Exhausted after a long day, I had no choice but to go looking for him. Before long I had an entire posse of neighbors looking for him. Merlin returned on his own at bedtime, nonplussed as ever. Not all cats are that lucky. When an indoor-only cat escapes outside, the best technique to use is to determine the escape point, like perhaps a door found cracked open.
A panicked cat will typically follow along the side of the house, rather than risk slinking or bolting out into the open. However, this depends on what happens the moment that cat escapes — if the mailman is walking up the sidewalk the cat could bolt and run directly across the street. But most times, indoor cats will either slink left or slink right following the edge of the house. Following the edge of the house to the right, look for the first hiding place — deck, access under a house, shed with opening, open garage, etc.
Another five days passed before he managed to confine the starving, filthy, flea-invested pet and return her safely to an overjoyed Palmer. By using what he understood about cat personalities, Hagey was able to find Callie.
Cats are very territorial creatures. In unfamiliar territory, lost cats particularly cautious cats like Callie usually look for the first place that offers concealment and protection. They instinctively and silently hide to protect themselves from predators.
How long they remain in that hiding place and what they do when they emerge depends entirely upon their temperament. If you have a missing cat, don't wait to see if she returns.
Start searching immediately. When an indoors-only cat escapes out of the safety of home, the question is 'Where is she hiding? With a gregarious personality, this curious feline will run to the door to greet a stranger, is generally unafraid, and consequently gets into trouble. When displaced, she will hide at first and then most likely begin to travel. She could easily get within a five-block radius of home quite quickly. Don't assume she will come when called.
This cat is aloof and doesn't care for people. When a stranger is present, she tends to stand back and watch. When displaced, she's likely to hide but eventually will break cover, attempt to come back home, and meow to be let in. There is the possibility, however, that she will travel larger distances. Generally, a cautious cat like Callie likes people but is shy and will dart away to hide if a stranger comes to the door.
Sometimes she'll peek around the corner and slowly come out to investigate. When displaced, however, she will immediately hide in fear. If not scared out of hiding by people or other animals, she's likely to return home on her own or meow to attract attention when her owner comes looking. This could happen within two days. But it could take as long as ten days before hunger or thirst prompts her to break cover.
In Callie's case, she found food at a feral feeding station set up by cat-loving volunteers quite close to her home and came out of hiding at night to eat. I've gone to the far off areas where people hav called and still nothing. I have started to feel terrible and regretful that I didn't put a gps on him. I didn't know that existed but now I wish i did. It's been 11 days without a whisper of a hint. I was told sometimes people take in cats thinking they are being helpful If that is the case, they are torturing the family that is looking.
His brother is beside himself. I pray he is OK and I hope if some do-gooder has him Some people think they are doing the right thing by keeping them. Well, if there are signs of abuse yes, but otherwise, NO.. I can't think of anything but him and if I'm not working on getting him back I'm in a deep depression. Not all animals without a chip etc. He has a whole family and a brother that miss him deeply.
I just don't know what to do but as the old saying goes "If you love something set it free, if it comes back to you it is for you". One thing you might try is similar to hunting AND familiar to your cat : when you go out looking and call you may be moving too fadt. A lot of cats will sit in hiding that survival mode but if you call him a few times the sit down on the curb or edge of the yard and just be quiet.
Wait at least 15 minutes before moving It's worked enough times for me Happened once to me and I remembered the. Lost cat poster He was 6 streets over, lost for 3 weeks! The quiet concept decided I might be friendly but back to my idea As with anything on the web your milage may vary.
I'm going to try the cat food idea it sounds good. But not holding out too much hope, there are so many cats and foxes in our area that I'm sure one of them will get to it before he does I really hope he turns up, thx for the advice. I lost my cat he's an indoor cat a few days ago. He is an indoor cat and has bladder problems. I was worried sick. My stepdaughter send me a pin linking to this blog.
Your post give me a lot of hope and last night I put out his little bowl with his food. This morning it was gone and when I called for him, he was calling back. He was hiding in our neighbour's garden and we haven't heard from or seen him for days until now. I am so happy and so grateful for this post! Thank you so much! I lost my cat 5 days ago. He is 7 months old and he is not neutered.
I don't even know how he escaped, I suspect he jumped from our balcony that is at the first floor. I have been searching for him, calling his name, putting up posters in the neighbour and nothing yet. What worries me is that when i got him home he was 2 months old, a stray little kitten that was meowing for days outside my house for me to pet him, he even found a way to climb outside my window at 4am and meow like crazy so that i would go out!
