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The litter tray

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

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Original poster

Positive stories of cats returning after a long stay away from home

48 replies

Daisy1992 · 28/10/2022 17:12

Hi, I just need some positive stories to keep my hopes up.

My lovely cat has been missing for 3 days now, about to go into the 4th night without her. She is only 1, and before this she has never stayed out overnight before. Her and her brother have been going outside during the day, and we call them back in with their treats and keep them in overnight. They never normally go far, and they will return to the sound of their treats in a matter of seconds normally, so we think they only go into a few of the neighbours gardens. So this is so unlike her, she is definitely more adventurous than her brother, and loves being outside so we think maybe she has just gone off exploring, or maybe she is stuck somewhere.

I am sick with worry, I have posted leaflet through all the neighbouring houses, at the local shop, posted on all the Facebook groups etc, listed her missing at all the local vets and websites. I have cried so much thinking the worst, she is chipped so trying to stay positive that we haven't received any dreaded phone call yet.

Has anyone else's dcat returned home after a long stay away? I could really use some positive stories to hold on to.

OP posts:

CatJumperTwat · 28/10/2022 18:04

I took in a stray once. After a few months he had a fight with another of my cats so I took him to the vet, and they found a microchip (they were a lot less common then so I hadn't thought to check). He was reunited with his owner a few hours later.

Another time one of my girls went missing for several days before a neighbour found her trapped in their shed. She lost the ability to meow but was fine apart from that.

I hope she returns soon. I know that awful feeling when it's past their usual hometime 😞

MsFrog · 28/10/2022 18:06

Ours came back after a week once, very skinny and hungry but otherwise fine. We think he maybe got stuck in someone's garage or something while they were away. Fingers crossed for your girl 🤞🤞

theDudesmummy · 28/10/2022 18:09

I had a cat in childhood who was missing for 2 weeks and then just strolled in, looking thinner but unconcerned.

Elsanore · 28/10/2022 18:10

My cat has built up to 3 weeks as his longest AWOL period to date. Can easily do between 3 days and 2 weeks AWOL. He's 11 and swings between being a very homey affectionate cat that wants to sleep on our beds all the time, to a feral ranger of the woods and allotments. He never ever loses weight or comes back hungry. We've seen him eating rabbits and rats 🤢

lurchermummy · 28/10/2022 19:22

Mine was missing for 8 days once. She's just gone missing again.

KirstenBlest · 28/10/2022 19:27

DCat went missing for over a month. He was found by a neighbour. He was very thin but not injured.

90sfilmsforever · 28/10/2022 19:41

Our rescue cat escaped the night we got him so no idea where he was and not yet used to our scent to find his way back. We leafleted, postered, knocked on doors and walked the neighbourhood at dusk and dawn searching and calling. Left food everywhere in front and back gardens. No sign of him.

I also got a cat trap from a local rescue and put it in the front garden with sardines in it. We must have caught every cat except him in the neighbourhood in it the first few nights! We'd given up hope after 5 days and then that evening I heard the trap spring again and there he was! Hungry and very glad to see us but otherwise unharmed.

bellocchild · 28/10/2022 20:09

Don't despair...My aunt's cat, known to be exceptionally nosy, recently went missing for nearly a week, in Spain. After about 5 days, a woman in a neighbouring block of flats called her to say her own cat was crying to another cat four floors up, on the balcony of a locked flat, whose owners had gone home. The police were summoned, and they in turn called the fire brigade who sent a man with a ladder and protective clothing over the roof. As he descended to the balcony, the horrified cat promptly jumped over the edge, and landed unhurt four floors down. She ran home and was found in the garden, impatiently waiting for the meals she missed...the firemen obligingly waived the fee they should have charged because they weren't busy and the cat was fine.

torquewench · 28/10/2022 20:16

One of mine disappeared for about 3 weeks, then strolled in through his cat flap at 1 am, loudly announced his arrival by complaining there was no food in his bowl. Still had his collar, didn't look any skinnier than the day he disappeared.

Handsnotwands · 28/10/2022 20:22

We picked up a cat who’d been hit by a car (he was ok) and took him to the vet. They scanned his chip and found his owner. He’d been missing for two years from quite a long way away.

