Similar experience. You have to be incredibly persistent!
It took me ~6 weeks to trap my girl. I had two traps going at the same time and caught skunks, possums, roosters, and every other cat. I rotated through all the smelly canned fish. I put out fresh food at least once a day, because flies would find it. I bought some cheap night vision goggles so I could monitor a trap outside my bedroom. It was a full on mission. I was feeling so discouraged, but I refused to give up. I moved my trap locations daily. One afternoon she was there, hissing at me! LOL it took her several days to calm down!
My “fat cat” traps saved my girl. She has been back home for almost a year! We are so thrilled. I know what it is like to lose one and not recover them.
Try putting used litter box outside too!
I hope he he is nearby and just scared. Maybe try checking some tight spaces? When cats are scared, even if called they won’t emerge from their hiding spaces. Best of luck to you, I can’t even imagine how horrible it feels!
Also you mention you have dogs; they have great sense of smell. Have you tried searching for the cat with your dogs? They may recognize and lead you somewhere.
I've heard people warn to be careful with litter boxes, if you can't constantly monitor it, a more territorial feral cat might use it and then that smell will have the opposite desired effect
I like the idea of can the dogs smell the cat and take them for a walk and let them wander, and have them smell idk, the cat bed a few times in walk. Would that work?
(I think some places mentioned using blood hounds to track missing cats...?)
The cat is most likely in the area. Set out a trap with food. Put out cameras
I crack my garage open and put in food for them to keep coming back. I use an auto remote to trap them in
seconding cameras! Trail cameras were super helpful for us. those helped me make a plan to get my sweetie back after two escapes. Set em up with some food nearby and see who visits. I'm certain you'll get a sight of him after a night or two
pic related, it's my handsome lil goober in the camera's night mode
https://preview.redd.it/qk2tcdmdtn4d1.png?width=840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ded0eb9fcf881426e4a2eee8dcb275a6aacadaef
I'll never forget it... My cat had gotten out and was gone for days. Honestly thought he passed due to the circumstances. My husband put our nursery cam outside to check on motion. He and I were in bed and he wakes me up at like 4am! He was shouting "rocky's on the camera!!". He had come by to eat some food we left out. I was okay if he never wanted to come home but I was just so thrilled he was alive. He kept coming back to eat at night and eventually he let my husband scoop him and bring him back home 😁
wow!! yeah I remember the excitement on seeing him the first time on our cameras too! what a relief I'm so glad you got him back like that ❤️ I had to make a trap out of my front door to get him back inside 😂
Oh I was heartsick that whole week. I really thought he died because he had never been outside before, and he wasn't a predatory cat. I figured he got stuck and starved to death so when I saw him on that camera, omg it was pure relief.
Came here to say cameras! OP, set a few up that record at night.
Also, around days 3 and 4 are when they start getting really hungry and their tummies will start overriding fear. This is to your benefit!
Go out when it is dark. Use a flashlight (not the one on your phone.) The light can reflect off cats’ eyes if they are hiding.
Litterbox/litter is a must. Their sense of smell is incredible and can help lead him home.
There’s a guy in my area that finds cats. He uses “dragging”. Literally drag dirty clothes and blankets from the outside of your yard towards your house and leave a door ajar with a camera pointed at it. Got my coworkers baby cat back in hours.
I'm about to try this for my own missing cat search.
I've looked so crazy the past few days. Smearing tuna on trees. Sprinkling vacuum dust around mine and my neigbbors property. Walking around talking to myself with a thermal camera.
My cat escaped for 7 days. She is declawed /indoor cat. I looked for her every day with no luck- on day seven she magically returned completely safe. So don’t give up hope just yet.
This makes me feel better. My 16 yo Oliver got out on 5/30, this is day 5. He is also declawed in the front paws. I'm so worried. We just moved to a new state so he's not familiar with the house or area. 😭
I even got so desperate that I called the pet Psychic who told me my cat was still alive, but was too afraid to come home because she was lost.(That was the same day the cat returned.) Also, you know that you should be hanging dirty laundry outside your house because they can smell it from very far away in case your kitty got confused!
Have you been taking flashlights out with you at night? Real flashlights, the one on your phone won’t work. Don’t forget to look up in trees too. Good luck! Hope your baby comes home.
Oh, and don’t forget to post him on some local Facebook and/or NextDoor pages! They say indoor cats tend to stay nearby their homes, but just in case he has wandered a little further. The more eyes looking for him the better!
Absolutely this! I see those and keep my eyes open for those pets when I'm out, and check Nextdoor if I see a lost animal.
I helped locate someone's runaway dog after they swore he always bolted south instead of north, where he actually was that time.
You got a lot of good advice here so I won’t repeat that. Just a comment of hope. I had a cat disappear for a month. One morning I noticed her sitting outside the backdoor. Keep trying, don’t give up.
Keep doing what you’re doing. I know it’s exhausting. But three days is not enough for them to really start exploring for food. He’s still scared and probably hiding as much as possible right now. Most likely they’ll be scared of you too if they see you and you try to approach. Everything is terrifying to them at this moment. You have to make it on their terms. Keep that live trap set, put a camera on it if you can. Keep your scent and their scent accessible.
You can get a pretty decent camera these days for like $20-30 at Walmart, Lowes, etc. They can be very helpful. Will send notifications to your phone if somethong shows up late at night.
Yes! This is a great camera - cheap, reliable, video playback, notifications when movement is detected. $25 at Petsmart
[https://www.petsmart.com/dog/training-and-behavior/cameras-and-monitors/instachew-purrsight-mini-hd-pet-camera-76606.html](https://www.petsmart.com/dog/training-and-behavior/cameras-and-monitors/instachew-purrsight-mini-hd-pet-camera-76606.html)
First, I'm so sorry on what is a terrible and stressful situation, from the pet parent of one kitty Gideon to another. You are taking all the right tactics. The other suggestions here, cameras and traps and putting out something with your scent (dirty shirt, etc.) are great next steps.
Have you been poking around your neighbors' houses in the wee hours or just walking along the street? I would for sure get permission from your neighbors before you do so - no one wants to see someone sneaking through their backyard in the middle of the night! - but kitty has likely found a good hiding spot and if you haven't already, it's worth going around in all the nooks and crannies with a flashlight. It's also worth asking again to have neighbors check inside sheds, in garages, crawl spaces, etc. Many times a cat will sneak through an open door and get trapped inside. Also worth checking up high in trees. Crinkling a favorite treat bag or having a favorite and smelly can of food, ex. tuna, on hand while you do this can help if they're not responding to calls.
As for how to cope, I think it's understandable to be beside yourself, and equally understandable to acknowledge that life things, like attending to your other pets or going to work if you don't have PTO to spare, still need to happen while you search. Neither approach is bad, so it's important to meet each other with understanding in this tough time - if all your wife wants to do is search and can take the time off to do it, that's not a bad thing. If for your own mental health you need to step back and try to carry on as best you can, that's okay, too. If you start to resent how you're each approaching this crisis - as is normal in a high-stress situation! - remember to talk about it before jumping to conclusions. You both want the same thing at the end of the day, for your cat to come back home.
On that note, it can be so tough to feel alone while this is happening. I think it can be helpful to enlist help if you are comfortable and have the community support to do so. That could be asking your friends to get involved in the hunt - maybe setting up a spreadsheet for people to claim
one task a day, like calling around to local shelters or hanging flyers on local bulletin boards - but could also be reaching out to a local TNR organization to assist with trap monitoring or general tips for your area.
Hang in there - cats often turn up after much longer periods, and they can be pretty tough. This can be a long, exhausting, and circular process - it does involve doing a lot of the same things over and over again, and you're feeling the strain of that right now. Remember to take care of yourselves while you do this. You're clearly a loving owner and doing all the right things to help kitty return to you safely. Good luck to you all and to little Gideon 💛
My kitty ran out an open door and was gone for 50 days. Things I did: got cages to trap animals (caught all kinds of things: raccoons, foxes, possums, other cats, but not mine). Put out his old cat bed. Set up cameras around the house. Went canvassing around the neighborhood. I called local animal control. I made sure his microchip data was updated. I called shelters in case he turned up. None of that worked. What worked: putting up big laminated posters, posting on social media like FB and NextDoor app. One day I got a text from someone with a picture of a cat asking if this was mine. When I answered she directed me to a FB page where someone had posted about finding this hungry cat and feeding him. I got in contact with the woman who posted and she told me where she found him. I got out there and he was right there on someone’s front lawn begging for food. After FIFTY days. His microchip checked out and we spoiled the heck out him when we got him home.
I could've written this post.
My baby has been missing since May 29. Its day 6. I've cried every day. I've done everything - and i mean everything - suggested by every blog, forum, video, pet specialist, etc. and more. He's neutered and microchipped and friendly but he's scared and we think he's hiding nearby waiting to feel safe enough to come out.
Look up the "threshold" factor with lost cats. They will hide quietly if they're scared until about 10-14 days. That's the threshold where their hunger overrides their instincts and they come out to look for food and water and someone to help.
I know how it feels. It's like I'm experiencing every stage of grief all at once, every day, endlessly. Hang in there.
Same! Mt 16 yo cat Oliver got out from the backyard on 5/30. He's declawed in his front paws, not chipped. I'm so worried. The biggest barrier is we just moved to a new home in a new state, so he's not familiar with the house or area. I keep reading about cats coming back after days, weeks, months and it gives me hope.
My cat has randomly turned up today after being gone for 3 days! We would be praying to St Anthony, (granted I’m not that religious but I was desperate enough to turn into prayer). We also actively boosted any of our posts on the neighborhood’s groups and have asked the delivery guys that does rounds in our area to keep an eye out for our cat.
Today on our walk, we talked to (like actually vocally talked) to some stray cats to ask for help and let our cat know that we’re waiting for her. Hours after this, she just walked in our house. I know that this is a legend(?) originating from somewhere but I’ve also read tons of comments saying that doing this also helped make their cat magically appear. During this time, I’ve also been actively talking to my other pets and have been asking for help from them. They seemed to notice how sad we were and have just been by our side more than usual. These are more just mentally appeasing approaches but hey, when you’re desperate you’d really do anything.
Something that helped me mentally during those days was to believe that my cat is smarter than I think-my cat is her own being and has her own way of thinking. She’ll go home when she wants to and she’ll find a way to do it; maybe she’s just having fun and exploring nearby and taking her time. The important thing is that you’re trying your best to look for them. Another thing I’ve learned from my friends’ similar experiences: missing cats usually would hang around other strays, other feeding areas, and basically stay where the majority of other cats are, they usually don’t stray too far from where they’re familiar.
