Our one year-old kitten has been missing for seven days. My kids are a wreck.
When do we decide it is time to stop hoping? I still mourn the loss of our collie on Thanksgiving morning when I was twelve. I don't want them to look for her forever like I did.
What do I say?
It is so sad.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
Dear, don't fret. There's still a chance. After we moved, our two-year-old cat went missing for perhaps 18 days. We had sadly gotten used to life without him when he turned up, wet and scraggly, having been hiding out in the garden shed of a neighbor a few blocks down. They had been feeding him. We had just moved, he had gotten caught in a storm, and he hadn't been able to find his way back.
Seven days isn't long enough to give up hope. Someone has probably just taken her in without knowing she's somebody's... (Our cat had a collar but he wouldn't let anyone close enough to see it) Just go around the neighborhood, even the distant neighborhood, and ask around.
COURAGE!!!
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
Aww...
(((((((((((((((((Elizabeth)))))))))))))))))))
(((((((((((((Elizabeth's Children))))))))))))))
I honestly don't know what to say. I am so very sorry, and I hope you find her soon.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Thank you, Ryuko and Raia.
I will not give up hope yet.
What is it about parentheses style hugs that actually work? It made me feel so much better.
Posted by LadyDove (Member # 3000) on :
Elizabeth- ALL of the cats I've had as an adult have gone missing right around the time they turn one.
I'm sorry to say that none have returned.
My kids cried over the first one lost. Asked, "Mom, can we get another cat?" after the second one was lost. And said, "How about a puppy?" after the third went missing.
In each case, the kids believed that the cat had found a nice home and they were okay, as long as they thought the cat was okay.
BTW- It turned out that my oldest was allergic to cats and the puppy has worked out great.
Posted by Raia (Member # 4700) on :
quote: What is it about parentheses style hugs that actually work? It made me feel so much better.
I'm so glad!! I feel that way too, it's funny...
Well, anyway: ((((((((((Elizabeth & Co.)))))))))))
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
Bah, my cat disappears for months on end. Not lately, but for about two years, she'd disappear for 3-6 weeks at a time. Turns out somebody down the street took a liking to her and tried to forcibly adopt her. She didn't like it too much and always came back when she could. . . or she liked if for a while, but would get bored and come back.
Posted by ak (Member # 90) on :
Cats should live indoors. Indoor cats live much longer and are much healthier their whole lives. Outdoor cats are subject to parasites, disease, cars, dogs, coyotes, and many other dangers. So your cat may well be dead. Please try your best to keep your next kitten indoors, should you decide to get one.
However, I hope it is just straying. Many cats stay away for 2 weeks then come home. 14 Days seems to be a typical time for a cat to be gone. Most cats stray no more than 1/2 mile from home. Make a flyer with a picture of the cat (if you have one) telling that your cat is lost, giving a brief description, and a phone number to call. Distribute the flyers to every mailbox within a 1/2 mile radius. Prepare for many false alarms. These will be very hard on your heart. So be ready for them.
Best of luck finding your kitten. The flyers worked for me once when one of mine got out by accident. <prayers and best wishes>
Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
In general, I agree with that. Our cat, however, wouldn't stay inside if we tied her up so she couldn't get out. I have no idea how one goes about training a cat to stay indoors, but if you can do it, it is better for the cat. (Oh, and if there are suggestions, I'll only do it if the cat doesn't spend the day in front of the door meowing and yowling at the top of her lungs.)
Posted by newfoundlogic (Member # 3907) on :
One time I thought I had lost my cat but it turned out she was just behind my bedstand which should not have been possible for her to have gotten to. However, we did decide to get a collar for her after that and we had already started printing out flyers before I found her. I do know that people in my neighborhood have found cats because of flyers so don't think that's a useless idea.
