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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

My cat has escaped from the cattery

77 replies

TheHallouminati · 24/08/2018 15:34

I left my boy in a cattery last thursday to go on holiday. I had a phonecall from the owner of the cattery on wednesday to say that he had clawed his way out of his enclosure in the night. He was spotted that wednesday but ran as soon as he saw humans.
He was adopted by me nearly two years ago- I had very little information on his previous life but he has always been fairly timid of humans and I suspect he was a stray as he spends most of his time outdoors and is a prolific hunter.
The woman who owns the cattery has been putting food out for him but he's not been seen since the morning he was discovered missing and he's not eaten any of the food. They've also been in touch with the local vets as he is chipped but there has been no news. I don't know what to do. The cattery is 9miles away from my home so there's no way he would have made his way home.
I've just unloaded the car after driving home and I've got to head over to the cattery to try and find him myself. What else can I do?

OP posts:
BackToTheFuschia7 · 03/09/2018 22:58

Oh how frustrating for you! But also so pleased to hear he is alive. Animals can go a bit feral when they are missing, it’s very common for lost dogs to not respond to their owner when spotted. They basically go back to survival mode. I think your best chance would be to use a trap. Are there any rescues near you? Most will have one as part of their trap, neuter, return schemes.

knittedwoollenmouse · 03/09/2018 22:59

The cats protection people might lend you a trap.

Original poster
TheHallouminati · 03/09/2018 23:03

Thanks Martha I know he's a cat and is probably scared but I guess I kind of thought that if he saw me he'd come. Before I saw him tonight I thought it was a case of finding and approaching him and he'd recognise me and not be scared.

I saw him quite a way down the road walking away from me and called his name and he stopped dead, looked at me and then carried on sauntering away from me. He clearly recognised my voice but just wasn't fussed. He then stopped to sniff under a bush where the cattery lady has put a baited humane trap down. So I caught up to him and he came over for strokes.
Then it all went a bit wrong and the hissing started and i tried a few times to get hold of him but every time I made a movement as if to hold him, he backed off I was scared I'd make him bolt. Theb he did bolt.

It's a bit pathetic really as I'm anthropomorphising him but I feel like he doesn't like me and I'm a bad cat mum. Like he obviously wasn't happy with us so has buggered off and wont come back.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheHallouminati · 03/09/2018 23:06

Thanks for the suggestion. Trap is down and has been for a few days now. He could smell the food in it but I think has an aversion to anything with bars or too enclosed. He was sniffing it when I got close to him but is wise to it I guess?

OP posts:
WellThisIsShit · 03/09/2018 23:13

Oh dear, this is all so awful. I’m sorry Flowers

Lilao · 03/09/2018 23:18

OP I really feel for you. I know it's not the same but I have read somewhere that even dogs have that sort of behaviour and run from their owners when they go missing for long periods of time. It's really distressing for them and confuses them a bit.

It's a really good sign you've seen him, and hopefully now you know the area you can build his trust and catch him.

I'm keeping everything crossed for you that he's home from his holidays soon, and this will be an adventure he can tell the local cats about.

knittedwoollenmouse · 03/09/2018 23:30

Good luck. I’m hopeful you’ll be able to catch him. Could you try some valerian? It calms them and they love it. Get some Dr Stuart nighttime teabags from the supermarket. They contain valerian.

TrueLoveWays · 03/09/2018 23:48

That's so sad OP
Really hope he comes home soon.

ozymandiusking · 04/09/2018 00:00

I do hope you are reunited soon. We leave our cat at the cattery quite frequently.One just assumes that they can't get out!
I really feel for you.
Good luck x

cushioncovers · 04/09/2018 11:34

Keeping trying op. His survival skills have kicked in I'm sure, hence the wariness and indifference-towards you.
My cat ignores me on the street unless it meal times. He just struts on by as if he doesn't even know meHmm

Nesssie · 04/09/2018 11:44

Keep trying with the trap op. Its a good sign that he is staying in the same area.

Please do not feel like he isn't coming to you as he doesn't love you- read up on how lost dogs go 'feral' within hours of being lost.
There was a case with a Labrador who went missing, several times she appeared within metres of her owners but did not come to then. When she was eventually trapped, she was delighted to see her owners and recognised them straight away.

When animal gets lost they automatically go into 'survival mode' where all they think about is survival and nothing else. Their brain switches off from being your pet, and so although he may have recognised you, his instinct was to not be caught, and that would have overrode his recognition.

Keep going with the trap and good luck!

Aprilshowersnowastorm · 04/09/2018 12:21

Borrow some gauntlets and go back!

