Missing Kitten

[mr_sir]

I know there a quite few people on these boards who have cats so I'm looking for some advice.

My little cat, who is between 6 months and a year old, decided to go walkabout on Thursday night and still hasn't come back. I've phoned the RSPCA, animal shelters and the vets and they all have his details in case someone finds him, and one of my carers is going to go and distribute posters of him around the neighbourhood (I'm bedridden at the moment or I'd be doing it myself). He has has never disappeared for longer than 4 hours before as he is quite an insecure cat and constantly comes up to me for cuddles and reassurance that he is still loved as he was kicked out of his first home when he was just a few months old. I adopted him about 4 months ago after finding him and reporting him to the RSPCA and he hates being away from me for too long or being in a different room to me. He hasn't been neutered yet, in fact we were going to get him done today, and I was wondering if anyone knows about what cats do when they vanish for days, or if they have experience in stuff like this and have any tips to help find him. If he's got lost then I know my cat so well and he will be absolutely terrified.

Thank you. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Tricky]

Are there any sheds in your area?

Edit: I don't know what the weather is like on your side of the pond, but over here in Holland it has been pretty hot for the last few days. Warmest this year. If your kitten is six months old it hasn't experienced these temperatures yet in the sun (does it have dark fur?), so maybe he went out looking for a little shade. They sometimes walk into in other people's houses or sheds, looking for food or perhaps shade. Sheds are worse since people aren't always around to open them.

It's going to get hotter over here this weekend. If that's the case to over there too and if he hasn't had any water since Thursday.. I'd hurry. =/

[Vicsun]

Sorry, I have nothing reassuring to say. Whenever my indoor-cat got out, I was always able to find him within a few hours since he was always nearby, deathly scared of the outside world. Last summer I left a window open as I went out - I live on the third story and my cat wouldn't dare jumping from that hight - only to find him missing when I got back. I found his little furry corpse four days later.

I hope that you avoid my luck and find your cat.

[VonDondu]

It's not unusual for young cats to disappear for a day or two, especially not for an unneutered male. I'm not exactly sure what cats do when they're out by themselves, but here is what I have observed my own cats doing:

- Seeing what kind of food they can find on the neighbors' porches.

- Exploring the crawl spaces underneath the houses in our neighborhood.

- Looking for a mate (such "relationships" don't last more than a few hours).

- Following the scent of small prey such as mice, birds, and bugs.

- Sitting for hours in the same place apparently doing nothing at all besides watching what's going on around them.

Cats love to explore new places. If you want to give your cat a thrill, throw him up on the roof if he has never been up there before, or let him inside the attic. He knows they are part of the house you live in, and he'll be thrilled by the new perspective (just as you and I would enjoy seeing our own homes from a new angle).

Cats have a very good sense of direction and homing instincts that are nothing short of remarkable. Scientists still haven't figured out their secrets, but if they ever figure out a way to reproduce a cat's navigation system, they'll make millions.

I would definitely be worried if I was in your position, but there's a very good chance that your cat will come home soon and wonder what the fuss is all about. He'll probably enjoy the attention, of course. One of my cats has a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. Inside the house, she's a sweet little baby (she wants me to pet her while she eats), but when she's outside, she transforms into a feral cat. When she comes back inside, we spend a lot of time together while I "tame" her again, and then she's back to her old sweet self. You probably don't know your cat as well as you think you do, but you should just accept him the way he is instead of trying to pigeonhole him as an "insecure" or "cuddly" cat. He's an animal, and the behavior you don't see from him regularly could really surprise you.

[fable]

When the kitten does show up again, be certain to get it checked over and given all shots. Some diseases can actually incubate for a period of years--feline leukemia being a particularly horrible example.

Good luck in finding him again, Mr. Sir. Something very much like that happened to me in the late 1970s. (The old house I was renting had a hole in the closet floor, and the cat dutifully found it and got out.) I spent some time walking around outside after work, calling for him, and hanging around the front porch. After about a week, he showed up, along with another kitten, a female of roughly the same age. :I'm sure his gene pool was refreshed during that time.

[dragon wench]

One of my cats has went missing twice. At the time we lived in a second floor apartment, and she jumped off of the balcony... It was low enough for her to jump down safely but too high for her to jump back up.

The first time she ended up at our upstairs neighbours a couple of days later, they responded to the many posters we had put up around the area.

The second time, after a few days, we saw her crouched very close to where we lived when coming home. It was uncanny, the spot she had chosen to perch was situated so that it was very safe and sheltered and it gave her practically a bird's eye view of the direction we would be arriving from. The thing that amazed us is that, being an indoor cat, she had really no experience with the perimeter's outside our place, yet both times she found her way home, or close to it.

