Indoor cat vanished.

Jumpy

In a bit of a state here. Cat has been missing for 5 hours now, it is a fairly timid indoor cat that has got out of the house somehow.
He has been out before but always returns within the hour and he has never been out at night.
He wont respond to calls and seems to have completely vanished. I have had him two years and nothing like this has ever happened before, he is usually very apprehensive about the outdoors.
Normally I would think "hey its a cat, masters at looking after themselves" but this cat is as far from streetwise as you can get.

NarkyBoots

Are you near a busy road or somewhere more remote?

If he's not back by morning I'd start getting worried. Hunger usually helps bring them home!

Jumpy

I am quite remote.
He vanished at dinnertime, thats why I am worried.

bounty_hunter

Don't panic just yet Jumpy, same happened to me late last year when I moved into a new area. One of my boys vanished out into the wilderness of gardens behind my house for 6 hours, I was doing my nut. He eventually came back soaked to the skin and absolutely delighted with himself.
Put out some of your cat's favourite treats, keep calling him and leave the door/windows open if at all possible. It might help to go for a bit of a wander around in case he's lurking nearby. Chances are he's just frightened and hiding somewhere. Good luck!

Jumpy

I have been searching the past three hours, gotta give up now, no batteries left in the torch. Now just concerned about foxes.

NarkyBoots

Leave an outside light on or a main light on in your house to help him find his way home if he is lost.

Jumpy

hes still not home.

franksm

Hey Jumpy - don't give up hope, my cat went missing for four weeks. Granted he was always more of an outdoor cat than an indoor cat, he'd always hang around the garden.

Lots of young birds around at the moment, so maybe he just went hunting and got a bit lost.

There's an FAQ somewhere on how to retrieve lost pets, but the following worked for me:

- put up lots of posters with photo + contact details
- go out and walk the neighbourhood whistling and banging a dish with a spoon - listen out around trees, maybe he climbed up and couldn't get down
- put notes or posters in your neighbours' doors - ask them to check their sheds
- check your chimney - someone told me recently of their cat disappearing up the chimney as it heard birds nestnig up there
- go befriend any dog walkers in your neighbourhood and ask them to keep an eye open during "walkies"
- call the DSPCA, ISPCA, etc and ask
- put some "lost" notices up on kittenadoption.ie, irishanimals.ie, etc
- call your local council and ask if they picked up anything from the roads (worst case scenario !)

Good luck !

BrianD3

Are you sure he's actually outside? You've checked every cupboard in the house, the hot press etc?

KITTENADOPTION

First don't panic and I do hope he is back by now. most cats don't go far even out door cats (Altered))will be found approximately 20 meters close to home. Some GREAT advise already .
Cats have no concept of time and can lay low if they come across a danger, this could be another cat, there are plenty of intact fighting toms out there at the moment, a dog anything could have freaked him, and he will lay low till HE is sure the danger is passed, it is breeding season for other animals and birds, it could be he has found a killing ground and is slowly working his way through them
It is also gardening time so folks may have accidentally shut him in their shed, ask all neighbours in the area to check their sheds. Cook some piping hot chicken and leave on the window, as the smell , may be enough to entice him home. Call out, bang on a tin of cat food. You may also want to leave an old t shirt with your smell on it up the garden. All this may prompt him to remember where he lives.
You can put up posters in the area too.
Fingers crossed for you, and it's a horrible feeling. Please don't think the worse though.
And give him a big hug when he gets home.

bullets

There is alway hope for Cats so try not to stress yourself
out too much.

We fed a cat for ages who up'd and disappeared one day.
We were full sure he was dead as we know(and feed)
most of the neighbourhood cats.
2 years later out of the blue we are going for a walk and
we see him haggered and battle scared as ever and he
still running around the place chaseing a bit of tail.
(We were amazed he was alive and well)

Had Cats disappear for Weeks that come back all thin and starving
so would not worry too much. You always get the the the first few days
where your out with the torch at all hours of the night and your seraching the
roadsides and ditches. Out of about 14 maybe more strays we have looked
after only 1 so far we've had to bag and tag from an road accident.

Some of our babies
http://s64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/bphelan_ie/cats/?start=all
~B

stovelid

KITTENADOPTION wrote:

It is also gardening time so folks may have accidentally shut him in their shed, ask all neighbours in the area to check their sheds. .

Yup. One of ours went missing for days before and came back covered in dust and coal.

houndsoflove

You should ask the postman to keep an eye out for your cat. When he is going door to door there is a chance your cat could run past him or run away from dogs barking at the postman

My cat paddy (as seen in the pics above) is neutered and one day he ran into black bear (also seen in the pics) and had a cat fight, he then went missing for a day and half. I was upset looking everywhere for him, and then on my way to the shop i saw him on a neighbours wall and called him and now he's safe and sound a year later.

Don't give up jumpy, i hope you write to this thread and tell us he has returned.

Jumpy

He hasnt yet.
I have rang vets and animal welfare. I have got the neighbours keeping an eye out.
Everything around me is fields. There is a house being built next door but I have scoured that from top to bottom, every pipe and every gap.
I was out at half 5 this morning when it was quiet and could hear nothing.
There is only one road near here and he isnt on it or near it.
And he isnt in the house. It is like he has just vanished.

