Positive stories of cats coming home please

[Woahtherehoney]

My 12 year old boy went missing Friday night - he is the clingiest most loving cat ever so it’s very unlike him. I think he got spooked by something and hasn’t come home.

there was a sighting of him on someone’s cctv early hours of Saturday morning but nothing since.

I am going out of my mind - I’ve done leaflets, posters, social media posts, I’ve been out looking for him at all hours, I’ve got his blanket out, his toy, everything.

has anyone got any positive stories of their cat going missing for days and still coming home? It’s been 4 days now and I have to admit my mental health is massively struggling and I have a 7 year old who misses his best friend very much

Awww sorry OP it is horrid when this happens. Our boy was missing for a full week. Turns out he had gone into a neighbours house and got stuck behind some pipes and was there a while before they noticed!

Is he chipped?

Yes he is and i’ve reported him to the chip company as lost. I’m clinging on to the fact I’ve not had a call from the vets yet to say he’s been hit by a car or anything.

Ah I’m so sorry, I went through this a couple of years ago with our cat and know what an awful feeling it is. We did have a positive outcome though after about 4 days, he just turned up right as rain. I think he must have been locked in someone’s shed/outbuilding as he smelled all musty. Keeping my fingers crossed for you x

Sorry to hear this. It is very worrying for you! My sweet boy went missing for over 2 weeks and returned home. Was very out of character for him. I have no idea why or where he’d been! Hoping your cat comes home soon.

Ours went AWOL when we moved into a new house but we could hear him when the house was quiet. To cut a very long story short, after about four days of searching everywhere we went through exactly what we'd done on the day we moved in. OH remembered that he had lifted a hatch in the cupboard under the stairs, being built on a slope there was space there, we lifted it again and there he was. Very hungry but as it was bare earth underneath he had found water. Good luck, he would still go off for a couple of days, even when we lived abroad.

My cat went for over a week before and came back purrfectly healthy. I know of 2 cats locally who went missing for over 3 weeks and came home again.

Put hot tuna out at tea time/early morning. He is probably nearby hiding because he has been spooked and might have just lost his bearings. To have had a CCTV sighting is great news. I had a cat return after a week of wandering once. I also lost a cat who after 3.5 years was found living round the corner so they don’t tend to go far when lost. Don’t give up looking!

A few years ago there was a cat near us that was missing for about a year. The owners were distraught. We are fairly rural and there were big boards with the photos of the cat everywhere. Especially outside their cottage. It always made me so sad when we went past. Then one day the poster outside their house has changed and was replaced with FOUND! The village Facebook page was on fire with happy comments. I think he just came home or was found very nearby. I hope you get him back soon OP.

My little Birman girl went missing for 56 hours- I counted every one of them. I put up posters and described her very pale blue eye colour as unique.
Everyone we knew joined in the search and when I went into the local shops I'd be asked if she had come home.
At 3am on a very wet night she appeared outside the French windows in our bedroom, meowing- bone dry and apparently fine.
We believe she had been "borrowed" and given that we lived in a very small community the "borrower" decided she was too recognisable and brought her home. She got such snuggles that night, I couldn't stop schmooshing her.

My beautiful old girl disappeared for 4 weeks last summer.
I was so upset . Searched all over. I honestly thought she had gone off to die, because of her age.

She reappeared, quite thin and bedraggled. No clue what happened, but she’s not done it since.

I have a male cat that often goes off on summer missions. He did get hit by a car once, so I always worry.
He always returns after a few days.

Cats are selfish twats.

Hoping yours is just enjoying the weather, and having an adventure.

A story from the other side - last year, the most gorgeous and friendly (and enormous) Maine Coon turned up in our garden. As I stroked him, I felt how skinny he was, and alarm bells started to ring. When he was still hanging around the next morning, I arranged for the chip lady to visit. Sure enough, he was a lost cat - had been AWOL for two months, and his home was a half hour drive away! Reunited with delighted owners shortly afterwards.

Try to not worry OP - easier said than done, I know. But the vast majority of cats all come home. My two often do the disappearing act, especially when the weather is hot.

Not my cat, but a few years back one in our street was missing for weeks. She had somehow got into the next door attic space and couldn’t get out - it was about this time of year and those people were away on holiday, and when they got back they could hear “rats” in the loft. The pest control man got a surprise to find a stripy cat who was very hungry and skinny, but otherwise fine (she must have been drinking from the water tank because the vet said she wasn’t dehydrated).

