My cat is missing. I am distraught.

[oxcat1]

I adopted two tortoiseshell sisters, four years ago, and they have been the light of my life. Just us, they are with me almost 24/7, as I am disabled and often housebound.

On Tuesday night, Mabel went missing. I always keep them in at night (scared of cars) but somehow she found a way out, despite the window netting etc. No sign of her since. Nothing.

I have printed 50 posters and put them up all round, and slips through over 100 houses. Mabel is posted on our local missing cats page, and this has been shared and reposted over 200 times. I have called the microchip company and registered her missing, and called all the local vets. One of my carers has paced the streets in the dead of night calling for her and I am calling for her day and night.

I have used cat litter in the garden to help with scent, and I have been spending as much time outside talking as I can.

Is there anything more I can do? I am frantic. She is so very timid - a shy little home bird who had to be coaxed into loving me and then did so unreservedly. She would sit silently doing long slow blinks, and would very gently tap my arm when she thought she was owed some attention.

What else could I do? She won't have gone adventuring and is very unlikely to be hiding 'in plain sight' as she is simply so timid. She is never normally out of sugar for more than an hour T a time so this is so very out of character. She is microchipped and neutered but no collar.

What else can I do? I am so desperate.

Oh that is so worrying. Could someone knock on doors to ask neighbours to check sheds & garages? They may not necessarily think to check if they see the note asking to look out for a missing cat.
I hope she comes home soon.

That is worrying, I would be knocking on neighbours doors, perhaps someone has taken her in. I hope Mable comes home soon.

It's not long. She has been out before and knows where she lives. But you need to be sure that neighbours have checked sheds and garages. Are you able to go door knocking? How does she normally come and go? Do you have a cat flap? If not, would she be able to get in if you don't happen to see her?

If you don't have a flap then keep leaving food and water outside in case she's there when you don't see her.

I do put slips through all the houses' doors in the vicinity. I don't know any neighbours as I moved in just before lockdown and the shielded. Lots of divided houses here so endless neighbours, and I don't know any to make a personal plea.

Have you a local school, might be worth asking.

@thecatneuterer: I know it's not long in normal cat terms, but Mabel has never been gone for more than an hour - I could call her at any time from my garden and she would reappear. She was almost always just sitting on my garden walls - she never strayed and didn't tend to explore.

I moved here in March and they didn't go out until the middle of April. I keep them in every night and from when it begins to get dark so she really doesn't know the area well. No cat flap yet but a shed where I did find her once (hiding from the lawnmower). She can freely come and go under the door so I put her microchip food bowl there but nothing at all.

She is just so timid. When I had a few nights In hospital, she just hid under the bed the entire team, ignoring all her food and hiding even from the carers she knew well. Some of my friends have never even seen her as she doesn't like visitors or change.

You're doing all the right things already. Most cats, especially those who don't normally wander, are usually close by, often stuck in a shed/garage so you're carer going out at night is a good idea. It's so worrying though, really feel for you. Mine went missing a few months back and was indeed found in a neighbours garage after another neighbour heard her, I'd missed her earlier that day due to heavy rain making it impossible to hear. Hope she turns up soon .

You don't need to know neighbours to knock on doors. Just knock on doors. Being shut in somewhere is a strong possibility and, if that is the case, you need to act quickly. Knock on doors, explain the situation, ask if they have checked their sheds/greenhouses/garages and, if not, ask them to do it while you wait. You probably only need to go to the nearest ten or so houses (including those in any adjoining gardens behind).

OP, if you can, leave her litter tray outside. They can smell that a long way away and it may help lead her back if she's lost. (Works better with lost indoor cats who get out but is worth a try. )

@thecatneuterer: I can't knock on any doors as I am in a wheelchair and supposed to be shielding - I can't reach the doorbells or even the doors as they are often up elevated pathways.

I asked the carers to put slips in all the houses in a c.300m square, but my carers don't have English as their first language. It isn't easy to ask them to knock on doors, and often there are 8-10 bells, so which one do we call?

I don't believe Mabel would make a noise in response even to my voice - she just trembles in a corner when afraid.

I have put a used litter tray outside and keep encouraging her sister to join me in the garden (so her scent travels too) but Mulli seems so bewildered and afraid too so isn't keen to leave the house.