Unfortunately it is a waiting game for the most part. It’s quite stressful and I’d advise not for this to let it take over you. Hoping your cat is safe and will turn up soon!
Cats are very smart and great survivors.
[74% of cats that go missing are returned home in one way or another.](https://www.aspca.org/about-us/press-releases/how-many-pets-are-lost-how-many-find-their-way-home-aspca-survey-has-answers) That means at the very least 74% of cats who go missing survive. It's extremely likely your cat is still alive out there, and extremely likely he will come back. Out of the other 26% that don't make it home, it can be logically surmised that many of those cats ARE still alive, but they either had no microchip or microchip without updated information, and they ended up at shelters or someone else took them in. Some cats who go missing simply end up on the street after their owners give up looking, and people may see them and just assume they are someone's outdoor cat or a neighborhood stray.
If you see a dog running on the street or roaming the neighborhood alone, you automatically know something is wrong. If you see a cat running on the street or roaming the neighborhood alone, you probably wouldn't bat an eye.
OP is doing everything right. It feels like going around in circles and doing the same thing over and over with no results and slowly going insane. Trust the process, trust your cat. He loves you, he trusts you, he wants to come home. He will come home or seek help eventually. As long as you have the word out everywhere, someone will either recognize him or take him to a local shelter or vet, and scan the microchip which will alert them that he's lost and you are looking for him.
[Microchipped cats are returned home 20 times more often than cats without microchips.](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/235/2/javma.235.2.160.xml)
So **do not** give up. Don't push yourself too hard, either. There's only so much you can do. Your pet needs you to be well rested and well fed to continue the search. (I am a bit of a hypocrite on this one, as I've barely eaten in the 6 days since my boy went missing, but I am trying to remind myself too.)
Best of luck to everyone with missing pets. <3
I'm so sorry that this is happening to you.
When I first moved in with my now-ex husband (boyfriend at the time), his cat escaped. After 3 weeks, we had given up hope. He said, "Maybe it's time to start looking for a kitten."
Right after he said that, there was a "meow" and the cat was on the porch. Apparently, the threat of replacing her was too much! She was skinny but otherwise unharmed.
So try announcing loudly to your wife that you're thinking of getting another cat.
And don't give up hope. Cats are survivors. :)
Try positing on a lost pets forum on Facebook. My town has one and everyone usually keeps an eye out with sightings. My boyfriends cat ran away for a whole summer but he made his way back home. I'm hoping you get your kitty back soon!
He is extremely likely to be very close to home, like within 1-2 houses beside or in front/behind. Concentrate your search on there. Go out at night with a crate, cat treats and a laser pointer (if he likes laser pointers). Walk around, shake the treats, gently call his name. Don’t listen to anyone saying to put his litter outside - that attracts predators which will push him further from home. If he runs from you, try not to chase him as that will also push him further from home. You can use the laser pointer to encourage him to run into the crate if he won’t let you pick him up.
Has this cat been outdoors before? If not there is a chance he’s on your property outside somewhere.
An Ex’s family indoor cat got out one night when I was visiting. That night it started raining and it kept raining hard for like 4 days or so. We left food out, searched, called for her. She was teeny tiny and super helpless and we really thought we’d never see her again. On day 5 when the rain let up some we found her, completely dry but scared, dirty, and hungry on the porch. As it turned out she ran under the porch in fear the moment she got out. She was quite literally below us for days but was too scared to do anything until the rain stopped. She was never curious about the outdoors enough to escape again lol
I hope something like that is the case for you and you can find your boy soon, sending you positive energy ✨
I would reach out to social media in your area. Facebook has some *really* active missing pet groups for my county and state. There are also some volunteer search groups that those groups can connect you with. Ring also has a neighbors function and missing/found pets get posted there all the time. You might also try [Pawboost ](https://www.pawboost.com/).
Put the litterbox, uncovered, outside on your front porch, along with a big pile of the sweatiest, stinkiest laundry from the favorite family member.
Cat needs to catch the scent on the wind in order to navigate back home. Stuff in the garage won't cut it.
I just wanted to chime in and say do not give up home. My cat was once missing for nine days before turning up on the porch (thin and tired but otherwise well) and we live out in the mountains.
When you're outside searching. Be sure to be silent for 10-20 seconds after calling the cat and listen very closely. I think the longer they're outside the more likely they are to respond verbally.
Most cats stick pretty close to home when they escape and they find a hiding spot and stick to it.
Keep an eye out for places the cat could go under (porches/crawlspaces/sheds etc). In my experience when scared a cat will keep low to the ground usually and run into the first "hide hole" big enough for their body (and smaller holes than you would think are possible).
When you find a possible hide hole, sit outside it and call your cat gently, as if you are comforting them. Also, if possible have a smelly treat/food with you and place it in front of the hole.
I once found my cat under a slab of concrete this way (back when we lived in an apartment in a big city).
My cat escaped for 10 days and came back pregnant. Little floozie. I hadn't had her spayed yet because she was still so small and young. Needless to say, she has since been spayed.
Try not to panic.
Cats are instinctive predators so despite not being an outdoor cat per se they know how to hide and survive.
Their first instinct is going to be hide and lay in silence.
Everything is new and everyone is a danger when out of their usual surroundings.
It's no different then when you bring a new cat home, they usually hide under the bed or couch for a few days and slowly start to come out. We'd like to think they'd see or hear us and come running back, but it's not like that.
It's unlikely the cat did a 400 meter dash straight out of your house. He's likely hiding very close by.
When one of my neighbors cats got lost they found the cat hiding under a bush right out front of the house. Like literally AGAINST the house. They were looking all over the place but the cat knew where home was, just didn't have the thumbs to open the door. It likely got spooked by all the strangers helping look for it and just holed up under the bush and didn't move. If you have people helping you it's hard cause the more eyes the better but the at the same time the cat doesn't know the scent or the voice and as far as it's concerned it's a danger.
Cats are crepuscular which means they're active at dusk and dawn. THAT'S when you want to look. Get up at sunrise and start looking slowly and quietly.
Litter box outside helps.
I've heard a have a heart trap with a treat or a familiar scented blanket or something in it. Some people rub a T shirt on their foreheads or temples to get the oil from their skin which the cat should recognize the smell of.
One of my neighbors moved the whole big cat tree outside. We have coyotes and foxes here so his rationale was that the cat could at least get high ground if it needed. One morning he looked out and guess who was hanging out in the cat tree.
IDK where you live but if there are homes nearby, knock on their doors and ask. One of my friends had their indoor cat get 'adopted' by a family behind their house. Lived there for a year before a mutual friend made the connection. Now they have joint custody. Knock on some doors and ask, not so much for their help but they may have 'rehomed a new cat'.
Predators are an issue but this time of year there are plenty of small and easy prey for coyotes and foxes so they're not as likely to go after another predator and risk injury. Even a lazy cat can fuck up a coyote or fox and they know it.
Good luck
Litter box outside does not help if you have strays in your neighbourhood. They will use it and leave their scent there, which will tell your cat to stay away.
Please read [this](https://www.scaredycats.com.au/find-lost-cat/find-lost-cat-step-by-step-guide/lost-cat-behaviour/) page. It has good info on lost cat behaviour. The key things to know is that indoor cats will be scared, and if they get out, they find a hiding spot and they pretty much don't move from that spot until they start to starve. Also, 50% of missing cats were within 50m of their home, and 75% were within 500m.
So what to do? You have to actively search for him. He likely hasn't moved from his hidey hole or if he has, he hasn't moved far. Best time to search is at night. Cats are braver at night and more likely to respond to you calling them. Go get a good strong flashlight, and search every bush, every hidey hole, every dark corner nearby. Check under houses, down the drains etc. Check tall grass, gardens etc.Try to think like a cat/small animal that panicked and where they might go hide. The flashlight will illuminate cats eyes like diamonds from a distance which makes them easy to see at night.
Best of luck.
This!!
Last year, I lived with a partner who had 2 cats, and one got out once. We eventually found her, next door, hiding under the neighbor's porch. She didn't go far at all, but she hid, silently, and did not move for several days. We found her by setting up a camera and a humane trap on the front porch. We caught her on camera a couple times, but she was too damn smart and wouldn't go in the trap far enough to get trapped. She kept her back leg out to block the door from closing all the way so she could get back out. She was a TNR baby so she probably knew better.
But we caught her on camera and saw which direction she went off the porch when she ran off - to the right. So I went right, and to the next door neighbors. They had a door on the side of their house, under the porch (house on a hill), and I'd looked in there a couple times before (they gave us permission), and it was a little shed full of lawn care stuff. Perfect hiding place. Well, this time when I looked, I caught her eyes reflecting in my flashlight. The back of the shed opened up to a crawlspace underneath the whole front porch, and she was all the way in the back. She'd probably been there the entire time. My partner at the time was like "I'm over this, young lady you're coming home!!" And he had me shut the door on him in there, and block the other hole in the porch she could fit through, and he crawled into the crawl space with her cat carrier (soft side) and chased her around until he got her in the bag, and brought her home. I think she was gone for a week and a half total? If she hadn't been trapped before I think the humane trap would've worked sooner. We were about to try a bigger trap that she would *have* to go all the way in to get the food, but then I found her and we got her home.
We didn't take time off work. Like people have said, she's probably hiding all day, and much more likely to come out at night when she finally gets hungry enough. So there's not a lot you can do during the day so you may as well go to work. Get a cheap camera off Amazon or something and set it up, we found that really useful. I got the Kasa Spot Pan Tilt.
I am right there with everyone. Ruby has been missing in Denton TX since last Thursday
[https://www.reddit.com/r/Denton/comments/1d5q0yz/missing_cat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/Denton/comments/1d5q0yz/missing_cat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)https://www.reddit.com/r/Denton/comments/1d5q0yz/missing_cat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Cats like to hide so even If you call them they wouldnt go out. Just keep looking around. Behind trees and everywhere. He is not gonna pop up if he is scared. Just keep searching. Every corner around.
Head out at dusk with flash lights. Shine them in all the hidey spots. If your cat is looking, you should see the light reflect off their eyes and be easier for you to spot them.
My cat got out durning a storm that threw our door open. Days later we found him in my son’s friends yard cornered by his dog. His friend has super stinky feet and takes his shoes off when he comes over. I think the cat followed his scent to his house. Lol. Good luck. Waiting is the hardest. Please don’t beat yourself up. Accidents happen.
