missing cat?

Question

my cats been missing since last night, he's an indoor cat and we rarely let him out. We believe that he got out while someone left the door opened and didnt realize it. Havent seen him since 10:00 last night and am worried to death... Does anyone know if cats come back? Do they know their way home? Also could you give me suggestions as to what i should do, we have search the neighborhood quite a bit and found nothing... anything would help, thank you.

Answer 1

If he hardly goes out he may have gotten scared and gotten a bit lost. He will most likely find his way home eventually. Try putting up posters around the neighborhood and in local stores.

I lost my brother's cat once. He jumped off my balcony when I was cat sitting. It was a low balcony, but I didn't think he would go anywhere because he was an indoor cat and didn't seem too interested in going beyond the balcony. I found him a week later running around with a stray cat. He wouldn't even go out on the balcony after that. Good Luck!

Answer 2

This depends on your neighborhood/living conditions, and the cat, but sometimes they DON'T go too far.

If you're able to search at night without getting arrested or mugged, and your area is fairly quiet, that is actually a good time to go look. And by that, I mean call him. He can hear you better without all the daytime noises, and also will not have as much stuff going on around him to intimidate him. As you go around and call, listen carefully for a familiar "return" call.

You can try this during the day, but our experience is that most indoor cats are petrified by all the daylight hubbub around them, and will not budge from wherever they are hiding, no matter what you do.

We run a shelter located in a very rural area, and have the occasional feline escapee. During the daylight, they stay put, but at night, we take flashlights and call, and listen. When we finally hear that pathetic familiar Meow!, THEN we shake the bag of treats, or pop the lid on a can of cat food, or whatever sound the cat will recognize.

And don't give up. We had one old boy escape, a total housecat, and was missing two years. We were afraid that coyotes had gotten him. He showed up in the headlights around 2 a.m. one morning when a shelter volunteer was returning from a long trip, not 200 yards from the shelter.

Good luck to you.

P.S. He was recaptured, fed, and hasn't left his special house since!!!

Answer 3

Even though Your Cat is an inside Cat, He still knows His home. He will run around, and the sounds will scare Him. As many have said night time is the best time to try and find Him. Put His litter box outside like someone suggested, and put an article of clothing outside with Your scent on it. Also leave food and water outside so that He can come and eat safely.

While on vacation once, My Son got hot at home, so He opened the window. Our three Cats escaped, Two came back the next day at different times. But My little guy did not. I was heart broken. He had been a feral cat and tamed. It took four weeks to see Him sitting on My front porch with all the regulars of the Neighborhood that come to eat, safely. He was too scared to come to Me. I got as close as across the street from Him, and I called, and He meowed, He wanted to trust Me, He just couldn't make himself. We finally got a humane trap and set it up on the front porch. He is a little guy but He loves His food. It seemed like forever after We spotted Him that night, before He inched His way into the cage and to the dry and wet cat food, and then We heard the sound, SNAP, and We had Him. He screamed so loud. I brought Him into the bathroom and was almost afraid to let Him out, but I did, and started talking softly to Him, it took about one minute and He was calm as could be, and glad to be home. He has NEVER tried to go outside again. It took us five weeks. Hopefully if won't be that long for You. But it just goes to show that They do know where They live. Just be sure to check Him over real good when He comes home, in case He has been in a fight, closed wounds can get infected.

I have also said a prayer for You both, God Bless and Hang Tough

Answer 4

All cats seem to know instinctively where their home is - the place where they are safe. Since your cat has never been outside, I would take a guess that when he bolted, he got scared by the great big outdoors and went to ground at the first available hiding place. He is HIDING. Ther's a good chance that he will wait until everything is absolutely quiet before he ventures out of his hiding hole to try amd make his way back home. If he is alive and well, he will come home for the simple reason that he is hungry and your home is where he is absolutely certain of getting a meal.
To help him find his way back sooner, why don;t you get his litter tray (hopefully with his urine still in it) and leave it outside your patio or by the front door. Cats can smell their own scent a mile away. Let his nose lead him back.

This worked for e when my cat bolted out the window of a house we just moved into 3 days before. He came back towards dawn - hungry like anything.

I will pray for your kitty.

Answer 5

Indoor cats who get loose usually are traumatized and will hide somewhere. If you give him dry cat food get the box, walk up and down while shaking it and if he hears it he just might come. Other than that put up lost cat posters and if you have cable go to the local cable channel and post an ad, also call animal control officer. Offer a reward, that usually helps.

Answer 6

Put up signs and go around to your neighbors telling them to look out for him. My cat was a compleatly indoor cat and he went missing for 36 hours then came back home because he was so hungry. Don't loose hope! Chances are your cat is hiding in one place and will come back once he gets hungry enough. Try putting a favorite treat on your porch and keep watch.

Answer 7

Indoor cats get very frightened when they get out by mistake, It's all foreign too them. Their instincts to come home aren't like regular cats. He might be hiding somewhere. Put a lost & found in the paper, signs on lamp posts, at the vet, everywhere. Good luck!

Answer 8

hopefully he didnt get hit by a car or in a fight with another animal it is very important for everyone in your family to know the severity of letting the cat get out...if he is a friendly cat someone may have taken him in because they thought he was a stray the best thing i could tell you is to ask around the neighborhood and hopefully you will find him if he has wandered off he will find his way home very easily cats are like that

Answer 9

In my journey with my cats, confident. Mickey and Minnie have been the two cats I had- Mick replaced into first and four yrs older. Minnie replaced into 13 while Mick died and he have been in her existence those complete 13 yrs. They weren't good close- greater of a coexistence, by using she did definately mop around and grow to be skittish for awhile, while he died.

Answer 10

they do come back normally they know their way, contact animal control to see if he has been picked up, is he fixed, if not he could be on the prowl of some females. take his favroite toy (if it makes noise) like a jingle bell out and just sit on your porch and jingle it, you'd be suprised he's probally just watching you from someones roof top.