Missing Cat - Any Happy Outcomes?

[Springroll89]

My cat has been missing for 8 days now. He's the sweetest and gentlest fella. We've done the FB threads, knocking on neighbours, flyering. Going to deliver some more today. Walked around calling. Looked for his body on main roads. Etc. I know there are a lot of threads on this topic. I'm just feeling so sad and would love to hear positive stories. We lost a cat on the road a couple of years ago and this actually feels worse. Thanks for listening.

My cat was missing for 9 months, when she was aged about 10. She was a plain black cat and I decided early on to accept fate in this and not drive myself crazy because of my experience with a previous missing cat. Well-meaning people kept insisting she was in their area, and the cat in question turned out to be really nothing like her description. My cat was microchipped and I just had to hope that would do its job. I did phone the council to check their register of animals found dead on roads a few times. Then, 9 months after she went missing, I got a phone call from a vet surgery about 8 miles away (we're in the suburbs), saying they had scanned a stray cat, not expecting to find a chip, and here she was!
She went on to live happily at home, never going missing again, and died peacefully aged 19. It was all bonus time after she came home!

Thank you so much for sharing these stories. They help so much. I was talking to the cats protection place we got all out cats from yesterday and just that day they'd had a stray in who was scanned and reunited with its owner. Missing since August 24. 🤞

Can I ask your opinion on whether you'd offer a reward? Maybe I'm naïve but I'd assume people who would help would do so because they want to do the right thing. If anyone did find Arthur I would be sending them a nice present obviously (plus my eternal gratitude). Do you think a reward would be a good idea? When I see a missing cat poster a reward is maybe even a bit distracting. I don't know if that makes sense

I wouldn’t bother with a reward , you will just get a load of randoms and chancers wasting your time .🤞🏻that he turns up soon .

I did offer a reward(the insurance would have covered it) but the person who found her turned it down so I gave them chocolates and a bottle of fizz instead. They said they were just happy to help get her home.

Most people are just happy to help, they don't need money as an incentive.

I was also told to not give out details of how much the reward is.

@Springroll89 Any news? None here. Xxx

Hi @takingcareofme2023 No news really. There's a little old lady who called on Saturday and then again yesterday who said a similar cat had started visiting her garden. DH and I went round yesterday and it was the usual thing. Shook some food. Called and called. Nothing. Had a big long chat with her about all topics. It's very sweet of people to help but it would be a lot easier if the older ladies (who seem to be the ones who are most likely to get in contact) would take a picture if it's a cat that comes repeatedly as then you could really tell if you're barking up the wrong tree. They obviously find it a bit scary and I do appreciate their input. We never take a cat carrier round to any possible sightings as so far have never even seen any cat at all so don't want to tempt fate that it might actually be him!

It's 4 weeks today. How long has it been for you? What's your cat called and have you had any possible sightings? There seems to be a ridiculous number of cats who are missing. I obviously only notice now as I'm now glued to the missing cats forums x

Oh @Springroll89 I got all excited when I saw this thread was at the top when I opened The Litter Tray, so sorry you have yet to find your little one.
I read a general news story about a cat returned to it's original owner after 5 years: it had been taken in as a stray by someone well-meaning, eventually they died and the cat was scanned, then reunited.
Really hope it's 5 weeks not 5 years for you!

Hi @Pudmyboy I think I saw the same one. When I see a story like that, as well as being happy and relieved I can't help but feel angry that a cat could have been reunited so easily but instead they are never scanned or taken to the vets... Very glad to see that gentleman with their cat though. 5 precious years... I found a stray cat and got it scanned the very next morning! I'd have loved to have kept it. But I didn't because it wasn't my cat to keep. But thank goodness that one is alive and well. I would reluctantly give up 5 years with Arthur to know that would be the outcome. Can you tell I'm entering the anger stage of grief?!! 😽

The not-knowing can be really hard to deal with 💐

@Springroll89 We have had lots of false alarms, there are so many similar looking cats to ours around here. Lots of phonecalls saying "we've got/seen your cat" and my heart sinks when they tell me the location and I know it's almost definitely not her. I always follow up and express genuine gratitude that they care. It shows there is awareness and I know lots of people are keeping an eye out. I'm thinking that by now she is probably deceased or injured, gone into "survival mode" or someone who has missed all my posters, leafleting and social media has taken her in. I'm exhausted with it all. I've made a little food station under a bush in the garden, with my worn shirts in, to possibly help guide her home but losing hope. But yes, there are always lots of stories of them finding their way home. Chatting to someone yesterday whose cat came home after 5 months...Sending love and thoughts and understanding to you again xxxxx

