Cat still missing?

Question

My 8 month old cat went out Last Friday and has not been seen since. Ive put posters in windows, signs on lamp posts, phoned all local vets and the cleansing department. No one has seen her at all ive searched evrywhere for. What do you think the chances of her coming back are and how long would you leave it to get another cat. I have a three year old who is quite upset. Thanks

Answer 1

I would leave it awhile. Cats sometimes dissapear for weeks and then come home. My friend had a cat htat came home after 6 months. They are pretty resourceful and can usually manange to take care of themselves.

Keep checking at the shelters and hopefully your kitty will come home.

Answer 2

I noticed from your question that you made it clear that your cat is a girl. If she has not been spayed, 8 months is exactly the age where she has probably come into season. She is probably getting up to mischief and getting herself into trouble!

Sometimes when this happens they go a little too far from their normal comfort zone and get a bit disorientated so need to be found. Even if she has been spayed there are other things to way-lay her return home!

You have done all the right things but are you sure she couldn't have gotten herself locked in somewhere like a shed. Is anybody doing building or renovations nearby? I have heard of many cats who have been accidentally trapped in building works-one behind a bath panel-(he meowed loudly and thank goodness someone heard him) and another under floorboards etc etc! Speak to anyone with outbuildings or doing building work. Would she have climbed into a truck or something?-hopefully not.

If she didn't have a collar nobody will know where to call if they find her but at the same time, would you take much notice of a cat who strolled through your garden unless they were acting 'lost' which of course they don't! People just won't notice unless something is amiss.

I still think she will probably come home (pregnant maybe) but you should continue to walk around locally calling her in case she has been trapped somewhere.

I work in animal rescue and many cats turn up but you do have to search a bit if they were not spayed-you owe it to them. I once found a neighbours cat who had been missing for two years-she was 5 doors away (big houses!) and the new 'owner' hadn't noticed the leaflets through her door etc. We left the cat in it's new home then!

Don't get a new cat yet and when you do, get it fixed at 6 months old to be on the safe side.

Best of luck....I think you will find her.

Answer 3

Dont give up just yet. If its a male cat and he has not been fixed. Well it could be a case of nature calls the same for females as well really. My girlfriends cat Lilly dissapeared for 2 weeks that would be 2 years ago and the dog found her and brought her home. Her other cat Pero went missing a few weeks back and to be honest i thought he had found his car there is a high casualty rate here for cats in Zagreb. But i saw him in the garden late a few nights ago and he appears to have gone wild. If after 3 months there is no sign of your cat then he is sorry to say a goner or has gone wild. Im really sorry for you and your little one its awful losing a pet like this I hope you have better luck with a new cat but i am hoping yours will come back.

Answer 4

Is she spayed?If not she may have gone looking for a mate and depending on where you live and how many unneutered toms are in the area that may take her awhile.Toms are famous for wandering but queens sometimes disappear for weeks too-trust me my girl has done it once even though she's spayed.Then about 2 and a half months later when I had almost given up she just wandered in and lay down in her bed like nothing had happened-still have no idea where she was.

Put on the posters that there's a reward but don't say how much.Keep phoning vets and animal shelters in case she is handed in.Ask your neighbours to check in sheds and garages in case she has got locked in.Also try going round all the nearby houses and asking in case she's been taken in by someone who thought she was a stray.Each evening when it gets dark go outside and call her and shake a bag or box of her favourite food in case she's nearby.

Just read one of the other answers and yes its a good idea to check if any building work is going on and she has got trapped.

Good luck hope she is back soon!

Answer 5

The pound has a phone # you call for their lost pets. Call that every day. Was it a fixed or neutered cat? The reason I ask is that 8 months is about the right age for males to start fighting for dominance to impregnate girl cats. Some males don't win, they just crawl away and either lick their wounds or die. Maybe you should start looking in brushy areas in your neighborhood. There is no set time to start thinking about getting another cat. Just like a person an animal needs to be grieved, so maybe give it awhile before getting a new cat. Who knows, maybe your cat will come back.

Answer 6

Several years ago I lost my cat for a month. I had done the same with posters, the pound, etc. Our next door neighbor had gone for a walk about 6 blocks from our house...she told me she thought she saw my cat but was unsure. There he was, down an alley, sitting in someones tree. I called him he came running as fast as he could...whether someone carried him there or he just wandered I don't know but I'd say...walk a wide perimeter of your area, calling the cat and don't give up for another couple of weeks. Take this opportunity to go for some exploration of your neighborhood with your child and maybe you'll find the kitty. If not you know you've done your best by the cat and your child.

Answer 7

Im so sorry to hear that. 8 months is rather young and may not be able to find its way back. I had one that was knocked over by a car and someone took it in had its private parts done and when I knocked on their door looking for him said that it was their cat for years. But last laugh on them when he was better he escaped and came home. Leave it for a couple of months may have had an accident and someone is looking after it and hope that when it gets out it will remember where it really lives. If by 6 months no show then appease yourself and get another as being without is worse. I am so so so so sorry to hear this I feel for you. I will pray to God that he helps your cat find its way back to you.

Answer 8

I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. Why not give it a little longer though? There is still a chance that she will come home to you. If the worst happens and she doesn't come back please be careful about introducing another cat into your home. The three year old might not take too well to the new arrival. I wish you the best of luck and hope she comes home to you soon

Answer 9

I'd say 50:50 at this point. I would leave it another week and get a new cat. If the other cat returns after then it will be a very lucky stroke and then you will have 2 cats, but chances are a week more and she will have moved to another area or have been taken in by another family or something bad has happened.
I really hope she comes back. Ask neighbours to check sheds and garages in case she is trapped inside.

Answer 10

dont give up hope! especially not this soon. my cat got out a few months back and showed up at the neighbors 2 wks later unharmed.
they know thier way better than youd think. stay on top of those flyers, talk to your mailman, neighbors, close-by businesses, etc. most cats wont leave a 2-3 block radius of thier home when they get out. ive heard of cats gone for months and just show back up one day.
for now put his food and water dishes out, his litterbox, and a box with warm clothing or blankets that you and your family have worn or used, all those things will bring him back by his nose. and dont forget to call the humane sociey, animal control, etc atleast weekly
and as for gettin another cat i have been told that the scent of a new cat could scare away your lost one.
best of luck!!!