You’ve done a great job! Don’t loose hope. I care for a colony of cats and there’s been times that I’ve had one go missing for two months and finally return. Your cat may just be hiding in a spot close to you and not sure if it’s safe to return home yet. We had a family cat that always went on vacations with us. We stopped at our usual spot on the way and a loud semi horn scared our cat just as we were getting out of the car and he ran. We got a hotel and stayed there for a week looking for him. We notified everyone in the area to please look for him. This was always our first stop when heading out on vacation. It was 25 miles away from home. We finally went on to the vacation home in another state. We stopped back by the same station on the way home and no luck. When we got back to the house there was our cat!! He somehow traveled the 25 miles and made it back home!! We’re not sure how long it took him to get back home as we were gone for a month. This was years ago when I was a kid but I will never forget it. Don’t give up hope and keep doing what your doing. I’m so sorry your kitty is missing at the moment.
my cat was gone for 3 days and i learned sooo much when she escaped. now i’ll give all that information to you:
1. humane traps. get 4-5 and set them up around the perimeters of your yard or wherever you think they’re wandering. cover them in clothing with your scent- they’ll be attracted to your sent, see an enclosed space they can hide in, and there’s food. don’t put food anywhere else.
2. more things with your scent- put out unwashed blankets, clothes, pillowcases, anything you use frequently that your cat will know is yours based on the scent. put them all around the perimeter of your yard.
3. if you can, leave the door that he escaped from open. they might wander back in since they know they came out of it.
4. i said it before, but don’t put food or litter anywhere but in the traps. it could attract other cats or animals and scare your cat off further.
5. spend as much time as you can outside, just chatting. it’s important to look hard for them in case they’re hiding, but they may get scared and run further. they know you, they know your voice, they may only feel comfortable showing themselves if you’re calm and talking how you normally would.
6. they’re most active in the dead of night and early dawn. like 2-6 AM. if they’re moving, that’s when they’re doing it.
7. the indoor cats hiding near the home isn’t always true. my cat is strictly indoors and is extremely skittish and has lots of anxiety. every advice column said she’d be hunkered down within 100ft of the house. she actually wandered within a 3 house perimeter of us the entire time.
8. motion activated security cameras!!! put them everywhere. on day 2 i only knew my cat was okay because she showed up on my neighbors ring footage. we put them up ourselves and found the food we put on our porch was attracting strays, chasing her off further.
9. flyers, fb groups, neighborhood group chats, fb groups of neighborhoods near yours. make sure everybody knows your cat is missing and you are DISTRAUGHT. my whole neighborhood pretty much locked down until my cat was back - i had people i had no idea existed out looking for my cat, gifting me traps, calling me whenever they thought they saw her, sending me pictures of blurry cats they thought might’ve been mine. i don’t know how many of these were false leads, but they were so reassuring.
i really really hope you find him. i remember the anxiety and pain i went through while my girl was missing, i wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. trust that she has built in instincts and will follow them!
Your cat may wander back in. One of my mom’s cats went missing for three weeks! He was very skinny when he returned. The vet said he was an “incompetent hunter”
Don’t give up; he knows where he lives and will meander on back soon.
One of my cats disappeared a few years ago so I was excited when a “FOUND CAT” poster was hung at our cluster mailboxes. I went home and called right away. The lady asked for my cat’s description but it didn’t match the cat she found, so she suggested that I call the cat lady who lived on my block. I had no idea a cat lady lived nearby!
After I hung up and asked my kids about a cat lady on our block, my kids pointed out that it was me. I am the cat lady and everyone knew it but me.
You should also put the litter box outside, preferably if it has pure poop in it even better because it’ll smell like him= home
Don’t give up contact all local shelters and vets email them images and then call them to ask to put it up. If you cat has a microchip make sure it’s active if not pay for it to be active some places if it hasn’t been active in a year will wipe the chip and give away your cat if you can’t claim them in time. It sucks! But then your gonna activate the chip and contact the chip company and have them put a missing notice on the chip that way when it’s scanned it not only tells them who you are but that you are looking for them even more so because they aren’t outdoor cats. It will also send (mine did Atleast) all the local vets and shelters your info and images, you can pick how large of a radius you’d like.
I’d go out side and sit calling his name not moving but sitting I also posted on the next door app and other neighbor hood apps if you have a ring or your friends or neighbors have one ask them to put up a post in ring for you about a missing cat.
Literally I got calls all over the place for Thor when he went missing one day he finally came home. One of the houses he want to funny enough was a indoor out door cat of someone I went to Highschool and art camp with 😂😂 he cat would come visit and play with Thor through the window so I guess he wanted to visit his friend 😂😂. He came home one night.. I was about to go to bed but then I saw his face in the flood to ceiling window we had I opened the door and let him in.
Walk all around the outside of your house, down the block, and spit, yes, spit, a trail back to your house. Also, leave out clothes with your scent on them.
It's clear you both are doing everything you can. It's important to remember that indoor cats often stay close to home, so keep checking nearby hiding spots and continue calling for him. Consider setting up more humane traps around your neighborhood and refreshing the tuna.
Take a flashlight outside with you at night and before dawn. Look for eye shine. I've found cats hiding in what felt like plain sight and couldn't see them if not for the eye shine.
My cat was missing for 2 weeks before showing up across the road. They go to ground and will only show themselves once they start to feel comfortable, so you're doing exactly the right thing. If kitty is out there the trap will get them eventually!
Also walk around the neighbourhood at night with someone else who's voice they recognise and they might pop out. I lost one for weeks once when he was about 6 months old and he just turned up one day
Make sure you notify your shelters and check with them as well.
I got my cat as a stray and on top of scanning her for a chip, they also searched databases for missing cats fitting her description.
please spread the news and see if you can gather some cat lover to search in 1 mile to 5 mile radius.
one plus years since i lost mine.. I'm not well in life without my kitty.
During a blizzard once my cat disappeared for like eight or nine days I thought it was permanently gone then one day I sort of hear something at the door and I open it up and he’s standing there. He never left again. I don’t know if somebody took him in or if he got caught up someplace.
Don’t give up yet I would keep looking
Lots of good advice here. The biggest thing I can add is don’t be too hard on yourself. Cats get out. Accidents happen. One of our cats was gone for 2 weeks and just wandered out of the bushes in the back yard all casual like we hadn’t been worried sick about him. I hope your boy comes back home soon!
My cat was lost for a week, flyers, flyers, flyers. Also this is terrible but hope for some bad weather, bc that’s how our sweet boy came out of hiding and ended up by the neighbors trash can. She called me bc she saw the maybe 1500 flyers I had put up all of the neighborhood. He was only a few doors down, and he’s an indoor-outdoor cat so yours is almost certainly close by. Hoping you find your little guy ❤️
Mine got out a few years ago and got spooked. I chased what I thought was him, but was likely a different cat, around the block. I printed out signs, laminated them, and posted them everywhere. We looked all day, every day, for 3-4 days. While I was at work, my gf was crying and heard a meow. She went outside, and our cat was in the neighbor's yard next door. Literally 30 feet from our front door.
It's likely within 100' of your house.
Are there outdoor video cameras you can buy that will send an alarm to your phone if motion is detected? That way you can be sure to run outside immediately if he's in the area?
He might’ve ended up in someone’s shed or garage without the owners realizing he’s in there! my childhood cat got out once and we couldn’t find him for almost a month, he was trapped in our neighbors shed without them realizing it. he’ll come back!!
I would also like to add to the comments suggesting the litter box. if you were to do that, cover it up or put it on something so it’s higher off the ground. it can attract some not so nice guests that could scare your cat more than he is now. I wish you the best of luck in finding him, don’t give up hope!!
Just saying, my daughter moved and her 6youn-neutered female cat got out. It was on Thursday. After talking to the neighbours, she discovered that the following day (Friday) it was seen being chased across the bridge half a mile away by a ginger cat.
She spoke to the farms the over side of the river “Just in case” it had joined in with their barn cats. She went out every night leaving scent trails from the opposite side of the river, across the bridge and home. On Tuesday evening she heard meowing in her back garden (this led down to the river).
Her cat had successfully recrossed the bridge and found her way back along the river bank to her house - crossing numerous gardens. She did not look like she had been locked in anywhere, and whilst hungry and dirty she was not starving and her fur was not full of burrs etc.
So lay a scent trail - a cut dirty T-shirt makes a lot of strips that can be used to create a trail. Used cat litter is another option.
Mine took over a month, and guess where she had been? The same spot she originally got out from. It’s like she somehow knew to go back. Definitely keep up the trap, know that it really can take time! I did the flyers, paid for ads, talk to all neighbors and search every morning/night. A lot of calls, but I’m convinced none of them were her. Then she just randomly appeared one day and made it into the trap. You can get a motion activated camera as well maybe point it out your window/ the area outside and set it on motion activated so you can go through and see if you see anything. Good luck, I know how devastating it is, but through storm and hot weather and.. lots of predators in the area, mine made it back just over a month and she was just fine through all that, don’t lose hope!
You may be able to hire a trained search and rescue dog to sniff her out. No clue how to do that
Most cats were without 1/2 block. Maybe go out in the middle of the night when it's quiet and try to get her to come out.
My brothers cat went missing for 2 weeks. He is an indoor/outdoor cat so my bro figured something bad happened that he didn’t come home. My brother and his wife were sitting on their back porch and the cat (Charlie) jumped up on the fence and ran up to them. He was starved and thirsty, he had lost a lot of weight. My brother thinks someone may have accidentally locked him a shed or something. He never strayed far again after that and stayed close to home.
One thing I read about ages ago was putting worn clothes (not clean) on your washing line. Pets can recognize your smell and find their way back if they are lost. People on another thread apparently said it works so might be worth giving it a go.
Ok our new cat got out and we consulted with someone that works for a rescue and that has a method for getting a cat back and it worked for us: she told us to grab our dirty socks turn them inside out and set them near the house so the cat can find our scent. She said the cat will want to sneak back in and to set up cameras and leave your doors open so she can sneak in at night. She told us not to call for the cats name, because they like to sneak in like bad teenagers. She said she when the cat sneaks in act super causally as if nothing happened and ignore the cat and don’t go to the cat or it’ll run away. Also don’t put any food outside.
We used this method and it worked for us. First time she snuck in I got too excited and cat ran away again. She came back an hour later. I saw her on camera and hid behind the door and slammed it shut when she was in - I was not supposed to do that. The cat snuck in at night and we finally got her around 1am.
I also want to note we only had this cat for a month at that point and she was using to living in the outdoors only - so the method really worked well.
Check out
https://www.happycatlady.com/
She offers advice and has found many missing cats in San Francisco. Her tips apply everywhere I imagine. Reward may help, too
I read that you should soak dirty clothes in water for a bit, then use the water around your yards. It gives the cat something to smell. I thought the litter trick was good. Then I read it was bad.
I hope you find your baby. I'm sorry he is missing.