Yes I'm starting to totally rethink all those posts on social media etc along lines of " I think you now have a cat" when cats wander into their life....
Mine has been missing a month now...Aug 15th. Sorry I haven't shared her name, still feel I need to not over share on here, but that's just me xxxx

I'm so sorry @takingcareofme2023 they've been very loved and people are indeed very helpful and sweet. Sending love and strength 🌺 ❤️

@takingcareofme2023 out of interest did the cat that came home after 5 months just wander in one day?

I don't know, but I will be asking, I want to know too xx

Keep doing what you’re doing and don’t give up. Our cat was missing for 4 months and reappeared one day like nothing had happened. She has never gone wandering since thank GOD and now wears an air tag to help us track her just in case.

Posters and flyers were our best source of help, people around here were so supportive and kind and often rang in suspected sightings. In the days before she turned up home we had lots of sightings and people were thrilled when she came home.

Hang out any blankets that he’s laid on on your washing line, and put litter trays and toys outside. Believe it or not cats have a really good sense of smell and stuff like this can help guide them home. Keep talking to people, showing his photo etc. by the time ours has been missing a week the whole village knew her name and face and were sick of “that cat woman” (aka me) badgering them to check sheds and keep their eyes peeled 😂 but all were so lovely and understanding

I always post on those saying they need to take to the vet and that they shouldn't just assume a cat doesn't have an owner/isn't lost. It really annoys me, someone once assumed my brother's cat was lost and fed her, she was asleep outside his house, was on medication because she had kidney problems but was also nearly 20 so was really skinny.

There are so many cats in rescues that need homes that stealing one (because that is what they're doing really isn't on).

I'm so sorry to hear that your lovely cat is missing.
I have a very timid but loving ex feral cat who lives as a house cat.
One day he followed another cat out of the house when a fox barked and he disappeared down the road like lightning.
I set a trap outside and put out food and a wildlife camera.
For the first few nights we saw him return, but he was too scared to enter the trap and after that he just vanished. I kept putting out the food and trap/ camera.
Another two unneutered toms that were feral turned up and I ended up trapping and neutering them and taking them in.
A few days after I took the second cat in, my cat turned up, four and a half months from him first going!
It took three more days to trap him, and I think it was the tom cats keeping him away.
Don't give up, if I hadn't continued to put out food and the camera I would never have known he had returned. Everyone said he wouldn't return after about a month, but I'm so glad I didn't give up.
Really keeping everything crossed for you.

I am still watching this thread and hope that there will be good news for @Springroll89 and @takingcareofme2023 .

A friend of mine had a cat go missing for three months. This cat had managed to climb into a vehicle and hide, only to be let out ... over 200km away. She ran away as soon as she jumped out of the car, so was presumed lost forever. (This was in pre-microchip days.) Can you believe that she found her way home? Turned up one day having, presumably, walked the entire way! Cats are amazing and resilient and I have all fingers and toes crossed for you. 😺

My son's girlfriend has just found a cat that has been missing for a month after escaping going to the vets

She works across the road from the vet so the cat hadn't wandered too far

I have 5 cats, and 3 of the buggers have gone missing, and eventually returned.
Schmee disappeared for about 3 weeks. We put up posters locally, and spent many evenings in the neighbourhood calling for him.
Eventually a neighbour knocked on the door.
They had their garage converted to a dining room, which was rarely used. They had gone in to prepare for a family meal - found Schmee hiding in a corner.
I had to go and retrieve him, poor thing. After a lot of TLC he was absolutely fine.

Bongliebee started going on two-five day disappearances in the summer. He was hit by a car last year, survived somehow with a broken pelvis and dragged himself home. He has recovered, and stopped going missing.

Livla disappeared for about 6 weeks last year. She’s quite an old girl, and we didn’t expect to see her again.
She returned very skinny and yelling her head off. No idea where she had been, but very pleased to see her.

Sending you all the cat finding vibes.

Wishing you all the very best, OP.