He has never left the house since and has only been to the front yard. I can't understand how a cat that meows all the time and wants hugs all the time escapes and stays away for almost a week :S I am so worried that something has happened to him but he is a very smart cat and i try not to lose hope..
I hope he just wants to mate but I don't know if it's mating season as I haven't heard any other cats :S. Thank you for giving me hope. I was almost at the point of giving up like why bother searching anymore.
Our family indoor cat got out 2 weeks ago. We grieved. We searched. We put up flyers and posted on Facebook and several animal rescue sites.
This weekend we are getting a group together ad going searching asking door to door farther then we ever. Have found several throughout the years. It's great when you can hook them up with their families again, but that doesn't always happen. Thanks to ColonelAntilles for the info below. BTW found this on Pinterest :.
Here in the US, there is an organization called HomeAgain - www,homeagain. You also receive a tag with with your animal's name, whether they are spayed, neutered or intact, sex and your home address and contact number so that anyone who finds your missing pet can contact you.
Even if your pet is a strictly indoor animal, having them microchipped chipped is always a good idea because you never know if your cat might be separated from you in an accident, emergency or disaster. Also make sure that your cat has their most current vaccine tags on their collar as well as this will also help in getting you and your 'baby' reunited.
If you have lost your cat then every ten or even five minutes open the door and call for his or her name as soon as possible or else he will get lost and more far away and will not hear you. Yell loud and hard so your cat can hear you even if you or your cat is far away.
When you are done yelling or shouting your cat's name go back to whatever you're doing and as I said come back at least ten or five minutes later. Comment me if this strategy works and you find your cat or kitten. My cat has been missing for two days. We live on a ranch and there arent any houses near by. Today I went out hiking in the woods to search for him as he tends to follow me sometimes, but always follows back. Hoping to see him tomorrow morning :. My cat has been missing since Saturday 15th March.
Every evening im out looking for him. Our neighbor hood is covered in posters and iv hand delivered about flyers. Facebook has been a great tool as i have a group and there and many people in my area who I have never met have joined and are spreading the work.
After reading this i feel alot more positive we may see him again. He is very loved and i know everyone thinks it but he is the best cat ever.
Thanks for this article as I was starting to give up hope but im going to remain positive. Thankfully we've never lost a cat for more than a half hour or so. Our cats are indoor cats but are aloud out in the backyard when we're home to keep an eye out. We've had a few who like to escape through cracks in the fence, though. We actually had a harder time with our dog a little Yorkie and had to search the neighborhood a few times for her!
I feel for people who have had a missing cat. These are great tips! I'm not sure if you put this in here and I missed it, but it's also a good idea to call a local shelter in case your cat was turned in there. Most people probably do that, anyway. You can also call a shelter in nearby towns just in case they somehow wandered really far. We heard of a family who lived an hour away and somehow their dog made it to our local shelter. We're not sure if they were visiting town with their dog and he got lost or he just somehow got here She has been hiding and a neighbour spotted her hideout and notified us.
I was too worried that she'll die of thirst or hunger, she was dehydrated and lost much weight when we found her. Super happy to find her back. Yup, putting up notices is still the best way I guess. Anyone with a lost cat should Please!
Lost Cat Rescuewww. Kim FreemanLost Cat Recoverywww. I lost my cat for almost 20 days I tried placing food outside my house, but nothing I wanna be hopeful but the entire apartment is quiet and She has always been a house cat will she still be able to find her way back?
No, I haven't lost a cat. I have had a couple of them that liked to wander off but always come back. Very good lens. My cat has gone missing for the second time now. She is a skittish cat which makes me worry because if somebody tries to pick her up she might run away. The first time it seemed as if she couldn't find her way back because I found her just outside the complex.
She ran away because I had just gotten a new kitten. This time she just disappeared but I'm keeping my hopes up its been 4 days now but thanks so much for the tips. My cat has been missing for 9 days now, I am not giving up. This website gives me hope. I have also heard about scattering their used little tray in various directions to try and give them a scent to follow, if they are lost and confused. My 10 year old indoor female cat has gone missing for ten days now.
Last month she didn't come for two days. Your article gives me hopes. Thank you. So sweet. I was on vacation when my son emailed that the cat was missing. I was heartbroken, I tried to book a flight home, but fortunately my son found out he was at the animal shelter.
