Rescue cat missing after 48hrs.

[DobbyTheHouseElk]

My neighbour adopted a timid cat from a rescue place at the weekend. Last night it disappeared through a window.

I don’t know where to start to look for it. I’ve suggested putting the litter tray outside and some food. But other than that I’m clueless.

So calling on the advice of the litter tray!! What on Earth can I do and where to start looking? We are rural.

I’m concerned for the welfare of this poor kitty.

DH said it was the same colour cat as the missing cat. Very low crouching down and running away. I think it’s behind our garage. It’s non accessible to humans there. Hedge and wall.

Oh well done, OP.
Just keep putting the food down for the next few days/nights. Hopefully you'll eventually gain it's trust enough to grab it.
Good luck 🍀

Great update, paws crossed here; all 12 of them 😉

I would. Although if at all practical I’d go out in a bit with tuna or something else with a strong smell likely to attract her and sit at a distance, but in sight and see if she’d come out when it’s quiet. Even if she won’t if she associates you with providing the food you might get her that way in a few days, and you can establish whether it’s her.

Thanks everyone. I’ve put a motion camera near the feeding spot. Hoping I’ve got it in the right place, I’m not that good with technology the food is still there, but I’ve been fiddling in around the area, so really hoping now that the food went once, the cat will know where to get more. Poor thing must be so hungry.

If only the rescue place had come with a trap we could have got it by now. My neighbour is leaving windows open incase the cat returns. I think I’ll try this way with food and see if I can gain the trust.

I’m sure it’s her...DH described what he saw. Having never seen the cat it’s hard to know. But no other cats in the area fit that description.

Put an appeal on your local lost & found pets fb group, someone might loan you a trap.

Sounds like her! You’re doing everything right. Just keep putting the food out. They come out to find food late and night and early in the morning. Ring the CP they might help you locate a trap, sometimes vets have them they can lend. Or just gain her trust by carrying on feeding her in same spot - sounds like she has a safe hiding place and it’s nice weather.

IME she won’t go back in to the window she leapt out of as she doesn’t know it’s her home yet.

Yes it does sound like her. And I agree she won't go back in through the window.

But for now if you just keep feeding and gaining her trust that's the most important thing. After a while you may be able to pick her up (I'm guessing she isn't completely feral after all). If not, then you should be able to borrow a trap. The important thing is though that she isn't lost and is coming for food.

Whereabouts are you OP? I have a trap you can borrow if you're anywhere near me. If not then Cat's Protection/RSPCA may be able to help and Animalsearchuk are good too.

The second pouch of food wasn’t eaten in the night. I’ve picked it up now because my cat is out and will eat it.

I’m going to contact the local CP today. See what they say. They know me as I adopted from them earlier in the year.

I also want to ring the useless rescue because this morning I’m furious with them, the more I think about it.

Although I trust my CP branch to actually care for the welfare of cats. The useless rescue place rescues any animal, it’s not a cat specific rescue,

I might try tuna tonight again. Don’t think she will come to that spot in the day, it’s too busy and noisy. At least she ate last night. So I feel better. Our garden and field is full of mice, judging by how many my cat eats per day,

CP probably wouldn’t have let an elderly couple have a young cat that’s probably why they gone to a more ‘relaxed rescue’ .

The thing is with the rescue though - they are probably doing the best they can with overwhelming demands and very limited resources. I don't know where the cat came from but the chances are if they hadn't taken her in then no one would have done. There are far more cats needing rescue places than there are places or homes available (our rescue can probably only help ten per cent of the cases we are made aware of, and we do huge amounts).

Yes a young, timid cat and an elderly (and not very sensible sounding) couple isn't an ideal match. But probably it was them or no one. And it isn't their fault the owners left the window open. And the advice to put food out and probably the cat will return is correct. Then, maybe, i a 40 mile round trip to drop off a trap might be worthwhile, but then it might not be necessary at all and I can understand why they might not have the available staff/time/petrol money to do that on the off chance.

