Help, can’t find cat but don’t think she’s outside

[WomanInBlack78]

My cat is really friendly and comes as soon as she hears us. She has a cat flap but I locked it and her in last night before I went out. I didn’t see her when I came in which was odd but I went to bed. This morning there’s no sign of her!! I’m really worried she’s trapped or dead in the house (which is a huge mess). Or maybe she nipped out the front door when I was leaving (unlikely) or maybe I’ve accidentally locked her out all night??? In the rain?? What do I do? I’m freaking out as DD will be home this evening and they’re best friends. Need guidance

Make sure the cat flap is unlocked and put some food out. Cats have a habit of appearing from no where.

Is there anywhere in the house she could of git under the floor etc? Can you go round the house and listen for any sound of her.

Our cat go under the house when we had workmen in. Heard a miaow that sounded like it was coming from below. Sure enough she was there. We had a hatch so was able to get easily.

Hopefully she turns up soon.

If you are sure she's in the house, she'll turn up. They are brilliant at hiding.

Calm down. Open the cat flap and put some food down. Cats disappear all the time. Mine will come if I shake a bag of dreamless. You mention the house is a mess and you are worried the cat is trapped, are there rooms where there is a lot of stuff to get trapped behind? If so, maybe try checking those rooms?

Thank you, yes the upstairs room has a lot of stuff like a loft, so looking there. If she was somewhere she could get out she def would

She will be fine if she's been our all night and has probably found somewhere dry and cosy for a nap. My cat disappeared for days once and we discovered he'd been sleeping in a neighbouring empty house while the owners were away.

We have a very minimalist house and somehow still manage to lose the cats, so I wouldn't worry.

Maybe a tidy?

Chances are, based on our cats and neighbours cats, they're either hiding in the house, just got lost track of time, or (annoyingly, we have neighbours who do this), there's someone else feeding her and she's sleeping on someone else's lap...

When you say you locked the cat flap, did you put it on 'in only'? We had a cat flap that you could do this with and I did it once as one of ours wasn't allowed out after an operation but the other one needed to be able to get back in. The one that wasn't supposed to be going out was nowhere to be found in the morning until he came trotting back through the cat flap. He'd worked out that he could open it by lifting it with his paw

Thank you for all the reassurance. She’d never ever hide inside on purpose, she’s really clingy and always is very vocal and all over us. If I have accidentally locked her out, then yes hopefully she’s waiting out the rain somewhere. Stupidly she doesn’t have my number on her collar but is chipped etc.

Just pretty sure she was in when I locked it, so am having worst case scenario thoughts brought on by friends’ stories about deceased cats in drawers! She’s only 2 or 3 and was very sprightly last night. Aghhh

I managed to 'lose' my rescue cat on the 4th day after adopting her...

I could not find her and then realised after searching the whole house over that the only possibility left was that she found a tiny space in the utility cupboard (I had closed it but somehow she had managed to open the door) where there is a tiny hole behind some pipes the gives access to the floorboards...

I was beside myself, crying and went all the worst case scenarios: ''cat is stuck under floorboard, cat is going to die under the floorboard, cat is going to hurt herself touching a wire or a boiling central heating pipe, I have to call someone to rip out the floorboards right now, cat is going to find a way to get into the neighbours' floorboards...''

In the end someone told me to calm down and just put food near her hiding place and the cat finally finally left her hiding hole tempted by the food. She was perfectly fine...

My point is cats are masters at disappearing and reappearing. Put food out as people have already suggested and try not to worry too much.

Mine has also hidden in wardrobes, drawers, cupboards, the laundry basket and made a nest behind the bottom of my bedroom curtains (took me a while to spot her there and again I thought she had disappeared).

Fingers crossed yours will make an appearance soon.

Crikey, what are your friends and neighbours doing to their cats, I've never heard stories like that. Cats do sometimes get locked in sheds and garages but that's unusual, usually they've just gone for a long wander.

I don’t want to worry you but have you checked places like the washing machine, dishwasher and tumble dryer? Especially if you’ve used them since you last saw her.

Hopefully she slipped past you and will turn up outside today.

Lost my cat once for hours. Was out in the street calling for her and knocking on neighbours' doors. Eventually found her in the far back corner under DD's bed behind all the crap we store there. Now we know that where she goes if we have people over or the hoover on etc.

@WonderingWanda ha… think my brain has stored one or two nightmare stories like this as I have a real fear of finding dead animals (grew up on a farm so it happened sometimes).

Had a good look around house and the messy “room of doom” - no meows or anything so I must have locked her out by mistake?! Was certain I hadn’t but I am under a fair bit of stress at the moment, soooo….

Feel awful if so given the rain. Really praying she wanders in soon 😩

Thing is she’s SO friendly, she’d go off with anyone if she is out

Walk around the house rattling her food, if she's inside sleeping she'll soon appear

Can’t shake the feeling that she was def inside and has curled up and passed away somewhere! I really hope this is my anxiety talking. Is that quite an extreme scenario?

@Countrygirlxo thanks but she’s the type that runs to the door to greet us, and is always around. Def either not actually in house or if she is, unable to respond 😥

My cat was the type to be glued to me. She went missing for a few days, on the last day of her missing I was calling and calling her by the back door, I heard a miaow come from the kitchen. I flung open every door and drawer, and there she was! I then remembered a few days previously that I'd been folding towels and putting them away directly into the drawer. She must have jumped into the open drawer and then into the one below, which was luckily pretty empty. I then must have closed the top drawer, none the wiser. Why she didn't make more noise, especially after all the calling and the amount of time we spent in the kitchen (large kitchen with Tv/sofa), I'll never know. She was absolutely fine. Op go through each room, one at a time, call her in silence so you can hear her.

Why would she have just curled up and died somewhere? Is she ill? If not, that's a highly unlikely scenario! Far more likely that she's outside, having found somewhere warm and dry to sleep.

It's horrible isn't it. Have you got any Dreamies or other cat treats that you could sprinkle around to tempt her out?

In the past I have found my cat under the radiator lying flush against the skirting board, curled up camouflaged in a laundry basket, under one of the bath panels. Have you checked if she's tucked under a dining room chair or lying on a window sill if the curtains are closed?

Given that she's a young cat yes it's an extreme scenario to die inside unless she's ill?
I can't sleep unless my cat is in on a night though

She’s just waltzed back in! Wet and meowing and now purring. Aghhhhh…. so it was me going mad and locking her out.

Has made me realise my anxiety is a bit of a problem, having been traumatised by farm life and dead pets as a child!

Thank you all for being much-needed calming voices of reason. Now to tidy up 😣

Maybe a more cheery mn name would raise your mood op??. Glad dcat is safe and sound. If a bit wet!

Brilliant news!

So glad to hear she's safe and sound! Be kind to yourself, she's had an adventure and you are very unlikely to do it again!

Excellent news that she was fine!