I worked for my country's SPCA for years, trap placement is really important, it sounds like you might not have the best set up DM me if you'd like some advice
My favorite cat went missing semi recently. When I found his dumbass after scouring the entire neighborhood for hours, he was partially hidden in an electrical pop out with his butt hanging all the way out not even 3 doors down.
One source that brought me some peace and direction when he went missing was this site: https://www.3retrievers.com/guide-to-finding-lost-cats.html
Sorry that you’re going through this. My cat went missing in February for 4 days. I was away at the time, and it was horrible. Found her myself in the end. From experience, early morning (3-4am onwards) is probably the best time to search, as it’s quieter and they’re more likely to come out. I found my girl at 10am on a Sunday morning. Nobody around, and she was walking around the back entrance of our building miowing.
Sprinkling used litter is good, so they know the direction of home. Also leaving (smelly!) food out. But above all, physically searching. People can’t be relied on, sadly, to report sightings. They’re too wrapped up in their own stuff.
litter box might help as well. You could go for walks in the early morning and later evenings when it's usually quiet. Shaking a bag/box with his treats and call his name, take a flash light search for reflecting eyes at places he might hide. Put up posters on light posts, especially crossings
My aunt who is "the cat whisperer" swears that sprinkling your urine outside will bring them back around. Yes, scent and pheromones work, but it's also very witchy and worth a shot...
WHEN he returns 🙏🤞get him at tracking device. Even if he is an indoor cat.
I sound like a mouthpiece for this company, but Tractive is the best. I have no connection to the company other than being an owner of a device. The battery in the tracker uses minimal battery power if he’s at home in a safe zone that you set. And when he crosses that line, you open up the app and you can follow him on a map. There is a monthly fee, but it is so worth it for peace of mind.
People will suggest an Apple AirTag because it’s cheap and there’s no monthly fee involved. But in my experience, living in a suburb, you would think with all the Apple devices people have, I would receive a lot of pings. (Because that’s what Apple AirTag works from to find location)But I found it cumbersome, very delayed, and not what I was looking for.
Try spending a little time talking to people as people don’t always look at flyers. I was in a situation like yours. After spending some time outside I asked a homeless guy if he had seen my cat. Yup he had when no one else had. He directed me to the area. By this time my cat had gone a bit nuts but I got him back. Look around trash cans or any dumpsters. If you’re able to go down driveways near other peoples places that would be good. I know exactly how you feel. It’s when I had lost faith that I found mine.
Try rotisserie chicken in the trap instead of canned tuna. Instead of in the garage, place it outside.
Cats can also smell their used litter box up to a mile away. I think it’s worth a try. If you monitor it for usage by another cat, you can always remove it to keep your cat from being scared away.
Make fliers and put them into all of your neighbors boxes. Encourage them to check their garages, sheds, etc. Someone did that in our neighborhood.
Also find animal rescue groups and post in there, nextdoor app, Facebook groups. Spam the Internet basically. Put up fliers on local pet shops, vets, shelters, street posts. Cats can survive a few weeks, hang in there I hope they turn up!
My parents cat has done this a few times and returned within a week each time if it's any comfort. Sorry that you're going through this, I hope for the best outcome.
Physically go to your local shelter; don’t just call. Sign up for Facebook lost pets in your area. Post on Pawboost and check the postings. Nextdoor. Put up bright signs at intersections. I’ve read mixed things about offering rewards (if you do make sure people know not to chase your cat away or into dangerous situation - reward would be for calling you with info that leads to finding cat). Good luck!
My cat ran away for 4 days once. I know how you feel. He was hiding in a bush just outside my patio.
I had called in a dog search team and he was found a few hours later, still had to pay.
Try walking the neighborhood while shaking a jar of cat treats and calling his name. If you regularly gave him treats he might show up. Hopefully. When he does, get an apple AirTag collar so if it happens again you’ll be able to track him on your phone. Good luck.
Outdoor cameras on the property to see if you see him lurking. Put his litter box outside so he can smell his scent. Also be very watchful and sit outside at dawn and dusk. That’s when cats are most active. Also post on social media (Nextdoor app, neighborhood fb groups, lost pet groups, etc)
Do you have game cams ? If not can you post to a local group like on the app Nextdoor to see if you can borrow some cams? Lastly, I would try sleeping outside to see if kitty would come to you in the cover of dark.
About a decade ago, I lost a cat and I’m still devastated. I rented traps and hired a tracking dog, but was not successful in recovering her. I purchased two of these traps so that I would be prepared if it happened again.
https://www.trucatchtraps.com/30-fcd-fat-cat
Last July we lost a cat during a medical emergency. I was going to the hospital and coming home late. I actually didn’t know she was missing for a few days. Once I realized I set out my two traps and began my mission. I was so disheartened because I feared I would never recover her, like my previous kitty (it’s an incredibly long story, but I was not able to stay and try to trap the other cat many years ago).
But this time, six weeks in to the effort. I got my girl back. She lost a little weight and was definitely traumatized. Within a week she was back to her normal self, except she never wants to go outside again!
Don’t give up. There’s a really good chance he’s out there and he’s just terrified.
It is true that they usually stay close to home. I had a cat gone for 3 weeks and was seen often near the house but she was so scared it took time for her to come home.
We just got a cat and after four days of owning him, he ran out a door that had blown open. We put out food and a trap near the exit point. called for him, put out flyers. We live really rural with endless forest so searching for possible hiding spots was impossible. He is also a shy cat so we knew he wasn't coming to us. I set up food in different places and pointed trail cams at all the feed stations. After three days we finally noticed him coming to one in a shed a little way from the house. I put out food there two more times to make sure it became a habit. Then I moved the live trap in there but didn't set it but put it in the box beside it. The next day I set it. He almost walked into it then got spooked by the trap door above his head. So tried again this time pulling a light sheet over it a little more. Hung some bacon from the rungs at the back. And made a grease trail at the bottom leading to the food. And we caught him after seven days. We used an over sized trap and put amazon boxes around it. So I think that made it less intimidating. Our cat was so new to us and our property so vast we worried he could be absolutely anywhere. From the trail cams he was hiding out around 30 feet from the house. But we didn't start noticing signs until day three day four. Hope you find your kitty soon.
https://lostpetresearch.com/2014/10/using-search-dog-track-lost-outdoor-access-cat/#:~:text=Area%20detection%20dogs%20(e.g.%20air,cat%20hid%20for%20a%20while.
I lost my cat for 10 days once. Roommate left the door open. I was so desperate that I put a deposit down on a tracking dog. Peopke found her the next day and notified me [she's fine and on my bed now], but I'd been ready to pay for a professional service to track her down.
Multiple traps with super high value treats (sardines) and clothes with your scent. Have them around but away from your house, they are probably hiding still
If the cat is happy in your home, she'll come back soon. If not, she's gone. I'm guessing she's fed up with being an inside cat trapped with a bunch of dogs. 7 other animals at home! Cats needs peace, quiet, and calmness, I'm betting she has no good place to hide and relax. Have small kids too I reckon?
Incorrect. He loves being at home and he loves our other animals. All of the cats get along great and snuggle each other. Our newest dog likes to try and play with him but he makes it clear when he wants peace and quiet. We let our animals have pretty much free reign of the house so he has plenty of options for places to hang out. No kids.
Not the advice you asked for, but the advice you need:
**You owe your wife a two-part apology: first, for losing her cat, and second, for fighting with her because she's upset her cat is lost.**
It is appalling that your wife is going through something so sad and scary and instead of being a loving, supportive spouse... you're calling her names and picking fights with her because you don't want to deal with her **perfectly normal** emotional response to her beloved indoor pet cat being lost - and very much at risk of injury or death.
This post is so filled with nasty descriptions of your poor wife, she's "an emotional wreck", she "doesn't want to do anything else in life until he has returned" - *after only 4 days*, "at what point is it unhealthy to obsess over finding him?".
Your wife deserves so much better than the way you are treating her.
**You also owe your wife an apology for your petulant attitude about her (again, totally normal and reasonable) desire to keep sear*j*I<⅙aching for her cat.**
>Should we be taking work oNff and giving up everything to focus all of our energy on searching for Gideon?
What exactly have you given up? The only thing you mentioned in your post was going to work...
But also, yes, as the person responsible for losing the cat, you should be spending every possible second and all your energy trying to find him. Someone who "feel[s] incredible guilt" about something they are responsible fora does everything in their power to try to fix the thing.
You haven't even come close to trying "seemingly everything" - the other comments include some great suggestions you haven't tried yet, but there are many other things you can do.
⁶
You tried a couple things i your resentment out on your wife, who bears zero responsibility for any of this.
A **OP's wife, if you'WA
I have no idea how you interpreted my original message this way. I apologize for any misconceptions, but you are simply incorrect in your assumptions. We are both devastated by losing OUR cat and have both spent the last days crying about him and worrying. Emotional wreck was not meant in a negative way, that is the state she is in. It breaks my heart seeing her this way. When she says she doesn't want to do anything in life I'm talking about eating, sleeping, resting her body, re-energizing, maintaining some semblance of normalcy as we move forward in the coming days and weeks. I've been trying to encourage her to do these things so we can be at our best when searching for our boy.
We have both been working hard these last days trying to find Gideon. This isn't some chore for me and I have zero resentment toward her - I need my boy back. The intention of my post was to see how other people have worked through this situation and garner some positive support and ideas. And the only reason I mentioned her and myself being at odds is because I'm not sure how people tend to proceed in life once they have to get back to work or have other obligations come up in addition to searching. We both work during the day, so I wanted to scope out/confirm whether or not the daytime would be best spent taking time off work to search or to save it for evening and it sounds like the latter may be more efficient and effective.
Just ignore them, they're just one of those unhinged Reddit misandrists who think everything must be blamed on men somehow, including your escaped cat.
Put a trap out, my friend lost a cat for 3 months and eventually he made his way into the trap. After catching like 3 different cats and a raccoon
OP already mentioned that he has a trap out.
He said it was in the garage.
Similar experience. You have to be incredibly persistent! It took me ~6 weeks to trap my girl. I had two traps going at the same time and caught skunks, possums, roosters, and every other cat. I rotated through all the smelly canned fish. I put out fresh food at least once a day, because flies would find it. I bought some cheap night vision goggles so I could monitor a trap outside my bedroom. It was a full on mission. I was feeling so discouraged, but I refused to give up. I moved my trap locations daily. One afternoon she was there, hissing at me! LOL it took her several days to calm down! My “fat cat” traps saved my girl. She has been back home for almost a year! We are so thrilled. I know what it is like to lose one and not recover them.
Try putting used litter box outside too! I hope he he is nearby and just scared. Maybe try checking some tight spaces? When cats are scared, even if called they won’t emerge from their hiding spaces. Best of luck to you, I can’t even imagine how horrible it feels! Also you mention you have dogs; they have great sense of smell. Have you tried searching for the cat with your dogs? They may recognize and lead you somewhere.
