my cat got out what should i do?

Question

my indoor cat got out like 3-4 hoiurs ago and still hasnt come back i looked every where for it and even put out food and milk and i havnt seen it. i have a big backyard with woods in the very back and lots of hidding spots. but it was raining b4 and it hates water and it was probally hidding and soo yeah i dont no what to do should i wait for it to come home or sould i go look some more? please help.

Answer 1

Cats have a mind of their own and will come back when they are good and ready. Unless you live on a very busy road I wouldn't worry about it getting hit by a car. In fact, if you DO live on a busy road, calling it can cause it to run in front of a car...that happened to one of my cats when I was a kid. You should be more worried about other animals hurting your cat. Make sure when it returns that you check it over for ticks and bites. If it looks like it got into a scuffle with another animal then take it to the vet and have it looked at and rabies shots may be needed. If your cat is naturally adventurous and playful then it will probably be ok...it has street smarts. But if it's a skittish cat it will only continue to hide. Sit outside, calmly, and every 10 minutes or so, just start talking to it...loudly...but in a normal voice. Say things like "well, kitty, are you done playing hide and seek yet? Are you ready to go inside yet?" Things like that will attract it to come out more than you hollering "here kitty kitty, where are you?" Also, do not leave food outside for it...you're only encouraging it to stay outside. If it's hungry, it will be more likely to stay close to the door and you will see it. And putting food out may attract other critters that you don't want around.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Call your cat and leave out some food, it will return eventually. Your cat is probably just exploring the woods.
Don't look too much, you can just walk around outside, shaking a bag of treats or slowly opening a can of cat food.

Putting food out isn't 'rewarding' the cat for staying outside. The cat going outside isn't bad behaviour, it just walked out an open door. Open doors are humans' fault, not cats'. Cat's don't really associate food as a reward, they just see it as food. Worst case scenario, your cat smells/hears foot, comes home, eats cat food, enjoys food.

Also, is there a reason you are calling your cat 'it'? Don't you know its gender?

Answer 3

kitty will come back when he knows it is safe for him to expose himself. if you live near any coyotes or other animals in wild, there may be a problem . if you live near a busy road there could be a problem.
indoor kitties do not know how to handle themselves in the great outdoors. chances are he's somewhere closeby hiding and scared.
keep calling kitty. make sure he knows he is safwe in the house--and food is right there.
if he is alive he will come back to you.
if you stop calling him, make sure there is a way for him to get into the house--have a low window or a door open for him to slip back into the house.

Answer 4

http://www.calmpet.com/lost_story1.html

Answer 5

well, there is a good chance that it has already been hit by a car, so don't waste your time. move on and find another dumb @$$ cat to bring home. then, treat it like crap and let it run away so it can also be hit by a car.