Original poster
TheHallouminati · 04/09/2018 21:03

Thanks everyone I'm going to keep trying although dh is away and I'm having a
some trouble with childcare and work commmitments. Bizarrely, the cattery owner and I have developed a sort of friendship. We are messaging daily as she has seen him several times and also she is getting calls via the posters she has put up. She's also seen me ugly-cry several times which tends to break the ice somewhat!

It turns out she has been rescuing cats for 50yrs and has far more knowledge than me in capturing them. We are meeting up also at specific times as he has developed a routine and is being seen at the same times and places every day.

She has some special animal handling gloves and a sort of lead which can be looped over his head from a distance and gently tightened. So we are going to team up, as he will approach me more readily and she can use her equipment to capture him. She actually had hold of him the other day but he shredded her arms. He's actually in really good shape.

I also want to say thank you for all of your kind and reassuring messages that dcat is just acting on instinct. I hope we can get him and he can be "rehabbed". Have also been speaking to colleague who owns a farm. She rescues cats and says if he seems unhappy as a house cat she will gladly take him in.

OP posts:
Original poster
TheHallouminati · 04/09/2018 21:06

This is dcat if anyone wants to put a face to his exploits. He really is some kind of Bear Grylls survival cat. Love him, miss him.

My cat has escaped from the cattery
OP posts:
WhereIsBlueRabbit · 04/09/2018 21:12

He looks like a loveable little sod! We have the female version (in terms of looks, she is also a roamer but quite likes her home comforts so doesn't go too far).

Really hope you manage to catch him - it's great to know he's alive, albeit frustrating that you're so close yet so far.

ScabbyBabby · 04/09/2018 21:16

He is gorgeous!
Wishing you lots of luck in getting him home soon.

brownmouse · 04/09/2018 21:20

Oh this is heartbreaking! Fingers crossed for you x

HuggedtheRedwoods · 04/09/2018 23:40

Thanks for the update and he's a handsome boy! I'm sorry you've not got him home yet but so pleased you've managed to track him down, and that he's regularly turning up at the same places is good news.

I'm sure if you can get him home he will settle again when he's back on his own patch with his comforts. If you think about it from his view (I'll join you in a bit of anthropomorphising!) he was probably a bit confused with being in the cattery to begin with and not to know you were coming back for him -hence making his bid for freedom- and after a fortnight of fending for himself in a strange area was probably just overwhelmed with it all when he saw you and had a little stroke. A bit like when they can turn and do that biting thing after happily being fussed.

Maybe something extra irrestible in the trap will help overcome his wariness - something he can clearly smell like roast chicken or tuna or strong catnip?

Very best of luck to you. x

cushioncovers · 05/09/2018 08:14

Keep checking in to see how you're getting on op. Glad he's been located, just got to catch the little rascal now.

Rebecca36 · 05/09/2018 08:41

TheHallouminati, I haven't read every post on this thread so forgive me if this has been said but is your cat microchipped?

Don't give up hope yet.

I'm appalled at the cattery. It should be escape proof. Complain loudly!

You have my sympathies as a fellow pet owner.

Mumsnut · 14/09/2018 06:53

Anything?

cushioncovers · 15/09/2018 08:53

Any update op?

WindyWednesday · 23/09/2018 17:27

Any news?

madcatmama · 23/02/2019 13:59

We boarded our two cats 30 July 2016 whilst we went on a much needed two week holiday to Greece. On 8 August we received a call to say one cat had escaped as ‘a member of staff’ left the outer door open when ‘he’ went into the pen. They emailed to say they had delivered 60 flyers but the 5 roads they listed consisted of over 300 flats and houses. They hadn’t put up any posters and even their immediate neighbours didn’t know a cat had escaped. We had to notify the chip company as the cattery said they didn’t need any of the cats paperwork so had no details whatsoever.
We contacted Cats Protection and one of the volunteers took a humane trap to the cattery and showed them how to set it as she would probably be lying low in the surrounding wooded area. The cattery decided that our cat would be making her way home and left the set trap outside our front door and consequently the neighbourhood cats were being trapped and our neighbours had to keep releasing those trapped cats. On our return when asked the cattery admin manager refused to help search for our cat but thought sending us a cheque for £500 - which was never cashed - would make everything alright.
We joined many groups on facebook and Streetlife which later became Nextdoor and contacted the local press to get the word out there that our cat was missing. Then came the backlash from the cattery supporters - it was unbelievable!
We never gave up hope we would see our cat again and then out of the blue nearly 2.5 years later we got a call from a local vets to say they had our cat. She had been begging for food and scavenging through bins so someone started feeding her and called a local rescue who scanned her for a microchip and took her to the vets.
The cattery now has a final written warning which will remain on file for security issues and lack of record keeping.

cushioncovers · 23/02/2019 16:14

Did you get him back op??