Jumpy

He is completely white. He stands out. I cant even spot him from the top of the house.

BrianD3

I hope this isn't the case but could he have gotten into a builder's van next door, been locked in and taken away. Was there any work going on next door yesterday?

Is there a skip next door that he could have crawled into to explore?
I suppose it depends on how curious your cat is. Ours is very curious and has gotten into skips, open vans, every press in the house, the attic (climbed up ladder) into the engine bay of a car etc. I always have to be really careful anytime there is renovatioon being done in our house as she's guaranteed to end up in somebodys' van if I don't keep an eye on her.

Jumpy

there was only one car next door at the time he was out. That was full and there was no way he could have accidently got in. I have just been to the farmers who owns the field next to me, he let me into the main field and I have searched the entire perimeter. He is nowhere close.

Nala

Is he neutered Jumpy? If not he is probably off gallivanting after women and will be home soon enough. Has he a collar and tag?

morgana

If cats don't want to be found they won't. I've two cats with free outdoor access and I know they are close by. If I call them, one of them may come, maybe, but the other most certainly will not. And there are so many nooks and crannies they can hide in, you'll never see him even if he is white. He's probably curled up somewhere fast asleep and will come home when the hunger gets to him. And you have excluded him accidentally being driven away so he is still nearby. I know how heart-breaking it is when they go AWOL - I seem to get about two scares a year when they don't keep to their established pattern but they've always come back like nothing has happened - trotting in and hitting the food bowl - you were lookin' for me - NEVER .. keep your hope up

Jumpy

He is neutered. Still no sign.

Rancid

I know the worry of a missing cat but don't give up yet. Years ago one of mine was gone for 5 days once. Then when we'd almost given up, he showed up on the fence at the end of the garden and he seemed wary of jumping down and almost scared of us. It took him nearly 3 hours to come up to the door. He was thinner and definitely showed signs of some kind of trauma though there were no wounds or injuries. We came to the conclusion that he'd be locked into someone's shed maybe?
My current cats never fail to respond to the opening of a tin of tuna.
It's worth a try anyway.

Jumpy

He hates human food. The only thing he likes is the whiskas pouches. THey dont make any noise.

Rancid

Ok, so make sure he can smell the Whiskas if he's around... food, or lack of it, is probably what will bring him home eventually.
Have you seen any stray cat around lately? Neutered or not, territorial disputes can alter the habits of the most home-loving cat.

Just keep searching and calling and don't give up and I hope he comes back soon, I know how awful you're feeling.

Jumpy

Rancid wrote:

Ok, so make sure he can smell the Whiskas if he's around... food, or lack of it, is probably what will bring him home eventually.
Have you seen any stray cat around lately? Neutered or not, territorial disputes can alter the habits of the most home-loving cat.

Just keep searching and calling and don't give up and I hope he comes back soon, I know how awful you're feeling.

Yes, there is a big black stray around here lately. With a gammy eye.

Rancid

Jumpy wrote:

Yes, there is a big black stray around here lately. With a gammy eye.

Hmm... so have you seen this black cat since yours went missing?

Jumpy

Rancid wrote:

Hmm... so have you seen this black cat since yours went missing?

No.

But the food I left out was eaten. And not by my cat. He leaves the peas from it.

Rancid

Jumpy wrote:

No.

But the food I left out was eaten. And not by my cat. He leaves the peas from it.

If the black cat is eating it, it sounds like he's becoming the dominant one, establishing his right to the garden and the food. Your cat is neutered and more likely to give way... and maybe *stay* away?
Of course the food could have been eaten by hedgehogs at night or birds in the daytime.
Keep watch if you can.

Jumpy

Rancid wrote:

If the black cat is eating it, it sounds like he's becoming the dominant one, establishing his right to the garden and the food. Your cat is neutered and more likely to give way... and maybe *stay* away?
Of course the food could have been eaten by hedgehogs at night or birds in the daytime.
Keep watch if you can.

I havent seen the black one around, but the cat across the road (which is huge) is around a lot so he might have chased the black one off.
My cat gets along fine with the one across the road, so I know he isnt guilty of running mine off.
He has more likely got completely lost, as he is an indoor cat he doesnt know the area much (its is a big farming area) hopefully he will find his way back.

Myrddin

Even though he is a housecat, dont underestimate his incredible natural insticts and survival abilities. Cats are truly amazing animals! He has the power of scent, vision, predatory, and mobility insticts which are programmed into him - even if he doesnt use them much. So what Im trying to say is if he CAN survive - then he WILL. Have another look around that new house, keep searching the area, the sounds of cat treats/biscuits being shook in their box has a good effect on most cats, and above all else have patience. Wish u the best of luck!

Jules

Any updates?

luckat

Stick up a notice (with a photo if you have one) in your local school too. Kids see things adults don't.

My friend's cat reappeared after a year and had obviously been living wild in the neighbourhood; she was found in the derelict house next door. And that was a cat stupider than a cushion (though very sweet) and extremely timid. She'd originally run away because my friend got a dog.