So the rescue hasn't been great, but we are so far from living in an ideal world regarding cat welfare that all these organisations are struggling against overwhelming odds and sometimes it's just about doing the least worst thing. (Unless of course the cat has been sent out unneutered - that would be truly unforgiveable).

they are probably doing the best they can with overwhelming demands and very limited resources

I agree with this.

Responsible rescues do homechecks and try to home pets with the right home and give plenty advice and support. From the sounds of it ‘rescue’ is a loose description of where this cat came from. The rescues I work with do not just hand pets over to anyone that comes along so please don’t excuse their complete lack of good practice.

Spoken to NDN to update her on possible sighting and food.

Had a good chat and explained how we need to gain cats trust and feed it outside before rushing to get it back in the home. I’m putting out water in the same place as food and NDN is putting tuna out later. I’ve suggested where to put it.

NDN is ringing the rescue today to ask for a trap. I said I’ll go and collect a trap if they don’t want to drive here, but I don’t know how to use a trap or what to do if we catch the cat. I’m really hoping the rescue will come and set it up for us. NDN isn’t sure where the rescue place is. So I’ll wait a bit and see if I can find out. I don’t want to push as she is very anxious.

I appreciate that rescue places are underfunded and overstretched. I’m in awe of all of you who work in that area.

If the rescue do have a trap you can borrow they can show you how to set it. It's not hard.

Thank you.

I’ll have to drive as NDN doesn’t drive.

It's great that you're helping out like this.

Yes a young, timid cat and an elderly (and not very sensible sounding) couple isn't an ideal match. But probably it was them or no one.

But surely they must've had an older or even a middle aged cat that could've gone to this very elderly couple? The NDN doesn't even know where the rescue place is .
It all sounds very odd.

Anyway, it's great that you're helping the poor cat, OP

You are a very good neighbour and obviously care about animals, bless you x I'm sure you will be successful x a house cat missing locally for three weeks was eventually found . She'd been hiding on an overgrown garden area very close to home . So do t give up x

Fingers crossed you get NDNs cat back in!

Every time I worry our recent rescue has gone walkabout, sure enough she's on our garage or extension roof (slopes up towards a bedroom window)

Poor NDNs thinking they're doing a good thing... Unfortunately cats are quite the escape artists! Does s/he have enough toys, food, litter, comfy places to snooze in their room? Often fresh air is just too tempting when they've been in a foster kennel type place for weeks on end!

Ps. Ours is a CP and they didn't do a home visit or anything, said they only do that if there's a potential problem (kids at home) etc. Local rescues will have similar general rules about when to check.

I’m really soft when it comes to animals. The last cat I had to look for the NDN took me days to find. Poor thing had gone off to die. This is awfully reminiscent. That was only a few weeks ago.

NDN doesn’t know where the rescue is as she didn’t drive there. She was taken. I said I’m sure we can find it, but she was muddled as she was anxious.

I’m fond of my NDN, she’s lovely and I can’t leave her or the cat without help.

I’m sure the rescue had a more suitable cat, but I don’t know the ins and outs of the adoption process.

@PickwickThePlockingDodo Maybe, maybe not. It's more likely that they were desperate to find a home for this particular cat (timid cats are the hardest to home - they can be stuck with us for many months or even years before we find someone prepared to give them a home) and this was the only offer they've had, maybe in months. It's certainly not ideal but as I said, we're not living in anything like an ideal world. On the face of it, it does seem like a poor decision on the part of the rescue, but I'm still reluctant to judge.

All I know is the cat is a year old and came to the rescue pregnant. She had her kittens there and was put up for adoption once her kittens had gone.

There is a back story, which I’m not actually believing and gently said to the NDN that it might not be true, as the rescue will have wanted to make her look attractive. In my mind a loving responsible owner has a cat neutered as a kitten.

I’m worried that if I do get this cat back, that the window could open again and I’ll be back to square one. NDN hadn’t even seen the cat as it had been hiding the whole time. I said that’s normal and recommended feliway.