My cat has run away.?

Question

We live in the country and our cat has had 1litter. We have kept a young tom. We are going to have her speyed. She went out yesterday and has not ben seen since (normally comes home at dusk). There are foxes around, but I think she is fit enough to stay clear.
I have a suspicion she is coming into season as there has been a tom around.
Is it likely she has gone off with him, and if so, how long is she likely to be gone for?

Answer 1

I have plenty of cats and trust me this is normal. I probably would'nt get to worried. It does'nt matter whether shes in season or not, a lot of female cats will run off whenever there is a tom around, no matter what time of year it is. Don't worry, its perfectly normal, she could be gone anywhere between a day or two and up to two or three weeks, especially since you live in the country.

Answer 2

I cant understand why people are saying that cats running away is normal? It isnt! Cats are very territorial and given the choice will much rather stay close to home.

If your cat has been missing for a matter of hours then don't worry, she is probably out having so much fun that she doesnt want to come home yet. If it has been a couple of days then I would suggest that you start to worry.

Perhaps call your local vets and tell them that she is missing. Someone may have brought her in, and also if someone does bring her in then they will know to call you.

Foxes can be a problem for cats but as you say most cats are agile enough to escape (usually up the neares tree). I would suggest that you got out and call your cat, check the surrounding area. Any outhouses tha she could have been accidentally locked in. Ask any neighbours if they have seen her. Walk around your surrounding area, calling and then listening for a response.

My family have have got many cats between us and the only time that cats have EVER gone missing for an length of time is due to something being wrong. i.e, my female cat didnt return home (was later found on a nearby road, she had been run over), my sisters cat went missing for a few days and was found locked in a neighbours garage, and my other sisters cat went missing for 3 weeks, and was only found because she kept going out looking for him. She eventually found him under someones shed as he had hurt his toe, which later had to be amputated!

I really do hope that you find her, I'm sure that she will come home for you, but also make sure that if she is gone for any length of time that you take action sooner rather than later.

Answer 3

I don't mean to be rude, but why is it that people willingly let their cats roam outside and then become upset when they don't come back??

There's a reason that Cat Rescue, the RSPCA and all of the other animal organisations are trying to get people to keep their pets indoors. At one time dogs used to be wild, but now that they are domesticated we wouldn't dream of letting them run around the town all night on their own. Cats are now domesticated, but still people let them go off.

The girl above spoke as if cats getting run over and injured is just a natural part of letting them outdoors. One cat got run over, one got locked in a garage, one had to have his toe amputated (why there's an exclamation mark after that, I do not know). I'm sorry, but this really angers me. How can you let a pet you care about be put into this kind of danger. I am not having a go at you personally, just the opinion in this country that cats should be allowed outside. In America, people look after their pets better - and I'm saying that as an English person.

I sincerely hope your cat is ok. You should have had her speyed at 6 MONTHS OLD. You should have kept her indoors until she was speyed. It is no good saying 'we are going to have her speyed' and then letting her out - ESPECIALLY as you say she might be in season and there's been a tom around!

It's precisely these situations that cause every single animal shelter in the country to be over-populated and have to put healthy kittens down, because they have no room for them.

It's a dangerous world out there for a cat. If she comes back, keep her inside, get her speyed, and never let her out again.

Answer 4

If she's gone to meet she could be back tomorrow or be gone for a week-it depends.

Then again my cat has disappeared with her brother again(he is from the same litter and lives 2 doors up).They are both neutered but like to go hunting and wandering together.Usually they are back in a few days but once were gone for almost 2 months.

Cats are unpredictable-part of their charm.Ignore the idiots saying to never let a cat out it's cruel to keep cats indoors as they need freedom.It will soon be illegal in the UK too.

Answer 5

dont worry, its nearly spring and as you say shes had a litter of kittens i assume shes no speyed yet. its spring and cats do this type of thing in spring. My cat once went away for three weeks during spring then came back pregnant, must of been a wild three weeks. dont worry about her for now, but if you are, put up a few posters so if anyone does see her they can contact you.
Good Luck
Karma on Drugs

Answer 6

"Ignore the idiots saying to never let a cat out it's cruel to keep cats indoors as they need freedom.It will soon be illegal in the UK too. "

Are you kidding me?
Lots of cat lovers keep cats indoors, particularly cats which have not been spayed - free to what? Have unwanted kittens and get run over on busy roads?

I have three indoor, happy cats. Even if you wanted them to go outdoors you can make a cat-friendly garden.

