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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

Where is my cat disappearing off to?

17 replies

RuggyPeg · 08/06/2019 21:28

Got an outside feral cat. Very timid at first but over the weeks, she became really friendly and would follow me around everywhere outside and sit on my lap. She'd always appear for breakfast and dinner. She's spayed and really healthy. Last week, she disappeared for 36 hours and then appeared looking a bit bedraggled and was really skitty and wouldn't come near us. Ate a bit of food but then disappeared again. Next few days, same behaviour. What on earth has happened to her and why does she now keep disappearing? There's no roads near us and no dogs or neighbours who'd take her in or she'd go to. Any ideas of what on earth has happened to her and where she keeps going? We're stumped.

OP posts:
Shinesweetfreedom · 08/06/2019 21:31

When you say outside feral cat,is it a stray

Original poster
RuggyPeg · 08/06/2019 21:36

No. We got her as an older kitten. She was kept in the garage for the first couple of weeks.

OP posts:
Dippypippy1980 · 08/06/2019 22:46

She’s surely not feral - she’s your (slightly neglected😳) pet.

She might have got trapped in a shed or garage. I would keep her inside for a few weeks and get her checked over by the vet. Maybe get a programmable cat flap fitted and keep her in at night.

When you say you kept her in the garage, what do you mean? Why wasn’t she in the house when you first got her?

Original poster
RuggyPeg · 08/06/2019 23:38

Slightly neglected????? Ha ha! If only you knew! She literally lives a dream life and wants for nothing. She isn't an indoor cat. We don't live in a 2 bed flat and she has acres of playground to roam around in (although she typically hasn't gone far) and sheltered, comfy spots all over the place for a bed. She can't be tempted indoors. How could she be trapped if she keeps coming back though?

OP posts:
Dippypippy1980 · 09/06/2019 08:17

Just a theory, bit maybe someone opened the garage back up?

I said slightly neglected because you describ d your pet as feral. You also said she is still a kitten but she lived in your garage for the first couple of week. That’s really unusual, most new kittens are given a small space in the home initially, then introduced to the rest of the home.

It sounded like she wasn’t allowed in your home, so sorry if I picked that up wrong. You say she has lots of comfy spots for a bd, are those outside or inside? What will she do in the winter?

Something is happening to her outside, so I do think you need to keep her in for a while. I might be wrong about her getting trapped somewhere, but it doesn’t sound good. Bring her inside, and cut down on her roaming time.

slowco4ch · 09/06/2019 08:28

For those of you using terms like neglected, go on cats protection or rspca rehiring and view the feral cats section. It exists! These cats would go bananas in a standard house environment.

slowco4ch · 09/06/2019 08:28

Rehoming! Not rehiring!

Original poster
RuggyPeg · 09/06/2019 09:09

She absolutely would not tolerate being inside. She is about 8 months old now. We got her at about 4 months. She came from a farm. It's a triple garage that's always open and she's free to come and go as she pleases. When we first got her, she was in the garage but in a big dog cage (with a warm snuggly bed). She was there for a fortnight, so she got used to her surroundings. Winter won't be a problem - as I said, there are loads of warm, dry places for her - places she currently uses, like the hay loft for instance. She was/is feral but over the weeks, with patience and food, we won her round and she became friendly and like a dog almost. She followed me round and played with the dogs. We just can't now work out what the hell has happened. She's spayed, so isn't going off with menfolk. We live in a rural spot with no roads for her to get hit on or neighbours to go to or hurt her etc. Not seen her now for over 24 hours again ☹️

OP posts:
LazyFace · 09/06/2019 09:32

I can't believe people don't know about feral cats....
I was going to ask about neutering but I see she is.
I think it might be just that the weather turned nicer and the world is an interesting place. My neutered boy used to go out in the nice weather, disappearing for days.
If she was skittish there's a chance that someone tried to take her in thinking she's a stray.

Original poster
RuggyPeg · 09/06/2019 10:17

She looked a bit worse for wear tho and was really skittish and wouldn't let us near her. I'm worried that she's eaten something nasty. We don't put poison down anywhere but maybe a rancid mouse. There's no one to take her in - we don't have immediate neighbours. No sign of her this morning. ☹️

OP posts:
rollingpine · 09/06/2019 10:42

One of my previous cats, not feral but a regular domesticated cat, used to disappear for days at a time in the summer months. He'd return bedraggled, filthy, starving and exhausted, eat a pile of food, sleep for 24 hours and then disappear again.

We used to say he'd gone walkabout.

Dippypippy1980 · 09/06/2019 10:57

Sorry, I am familiar with the term farm or barn cat used for an owned cat (maybe ex feral) who is now cared for and fed - but where I am from a feral cat is an Unowned cat who fends for itself. Owning a feral cat would be a contradiction.

No need for the shock and disbelief😂😂😂😂. I humbly apologise

Back to the actual problem. Hopefully she hasn’t come to any harm - but might be worthwhile getting her checked over incase she has had a scuffle with the local wildlife and has a hidden bite or something.

I got my kitten from a farm too. She is inside - outside and adjusted brilliantly to being indoors after her early life outside.

Original poster
RuggyPeg · 09/06/2019 12:03

I wonder where she went and what she got up to Rolling?!

We think she might have eaten her food this morning, so hopefully she's around somewhere. We're going to leave a trail of tuna and try and trap her.

Yeah, possibly a scuffle with wildlife. Never thought of that. Can't say I've ever seen a fox or badger but I guess there's likely to be some knocking about.

OP posts:
Dippypippy1980 · 09/06/2019 12:13

Hope she is ok. It’s good she comes back to you - at least she knows home is safe😊. Lucky girl with tuna.

Here’s a great pet forum - petforum - with some really experience cat owners, vets and volunteers who give advice in the cat chat section. There has been plenty of chat about barn/farm cats. Might be worthwhile asking on there. They might give you some tips on what is worrying behaviour and what is normal? Might give you some reassurance.

Original poster
RuggyPeg · 09/06/2019 14:07

Thanks dippy 👍

OP posts:
Original poster
RuggyPeg · 09/06/2019 21:43

Well, you were right, she's been in a scuffle. Not sure what with but she's got fur missing and what looks like some kind of bite or wound. Hard to be sure cos she's still being very skitty but at least we've seen her and she's had some food. She's taken herself off to a quiet corner and is licking herself, so will just have to keep an eye on her and see how she goes.

OP posts:
Dippypippy1980 · 09/06/2019 22:59

Poor kitty! Hopefully it’s just superficial.

Keep an eye incase it’s infected.

www.cats.org.uk/inverurie/feature-pages/from-our-vets/cat-bites-and-abscesses

Hopefully she stays closer to home for a while😻

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