I haven't RTFT, but have you tried going door to door and asking people to check their garages and sheds? When ours went missing, I did this and he was shut in a shed 3 doors away. (I'd previously stuck flyers through letterboxes asking people to do this, but it seems like most people ignore flyers.)

I do have a kind of reverse lost cat story which might help a bit. We adopted an adult cat when I was a kid. He was clearly a loved and well cared-for pet, but had been in some kind of accident, been taken to a vet's and patched up, and nobody could find his owner (obvs this was before microchips). So he went to a cat rescue centre and eventually we adopted him. He lived with us for the rest of his life (a good 12 years) and had the life of a little prince. Sometimes I used to wonder about the poor owner who never found out what had happened to him and must have assumed the worst, when all the time he was lying in the sunshine getting his tummy tickled.

Even now people don't necessarily check microchips (or even know they exist). People see a lost cat, give it a bit of food, and before they know it the cat has adopted them.

Thank you again for your stories.

@McLainey it's hard, because I have knocked on a lot of local doors (as well as flyering and putting up posters in a much wider area, and obviously the FB threads, calling dozens of vets/shelters/the council/estate agent for a vacant house that's for sale). And I have searched a few garages myself. But sometimes people say they have checked - how can I respond? "Yeah, but you're a moron. Let me check"? Sometimes no one is home. It's been over a month now. I feel I have to choose sanity in that department at this point as i have been as forceful as I've felt I can be. I have a job and a family so my full time pet detective career isn't going to happen.

@Cornucopia55 what you said really resonated with me. I've spent a month walking the streets. I'm going to get new posters made (our makeshift ones are now looking very mouldy - in fact can anyone recommend a good place to get them done? I'm looking for ones which are colour and laminated that you can attach flat to a lamppost, but which don't come with a £500 charge to have someone else answer phone calls. It would be covered by insurance but I want to be the one taking the calls. Even the crank calls). But I feel like I could drive myself mad with this. It's possible he will come back. It's possible I could spend months driving myself crazy with thoughts of what may have happened to him and how he may be moments away from death, I just need to barge that door down. But I have to have some proportion.

As you can see there are still so many stories about them coming back after months. I'm going to start volunteering for cats protection (I looked into fostering but don't think it's practical for me to take a play/study room off my kids and they won't let a foster cat mingle with my 3 cats). But I should be able to help taking cats to vets appointments etc and still be useful. So that's something positive.

@McLainey the stories about well meaning people taking them in do sort of help. But they also make me upset that they could have stolen our beautiful boy. I don't really want to have to wait for a well meaning person to die before he comes home. Over dramatic I know.

Good luck to everyone with missing cats. I won't ask if you have an update @takingcareofme2023 as I know you would let us know. Still hoping for you. I've seen a few "he's just walked back in!" stories on the local FB threads in the past couple of days. Sorry for the essay. I don't think I'll ever stop glancing at the patio window every 2 minutes xx

Gosh I could have written all of that @Springroll89 !!! I feel like I am going mad/on verge of sinking into depression with all these , almost exactly the same as yours, thoughts. One in our area has just walked in after 5 weeks...so that gives me hope. Possibly against my better judgement I've been putting thoughts into chatGPT and it has helped a bit. I've made a little food station in the garden ...with her bedding, my unwashed clothes.The food goes but could obvs be anything. Chat GPT says she may be in deep survival mode and only approach 1-4 am ish. But I don't want to be putting food out then! So I'm now freezing bits of tuna that will have defrosted by the early hours...that's going too so who knows? Chat GPT keeps saying I should be buying a wildlife camera to be sure?? Asked at local rescue places if they can loan, and at local "library of things" but they don't have one. Think OH thinks I'm a bit mad..." Surely she'll just turn up if she's about"...but I've read so much about survival mode and even tho there's no sign I'm still thinking she might be trying to get home, will turn up when she switches into safe mode. I dunno...just need closure one way or another now. I too was thinking of volunteering with local rescue to. Sending love and solidarity xxxx

I did my own posters (I used my sister's printer, then the work one when her ink ran out), then used a laminator. I learnt to make the poster slightly smaller than the laminating pouch(left about an inch each end), and hole punched that bit. If you hole punch where the paper is, the rain gets in, I learnt that early on. Cable ties from Tool Station were longer and stronger than Wickes.

They lasted, I found a couple over the summer that I had missed when I took them down and they were still good after 7 months of being up.