Posted by Dead_Horse (Member # 3027) on :
If it is not spayed or neutered, especially males, it may have gone off to find a mate. I have seen them go for a month and come back. I had one who moved about half a mile away. He still knew me, but he wouldn't stay home and kept going back to his Mrs. Kitty.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
She is neutered, has all her shots, and is the daughter of our other cat. I am afraid "Mama Kitty" might have run her off. MK seems awfully happy these days.
I guess what I need help with the most is how long to wait before telling the kids she isn't coming back, so that there is some type of end for them. They are seven and nine. My daughter, age nine, is distraught.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Now you have me worried. I have a kitty who is nowhere near one yet but now I'm paranoid!
Anyway, I hope hope hope your cat comes back. (Like song... does anyone know it? It's when the owners are trying to get rid of a terrible cat but it just always comes back)
(((Elizabeth)))
(((Elizabeth's Children)))
(((Elizabeth's Kitty)))
I'm sure your cat will return.
And I have a cat that wouldn't stay inside if you tied her inside on a string. She's... very determined.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
Thanks! The more I hear, the more I have hope that she is somehwere in the neighborhood. She is a very small cat, and always cries like she hasn't been fed in a month. I could see how someone would take her in. She had a collar, but it was giving her a rash, so I took it off. Drat!
Posted by Vána (Member # 3262) on :
Teshi, I know that song! Valentine inspires me to sing it sometimes.
She's almost 6 months old, and occasionally slips out the door. But she's never gotten far - thank goodness, because there are some bigger cats in the area that may or may not be nice to her.
I hope your kitty comes back soon, Elizabeth!
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Kittens are irresistable! Since yours was without a collar I'm sure someone must have taken her in.
I had two cats in my life, both of them were lost cats that probably belonged to other owners. They didn't have tags, but were fairly toilet trained. I tried to find their owners but gave up after two weeks. To be honest, after two weeks I was a little attached to them and didn't look very "hard" after that. Posted by ak (Member # 90) on :
I would spend at least a month searching and putting out flyers before giving up. If nothing else, this teaches your children the value of a life. That we just don't abandon someone whom we are charged to care for. Not without trying very hard to find them.
Posted by Amka (Member # 690) on :
We tried for months and months after we got our cat, as a kitten, to make it stay inside. Every time someone would open the door, it would scoot out.
They may be safer, but are they happier? I know some cats have absolutely no desire to go outside. But our cat tore up screens to get outside.
We finally gave up and let the cat out when it wants to go. It always comes back within a couple of hours. It catches mice. This also stopped its habit of using piles of laundry instead of the litter box. It goes under a bush outside our house.
Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
Well, you can train a cat to do almost anything if it's young enough. (the operative word being almost) Our cat was a barn cat who spent the first months of her life outside, but when we brought her home we made loud noises whenever she went near a door. Now she's morbidly curious about the outside, but she refuses to go out, and when by chance we take her out, she's terrified.
Posted by wieczorek (Member # 5565) on :
My cat ran out one time - he's sneaky. One night when it was raining, my dad was downstairs and he said that he heard tapping on the door and light meowing. It was our kitty!! It had been about two weeks. I'm sure that he could've survived a lot longer than that, so I say, you shouldn't give up your hope!!
"Remember, the enemy's gate is down"
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
OK. We have posters up, and calls in to the vets and pound, but now, I am hearing from you all that it is time for some serious mailbox and door-knocking action.
Liz
Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
I hope you find your kitten, Liz.
I would hate to lose either one of mine. Posted by Ryuko (Member # 5125) on :
Agreed. I give you all my luck!
(whoa... does that mean I'll have to actually _try_?)
Posted by ak (Member # 90) on :
Yes, the flyers worked great for me one time. Another time I found someone else's cat for them when one of mine was missing. The flyers made me the local center of all missing cat info for the time they were out. A guy here who helps find people's missing animals told me that, and it really works. Here is his website. He's a very cool guy. This is a list of search tips for lost pets. Best of luck, Elizabeth! I'll be praying for your kitty!
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I'm sure your cat will return. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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