I will try a midnight walk tonight (I am on oxygen etc so shielding but fewer around at night) as maybe she will be hungry enough to call our now when she wouldn't before.

I don't know any other ideas.

It isn't likely a fox would take her, leaving no trace, is it?

I think you can register lost cats on the Doglost site so that may help , fingers crossed that you find her soon .

I do have over 200 shares of her listing on our local Lost Cats site, and it is also shared on all local Facebook pages and local cat sites.

I am simply not able to go pacing the streets day and night, but I hate sitting at home doing nothing but frantically checking for messages and calling for her obsessively.

Have you any friends that could help you? I would in a heartbeat

My homebody cat went missing for 8 days and I was frantic, I did everything from FB to searching at 3am. He turned up at my door and has never done it since! And I searched and searched everywhere, still don't know where he got to
Keep resharing on FB, lost cat groups, twitter, local groups and if you have the next door app that's quite good too

So sorry about your girl. One of mine went missing not long ago and I did a lot of reading up on missing cat behaviour. The best thing to do is an intense physical search of properties that are close by, to check she is not trapped or hiding. There is a missing cat study here which outlines the basic principles: www.animalregister.co.nz/lost-pet-advice/lost-cat-behaviour-when-lost.html

Unfortunately it really is best to look yourself or have a friend/ relative help - a neighbour is unlikely to conduct as thorough a search. Be aware that putting cat litter outside is a myth, it can attract other territorial cats which could spook yours. If you must put something scented out, try some of your own clothing.
www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-pet-behaviors/lost-cat-tip/

Mine was gone 2 weeks and was found by me in someone's garden about 3 blocks away, the only thing that saved him in the end was me walking right up into their garden (i.e. well back from the street - basically trespassing!) and calling. So do keep up with the physical searching and calling if you can.

Ah sorry just seen it's hard for you to search yourself. Do you have a friend or relative or anyone at all who could help look for a few hours? If she is timid, chances are she has either been spooked by something (in which case she might be under a house / hiding in a garden and need coaxing out) or shut in somewhere. It's unlikely she's just gone for a wander.

I did have carers who put up posters etc and friends have offered to help, but I am relatively knew to the area so don't know a huge number of people, and not entirely sure what they can do anyway as she always hides away from people when they visit anyway?

I can change the litter for my clothing. Hang it on the line so it blows in the wind.

I do hope she is trapped. She does get spooked. The houses here are terraces so no garages, but there could be sheds in gardens perhaps. I couldn't get through to them anyway (through people's houses) even if people gave me permission.

I will try going out into the streets tonight and calling. My little girl will be so afraid.

That link from @violetbunny suggests sniffer dogs or humane traps could be used. Are either of those a possibility in the UK?
I fear a sniffer dog would make Mabel take off (she's beyond scared of dogs), and a humane trap surely won't work when I really don't know her location yet?

I am so short of ideas.

Oh dear!

However, although timid and a homebody etc etc, cats are still cats and yep, they do wander. Even the ones you swear blind wouldn't. It's a fact that they sometimes do and then they stroll back in as if nothing has happened. And I know you can't imagine that to be the case with yours but right now, it more than likely is.

Trapped in an outbuilding is a possibility so calling her very late at night or shaking dreamies may help you to hear her.

If she's registered on all the local Facebook sites and you've arranged for the neighbours to be leafleted then I think you're covering a lot of bases.

And please don't lose hope! She will more than likely be back before you know it

So sorry to hear that.

The only thing I can think of is to put some of her favourite food out in the daylight hours. Though you might well just end up with other cats. At our old house one of our cats who was terrified of the garden escaped - she had got out along the roof and walked along to a neighbours house who had taken her in.

I think you are doing all the right things. If you have a local Facebook may be worth posting on there. Hope you get her home soon.

My parents cat went missing twice, once it had tried to walk back to its old house (rescue cat house) and once it had climbed a tree and couldn't get down.

If she got out through a window she couldn't be on a roof could she, that's where ours was but was a top floor window.

@KoalasandRabbit: I am a ground floor flat with the roof 4 storeys higher so I doubt it? I have netting just because I didn't want the cats getting out during the night or accessing the main road (the irony.....).

I will try going out tonight and calling. Have to do something.

If you’ve got a torch their eyes reflect back at you. I hope you find her very soon.

No advice but a hand hold. I hope she’s back very soon

I hope she comes back soon OP