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Original poster

Talk sense into me (cat not come home)

25 replies

HonorHiding · 20/04/2023 22:56

I know I am probably being ridiculous, but my dear little cat hasn’t come home after being out and about for 12 hours. He’s usually such a creature of habit, coming home for his lunch and having an afternoon nap. Even on a very outdoorsy day he will be home by 5 or 6, ravenous for some chicken.

He’s not yet 2 years old - was adopted from CP back in September and is very attached to me. Usually I only have to call his name from the doorstep and he comes galloping home for food and cuddles. If he gets stuck somewhere he miaows very loudly, but tonight the silence is deafening. Early on he had a collar with a tracker, but he managed to shed the collar within a week. I hate to think of him being somewhere out there and I don’t know where.

Please tell me reassuring stories about how they come home after unexpected adventures!

Talk sense into me (cat not come home)
OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 20/04/2023 22:59

We have had this. Shut in a garage. Enjoying the warmer weather. Being two. Young cats can be idiots. One of mine got shut in an empty property next door! Made a friend? Having too much fun. Buggers. Hope he’s home soon. Is he neutered and chipped?

HollyGolightly4 · 20/04/2023 23:00

Hugs. Walk round with dreamies

Nsky62 · 20/04/2023 23:00

Put the contents of your vacuum cleaner on the pavements, mine got lost when I l’éther out of her cat carrier after vets.
she came home the next day

Claysta · 20/04/2023 23:05

Try not to worry, mine came home after 2 weeks .. (she had got into a delivery van and ended up other side of the town we live in). Can you post on local Facebook sites (this is how I got mine home), have a word with the neighbours to check sheds etc, also - have a word with your postman to keep an eye out. I hope he comes home soon. Ground him when he’s back!

Scrapper142 · 20/04/2023 23:07

Nsky62 · 20/04/2023 23:00

Put the contents of your vacuum cleaner on the pavements, mine got lost when I l’éther out of her cat carrier after vets.
she came home the next day

Worked for me too. Emptied in afternoon, she clattered back through the cat flap in middle of night after 4 days missing.

Original poster
HonorHiding · 20/04/2023 23:09

Thanks - yes he is neutered and chipped. There’s no evidence of anything awful having happened, and from his brief acquaintance with the tracker I know that he doesn’t range far from home. So I am hoping he’s nearby and will be back for his chicken dinner very soon. 🐈‍⬛

OP posts:
watcherintherye · 20/04/2023 23:11

I feel for you, op. It’s always a worry when they don’t keep to their usual schedule. We’ve had several occasions when it’s been just like waiting for your teen to come home after a night out. You can torture yourself imagining various scenarios. So far ours (cats and teenagers!) have always turned up eventually. Hopefully yours will stroll in soon as though nothing at all is amiss!

Mariposista · 20/04/2023 23:12

Cats really can be arseholes when thy want to be, even when they are very predictable usually.
Ours lived to 18, and religiously sat sunning himself in Mr Opposite Us's garden when we got home from school/work, and one day he wasn't there. We were, like you really worried. It turned out he had got stuck in someone's garage (no doubt trying it on trying to get some food from another cat owner's house). He came back the next day very disgruntled, and hungry.
Do keep us posted when DCat returns.

watcherintherye · 20/04/2023 23:13

He looks like the kind of cat who can take care of himself, btw. He’s gorgeous!

timtam23 · 20/04/2023 23:14

I hope he comes home soon. Try hanging some unwashed laundry on the line, cats can pick up the scent of home from quite some distance away. A late night walk shaking a bag of Dreamies might coax him out as well. I had 2 cats do this, one disappeared for 3 days and the other for nearly 2 weeks - especially with the longer absence I truly thought I'd never see them again but they did both reappear. Fingers and paws crossed for you.

Swannning · 20/04/2023 23:17

One of ours kept going back to our old house to play in the garden and the fields over the road. We kept searching for him but didn't see him, it was only by chance that one of our old neighbours said they'd seen him.

It was only when there was a torrential storm two days later that he appeared howling to be let in at 3am.

Hope your fur baby is home soon

Original poster
HonorHiding · 21/04/2023 16:26

Look who’s just come home! He’d managed to get himself trapped my neighbour’s garden shed, and she got home half an hour ago from an overseas trip to hear his plaintive cries 😿

Anyway. Phew. Thank you so much for keeping me sane in the meantime.

After some lovely chicken and Lick-e-Lix and roly poly tummy tickles, my little adventurer is off again into the evening sunshine. I will be counting a few more grey hairs.

❤️ to you all for understanding.

Talk sense into me (cat not come home)
OP posts:
timtam23 · 21/04/2023 18:32

Very glad he came home! You must be so relieved

CatChant · 21/04/2023 18:59

Hurray!

User3456 · 21/04/2023 19:03

Phew! Mine went missing for 8 whole weeks a few years ago - found through facebook. It was awful. So pleased yours has turned up safe and sound ❤

helpfulperson · 21/04/2023 19:14

I might have known he was a house panther!. Last summer mine didn't come home overnight and I'd been out at 3am and 5am calling him. 6am I hear my neighbour in her back garden saying 'oh hello. I thought your catflap didn't let you out until 7am?' Goodness knows what he'd been up to.

TwoMonthsOff · 21/04/2023 19:20

happy ending 😻he’s lovely

Wolfiefan · 21/04/2023 19:35

He’s soooooo handsome. So pleased he’s home safe.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 21/04/2023 19:53

Ahh he's home and probably No Fecks Given !
Our male mini house panther went off grid a couple of years ago , DH and DS went round the local streets (with the Dreamies box) but no sign
DH put a post on local WhatsApp ..

12 hours since his last sighting I went out to call him ..... and a few minutes later he springs over the fence all miaow miaow miaow

We have no idea where he went . And even weirder , the malecat really doesn't like me (I felt very smug when he came back Grin )
We threaten them with CatCameras but as they don;t wear collars they know we're fibbing.

Charliecatpaws · 21/04/2023 19:56

He's a handsome boy, I'm so glad he's home safely

LadyOfTheCanyon · 21/04/2023 20:34

Aw what a beauty he is. Our last cat got locked in next doors house once because he was a nosy bugger. We were beside ourselves for two days before neighbour came home and found him ( and a small pile of poo) in the kitchen.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 22/04/2023 00:40

Our old cat and the next door cat used to invite themselves into each others houses ( in the days before microchips/microchip catdoors)

He was very vocal but very shy so if we heard him and called his name he'd scarper. But often came in for dinner !
Our cat went missing a few hours we looked up to see her gazing out of the NDN bedroom window . And sometimes did the NotMyCat thing of sleeping on their bed .

Claysta · 22/04/2023 16:31

Great news he is home … grounded !

missingthewinchesterboys · 22/04/2023 17:20

Talk to you postman, milk man and bin men.

Out cat used to go missing around every holiday.
He'd wander into a house while people were loading cars and get stuck.

Postman told us where he was several times and we were able to find neighbours with keys or open a cat flap to get him out.

Note to other car owners - put you cat flaps on out only when you go away!

Pudmyboy · 22/04/2023 19:27

What a lovely kitty and a great ending! So glad he is safe!

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