Happy stories about found cats please?

[Starfish]

My handsome old boy got out on Saturday and I haven't seen him since. It's been a horrible week as I also had to have my 15 year old dog pts a week ago. I can't cope with losing two of my babies in one week.

I've put posters up, called vets, been out searching for him and no luck. We get so many foxes around my area and I'm really beginning to panic.

Can someone please distract me with happy stories of being reunited with missing pets? I'm beginning to lose hope :(

It's unlikely a fox is involved. A fox would be very reluctant to take on a fully grown cat. There is a lot of easier food around for foxes at the moment, young rabbits etc. My cat was gone for a week. He was in my neighbour's shed and they didn't realise.

Our dcat went missing for 6 months. Saw her one day sitting under a tree at the local hairdressers!! Neighbours said they had seen her catching birds.
Hopefully in this day & age people would have a 'stray' scanned for a chip!!
Maybe your dcat is feeling a bit out of sorts at the loss of ddog and has gone to contemplate things!

That's what I'm hoping, my boy was a bit of a bruiser in his day, but is 12 and slightly arthritic these days.

I've been leaving food and water out every night and some used litter (I can't leave the whole litter tray out as my other kitty will have nowhere to go). The food's gone every morning but that could be other neighbourhood cats. Think I'll post some posters through the neighbours doors as some of them do have sheds.

I feel so helpless. I keep telling myself he's gonna come strolling back in a day or two wanting to know where his dinner is.

After a scare with one of ours I joined a local 'lost cats' Facebook group. It makes me sad to see so many upset and worried people BUT it is heartening that so many of them sooner or later are updated saying the cat is home - I would say the vast majority by far. Sometimes after just a few days (and I hope today is the day you find your boy!), sometimes much longer, but by this admittedly rather imperfect sample most of them do find their way home.

@Margaret, I saw a post the other day in my local lost cats group about a cat who'd gone missing in January and has only just made his way home! I know there's hope, I just can't help fearing the worst.

I'm particularly worried about the fact that we live on a very busy road (hence he's been an indoor cat for the past two years). I've not seen anything to suggest he's been hurt, plus the local vets haven't had him brought in, so that's a good sign.

I managed to catch a cat that had been hanging about earlier this year. Took it to the vets and it was reunited with it's owners after being missing for 6 months.

In this warm weather it's possible they could get stuck in sheds or garages.

Don't give up hope.

Thanks @Sparkling, I'm sure the owners of that cat were immeasurably grateful.

I think I'm just twisting myself in knots because I'm at work and can't get out and do anything to find him.

You just feel helpless I think. You think you should be doing something 24/7 but you can't. Then you get home and wonder if they have come back while you are out etc.

The owners were amazed, they had small children and you can imagine their excitment. They actually used to live locally and the cat had wandered back-about 3 miles.

That's hit the nail on the head. I was contemplating staying up all night last night in case he came back.

That's such a lovely story! I managed to reunite a cat called Biscuit with his family and sister from the same litter a few years ago. It was such a good feeling seeing how happy they all were :)

Can you leave a window open incase he gets home when you aren’t there?

Indoor cats usually stay close to home when they accidentally get out. He could be so close to home, probably stating the obvious but have you looked under hedges/ shrubs close by?

3 weeks ago my boy got out on the Saturday night and didn't come home until the Friday night! I was worried sick. We live near a very busy road, railway track and massive park so I was in bits. But he just strolled in shouting for food and being a pain in the arse. 😀 and he did it again this weekend....went out on Friday and didn't come back until Sunday!! Fingers crossed for your boy.

My lovely old cat Thomas went missing when I was about 10. We were devastated and searched for months. He randomly strolled home 2 years later!!

More recently my cat was locked in my neighbours shed for a day so worth asking around for people to check Sheds and garages. Hope you find puss!

There's a massive cemetery over the road from me which is really overgrown, so I'll be checking that out tonight to see if he's hiding in there.

I really wouldn't put it past him to stroll in tonight like a stop-out, I wouldn't even be mad at this point!

@starfish any news?

I've seen so many cats go for a few days at a time (uncharacteristically) because of this heat and they've all returned! Hopefully the weather has thrown him and he's snoozing somewhere nice and cool! Also worth really pestering neighbours as sheds are open much more this week with garden furniture / bbqs / paddling pools being brought out. I'm sure he will be home as it cools

Once our Tabby cat went missing for 33 days. We put posters up, we logged him onto every online forum we could find. We even offered a reward. Nothing.

One morning, one of our near neighbours said they though they could see him in in their 'attached' outbuilding. This houses their freezer and a small bathroom (toilet and sink). It was him! He was fairly dehydrated, and half his usual weight. We think he must have been drinking water from either the freezer , basin or loo. The vet said it was a good thing he was overweight before he got stuck in there. He's a master hider, so not too surprised that they hadn't seen him sooner.

That was 4 years ago, and he's as right as rain now. He's actually more affectionate than he was (he's a former feral kitten).