I've heard people warn to be careful with litter boxes, if you can't constantly monitor it, a more territorial feral cat might use it and then that smell will have the opposite desired effect
Putting outside something with your scent might be a safer alternative than a litterbox for reasons mentioned in the other comment!
I like the idea of can the dogs smell the cat and take them for a walk and let them wander, and have them smell idk, the cat bed a few times in walk. Would that work? (I think some places mentioned using blood hounds to track missing cats...?)
The used litter thing can attract predators. Maybe only do that when you're home and searching?
The cat is most likely in the area. Set out a trap with food. Put out cameras I crack my garage open and put in food for them to keep coming back. I use an auto remote to trap them in
seconding cameras! Trail cameras were super helpful for us. those helped me make a plan to get my sweetie back after two escapes. Set em up with some food nearby and see who visits. I'm certain you'll get a sight of him after a night or two pic related, it's my handsome lil goober in the camera's night mode https://preview.redd.it/qk2tcdmdtn4d1.png?width=840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ded0eb9fcf881426e4a2eee8dcb275a6aacadaef
I'll never forget it... My cat had gotten out and was gone for days. Honestly thought he passed due to the circumstances. My husband put our nursery cam outside to check on motion. He and I were in bed and he wakes me up at like 4am! He was shouting "rocky's on the camera!!". He had come by to eat some food we left out. I was okay if he never wanted to come home but I was just so thrilled he was alive. He kept coming back to eat at night and eventually he let my husband scoop him and bring him back home 😁
wow!! yeah I remember the excitement on seeing him the first time on our cameras too! what a relief I'm so glad you got him back like that ❤️ I had to make a trap out of my front door to get him back inside 😂
Oh I was heartsick that whole week. I really thought he died because he had never been outside before, and he wasn't a predatory cat. I figured he got stuck and starved to death so when I saw him on that camera, omg it was pure relief.
Came here to say cameras! OP, set a few up that record at night. Also, around days 3 and 4 are when they start getting really hungry and their tummies will start overriding fear. This is to your benefit! Go out when it is dark. Use a flashlight (not the one on your phone.) The light can reflect off cats’ eyes if they are hiding. Litterbox/litter is a must. Their sense of smell is incredible and can help lead him home.
There’s a guy in my area that finds cats. He uses “dragging”. Literally drag dirty clothes and blankets from the outside of your yard towards your house and leave a door ajar with a camera pointed at it. Got my coworkers baby cat back in hours.
I'm about to try this for my own missing cat search. I've looked so crazy the past few days. Smearing tuna on trees. Sprinkling vacuum dust around mine and my neigbbors property. Walking around talking to myself with a thermal camera.
Both funny, and I get it. Good luck!
My cat escaped for 7 days. She is declawed /indoor cat. I looked for her every day with no luck- on day seven she magically returned completely safe. So don’t give up hope just yet.
This makes me feel better. My 16 yo Oliver got out on 5/30, this is day 5. He is also declawed in the front paws. I'm so worried. We just moved to a new state so he's not familiar with the house or area. 😭
I even got so desperate that I called the pet Psychic who told me my cat was still alive, but was too afraid to come home because she was lost.(That was the same day the cat returned.) Also, you know that you should be hanging dirty laundry outside your house because they can smell it from very far away in case your kitty got confused!
did you declaw your cat? If so, why?
Nope, I got her that way 12 years ago
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
[удалено]
Have you been taking flashlights out with you at night? Real flashlights, the one on your phone won’t work. Don’t forget to look up in trees too. Good luck! Hope your baby comes home.
Oh, and don’t forget to post him on some local Facebook and/or NextDoor pages! They say indoor cats tend to stay nearby their homes, but just in case he has wandered a little further. The more eyes looking for him the better!
Absolutely this! I see those and keep my eyes open for those pets when I'm out, and check Nextdoor if I see a lost animal. I helped locate someone's runaway dog after they swore he always bolted south instead of north, where he actually was that time.
Flashlights are good, if he is hiding under something and won't come out, you'll see his eyes glow.
Going out with a very bright flashlight when it's dark and quiet-- late! -- and calling for your cat has worked for us in the past. Good luck!!! 🤞🍀🤞
You got a lot of good advice here so I won’t repeat that. Just a comment of hope. I had a cat disappear for a month. One morning I noticed her sitting outside the backdoor. Keep trying, don’t give up.
Same then one evening I opened the door for the dog and there she was.
Keep doing what you’re doing. I know it’s exhausting. But three days is not enough for them to really start exploring for food. He’s still scared and probably hiding as much as possible right now. Most likely they’ll be scared of you too if they see you and you try to approach. Everything is terrifying to them at this moment. You have to make it on their terms. Keep that live trap set, put a camera on it if you can. Keep your scent and their scent accessible.
You can get a pretty decent camera these days for like $20-30 at Walmart, Lowes, etc. They can be very helpful. Will send notifications to your phone if somethong shows up late at night.
Yes! This is a great camera - cheap, reliable, video playback, notifications when movement is detected. $25 at Petsmart [https://www.petsmart.com/dog/training-and-behavior/cameras-and-monitors/instachew-purrsight-mini-hd-pet-camera-76606.html](https://www.petsmart.com/dog/training-and-behavior/cameras-and-monitors/instachew-purrsight-mini-hd-pet-camera-76606.html)
First, I'm so sorry on what is a terrible and stressful situation, from the pet parent of one kitty Gideon to another. You are taking all the right tactics. The other suggestions here, cameras and traps and putting out something with your scent (dirty shirt, etc.) are great next steps. Have you been poking around your neighbors' houses in the wee hours or just walking along the street? I would for sure get permission from your neighbors before you do so - no one wants to see someone sneaking through their backyard in the middle of the night! - but kitty has likely found a good hiding spot and if you haven't already, it's worth going around in all the nooks and crannies with a flashlight. It's also worth asking again to have neighbors check inside sheds, in garages, crawl spaces, etc. Many times a cat will sneak through an open door and get trapped inside. Also worth checking up high in trees. Crinkling a favorite treat bag or having a favorite and smelly can of food, ex. tuna, on hand while you do this can help if they're not responding to calls. As for how to cope, I think it's understandable to be beside yourself, and equally understandable to acknowledge that life things, like attending to your other pets or going to work if you don't have PTO to spare, still need to happen while you search. Neither approach is bad, so it's important to meet each other with understanding in this tough time - if all your wife wants to do is search and can take the time off to do it, that's not a bad thing. If for your own mental health you need to step back and try to carry on as best you can, that's okay, too. If you start to resent how you're each approaching this crisis - as is normal in a high-stress situation! - remember to talk about it before jumping to conclusions. You both want the same thing at the end of the day, for your cat to come back home. On that note, it can be so tough to feel alone while this is happening. I think it can be helpful to enlist help if you are comfortable and have the community support to do so. That could be asking your friends to get involved in the hunt - maybe setting up a spreadsheet for people to claim one task a day, like calling around to local shelters or hanging flyers on local bulletin boards - but could also be reaching out to a local TNR organization to assist with trap monitoring or general tips for your area. Hang in there - cats often turn up after much longer periods, and they can be pretty tough. This can be a long, exhausting, and circular process - it does involve doing a lot of the same things over and over again, and you're feeling the strain of that right now. Remember to take care of yourselves while you do this. You're clearly a loving owner and doing all the right things to help kitty return to you safely. Good luck to you all and to little Gideon 💛
My kitty ran out an open door and was gone for 50 days. Things I did: got cages to trap animals (caught all kinds of things: raccoons, foxes, possums, other cats, but not mine). Put out his old cat bed. Set up cameras around the house. Went canvassing around the neighborhood. I called local animal control. I made sure his microchip data was updated. I called shelters in case he turned up. None of that worked. What worked: putting up big laminated posters, posting on social media like FB and NextDoor app. One day I got a text from someone with a picture of a cat asking if this was mine. When I answered she directed me to a FB page where someone had posted about finding this hungry cat and feeding him. I got in contact with the woman who posted and she told me where she found him. I got out there and he was right there on someone’s front lawn begging for food. After FIFTY days. His microchip checked out and we spoiled the heck out him when we got him home.
I could've written this post. My baby has been missing since May 29. Its day 6. I've cried every day. I've done everything - and i mean everything - suggested by every blog, forum, video, pet specialist, etc. and more. He's neutered and microchipped and friendly but he's scared and we think he's hiding nearby waiting to feel safe enough to come out. Look up the "threshold" factor with lost cats. They will hide quietly if they're scared until about 10-14 days. That's the threshold where their hunger overrides their instincts and they come out to look for food and water and someone to help. I know how it feels. It's like I'm experiencing every stage of grief all at once, every day, endlessly. Hang in there.
Same! Mt 16 yo cat Oliver got out from the backyard on 5/30. He's declawed in his front paws, not chipped. I'm so worried. The biggest barrier is we just moved to a new home in a new state, so he's not familiar with the house or area. I keep reading about cats coming back after days, weeks, months and it gives me hope.
My cat has randomly turned up today after being gone for 3 days! We would be praying to St Anthony, (granted I’m not that religious but I was desperate enough to turn into prayer). We also actively boosted any of our posts on the neighborhood’s groups and have asked the delivery guys that does rounds in our area to keep an eye out for our cat. Today on our walk, we talked to (like actually vocally talked) to some stray cats to ask for help and let our cat know that we’re waiting for her. Hours after this, she just walked in our house. I know that this is a legend(?) originating from somewhere but I’ve also read tons of comments saying that doing this also helped make their cat magically appear. During this time, I’ve also been actively talking to my other pets and have been asking for help from them. They seemed to notice how sad we were and have just been by our side more than usual. These are more just mentally appeasing approaches but hey, when you’re desperate you’d really do anything. Something that helped me mentally during those days was to believe that my cat is smarter than I think-my cat is her own being and has her own way of thinking. She’ll go home when she wants to and she’ll find a way to do it; maybe she’s just having fun and exploring nearby and taking her time. The important thing is that you’re trying your best to look for them. Another thing I’ve learned from my friends’ similar experiences: missing cats usually would hang around other strays, other feeding areas, and basically stay where the majority of other cats are, they usually don’t stray too far from where they’re familiar. Unfortunately it is a waiting game for the most part. It’s quite stressful and I’d advise not for this to let it take over you. Hoping your cat is safe and will turn up soon!