In which countries is it illegal to keep cats indoors?

More info:
http://www.geocities.com/heartland/pointe/9352/indoors.html

Answer 7

has she eloped to gretna,cos she knows you are going to spay her and is having one more fling, cats will dissapear for days and come home usually in the middle of the night, I know its a worry but cats are cats, and they will not be trained they are the boss, our Siamese dissapared for three weeks we thought the fox or badgers had got him he was blind, and that made it even worse for us, but we had a phone call one day to say can you come and get a cat out of a neighbours shed 1 mile away, they had been on holiday, and wills must of been trapped in their shed all that time, needless to say he never went far from the house after that escapade, willow was 19 when he passed away, and had a wonderfull free life, moles where his favourite, he would sit for hours waiting for one to come up out of the furrow,

Answer 8

It's not normal for a cat to go missing. Cats should never be let out until they have been speyed. Even then there are a lot of dangers, not to mention sick people.




Here are a few things to try:

1. Posters, Posters, Posters with picture and details with contact number.....hand out to neighbours and anyone you see. Put up in local shops, pubs and supermarkets. Stick to all local lamp posts. (If it rains go and collect them and replace - the neighbours and council don’t mind you putting them up so much that way). Also put one in your and friends cars - it amazing how many people see them this way. Make smaller flyers and push through every letterbox on your streets and the surrounding area. It is a good idea to offer a reward … of course this doesn’t have to be money … a box of healthyfood or a bunch of flowers is just as good.

2. Knock on doors and ask neighbours to check their sheds and garages WHILE YOU WAIT … it's surprising how many people say they will check but as soon as the door is closed they forget. Knock on 10 doors either side of your house on both sides of the street.

3. Register him lost at all vets/catteries/rescue homes within a 20mile radius. Follow the link and click on the map to find rescues in your area http://www.catchat.org/adoption/index.html

4. Leave food out and a toy of his

5. Leave out an unwashed item of your clothing

6. Put the contents of your hoover bag on your garden - it’s full of smells that they will recognise and if doesn’t bring him directly to your door will at least hopefully keep him in the area. Alternatively if you have a litter tray that has used put some of the used litter on the garden as this will have familiar smells in it.

7. Contact the local fire brigade and see if they have had to rescue any stuck cats

8. Ask the local children to look - they are great for knowing all the local hidey-holes and love helping. Also have a word with your local post-person and milk man if there is one that delivers in your area.

9. Ask the local radio station to announce he’s missing and give out a contact number

10. Put an advert in the local paper

11. Contact your local environmental services dept (bin men) they keep a log of all animals picked on the roadside ... I know this is not a pleasant call to make and hopefully it will come back as negative.

12. Go out after dark when it is quieter with a friend / partner and walk round the local area gently calling every so often (give him a chance to answer you). Keep talking as you walk round that way if he is in the area he will hear you.

13. When you talk to vets and rescues, ask them about any known local feral colonies and where they are based. If Kitty has been missing for more than a few days s/he might have wandered further afield and might be “hanging round” near a colony for security (safety in numbers) and company. If vets/rescues know locations of colonies, these might be useful to get some ideas of where to start looking.

Finally have a look at these sites - they are all EXCELLENT


http://www.chaptanservices.com/purrs/index.php (this is a new forum created after the CatChat forum closed down. There are loads of members and full of cat rescuers and carers)

http://www.mymoggy.com/ contact Sue at mymoggy.

http://thehovel.com/bb/index.php?f=28&ppage=20&sort=lastpost&order=DESC

http://www.soyouhavelostyourcat.co.uk/#1

http://www.petsearchuk.org.uk/

http://www.amissingpet.co.uk/

http://nationalpetregister.org

http://www.animalsearchuk.com/

http://pet-rescue.org.uk/forums/index.php?showforum=308

Good luck and stay positive.

Hopefully your little one has just got itself shut in a shed somewhere.


And finally ……. IMPORTANT NOTE: When you get your furbabe back remember to remove ALL the posters and inform all vets / rescues / websites etc that they are home. of things you could do

Answer 9

i wouldnt say it normal but it can happen not all cats come back after running away some do, my cat also ranaway for three weeks. hopefully it just going on an adventure even if she is fixed or not.

Answer 10

Don't worry.she will come home when she gets hungry.When we 1st moved into our new house my cat went missing for 6days.She came home when she was ready.we rang every where we could and worried our selfs sick.we missed her so much and when she came home she acted like nothing had happened.dont worry she will come home!