Summersdreaming · 28/10/2022 20:25

My kitten disappeared overnight, found him 24 hours later, stuck up a tree 3 gardens away. We'd been out looking but at ground level so try shining a torch up into nearby trees. Good luck, it's an awful feeling when they are missing.

Usernamesarenoteasy · 28/10/2022 20:50

My old ginger boy used to regularly go off for four or five weeks at a time.
The first few times I'd get really worried and spend ages looking.
The longest he stayed out was 9 weeks.
No idea where he used to go, but he always came back looking healthy and well fed.

Original poster

Daisy1992 · 29/10/2022 12:08

Thank you for the replies, this had definitely helped, it's obviously a lot more common than I realised.. Here's hoping she will be back any day now 🙏
We have been out multiple times each day calling her and shaking her treats everywhere we can think of. Have had a look under nearby hedges. Been out late at night when it is quiet/very early morning. Not sure what else we can do now but wait 😔

OP posts:

ShutYerYapAndGetOnWithIt · 29/10/2022 12:13

I've always had at least one cat. One went missing and I did all the things you've done.OP. She eventually turned up in the early hours of the morning - wet, cold and hungry. Think she'd been shut in somewhere. My son's cat went missing and we put posters up on every other lamppost, for 4 streets. All the usual stuff of ringing all the vets, RSPCA, etc. She turned up after 3 weeks, having been locked in the shed of the local primary school during the school holidays.

SundayAtDevilDirt · 29/10/2022 12:34

My sister's cat went missing and then over 6 months later he was spotted by someome who'd seen the missing posters! She lived just outside a major town centre, he was found about 1.5 miles away the other side of town in a car park, he'd have had to have crossed several very busy roads to get there. She got him home and he just slotted right back in like he'd never been away!

FettleOfKish · 29/10/2022 12:41

Our dear largely indoor boy (by his own choice, before anyone starts about indoor cats) went missing for 9 whole weeks a few summers ago.

I spent evening after evening tramping the local area calling for him, put fliers through countless letterboxes, and just at the point I'd packed up his toys and was about to get rid of his litter tray and scratch post, I glanced out of the kitchen window and he was outside

He was in good health, lost a bit of weight but to be honest he had it to lose, back to normal life lolling around and yelling at us the very next day.

Don't give up hope x

FettleOfKish · 29/10/2022 12:45

Ps.. have you got local Facebook pages OP?

We have a missing pets one and there's a lovely bunch of people on there who often take time to go out and search for a pet themselves.

Mommabear20 · 29/10/2022 12:46

My brothers cat was missing for 5 months, eventually found in the next village over, about a 30 minute drive 😂 still no idea how she got all the way there but 🤷‍♀️

PeloFondo · 29/10/2022 12:47

Mine went missing for 8 days and came home
I offered a reward to the groups of teenagers that hang about trying to look menacing and they would keep stopping me saying "still looking for him Mrs, we haven't found him yet"
Figured it wouldn't do any harm!

FettleOfKish · 29/10/2022 12:48

FettleOfKish · 29/10/2022 12:45

Ps.. have you got local Facebook pages OP?

We have a missing pets one and there's a lovely bunch of people on there who often take time to go out and search for a pet themselves.

Sorry ignore this obviously now I've read you whole OP!

Oopsiedaisyy · 29/10/2022 12:49

I needed to read this, one of mine has been missing since Monday. He's a, well known character so people are looking out for him. Worried sick.

WorstBJever · 29/10/2022 12:58

One of our cats is a bit of a wanderer. He went missing June 2021 for nearly 3 weeks (he was about 11 months old at the time), and then the following October he went for a week. Both times I posted on lots of local and cat FB groups and put leaflets through our neighbours doors. Luckily each time he just came back home, I think he got locked in as he was super hungry.
Don't give up, keep looking, go out shaking treats when it's quiet and you may hear her.
I find the local cat community are really good for keeping an eye out for missing cats, plus someone could take her in and scan her.
Don't lose hope.

Oopsiedaisyy · 29/10/2022 20:12

Op... I got a call at 6 pm saying he'd been discovered in a house literally 100 metres away, but owner has been in hospital and he wandered in when her relative checked for mail.

Relatives had seen my posters and called when he was spotted in the house. Seems to have survived on weetabix stolen from cupboard 🤦‍♀️

Don't give up!

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