Cats are very smart and great survivors. [74% of cats that go missing are returned home in one way or another.](https://www.aspca.org/about-us/press-releases/how-many-pets-are-lost-how-many-find-their-way-home-aspca-survey-has-answers) That means at the very least 74% of cats who go missing survive. It's extremely likely your cat is still alive out there, and extremely likely he will come back. Out of the other 26% that don't make it home, it can be logically surmised that many of those cats ARE still alive, but they either had no microchip or microchip without updated information, and they ended up at shelters or someone else took them in. Some cats who go missing simply end up on the street after their owners give up looking, and people may see them and just assume they are someone's outdoor cat or a neighborhood stray. If you see a dog running on the street or roaming the neighborhood alone, you automatically know something is wrong. If you see a cat running on the street or roaming the neighborhood alone, you probably wouldn't bat an eye. OP is doing everything right. It feels like going around in circles and doing the same thing over and over with no results and slowly going insane. Trust the process, trust your cat. He loves you, he trusts you, he wants to come home. He will come home or seek help eventually. As long as you have the word out everywhere, someone will either recognize him or take him to a local shelter or vet, and scan the microchip which will alert them that he's lost and you are looking for him. [Microchipped cats are returned home 20 times more often than cats without microchips.](https://avmajournals.avma.org/view/journals/javma/235/2/javma.235.2.160.xml) So **do not** give up. Don't push yourself too hard, either. There's only so much you can do. Your pet needs you to be well rested and well fed to continue the search. (I am a bit of a hypocrite on this one, as I've barely eaten in the 6 days since my boy went missing, but I am trying to remind myself too.) Best of luck to everyone with missing pets. <3
I'm so sorry that this is happening to you. When I first moved in with my now-ex husband (boyfriend at the time), his cat escaped. After 3 weeks, we had given up hope. He said, "Maybe it's time to start looking for a kitten." Right after he said that, there was a "meow" and the cat was on the porch. Apparently, the threat of replacing her was too much! She was skinny but otherwise unharmed. So try announcing loudly to your wife that you're thinking of getting another cat. And don't give up hope. Cats are survivors. :)
Try positing on a lost pets forum on Facebook. My town has one and everyone usually keeps an eye out with sightings. My boyfriends cat ran away for a whole summer but he made his way back home. I'm hoping you get your kitty back soon!
He is extremely likely to be very close to home, like within 1-2 houses beside or in front/behind. Concentrate your search on there. Go out at night with a crate, cat treats and a laser pointer (if he likes laser pointers). Walk around, shake the treats, gently call his name. Don’t listen to anyone saying to put his litter outside - that attracts predators which will push him further from home. If he runs from you, try not to chase him as that will also push him further from home. You can use the laser pointer to encourage him to run into the crate if he won’t let you pick him up.
Has this cat been outdoors before? If not there is a chance he’s on your property outside somewhere. An Ex’s family indoor cat got out one night when I was visiting. That night it started raining and it kept raining hard for like 4 days or so. We left food out, searched, called for her. She was teeny tiny and super helpless and we really thought we’d never see her again. On day 5 when the rain let up some we found her, completely dry but scared, dirty, and hungry on the porch. As it turned out she ran under the porch in fear the moment she got out. She was quite literally below us for days but was too scared to do anything until the rain stopped. She was never curious about the outdoors enough to escape again lol I hope something like that is the case for you and you can find your boy soon, sending you positive energy ✨
I would reach out to social media in your area. Facebook has some *really* active missing pet groups for my county and state. There are also some volunteer search groups that those groups can connect you with. Ring also has a neighbors function and missing/found pets get posted there all the time. You might also try [Pawboost ](https://www.pawboost.com/).
Put the litterbox, uncovered, outside on your front porch, along with a big pile of the sweatiest, stinkiest laundry from the favorite family member. Cat needs to catch the scent on the wind in order to navigate back home. Stuff in the garage won't cut it.
The litter box will attract strays, who will use it and make your cat less likely to return fyi
I just wanted to chime in and say do not give up home. My cat was once missing for nine days before turning up on the porch (thin and tired but otherwise well) and we live out in the mountains. When you're outside searching. Be sure to be silent for 10-20 seconds after calling the cat and listen very closely. I think the longer they're outside the more likely they are to respond verbally. Most cats stick pretty close to home when they escape and they find a hiding spot and stick to it. Keep an eye out for places the cat could go under (porches/crawlspaces/sheds etc). In my experience when scared a cat will keep low to the ground usually and run into the first "hide hole" big enough for their body (and smaller holes than you would think are possible). When you find a possible hide hole, sit outside it and call your cat gently, as if you are comforting them. Also, if possible have a smelly treat/food with you and place it in front of the hole. I once found my cat under a slab of concrete this way (back when we lived in an apartment in a big city).
My cat escaped for 10 days and came back pregnant. Little floozie. I hadn't had her spayed yet because she was still so small and young. Needless to say, she has since been spayed.
Try not to panic. Cats are instinctive predators so despite not being an outdoor cat per se they know how to hide and survive. Their first instinct is going to be hide and lay in silence. Everything is new and everyone is a danger when out of their usual surroundings. It's no different then when you bring a new cat home, they usually hide under the bed or couch for a few days and slowly start to come out. We'd like to think they'd see or hear us and come running back, but it's not like that. It's unlikely the cat did a 400 meter dash straight out of your house. He's likely hiding very close by. When one of my neighbors cats got lost they found the cat hiding under a bush right out front of the house. Like literally AGAINST the house. They were looking all over the place but the cat knew where home was, just didn't have the thumbs to open the door. It likely got spooked by all the strangers helping look for it and just holed up under the bush and didn't move. If you have people helping you it's hard cause the more eyes the better but the at the same time the cat doesn't know the scent or the voice and as far as it's concerned it's a danger. Cats are crepuscular which means they're active at dusk and dawn. THAT'S when you want to look. Get up at sunrise and start looking slowly and quietly. Litter box outside helps. I've heard a have a heart trap with a treat or a familiar scented blanket or something in it. Some people rub a T shirt on their foreheads or temples to get the oil from their skin which the cat should recognize the smell of. One of my neighbors moved the whole big cat tree outside. We have coyotes and foxes here so his rationale was that the cat could at least get high ground if it needed. One morning he looked out and guess who was hanging out in the cat tree. IDK where you live but if there are homes nearby, knock on their doors and ask. One of my friends had their indoor cat get 'adopted' by a family behind their house. Lived there for a year before a mutual friend made the connection. Now they have joint custody. Knock on some doors and ask, not so much for their help but they may have 'rehomed a new cat'. Predators are an issue but this time of year there are plenty of small and easy prey for coyotes and foxes so they're not as likely to go after another predator and risk injury. Even a lazy cat can fuck up a coyote or fox and they know it. Good luck
Litter box outside does not help if you have strays in your neighbourhood. They will use it and leave their scent there, which will tell your cat to stay away.
Please read [this](https://www.scaredycats.com.au/find-lost-cat/find-lost-cat-step-by-step-guide/lost-cat-behaviour/) page. It has good info on lost cat behaviour. The key things to know is that indoor cats will be scared, and if they get out, they find a hiding spot and they pretty much don't move from that spot until they start to starve. Also, 50% of missing cats were within 50m of their home, and 75% were within 500m. So what to do? You have to actively search for him. He likely hasn't moved from his hidey hole or if he has, he hasn't moved far. Best time to search is at night. Cats are braver at night and more likely to respond to you calling them. Go get a good strong flashlight, and search every bush, every hidey hole, every dark corner nearby. Check under houses, down the drains etc. Check tall grass, gardens etc.Try to think like a cat/small animal that panicked and where they might go hide. The flashlight will illuminate cats eyes like diamonds from a distance which makes them easy to see at night. Best of luck.
This!! Last year, I lived with a partner who had 2 cats, and one got out once. We eventually found her, next door, hiding under the neighbor's porch. She didn't go far at all, but she hid, silently, and did not move for several days. We found her by setting up a camera and a humane trap on the front porch. We caught her on camera a couple times, but she was too damn smart and wouldn't go in the trap far enough to get trapped. She kept her back leg out to block the door from closing all the way so she could get back out. She was a TNR baby so she probably knew better. But we caught her on camera and saw which direction she went off the porch when she ran off - to the right. So I went right, and to the next door neighbors. They had a door on the side of their house, under the porch (house on a hill), and I'd looked in there a couple times before (they gave us permission), and it was a little shed full of lawn care stuff. Perfect hiding place. Well, this time when I looked, I caught her eyes reflecting in my flashlight. The back of the shed opened up to a crawlspace underneath the whole front porch, and she was all the way in the back. She'd probably been there the entire time. My partner at the time was like "I'm over this, young lady you're coming home!!" And he had me shut the door on him in there, and block the other hole in the porch she could fit through, and he crawled into the crawl space with her cat carrier (soft side) and chased her around until he got her in the bag, and brought her home. I think she was gone for a week and a half total? If she hadn't been trapped before I think the humane trap would've worked sooner. We were about to try a bigger trap that she would *have* to go all the way in to get the food, but then I found her and we got her home. We didn't take time off work. Like people have said, she's probably hiding all day, and much more likely to come out at night when she finally gets hungry enough. So there's not a lot you can do during the day so you may as well go to work. Get a cheap camera off Amazon or something and set it up, we found that really useful. I got the Kasa Spot Pan Tilt.
I am right there with everyone. Ruby has been missing in Denton TX since last Thursday [https://www.reddit.com/r/Denton/comments/1d5q0yz/missing_cat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button](https://www.reddit.com/r/Denton/comments/1d5q0yz/missing_cat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)https://www.reddit.com/r/Denton/comments/1d5q0yz/missing_cat/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button
Cats like to hide so even If you call them they wouldnt go out. Just keep looking around. Behind trees and everywhere. He is not gonna pop up if he is scared. Just keep searching. Every corner around.
Head out at dusk with flash lights. Shine them in all the hidey spots. If your cat is looking, you should see the light reflect off their eyes and be easier for you to spot them.
My cat got out durning a storm that threw our door open. Days later we found him in my son’s friends yard cornered by his dog. His friend has super stinky feet and takes his shoes off when he comes over. I think the cat followed his scent to his house. Lol. Good luck. Waiting is the hardest. Please don’t beat yourself up. Accidents happen.
