Please, give me some hope

[DBN1]

One of our cats has been missing for 7 nights now and I'm going out of my mind.
She's been with us for almost 4 years and never strays further than the garden (for toilet business).
Up until day 3 I was vaguely optimistic but now it just seems too long to hope that she'll come strolling in.
She's the eldest of our babies - we don't actually know how old she is as she was a street cat who adopted us but I think she's getting on a bit. She's not a cuddly cat but usually sits on/next to me whenever she can and always sleeps on the bed with us at night.
Has anyone had a cat disappear for this amount of time with a happy ending?

When I was growing up we had a cat who disappeared for about two weeks - we’re pretty sure she got shut in a shed or something like that.

Miranda we've checked all empty buildings nearby, asked all neighbours, scoured the lanes, tramped the fields, no sight of her anywhere.
I keep hoping that she'll just turn up but it's so out of character. I cant stop crying for her, I just want to find her, whatever state she may be in. I cant bear to think of her frightened and alone or even worse, alone and the wild animals picking at her. I just want her back.

My cat was missing for 10 days then appeared one morning in the living room.

Can you empty your vaccuum cleaner in the garden? The strong scent of home from it can help a lost cat find its way back.

We had a cat that went missing for 3 weeks then turned up in our garden.
He was a big ginger Tom but neutered. We don't know where he went but he came home hungry and skinny.
Don't give up. If she was once a street cat she will not starve. I hope she's back soon.

If it’s out of character, something has stopped or interrupted her getting home, so you’re doing the right thing by being proactive and going out looking for her. She’s likely close to home in her own territory unless she’s the type of cat to do things like jump in a van? Don’t give up hope yet - it’s still early days. Keep searching, especially in the evening and early mornings when it’s quiet and you have the best chance of hearing each other. Take a torch - if she’s injured and hiding the light will reflect off her eyes.

Thank you all so much for the tips and for the hope
Its almost 7am here now so I'm going out for another walk to see if I can find her. Fingers crossed...

She's back!
We've had terrible storms today And I was so worried about her being put somewhere in it then she just came running into the garden 5 minutes ago. She's skinny but otherwise looks fine. I'm beyond happy

Ah lovely news! Our dcat is afraid of the wind, we have decide to get him in a bit earlier every night now, can't sleep unless they are both in!!
Also many years ago my dcat went awol for 6 months!!
Little buggar!!

That's fantastic news! Lots of cuddles, food and restful sleep for both of you today then 

Six months Aprilislonggone! Oh my, I BET that was the best day ever when she/her came home!
Yes ScreamieMum she's had a good feed And is now asleep on my lap I think I've found a tick on her so I'm just Googling what to do about that

So glad she’s back

Hooray! You must be so relieved! Re: the tick, you need a special tool to remove it - your vet or a well stocked pet shop should have it. Hugs for your kitty 🐱

I was going to the local shop, less than 5 mins walk away and there she was sitting under a tree!! Got a box from a shop and popped her in - though maybe she was injured. Knocked at a few doors and apparently she had been living in a shed and catching birds!! Days before microchipping, hope these days someone would have had her scanned!
A few broken teeth and a bit skinny but she was fine. Dc were delighted!!

Hooray! Champagne?

BuggeringNora I'm going to try the vets tomorrow for the tick remover tweezer thing as it's after 5pm here so they're closed now. I don't rate my chances of getting it off though, she's a mardy cow about being touched

Aprilislonggone that was so lucky. Happy days!

cheesefield, I wish!

Just a quick update, if anyone's still reading this thread.
My husband took her to the vet this morning - the tick was removed and she had a general check-up, all ok, just needs fattening up and rehydrating. She's really nervy and aggresive though, much more than usual so I dread to think where she's been and what happened to her during her time away.
She's settled down in the attic bedroom (her safe place) now and I've put a litter tray out for her so she doesn't need to go out if she doesn't want to. I never want her to go out again!

So glad she is back home and enjoying the comforts of her family again :)

Thank you KisstheTeapot14

So glad she came home. It's unbearable having a missing cat. There were times when I wanted to go out looking for my cat at 3am because I couldn't bear it any longer. It's great that you've had a happy ending.

I'd keep her in her safe space for a few days, until she calms down and wants out of the room. If she likes to lie on towels or woolens, then give her an unwashed towel/jumper with your scent on it. Having your scent mix with hers will send the message that she's safe.

Be careful reintroducing her to the other cats. She'll smell different because she's lost the "group scent" that is a mixture of all the cats' scents put together. She'll also be freaked out because the group scent will have changed because she wasn't there. So she thinks they're strangers and they think she's a stranger!

I'd strongly recommend getting a couple of Vicky Halls' books. She's one of the UK's top cat behaviourists and is also a vet nurse. She writes about how to help cats in these situations. If you love cats, they're great books anyway. Reading them got me doing some cat behaviour courses. I'd recommend Cat Detective and Cat Confidential to start with, they're often available second-hand. You can get them on Kindle too, which might be easier if you're abroad.

There were times when I wanted to go out looking for my cat at 3am because I couldn't bear it any longer I was exactly the same! I couldn't sleep and was up half the night worrying and looking!
Thanks for the book suggestions, I'll see if I can borrow a Kindle.