From what I understand, cats actually don't go very far, and more than likely are hiding out somewhere nearby. Even if you watch their behaviour inside the home, the places they find to hide in are pretty incredible.
I hope you find your cat soon.... I know how worrying it is when this happens.

[Adahn]

That's sad my friend, I had a cat once as well and it disappeared for about three days. I found out that one of the neighbour kids had taken it, and removed it's collar. Apparently the kid told his parents a wild story about how he found the poor abandoned cat, the parents took it in and no one gave it a thought that it was my friggin' animal. - After they saw the flyers we put up they STILL didn't stay anything (and I'm sure they saw them even if they didn't stay nothing) and it was only after my cat wondered back into my yard and came up to me that I understood he had returned. So we took him back without a care, and after a day it was THOSE people who came looking for THEIR cat. Yeah it got pretty nasty after that, but long story short we got the cat back.

If it was particularly cute it's more than possible that someone might have taken it... worse enemy of man is man himself.

[kathycf]

My sympathies, I have three cats and would be feeling very worried if I was in your shoes. An un-neutered male is a little more prone to roaming about, so he may show up soon.

[mr_sir]

Thanks for all the help guys He still hasn't turned up but the neighbourhood is now covered in posters!

Hopefully he is just feeling like having a good time with a lady friend and will come back when he is ready

[fable]

Don't give up hope, and remember to call out his name. If he's learned to respond to that, or to anything else (like a call of "food"), try that, too.

[Magrus]

When I was younger, I ended up all worried when my two cats would wander off. The first, was part lynx or bobcat, and hunted anything that moved...regardless of size. So, I was more worried for him due to the fact he was known to go after deer, kill raccoons and would attack the dogs nearby if they gave him attitude. The latter was a sick cat, and when she left, the other cats would go after her.

However, I have matured, and well...what if the cat doesn't wish to go home? He is young enough to be healthy, strong and to learn how to hunt for himself. If you are in an area which has enough wildlife in which he can hunt for himself, why shouldn't he be allowed to do as he wishes and NOT come back if he doesn't wish to?

[Adahn]

I suppose. - When I lived in Sweden our cat used to go out and hunt various little animals like squirels and things of the sort. Badgers and the like. It was weird but it made sense that she had a higher sense of 'hunting' and living out in the wild due to the forest nearby rather than if your cat is raised in a city or the suburbs.

[Claudius]

My neighbor went away and left her cat with her niece and the cat got lost. I think either the cat comes home on its own or you need the help of the local people. A lot of people have some compassion and if a cat is meowing they might start feeding it daily. If they see an add they will call.

I think local places where you think the cat might be are good. Places to eat or get gas. I'm not sure if you are urban or rural that could make a difference.

Anyhow I hope that you find your cat and it is possible. We found our cat and he must have gotten water or food somehow because his kidneys were ok. He survived 24 days and we got a call. The cat had crossed a busy street and was in a neighborhood we didn't expect or he might have been sited sooner. So don't give up hope if you get a call even if its in a few days it might still be your cat!

[mr_sir]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Magrus However, I have matured, and well...what if the cat doesn't wish to go home? He is young enough to be healthy, strong and to learn how to hunt for himself. If you are in an area which has enough wildlife in which he can hunt for himself, why shouldn't he be allowed to do as he wishes and NOT come back if he doesn't wish to?

I do realise he is his own creature and can do as he pleases, that is why I don't force him to stay indoors. Its just he normally only chooses to go out for a few hours each day (my window is always open and he comes and goes as he pleases). I'm just worried that he might be injured and suffering.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claudius I think local places where you think the cat might be are good. Places to eat or get gas. I'm not sure if you are urban or rural that could make a difference.

I live in a quiet-ish country village.

[Magrus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_sir I do realise he is his own creature and can do as he pleases, that is why I don't force him to stay indoors. Its just he normally only chooses to go out for a few hours each day (my window is always open and he comes and goes as he pleases). I'm just worried that he might be injured and suffering.

Hmm. The longest my cat was missing was 4 days I think, my last cat anyhow. She was hiding under a shed next door. She was older though. She'd broken her hips a few years before, and they'd never healed properly. So she didn't stray too far. I'd imagine a curious young male cat could go fairly far away so long as he didn't go hungry and wasn't cold. You may have reason to worry, but then again, a healthy young cat in a country village setting could probably live off of mice and the like for quite some time happily outdoors.