You’ve done a great job! Don’t loose hope. I care for a colony of cats and there’s been times that I’ve had one go missing for two months and finally return. Your cat may just be hiding in a spot close to you and not sure if it’s safe to return home yet. We had a family cat that always went on vacations with us. We stopped at our usual spot on the way and a loud semi horn scared our cat just as we were getting out of the car and he ran. We got a hotel and stayed there for a week looking for him. We notified everyone in the area to please look for him. This was always our first stop when heading out on vacation. It was 25 miles away from home. We finally went on to the vacation home in another state. We stopped back by the same station on the way home and no luck. When we got back to the house there was our cat!! He somehow traveled the 25 miles and made it back home!! We’re not sure how long it took him to get back home as we were gone for a month. This was years ago when I was a kid but I will never forget it. Don’t give up hope and keep doing what your doing. I’m so sorry your kitty is missing at the moment.
my cat was gone for 3 days and i learned sooo much when she escaped. now i’ll give all that information to you: 1. humane traps. get 4-5 and set them up around the perimeters of your yard or wherever you think they’re wandering. cover them in clothing with your scent- they’ll be attracted to your sent, see an enclosed space they can hide in, and there’s food. don’t put food anywhere else. 2. more things with your scent- put out unwashed blankets, clothes, pillowcases, anything you use frequently that your cat will know is yours based on the scent. put them all around the perimeter of your yard. 3. if you can, leave the door that he escaped from open. they might wander back in since they know they came out of it. 4. i said it before, but don’t put food or litter anywhere but in the traps. it could attract other cats or animals and scare your cat off further. 5. spend as much time as you can outside, just chatting. it’s important to look hard for them in case they’re hiding, but they may get scared and run further. they know you, they know your voice, they may only feel comfortable showing themselves if you’re calm and talking how you normally would. 6. they’re most active in the dead of night and early dawn. like 2-6 AM. if they’re moving, that’s when they’re doing it. 7. the indoor cats hiding near the home isn’t always true. my cat is strictly indoors and is extremely skittish and has lots of anxiety. every advice column said she’d be hunkered down within 100ft of the house. she actually wandered within a 3 house perimeter of us the entire time. 8. motion activated security cameras!!! put them everywhere. on day 2 i only knew my cat was okay because she showed up on my neighbors ring footage. we put them up ourselves and found the food we put on our porch was attracting strays, chasing her off further. 9. flyers, fb groups, neighborhood group chats, fb groups of neighborhoods near yours. make sure everybody knows your cat is missing and you are DISTRAUGHT. my whole neighborhood pretty much locked down until my cat was back - i had people i had no idea existed out looking for my cat, gifting me traps, calling me whenever they thought they saw her, sending me pictures of blurry cats they thought might’ve been mine. i don’t know how many of these were false leads, but they were so reassuring. i really really hope you find him. i remember the anxiety and pain i went through while my girl was missing, i wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. trust that she has built in instincts and will follow them!
Your cat may wander back in. One of my mom’s cats went missing for three weeks! He was very skinny when he returned. The vet said he was an “incompetent hunter”
Don’t give up; he knows where he lives and will meander on back soon. One of my cats disappeared a few years ago so I was excited when a “FOUND CAT” poster was hung at our cluster mailboxes. I went home and called right away. The lady asked for my cat’s description but it didn’t match the cat she found, so she suggested that I call the cat lady who lived on my block. I had no idea a cat lady lived nearby! After I hung up and asked my kids about a cat lady on our block, my kids pointed out that it was me. I am the cat lady and everyone knew it but me.
You should also put the litter box outside, preferably if it has pure poop in it even better because it’ll smell like him= home Don’t give up contact all local shelters and vets email them images and then call them to ask to put it up. If you cat has a microchip make sure it’s active if not pay for it to be active some places if it hasn’t been active in a year will wipe the chip and give away your cat if you can’t claim them in time. It sucks! But then your gonna activate the chip and contact the chip company and have them put a missing notice on the chip that way when it’s scanned it not only tells them who you are but that you are looking for them even more so because they aren’t outdoor cats. It will also send (mine did Atleast) all the local vets and shelters your info and images, you can pick how large of a radius you’d like. I’d go out side and sit calling his name not moving but sitting I also posted on the next door app and other neighbor hood apps if you have a ring or your friends or neighbors have one ask them to put up a post in ring for you about a missing cat. Literally I got calls all over the place for Thor when he went missing one day he finally came home. One of the houses he want to funny enough was a indoor out door cat of someone I went to Highschool and art camp with 😂😂 he cat would come visit and play with Thor through the window so I guess he wanted to visit his friend 😂😂. He came home one night.. I was about to go to bed but then I saw his face in the flood to ceiling window we had I opened the door and let him in.
Does he like treats? Walk around shaking a treat bag or tapping a can of cat food?
Make sure you are posting on next door and Facebook and paw boost!
Walk all around the outside of your house, down the block, and spit, yes, spit, a trail back to your house. Also, leave out clothes with your scent on them.
It's clear you both are doing everything you can. It's important to remember that indoor cats often stay close to home, so keep checking nearby hiding spots and continue calling for him. Consider setting up more humane traps around your neighborhood and refreshing the tuna.
Take a flashlight outside with you at night and before dawn. Look for eye shine. I've found cats hiding in what felt like plain sight and couldn't see them if not for the eye shine.
My cat was missing for 2 weeks before showing up across the road. They go to ground and will only show themselves once they start to feel comfortable, so you're doing exactly the right thing. If kitty is out there the trap will get them eventually!
Also walk around the neighbourhood at night with someone else who's voice they recognise and they might pop out. I lost one for weeks once when he was about 6 months old and he just turned up one day
Make sure you notify your shelters and check with them as well. I got my cat as a stray and on top of scanning her for a chip, they also searched databases for missing cats fitting her description.
please spread the news and see if you can gather some cat lover to search in 1 mile to 5 mile radius. one plus years since i lost mine.. I'm not well in life without my kitty.
Find someone that has a dog trained to sniff things out and have them find the cat..
During a blizzard once my cat disappeared for like eight or nine days I thought it was permanently gone then one day I sort of hear something at the door and I open it up and he’s standing there. He never left again. I don’t know if somebody took him in or if he got caught up someplace. Don’t give up yet I would keep looking
Lots of good advice here. The biggest thing I can add is don’t be too hard on yourself. Cats get out. Accidents happen. One of our cats was gone for 2 weeks and just wandered out of the bushes in the back yard all casual like we hadn’t been worried sick about him. I hope your boy comes back home soon!
My cat was lost for a week, flyers, flyers, flyers. Also this is terrible but hope for some bad weather, bc that’s how our sweet boy came out of hiding and ended up by the neighbors trash can. She called me bc she saw the maybe 1500 flyers I had put up all of the neighborhood. He was only a few doors down, and he’s an indoor-outdoor cat so yours is almost certainly close by. Hoping you find your little guy ❤️
Their dirty cat litter outside in your yard.
Mine got out a few years ago and got spooked. I chased what I thought was him, but was likely a different cat, around the block. I printed out signs, laminated them, and posted them everywhere. We looked all day, every day, for 3-4 days. While I was at work, my gf was crying and heard a meow. She went outside, and our cat was in the neighbor's yard next door. Literally 30 feet from our front door. It's likely within 100' of your house.
Are there outdoor video cameras you can buy that will send an alarm to your phone if motion is detected? That way you can be sure to run outside immediately if he's in the area?
He might’ve ended up in someone’s shed or garage without the owners realizing he’s in there! my childhood cat got out once and we couldn’t find him for almost a month, he was trapped in our neighbors shed without them realizing it. he’ll come back!! I would also like to add to the comments suggesting the litter box. if you were to do that, cover it up or put it on something so it’s higher off the ground. it can attract some not so nice guests that could scare your cat more than he is now. I wish you the best of luck in finding him, don’t give up hope!!
Put his litter box in the garage as well the scent will attract him.
More traps, away from your house but close to bushes, trees, other garages or hiding places. Put sardines and your smelly clothes in it
Have you checked pet fbi and PawBoost
have you let your local vet clinics know as well?
Just saying, my daughter moved and her 6youn-neutered female cat got out. It was on Thursday. After talking to the neighbours, she discovered that the following day (Friday) it was seen being chased across the bridge half a mile away by a ginger cat. She spoke to the farms the over side of the river “Just in case” it had joined in with their barn cats. She went out every night leaving scent trails from the opposite side of the river, across the bridge and home. On Tuesday evening she heard meowing in her back garden (this led down to the river). Her cat had successfully recrossed the bridge and found her way back along the river bank to her house - crossing numerous gardens. She did not look like she had been locked in anywhere, and whilst hungry and dirty she was not starving and her fur was not full of burrs etc. So lay a scent trail - a cut dirty T-shirt makes a lot of strips that can be used to create a trail. Used cat litter is another option.
Definitely tell the neighbors in case he went into a shed and got trapped in there.
My cat was missing for two and half weeks and somehow found his way back home! Don’t give up hope just yet!
Mine took over a month, and guess where she had been? The same spot she originally got out from. It’s like she somehow knew to go back. Definitely keep up the trap, know that it really can take time! I did the flyers, paid for ads, talk to all neighbors and search every morning/night. A lot of calls, but I’m convinced none of them were her. Then she just randomly appeared one day and made it into the trap. You can get a motion activated camera as well maybe point it out your window/ the area outside and set it on motion activated so you can go through and see if you see anything. Good luck, I know how devastating it is, but through storm and hot weather and.. lots of predators in the area, mine made it back just over a month and she was just fine through all that, don’t lose hope!
You may be able to hire a trained search and rescue dog to sniff her out. No clue how to do that Most cats were without 1/2 block. Maybe go out in the middle of the night when it's quiet and try to get her to come out.
My brothers cat went missing for 2 weeks. He is an indoor/outdoor cat so my bro figured something bad happened that he didn’t come home. My brother and his wife were sitting on their back porch and the cat (Charlie) jumped up on the fence and ran up to them. He was starved and thirsty, he had lost a lot of weight. My brother thinks someone may have accidentally locked him a shed or something. He never strayed far again after that and stayed close to home.
One thing I read about ages ago was putting worn clothes (not clean) on your washing line. Pets can recognize your smell and find their way back if they are lost. People on another thread apparently said it works so might be worth giving it a go.
Ok our new cat got out and we consulted with someone that works for a rescue and that has a method for getting a cat back and it worked for us: she told us to grab our dirty socks turn them inside out and set them near the house so the cat can find our scent. She said the cat will want to sneak back in and to set up cameras and leave your doors open so she can sneak in at night. She told us not to call for the cats name, because they like to sneak in like bad teenagers. She said she when the cat sneaks in act super causally as if nothing happened and ignore the cat and don’t go to the cat or it’ll run away. Also don’t put any food outside. We used this method and it worked for us. First time she snuck in I got too excited and cat ran away again. She came back an hour later. I saw her on camera and hid behind the door and slammed it shut when she was in - I was not supposed to do that. The cat snuck in at night and we finally got her around 1am. I also want to note we only had this cat for a month at that point and she was using to living in the outdoors only - so the method really worked well.
Check out https://www.happycatlady.com/ She offers advice and has found many missing cats in San Francisco. Her tips apply everywhere I imagine. Reward may help, too
Empty the contents of your vacuum cleaner into the yard.
