Cat has strayed..

Niamh:>)

Hi Everyone,

Im not sure if anyone can answer my question, but here it goes.

We have a cat for about 15 months now. His name is cougar by the way.
We live in the countryside, and so far our cat comes and goes as he pleases.
The most he has ever been gone for was about 4/5 days ( and that was only once ) - he has now been gone 7/8 days are we are really worried that might be the last we have seen of him..

Does anyone have a similar experience with this or even some lovely heart warming story about cats returning after a couple of weeks jaunt...

Thanks in advance..

fits

Is he neutered? He may be less inclined to wander if he's not looking to mate.

My sister in law's cat went missing for over a month, but returned.... he was neutered.

Niamh:>)

Im afraid we hadnt gotten around to giving him the snip. There seemed no point at the time because we live in a very remote place..

If he does wander back, its straight up to the local Vet !!!:eek:

Mr. Presentable

Cats are not like dogs. They have no loyalty to an owner and will set up with anyone who treats them nice. So Cougar may have a new home.

My experience of cats in the country, however, is if they don't turn up after a week they're usually dead. Sorry.

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

i had a cat a few years ago eho always went missing for a few days. once he went in august and came back in november, he weighed 1 stone when he came back!! some other family obvously had him for the few months

JB1

Niamh:>) wrote:

Im afraid we hadnt gotten around to giving him the snip. There seemed no point at the time because we live in a very remote place..

If he does wander back, its straight up to the local Vet !!!:eek:

Niamh,
indeed,straight up to ,local vet.there is loads of cats in the country side and that will result in loads of kittens of whom 99% will die a horrible death (look at anvil ireland).Also get the guy chipped!

Good luck!

Jotter

We rescued a cat from DSPCA, we had him a few months and he disappeared for about 5 days, I thought he was a gonner, there was no sign of him anywhere. Hes an extremely friendly cat and follows strangers etc so i was hopeful that someone took him in, anyway one day I was in my apartment and I heard a very faint miow outside, and low and behold there was a very ragged, limping cat covered in muck (he doesnt wash himself!) but he was in one piece and happy to be home.
He also disappeared one day and was found a few days later in a housing est about 20 mins drive from where we used to live, to get there he had to cross a dual carriageway, a river and railway tracks so dont give up on your fella yet!!

Try the local spca, the vets, your local shops, we got local kids to keep an eye out when he went missing recently enough (think hes trying to tell us something!) and they found him, kids are very helpful looking for lost pets, it becomes a competition between them!!!

Hopefully hell show up, if he does, neuter him (our guy is neutered but still wanders) microchip him and see if you can get him to wear a collar with tag.

Best of luck.

Niamh:>)

Thanks for all the advice..

I dont want to allow myself to think he is gone for good yet.
He is a very loveble cat ( im sure everyone says that ) and i would be enternally happy to see him come home.

Like the other poster, the last time he went missing, he came back covered in dried in mud and a few cuts about his face and neck.
Ive tried 4 different collars on him, none of which stayed on him, and really i was afraid he would choke himself whilst out and about.

So, might light a candle this evening and have a walk about the place to try and find him..

anniehoo

Hopefully he jsut got a bit carried away with himself chasing..mice/rats/female cats (prob this one)! Our next door neighbour has been feeding a cat for 10 years and still as wild as the day we met her. She went missing about 2 years ago and disappeared for id say nearly 4 weeks. Well..came home one day and there she was sittin on the doorstep, skin and bone and friendly as hell...was the only time ever she let us pet her. Shes still around now but has reverted to her usual unfriendly nature..but we know she loves us! Dont give up hope..cats are mad animals..so unpredictable!

Sigma Force

Even if you live in the countryside there are always cats around be they pets from neighbours or feral so it is a must that you neuter animals at or before 6 months of age. He has wandered off most likely to mate with females. He probably has a very large territory to cover. However he may of also gotten hit by a car or taken or attacked by a dog, get into a fight with another tom cat which can result in serious injuries as cat bites can become very infected etc. Any of these things can happen if a cat is allowed outside so that is the risk many owners will take.

If he does come back he must be neutered and kept indoors for a few weeks until his hormones calm down, he may still wander after that but is not as likely to go as far.

Cats do often return sometimes they have lost a lot of weight or have been injured so once he does come back give him a good checking over. I hope he has at least been vaccinated as he will pick up infections from other cats.
You would be suprised how far a cat will travel every day and they often come in contact with other less healthy cats.

stovelid

One of our cats went mising for about 4 days before (which was very unlike her) but she eventually came back, covered in coal dust or dirt of some sort. I guess she was trapped somewhere.

As for the 'cat will take up with anybody else that feeds it' line. I have lived around cats all my life and have never heard of it happening if the cat is well fed and loved. Look after them properly and they will simply eat offered food elsewhere and then come back to you

Good luck OP, let us know if it turns up OK.

Niamh:>)

Just logged in to say, cougar still hasnt returned :<(

Day 8/9 now.. but im calling to some of our neighbours this evening to see if anyone has spotted him.

I will rejoice if he comes home but im also prepared for the worst.

I also didnt know i was this attached to the silly cat..

franksm

My cat disappeared for four weeks, so don't give up

Put posters up along your road, in the nearest petrol station, shops etc. Someone might have seen him, picked him up, saw him injured or something. Posters can work wonders.

Good luck ! I know what you're going through

Lou.m

nipplenuts wrote:

Cats are not like dogs. They have no loyalty to an owner and will set up with anyone who treats them nice. So Cougar may have a new home.

My experience of cats in the country, however, is if they don't turn up after a week they're usually dead. Sorry.

That depends on the cat my cat is very loyal. And i know a cat who when its owner was ill would not leave her bedside no matter what food was offered elsewhere.

If your cat is young and not nuetered it may be that he has gone on the version of an eighteens to thirties holiday for cats.

I would put pictures of him around and ask people. Does he have a collar with your name and number?

I really hope you find him try calling out his name in the evenings and shaking some dry cat food. The noise of food might flush him out.

I really hope he comes home safe and sound or you find him or something.

Does he have any usual haunts?