Indoor cat vanished

[Tillmers]

Our very shy indoor rescue cat has simply vanished. We've been through every inch on the house with a fine tooth comb and can find no sign of her what so ever. She's two years old and has never been outside and I'm beside myself with worry about her.

I saw her in our living room at approx 2:00am today (couldnt sleep) all the windows and doors were closed however she hasn't been seen since. We have 4 and 6 year old DC who did wake up before us so I can only assume one of them has opened the door for some reason and she's slipped out, there's literally no other explanation.

I have left her litter tray and some food by the back door and we have been out searching but no joy 😢 I don't know what I'm asking really, any ideas about where she could be or what we should do next wellcome, thank you

Wedged inside the understairs cupboard, right under the bottom step. She had ignored us calling her, it was pure luck that DS1 had a proper thorough look and spotted her...

Thank you for all the replies - we have pulled everything out of all the wardrobes, chest of draws, kitchen cupboards, airing cupboard, under the beds, literally everywhere 😩our house is quite small so there's really not that many places to look. I honestly don't think they kids would open any doors or windows, they have said they didn't and I believe them but she just has to have got out somehow. Although she's 2 years old we have only had her for 6 month, her previous owner kept her indoors and we were planning to start letting her out when the weather got warmer. I just hate the thought of her hiding somewhere scared and hungry

My then-new and nervous rescue girl hid in behind the tumbledryer/washing machine.

In case helpful, my cats have

• Climbed up a ladder, through the open loft hatch and hidden under the attic floorboards.
• Walked along window sills into neighbouring house.
• hidden behind kitchen skirting boards.
• Somehow got onto the house roof.
• jumped out of a window and then hidden in the front garden bush.
• Climbed up a tree and silently watched me for ages as I searched for her.
• run off for miles to go back to old address.
• Got locked in the garden shed.
• Run out of the house, sneaked into the open door of our car and got locked in it overnight.
• Hidden on top of wardrobe and behind curtain, ignoring all calls.

Good luck! If she has got outside, post a picture of her on local Facebook community groups asking if anyone has seen her. Also call local vets in case anyone offers them a lost cat.

Other than that and walking around the nearby streets calling her name there’s not much you can do. If she is outside and confused about which house she came out of, she might hear you if you’re calling.

Check your cupboards and chest of drawers, my SEN DC once shut one of my cats in a drawer by mistake as she likes to climb in any open drawers or cupboards.

X post start calling and shaking biscuits outside and inside. We once had a rescue that got out on their third day with us. We did this for 5 days and they eventually came back, claws worn down as they had hidden in someone's shed and got locked in. If they don't turn up tonight ask neighbours to check sheds and garages plus calling regularly.

Check inside and behind all the appliances

I had a cat who I knew was inside. I called him, looked everywhere in the house, went outside just in case, nothing. I went to go back upstairs and he was sitting on the top of the stairs. I never found out where his hidey hole was.

My current cat, when he was about 10 weeks old went missing. I was distraught. I looked everywhere in the house, he couldn't get up the chimney because that was covered up. I wondered if he had slipped out when I briefly opened the front door, went up and down the street, phoned my partner in tears, he came home to look for him. We went back inside and there he was sitting on the settee. I think he was freaked out by the smell of my home hair dye kit and had hidden himself very well.

Mine disappeared for ages and we found her inside the sofa. There was a split in the material underneath and she'd climbed inside.

Washing machine/ tumble dryer ( ours likes the tumble dryer if it’s left open, even with no clothes in it)

Our last cat got in the back of the kitchen extractor once, only found him because I saw paw prints in the dust on top of the cupboards! Current cat in the loft, the ladder wasn't even up there was just a step ladder near the hatch, we have ten ft ceilings and he was a kitten, that was some leap our roofer found him and when we first moved here old cat used to disappear he was an indoor outdoor cat but we didn't have a catflap, turned out he could open the door to the cupboard under the stairs and there was a small gap right at the narrow end and he could get under the floorboards!

They hide in all sorts of places! 🙄

I lost one of my rescue cats day 3, I was waking the streets with dreamies, she was behind the tumble dryer!

Are any of your boards slightly loose under your kitchen cabinets/appliances? That's where my cat disappeared last time she went missing. She pushed it to get under there and then blocked herself in trying to get out! I hope you find her

You don't have a chimney do you? This is where my parents' timid rescue cat hid for a few days, she would come down for food in the middle of the night stealthily! This was in spite of the fact that it had been blocked up with newspaper, she managed to squeeze through.

If you don't, there's probably some bizarre place she's found to hide in like pp have said. I hope she turns up soon!

Have you tried looking in your sofa? they can get into the base of the sofa if there's a hole in the underside of it.

My other tip is to heat up some tuna and waft the smell around

Another one whose cat managed to squeeze into the lining of the sofa (we didn’t even realise there was a gap!) and got herself closed in the wardrobe and didn’t cry to come out, she was very cosy in there..

If she has got out the litter is a good idea, you could also leave the cat’s bedding or items of your clothing outside for scent too.

Is she microchipped? Ensure your details are up to date in the event she’s wandered into someone’s house for extra food

Hopefully She’s just snoozing in your house somewhere quiet 🤞🏼

Once had our microwave at an angle in the corner on kitchen top.
Cat got in behind there into the tiniest triangular gap.

I hope the cat turns up but I would also be worried about a 4yo and a 6yo playing unsupervised in a house where they can get the exterior doors and windows open. If they could let the cat out, they could get out too. Take care.

I bet she's in the house too.

I post lost cat posts all over Facebook. Roamed the streets looking for her. She was missing all day (also an indoor rescue and my autistic daughter was beside herself with worry).

Little madam ignored all the food and calls for her. Finally reappeared from under some clean washing in a basket inside the airing cupboard. She had buried herself (we found the cat hair and hollow🙄). She's also hid under my clothes in drawers before and not moved when we've opened drawers up.

I had to reply as also had this issue! We have a bed with pull out bedside tables. Our cat started going in these and getting in the drawers under the bed when we first got her. When we realised we obviously closed it up and got normal bedside tables.

I would check in any drawers under beds. Unfortunately we had to wash all of my partners shirts as they got covered in fur!

Check hall cupboards as well even top ones as they may have climbed in.

My previous cat did this and I panicked so much, but opened the cupboard door and she wondered out as if nothing had happened.

Also check any drawers, ottoman type things and under blankets. Fingers crossed xx

Also check under blankets mine vanishes to our one on the bed and stretches out so sometimes you can't even tell she's under there. She's also fascinated by our pillows so may be behind those x

We once found a cat in a divan drawer of my daughters bed 3 days after he'd gone missing. Small house. He didn't even cry out! Have you opened your loft hatch today? Any rips in back of sofa or fabric bed bases? Shoe boxes? Piles of clothes?

Inside sofas or armchairs?

Our sofa got a rip in the underside (next to the carpet). The cats would wiggle underneath the sofa and climb up inside it among the springs. Also did the same with an armchair (which was on quite long legs, so it was baffling to check underneath the armchair, see no cat there, and then see a cat stroll out from underneath). This could probably happen with a divan bed base as well.

We couldn’t find my girl anywhere. She was an outdoor cat but we knew she was in the house.
She was a black cat and is in this picture.

If you really think she may have got outside, then I would recommend posting on your local Facebook group to see if any cat rescues or rescuers have traps. A trap placed outside with clothing and food from your house in it as quickly as possible, is the best thing to do.