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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

Can’t sleep as my cat is missing

45 replies

MouseKeys · 28/04/2023 23:36

Long time lurker on this page, I can’t sleep or concentrate as my little cat went missing tonight. She’s an outdoor cat during the daytime but is a creature of habit and always comes home early evening and sleeps with us on the bed overnight. However tonight she didn’t come home for the first time ever and I’m sick with worry.

We live in a very quiet rural area with lots of wildlife in and around our garden including wild boar and I’m terrified she has been attacked or injured and is lying somewhere in pain (or worse). I’ve been round and round the garden all night calling her and shaking her food but nothing at all which is very unlike her.

I’m so scared she won’t come home, and my son is going to be absolutely distraught as she’s his best friend, if anyone has any happy stories of cats going missing then coming home, I’d be delighted to hear them right now, thanks in advance!

OP posts:
ilovesooty · 28/04/2023 23:42

I'm so sorry. I hope she's back soon.

PrettyMaybug · 28/04/2023 23:48

She'll be back in the early morning, with a 'wot u looking at' kinda look on her face. Smile

BeetleBailey · 28/04/2023 23:48

She's probably found a nice little new place to have a sleep in and will turn up when you least expect it

PrettyMaybug · 28/04/2023 23:49

Oh btw, the vast VAST majority of kitties return pretty swiftly @MouseKeys Flowers

caringcarer · 28/04/2023 23:52

Leave her used cat litter outside the door, cats have a very good sense of smell. Try calling at about 2am as usually very quiet then and your cat might hear you.

ThelmaDinkley · 28/04/2023 23:54

Hoping she comes back soon x I’ve got an indoor cat he’s ex rescue FIV but I panic when he hides in the house so can understand how worrying it must be. x

RosesAndHellebores · 28/04/2023 23:56

Have you checked shed, garage car?

Haus1234 · 28/04/2023 23:56

Oh it’s so worrying when they go missing, I feel for you! One of our cats is similar, loves her food so always back home for meals and dreamies before bed, but even so she has gone off adventuring overnight twice now. I suspect she gets shut in sheds!

MakesMeFeelSad · 28/04/2023 23:59

Catifers are twatifers, hopefully she's found somewhere nice and is having a nap

My old girl went missing a few times when she was younger for a day or 2 so fingers crossed yours will be back soon. It is a real worry though

Original poster
MouseKeys · 29/04/2023 00:03

Thanks so much for all the kind words and encouragement, yes we’ve checked all the cars, garage and shed and I’ve had a couple of my neighbours check theirs too, but I will ask everybody else to check tomorrow morning. I’ve just been out again and it’s very quiet in our area so she would definitely hear me if she was nearby but can’t hear any cat noises at all so am telling myself she’s gone to sleep somewhere else for the night……..

OP posts:
Kyse · 29/04/2023 00:15

My clingy boy cat went missing and I was frantic. Did everything from leaflets to offering rewards, sleeping on the sofa, searching non stop
He came home after 8 days, half a kilo down and screaming at me for cuddles Blush

DorritLittle · 29/04/2023 00:29

Hope she comes back. Putting hot tuna out might help. It is a nice evening - my cat is often reluctant to come back in on a night like this. Perhaps she is having an adventure. Ps I live in an area with lots of wildlife too and I don’t think it is likely that she has been attacked.

MakesMeFeelSad · 29/04/2023 00:38

Cats are really savvy, we've lived here 7 years now. 3 years ago someone moved in next door who had a Northan Inuit, the cats seemed to know straight away not to go in the garden anymore, when he died my neighbour said it was less than a week after the cats started going in his garden so I'd think she knows to avoid wild boar etc

itisthecause · 29/04/2023 00:42

Our little indoor cat was found after 3 weeks missing.
We were walked the roads every night calling her name, put posters up around our village. Amazingly she was found after 3 weeks in a garden from neighbouring road, very skinny.

I hope you can have the miracle we had. xx

Original poster
MouseKeys · 29/04/2023 03:35

OMG, OMG, she’s home! I slept on the sofa so I could hear her if she came back (we don’t have a cat flap so one of us has to let her in ) and at 4.30 I heard a tiny miaow outside and there she was! She’s just eaten a huge bowl of wet food and seems to be fine, thank you so much to everyone for your good wishes and kind words, I am so grateful to you all!

OP posts:
ThePoint678 · 29/04/2023 04:04

Great news!!

marcopront · 29/04/2023 04:29

That's good news

ilovesooty · 29/04/2023 05:50

I'm so pleased for you.

Hongkongsuey · 29/04/2023 05:54

That’s lovely! I have a cat who goes out -creature of habit-and I’m always fretting if she’s an hour late. So pleased for you! We do have a cat flap which keeps her in at night and automatically unlocks at 6-by 5 past she’s out!

Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 29/04/2023 06:00

Very pleased she's back. Just so you know it's conventional on these threads to post a photo of your cat looking contrite (not!) on their return 😹.

Doyouthinktheyknow · 29/04/2023 06:03

Oh that’s lovely news, so pleased for you😻

HelpMeGetThrough · 29/04/2023 06:47

Sounds like when I looked after my brothers cats many years ago. One came back and the other didn't, I was worried as they went everywhere together.

In she strolled at 4am without a care in the world.

When I said "where have you been you little bugger", I got the look of "you are merely here to give me food, now get that done and back in your box you go".

They were lovely cats.

TiredOfCleaning · 29/04/2023 07:03

Oh that is wonderful news. :) I am so pleased.

One of ours every now and then decides she is not coming in. maybe 3 times a year or so. It's awful because it is not her routine. But she always seems to then turn up around 3 am with some mouse entrails in her mouth.

Justleaveitblankthen · 29/04/2023 07:33

Ah, this gladdened my heart 😻
Any chance of a pic when you are both up again? 😀

CatChant · 29/04/2023 08:05

Hooray!

Oh the relief when the furry stop-out returns.