There’s also a local cat (also a female tabby, funnily enough) who is frequently on wanted posters and the community facebook page. Our cat enjoys when she’s AWOL because her person goes door to door and asks to go into the gardens with treats and shout - of course it’s the rules he would also get a treat.

my, never left the garden, cat went missing for weeks, I almost gave up, but did one last check with our vet. I described her as having thumbs and that was the light bulb moment as the vets other establishment, over 2 miles away, had a cat with thumbs, and there she was, and just about to be re-homed.

Not sure if this will make you feel better or worse:

My friend had a cat who went missing, for years (about 3 I think). Obviously assumed it had died. One day she got a call from a shelter, her cat had been dropped off with them and was chipped. I think it was something like a family had been feeding him and then moved away and the neighbours noticed him hanging around looking hungry so took him to be scanned. It was about 10 miles away from where my friend lived so assumed he must have climbed in to a van or car or something and been driven to the new town.

Anyway my friend got her cat back for the last couple of years of his life! Never give up hope OP.

My cat went missing for 2 weeks, very out of character. Looked everywhere, asked everyone, really thought we wouldn’t see her again. I was advised to put items of clothing over our back garden fence and to empty hoover bags around boundary - she strolled back in like nothing had happened a day or two after I’d done that. She wasn’t even skinny or hungry, just very loud and demanding attention so no idea where she had been. She never did it again thankfully! Really hope your cat comes again safely soon.

That's a good point. Op I'd widen your search to other towns and villages in, say, at least a radius of a half hour drive. Cats do climb into delivery vans the nosy buggers.

Make sure you notifying all vets and rescues too.

My ndn had a cat, always hanging around pretending to be a kitten for fuss. They moved to the other side of town.She came home. They collected her.This happened 3 times.They then contacted us to see if she was here, but she wasn't. About 18 months later she walked into ours and wouldn't leave. I told them, they were resigned to her not wanting to move. She moved in with us.
HOWEVER-i then saw an lost poster for her, from a completely different family half way between theirs and ours. She'd adopted another family on the way and lived there for 18 months.
To get to ours she'd crossed farm land, an industrial estate,lots of busy roads and half the town.
She lived to be 18.

Try hanging out something from a place where they sleep. When our girl went missing for four days, I hung a sheet from a bed she sleeps on in the garden and she came back really quickly. The vet told sometimes they just seem to forget. The smell reminds them.

Cats do often roam during the summer. I hope you get him back safe and well very soon.

One of mine went missing for 9 months then I found her in a nearby street. That was 8 years ago and she’s still with us - though has never been happy being in the house since and lives in the garden.

We've had 2 different cats that went missing and returned.
The first was gone for about 2 weeks, then came hurtling in to the lounge one day. No idea where he'd been. No Facebook community groups back then.
The second one was also gone for about 2 weeks. After many Facebook posts, a lady found him about 2 miles away (motorway in between). We are sure he got in Tesco delivery van or similar as he's so nosey (also hasnt learnt from this lesson).
Fingers cross for yours coming back.

Our DGirlCat vanished for a few nights on a lovely summer evening. She returned very hungry at about midnight. We think she was trapped somewhere (she’s a Holy Terror for getting into tiny spaces and getting shut in). I think she must have smelled totally wrong because her brother wouldn’t believe it was her for about a week. Good luck OP.

Thank you all, I’m trying to stay as hopeful as possible that he’ll be back. It’s so unlike him as he’s a really clingy and loving cat so I know he hasn’t chosen to run away, I think it’s why I’m so worried something has happened to him.

The house feels so wrong without him and I’m so desperate for him to come home.

Mr Spock went missing for almost 2 years - then a vet called - he was there with his ‘owner’ a man from up the road.
He lives there now as he wouldn’t stay with us and was distressed- he turns his back when he sees us!

our Wee Man Bob has been missing since Jan - hoping to get a similar call one day - he’s not going to be allowed to leave the house again!

My old lady disappeared just before my wedding day, it was awful. Missing for a month but turned up skinny and hungry on my birthday - best present I ever had 🎂🥰

The weird thing was (I've posted this before) I have a friend who's very 'woo', she called me the day before my birthday and said she'd had a dream about Alfi. She said in the dream, Alfi was safe and was making her way back to me, she'll be back very thin but unharmed. The next morning, Alfi was crying at the back door.

There's always hope OP, please don't give up 🙏