Missing indoor cat

[Elektra1]

My cat (2 years old) is basically an indoor cat. She goes in the garden sometimes but is quite timid and has never ventured beyond the garden. Partly this is because we can’t have a cat flap in this house so she can only come and go when the door is open.

Today I’ve had the back door open while I was cooking and although I didn’t see her go out, she must have slipped out without me noticing and is nowhere to be found. I’ve searched the whole house the roof and the garden and she just isn’t anywhere. Also when she is in the garden, if I go out and call her name she always trots back inside. But she’s not in the garden now.

She’s my first cat and so I’m anxious now about how she’s going to find her way back if she’s wandered beyond her usual outside known area. What should I do? Photo of my baby attached

She's beautiful!

The most likely explanation is that she's having a little adventure and will be back for dinner.

Also, are you sure she is not inside ... I "lost" my indoor cat many years ago, during a house move. I thought I'd never see her again! She turned up two hours later having found a compartment under my housemate's bed. Decided to stay in there and ignore me calling her name and rattling dry food....

I've had this, indoor only cats going missing & me frantically searching the house for them. Literally took me 2 years to find all of Girlcat's hiding spaces in the house including under a very low chest, INSIDE the covers of the sofa in the recliner workings (good thing I found that one very early or there could have been a disaster!), at the back of the wardrobe half covered by things in there, behind various book cases...

They can squeeze into spaces you would never imagine they could fit, but basically if their heads can get in then they can. Tobias is around 5.5kg, but still managed to squeeze into a small "hide" on the cat tree that's only about 9 inches by 12 inches and not be right in the entrance!

I have searched everywhere in the house, all the nooks and crannies - she isn’t inside. Also she’s not really a “hider”. Although she’s really shy with strangers she’s very attached to me and spends her day following me around the house for strokes and attention normally, so I’m sure she’s wandered off. I’ve put a message in my street WhatsApp group and they have all said they’ll keep a look out so I suppose I’ll just have to wait and hope for the best.

OK so used litter out in the garden by the doors, something hanging up that smells of you. Ask the neighbours to check in garages and sheds as well. Check with local vets and rescues. Inform your insurance company once she's been gone over 24 hours. Check under parked cars.

Go out at night when it's quiet & try calling her then, rattling or crinkling her favorite treats. And don't panic - they can be gone for days & come back fine if a little (lot) hungry.

Sheds. Do you or your neighbours have sheds or garages? Maybe ask if you can check them? In my over 30 year experience of being owned by cats this is where they go in hot weather. Our own almost indoor moggie got shut in our shed last night and we only found her after searching with biscuits for half an hour 🙄 she was under the mower 🤷🏻‍♀️

Stupid cat tax.

Update: she’s come back! She just appeared overnight. Perhaps I should get one of those trackers for her so I don’t lose the plot again next time this happens.

Huzzah!
I hope you can enjoy the day now she's back!

Yeah. Excellent news.