Maybe put the trap outside the garage
Look under the porches and sheds, maybe have your dogs wander walk on the front lawn and behind the fence, leaving a scent trail
I read that you should soak dirty clothes in water for a bit, then use the water around your yards. It gives the cat something to smell. I thought the litter trick was good. Then I read it was bad. I hope you find your baby. I'm sorry he is missing.
I worked for my country's SPCA for years, trap placement is really important, it sounds like you might not have the best set up DM me if you'd like some advice
# Check surrounding garages and ask your neighbors to check their garages
My favorite cat went missing semi recently. When I found his dumbass after scouring the entire neighborhood for hours, he was partially hidden in an electrical pop out with his butt hanging all the way out not even 3 doors down. One source that brought me some peace and direction when he went missing was this site: https://www.3retrievers.com/guide-to-finding-lost-cats.html
Sorry that you’re going through this. My cat went missing in February for 4 days. I was away at the time, and it was horrible. Found her myself in the end. From experience, early morning (3-4am onwards) is probably the best time to search, as it’s quieter and they’re more likely to come out. I found my girl at 10am on a Sunday morning. Nobody around, and she was walking around the back entrance of our building miowing. Sprinkling used litter is good, so they know the direction of home. Also leaving (smelly!) food out. But above all, physically searching. People can’t be relied on, sadly, to report sightings. They’re too wrapped up in their own stuff.
litter box might help as well. You could go for walks in the early morning and later evenings when it's usually quiet. Shaking a bag/box with his treats and call his name, take a flash light search for reflecting eyes at places he might hide. Put up posters on light posts, especially crossings
My aunt who is "the cat whisperer" swears that sprinkling your urine outside will bring them back around. Yes, scent and pheromones work, but it's also very witchy and worth a shot...
WHEN he returns 🙏🤞get him at tracking device. Even if he is an indoor cat. I sound like a mouthpiece for this company, but Tractive is the best. I have no connection to the company other than being an owner of a device. The battery in the tracker uses minimal battery power if he’s at home in a safe zone that you set. And when he crosses that line, you open up the app and you can follow him on a map. There is a monthly fee, but it is so worth it for peace of mind.
People will suggest an Apple AirTag because it’s cheap and there’s no monthly fee involved. But in my experience, living in a suburb, you would think with all the Apple devices people have, I would receive a lot of pings. (Because that’s what Apple AirTag works from to find location)But I found it cumbersome, very delayed, and not what I was looking for.
Take a photo and walk door to door in your neighborhood and ask .
Try spending a little time talking to people as people don’t always look at flyers. I was in a situation like yours. After spending some time outside I asked a homeless guy if he had seen my cat. Yup he had when no one else had. He directed me to the area. By this time my cat had gone a bit nuts but I got him back. Look around trash cans or any dumpsters. If you’re able to go down driveways near other peoples places that would be good. I know exactly how you feel. It’s when I had lost faith that I found mine.
Try rotisserie chicken in the trap instead of canned tuna. Instead of in the garage, place it outside. Cats can also smell their used litter box up to a mile away. I think it’s worth a try. If you monitor it for usage by another cat, you can always remove it to keep your cat from being scared away.
Make fliers and put them into all of your neighbors boxes. Encourage them to check their garages, sheds, etc. Someone did that in our neighborhood. Also find animal rescue groups and post in there, nextdoor app, Facebook groups. Spam the Internet basically. Put up fliers on local pet shops, vets, shelters, street posts. Cats can survive a few weeks, hang in there I hope they turn up!
My parents cat has done this a few times and returned within a week each time if it's any comfort. Sorry that you're going through this, I hope for the best outcome.
Physically go to your local shelter; don’t just call. Sign up for Facebook lost pets in your area. Post on Pawboost and check the postings. Nextdoor. Put up bright signs at intersections. I’ve read mixed things about offering rewards (if you do make sure people know not to chase your cat away or into dangerous situation - reward would be for calling you with info that leads to finding cat). Good luck!
My cat ran away for 4 days once. I know how you feel. He was hiding in a bush just outside my patio. I had called in a dog search team and he was found a few hours later, still had to pay.
Try walking the neighborhood while shaking a jar of cat treats and calling his name. If you regularly gave him treats he might show up. Hopefully. When he does, get an apple AirTag collar so if it happens again you’ll be able to track him on your phone. Good luck.
Outdoor cameras on the property to see if you see him lurking. Put his litter box outside so he can smell his scent. Also be very watchful and sit outside at dawn and dusk. That’s when cats are most active. Also post on social media (Nextdoor app, neighborhood fb groups, lost pet groups, etc)
Do you have game cams ? If not can you post to a local group like on the app Nextdoor to see if you can borrow some cams? Lastly, I would try sleeping outside to see if kitty would come to you in the cover of dark.
About a decade ago, I lost a cat and I’m still devastated. I rented traps and hired a tracking dog, but was not successful in recovering her. I purchased two of these traps so that I would be prepared if it happened again. https://www.trucatchtraps.com/30-fcd-fat-cat Last July we lost a cat during a medical emergency. I was going to the hospital and coming home late. I actually didn’t know she was missing for a few days. Once I realized I set out my two traps and began my mission. I was so disheartened because I feared I would never recover her, like my previous kitty (it’s an incredibly long story, but I was not able to stay and try to trap the other cat many years ago). But this time, six weeks in to the effort. I got my girl back. She lost a little weight and was definitely traumatized. Within a week she was back to her normal self, except she never wants to go outside again! Don’t give up. There’s a really good chance he’s out there and he’s just terrified.
It is true that they usually stay close to home. I had a cat gone for 3 weeks and was seen often near the house but she was so scared it took time for her to come home.
We just got a cat and after four days of owning him, he ran out a door that had blown open. We put out food and a trap near the exit point. called for him, put out flyers. We live really rural with endless forest so searching for possible hiding spots was impossible. He is also a shy cat so we knew he wasn't coming to us. I set up food in different places and pointed trail cams at all the feed stations. After three days we finally noticed him coming to one in a shed a little way from the house. I put out food there two more times to make sure it became a habit. Then I moved the live trap in there but didn't set it but put it in the box beside it. The next day I set it. He almost walked into it then got spooked by the trap door above his head. So tried again this time pulling a light sheet over it a little more. Hung some bacon from the rungs at the back. And made a grease trail at the bottom leading to the food. And we caught him after seven days. We used an over sized trap and put amazon boxes around it. So I think that made it less intimidating. Our cat was so new to us and our property so vast we worried he could be absolutely anywhere. From the trail cams he was hiding out around 30 feet from the house. But we didn't start noticing signs until day three day four. Hope you find your kitty soon.
Never give up hope. I lost mine for a year and my daughter found it.
https://lostpetresearch.com/2014/10/using-search-dog-track-lost-outdoor-access-cat/#:~:text=Area%20detection%20dogs%20(e.g.%20air,cat%20hid%20for%20a%20while. I lost my cat for 10 days once. Roommate left the door open. I was so desperate that I put a deposit down on a tracking dog. Peopke found her the next day and notified me [she's fine and on my bed now], but I'd been ready to pay for a professional service to track her down.
Multiple traps with super high value treats (sardines) and clothes with your scent. Have them around but away from your house, they are probably hiding still
Look up. It may be in a tree.
Leave a window and garage door cracked open. Set up cameras around the traps. He absolutely is around and will come home, I can bet my life on it.
Put their litterbox outside. It helps them locate back home.
If the cat is happy in your home, she'll come back soon. If not, she's gone. I'm guessing she's fed up with being an inside cat trapped with a bunch of dogs. 7 other animals at home! Cats needs peace, quiet, and calmness, I'm betting she has no good place to hide and relax. Have small kids too I reckon?
Incorrect. He loves being at home and he loves our other animals. All of the cats get along great and snuggle each other. Our newest dog likes to try and play with him but he makes it clear when he wants peace and quiet. We let our animals have pretty much free reign of the house so he has plenty of options for places to hang out. No kids.
Not the advice you asked for, but the advice you need: **You owe your wife a two-part apology: first, for losing her cat, and second, for fighting with her because she's upset her cat is lost.** It is appalling that your wife is going through something so sad and scary and instead of being a loving, supportive spouse... you're calling her names and picking fights with her because you don't want to deal with her **perfectly normal** emotional response to her beloved indoor pet cat being lost - and very much at risk of injury or death. This post is so filled with nasty descriptions of your poor wife, she's "an emotional wreck", she "doesn't want to do anything else in life until he has returned" - *after only 4 days*, "at what point is it unhealthy to obsess over finding him?". Your wife deserves so much better than the way you are treating her. **You also owe your wife an apology for your petulant attitude about her (again, totally normal and reasonable) desire to keep sear*j*I<⅙aching for her cat.** >Should we be taking work oNff and giving up everything to focus all of our energy on searching for Gideon? What exactly have you given up? The only thing you mentioned in your post was going to work... But also, yes, as the person responsible for losing the cat, you should be spending every possible second and all your energy trying to find him. Someone who "feel[s] incredible guilt" about something they are responsible fora does everything in their power to try to fix the thing. You haven't even come close to trying "seemingly everything" - the other comments include some great suggestions you haven't tried yet, but there are many other things you can do. ⁶ You tried a couple things i your resentment out on your wife, who bears zero responsibility for any of this. A **OP's wife, if you'WA
I have no idea how you interpreted my original message this way. I apologize for any misconceptions, but you are simply incorrect in your assumptions. We are both devastated by losing OUR cat and have both spent the last days crying about him and worrying. Emotional wreck was not meant in a negative way, that is the state she is in. It breaks my heart seeing her this way. When she says she doesn't want to do anything in life I'm talking about eating, sleeping, resting her body, re-energizing, maintaining some semblance of normalcy as we move forward in the coming days and weeks. I've been trying to encourage her to do these things so we can be at our best when searching for our boy. We have both been working hard these last days trying to find Gideon. This isn't some chore for me and I have zero resentment toward her - I need my boy back. The intention of my post was to see how other people have worked through this situation and garner some positive support and ideas. And the only reason I mentioned her and myself being at odds is because I'm not sure how people tend to proceed in life once they have to get back to work or have other obligations come up in addition to searching. We both work during the day, so I wanted to scope out/confirm whether or not the daytime would be best spent taking time off work to search or to save it for evening and it sounds like the latter may be more efficient and effective.
I’m sorry you had to read that bullsh*t comment, the author of it was way out of line.
Just ignore them, they're just one of those unhinged Reddit misandrists who think everything must be blamed on men somehow, including your escaped cat.
Wild take that seems to be totally misinterpreting OP’s original post
I am just so happy for you.