged everyone to check sheds and outbuildings too. A lovely neighbour gave me some tinned fish to put out, that night we fell well, sobbed into bed. We taped open the cat-flap left out her bed, litter tray and the fish,I was woken at midnight by her standing on my head!!

Key points don't give up, if you can go out really late at night when it's quiet do, scared cats will hide even if they hear their owner, leave out bedding etc, i threw cat biscuits all around the outside of our house and garden. I don't know how she got home but she did.

Good luck.

Leaflets through doors. Our cat went missing last year and after a couple of days a neighbour called to say she thought the cat was in her garden. We had to do A bit of a chase but got her. Advice we were given was to put her used cat litter tray outside and to search in the early hours of the morning when its quiet. Good luck, i hope you find him.

Aw OP I really feel for you. I was exactly the same when mine went missing. He turned out to be in a neighbours garden for 2 days as she was feeding him tins of tuna!

As it happens, I live pretty near there too, I shall keep an eye out on my way to and from work

Any sign? Please don’t feel stupid for being upset. They’re family members not just pets.

Go out looking at dark, take a torch so his eyes reflect back. He could be injured or spooked in hedges or undergrowth. Be thorough.

Don’t just put up posters, knock doors and hand over fliers in person. Ask people if you can check their gardens/ sheds/ garages. There’s a good chance he could be trapped after someone has been doing some gardening. Again, be thorough. He could be very close by but not responding.

Would he be the type to jump in a car or delivery van? Is he friendly to strangers?

Sorry to say but also important to call the council collection service as not all of them scan for chips, and in rare cases chips can fail or migrate. Also worth leaving your details with all local vets/shelters as they should keep records of any deceased cats brought in.

I really feel for you, it’s horrendous when they’re missing. My cats aren’t allowed to free roam now. One of ours went missing twice, on one occasion she was only a few doors up trapped in a garage. We’d walked passed calling her countless times and she’d kept quiet for a few days.

Fingers crossed he’s found soon. Are you on the ground floor? If he turns up can he get in easily?

Thank you to everyone posting suggestions you have all been fabulous. He finally appeared this morning about 5 we'd left a window open in hope. Threw up all over the floor, and drank lots. Then retired to basket leaving us swearing in relief! Starving and still very thirsty now so think he had been in somewhere without water. Hes curled up in cat tree, was a basket case myself this am when he wanted out (toilet break) but he came home again!
So we've been calling round to let vet etc know, joyfully shredded the posters - we can donate the shredding to the cat home for bedding - and upgraded the chip so that in future if he does this again there's a photo and automatic notification to key people.

So thank you again dear posters, you were a great comfort and help.

PS we're knackered - we'd gone out at 2 calling, and had even enlisted the police security at the Parliament as he visits them regularly. Feel a bit daft now of course but you just feel so panicked and even 2 or 3 days feels a very long time...sunglasses on bus to hide my extremely puffy eyes this am!

Glad he's back. Laughing at him visiting parliament, VIP cat

Yay been thinking about you today it's horrible. So glad for you.

Thank you!
DP has let him out now (much to my displeasure), so am a nervous wreck. He thinks we need to let him go otherwise we'll never get up the nerve so having large and hoping His Catness comes back....

Glad loved little cat back :)

They practically always turn up again but it does your head in when they go missing

They are such buggers sometimes. My little (not) panther disappeared for 8 days a couple of years ago. My family were just about to have me locked up in a home for the terminally bewildered, when he knocked at the door.. and strolled in like he had been out for a stroll.. bastard kitty..

Oh my, he is gorgeous, just like my panther/cat now sadly departed. Op, can we have a picture of your little angel?

Ours get fed only at 10 pm. Ensures they are in ever night!!

So glad he's back with you. He must have had a very pressing engagement to attend to

@Ivechangedmyusername that is a beautiful cat. My boy is ginger and therefore trouble....here is mine.

Out all day - think he was at the Royal Garden Party across the road.