Nice lens,. My cat slipped out the door that my nephew left open while we were on a mini vacation at a resort yesterday morning. Unfortunately we had to come home and leave without her but we have a live trap set up and staff checking the area for her We're also heading back tomorrow and Monday. Certainly not giving up hope but it's so hard to imagine a positive outcome from this. She's in an unfamiliar place, and she's probably terrified.
My only hope is that she hasn't wandered and that she will stick close to the cabin we were in. I dumped out her kitty litter fairly close to it in the bushes and we have food and water set up for her so hopefully she'll follow that scent and stay close by I'm absolutely beside myself with worry. Great advice! Luckily my cat showed up from the open window i left open..
I am happy that he is back and i know what to do in the future if he is missing again, thanks to you! He is a Micro chipped, neutered Bengal of 16 months.
I have put up Posters, leafleted over homes and got local Newsagents to put up posters I have found parts of my area I didn't know existed while searching!! I last saw him at 6. My 2 year old Burmese is missing him madly Please Help Any info please call My cat ran away on the Fourth of July. This really helps me understand more as to why he is not home yet. We put up fliers the next day and sure enough we finally got a phone call from someone 6 days after he went missing.
He told us they have seen him around and that they're trying to get him for us. Sure enough he has been a few streets down from our house. And the next morning we went to try to get him. We had his food out and we sat in the car waiting for him to go for the food. Once we saw him we called for him and instead of coming right to me , he ran away. And I was confused and scared what was wrong.
But reading this have me a better understanding of how cats are. And I am confident we can get him. We are trying again tonight and will do the salmon thing My advice is that determining on how your cat got out and why will most likely determine how far he has gone. We have only had are Cat for a few days.. We wanted to settle her in before we took her to Vets to have her checked out and Micro-chipped.. The previous owner was quick to get rid of her.
She is a house cat, and we live on a busy road. I contacted our local council, and luckily she had not been picked up by the Highway control.. If you live in Plymouth?
Could you contact Nikki on I would be extremely grateful.. We lost our 10 year old female indoor cat she has never been outside and never been away from her brother cat for more then an hour. We moved almost one month ago and went away last weekend to come home and find out she was gone. We think she got out when furniture was being delivered with my mom home.
Please help looked every where the pound neighbors posted signs put out cat food. Could an indoor cat ever make it outside? Please any advice would help we miss her so much and her brother kitty cries for her every night! I live in Kolkata, India. I have a pet female kitten. She wandered off for three days some time ago. When she returned at midnight she was ravenously hungry.
What I did not know was that she was pregnant. After some time she delivered a single dead kitten. I nursed her back to health and subsequently she did not veture out at all. There are a dozen cats at home. The other cats, whether male or female, can't tolerate her because she keeps aloof and beat her up if they get an opportunity.
Therefore I was all the more careful. She became her normal playful self. But very recently she was again in heat and began calling out for mates which attracted the other male cats at home. But she would run away from them. Then she began wandering off at night and returning in the early morning. She has now been gone for seven days now and I'm extremely worried. She has not responded to my calls.
We visited regularly but she had decided the old lady's house was her new home! Louise I agree--cats are so much happier when they can go out--they get so BORED indoors--must feel like a prison to them after a week! How would we feel if we could never leave our house? I've lost cats a few times, once we never saw him again and concluded he was taken by a dog or a coyote. Your tips here are excellent, a few I never thought of before.
I had my Siamese cat for 21 years and I still remember when we couldn't find her for 3 days. I was sure I'd lost her but she was somewhere hiding i the house despite repeated efforts to find her. I finally found her in the closet.
She must have been tucked in a jacket sleeve or something. Update, I found my baby. It was amazing a little stray cat that I had been feeding led me straight to him. She actually ran in front of me when I came out to look for him and kept running in-front to make sure that I was following and when she reached his hiding spot he was hiding in the bushes she stopped and meowed and then my cat meowed too. This little cat was simply amazing, I am going to try to adopt her.
But the advice on here was awesome, I bought strong flashlights to look in the bushes and went out after 12am when everything was silent, kept calling out his name. My cat went missing last night. I have put up posters and even "walked" with his brother cat to find him. Thank you for this post, it gives me hope and I have used all of your strategies. I hope he comes home soon, this is the fist time her has gone missing for the entire night.
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