# Cat missing for 4 days



## bootsybooboo (Nov 28, 2009)

Hi, 
My cat has been missing since Monday evening. She is spayed and goes out during the day for a few hours to 'do her jobs' but always comes in to sleep at night. However on Monday evening she didn't return  I'm worried sick about her. She always always sleeps inside and loves her food. Despite checking around the neighbourhood and asking my neighbours have they seen her, calling her at various times during the day, leaving her kitty litter out to accentuate the scent and put up posters in local supermarkets there is still no sign of her. I am so worried about her .... is there anything else I can do? or do I sit it out and wait for her to return? I should also say that she is very timid and doesn't really like strangers so I truly doubt that someone could have coaxed her into their home. 

I just want her to come home safe and sound!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

If your cat is very timid, she may just be hiding around your house or next door. When Cinderella got out, I found her in my next door neighbor's yard. If you walk around in the evening with a flashlight and shine it under cars and into bushes, you'll see cats' eyes in the reflection. Here are some good hints:

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?a ... ngalostpet

Here's a thread with lots of suggestions:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=63037

Good luck! atback


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## bootsybooboo (Nov 28, 2009)

Thanks for the tips and advice  Boots has been out at night before (just never the entire night) she would usually come home when she is tired and hungry... and as soon as I open the back door and whistle for her she usually comes running. I've been whistling for her at odd times of the day / night and very early morning (ranging from almost 2am to 5 am) but no sign of her  I'll defo buy a flashlight tomorrow and go walkabout tomorrow night! Thanks! Fingers, knees and toes crossed she'll come home by herself (fit and healthy) in the meantime


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Welcome and I hope your kitty comes home. I'd check the neighborhood again, looking for anyone who had left for the whole holiday-week, in case she has become enclosed in someone's garage...
*_closes eyes to send good wishes and "come home" thoughts_*
heidi


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## bootsybooboo (Nov 28, 2009)

Good news everyone! Boots came home this afternoon!! She was tired and hungry but other than that's fine! Just looking for lots of rubs  and a quiet sleep. I'm so happy she's home..... best Christmas present ever!


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

That's great! YAY!!! :yellbounce 

Please consider making her an indoor-only kitty from here on out. Next time you and she might well not be so lucky . . .


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

Elizabeth. Please at least try to respect peoples right to let their cats outside. I respect yours to keep your cats indoors and do not tell people to let their cat out at every possible opportunity regardless of whether they asked my opinion on the matter. If they ask the direct question 'do you think I should let my cat outside', fine, go ahead and tell me how irresponsible people like myself are to your hearts content, otherwise couldn't you please just limit your reply to the problem stated?

bootsybooboo - so glad you got your kitty back  :kittyturn :kittyturn


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

It's her decision, but also my right to make a suggestion.


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

hoofmaiden said:


> It's her decision, but also my right to make a suggestion.


Fine. In which case, you wont mind me posting inappropriately in every thread in 'behavior' whenever a cat is showing signs of boredom or frustration that I think the cat should be let outside.

But you see ... I wont do that because I'd effectively be saying that its wrong to keep your cat in all the time. I don't believe that for a moment and respect peoples decision to have indoor cats. Heck, my cat is an indoor only cat! 

I know you don't believe me, but its not wrong to let a cat outside. I'm not trying to be awkward but do you see what I'm saying? This issue is not clear cut like inappropriate breeding which clearly is wrong.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

melysion said:


> Fine. In which case, you wont mind me posting inappropriately in every thread in 'behavior' whenever a cat is showing signs of boredom or frustration that I think the cat should be let outside.


Well, you can do that and I can counter. 

The fact is that boredom or frustration in an indoor cat are things one has control over--window perches, a companion, high places to climb to, toys, play sessions, etc. are all things one can do to alleviate boredom or frustration if they exist (although I've had even a minor problem w/ either in 30 years of indoor-only cats!). But one has NO control over the cat or what happens to her once one opens the door. Cats don't die from boredom; they DO die from being hit by cars, attacked by dogs or other cats, diseases, etc.

So to my mind it's an apples and kumquats kind of comparison.


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

Ah, but you see I wont be doing that because I know that the owner has decided to keep the cat indoors and I have no right to tell her she is wrong. I instead would 'work with what I've got' and advice according to the situation and not necessarily always to my personal beliefs. Its called respect. 

And I'll leave it at that before the mods explode (sorry, I just couldn't hold it in any longer). And also because I know this is a lost cause.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

I don't understand what "respect" has to do with it. If I see someone doing something dangerous with an animal, I warn them and encourage them to change their behavior. They then do with that what they will.


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## LilRed (Jul 16, 2008)

Yea! Bootsybooboo! Glad to here your girl is back home safe!


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## KittyMonster (Nov 8, 2009)

I honestly think it depends on neighbourhood and cat... 

My father lives in a quiet, very cat-friendly neighbourhood with no busy streets and lots of cats, and their outdoor cat Max is happy and healthy, and has never had a scrap with another animal. 

When I was younger, my mother had an outdoor cat named Stewart and he was very happy hanging outside in our first neighbourhood, but when we moved to a house on a busy street we couldn't bear to keep him cooped up, so we continued letting him outside. 6 months later he was hit by a car.

My stepsister had an outdoor cat, Mushroom, who eventually became indoor. Being indoors greatly helped with the cat's anxiety and social skills (she was afraid of birds, bugs and people beforehand).

It is a case-by-case situation. I would never let Mak out because of his experience as a stray, his contentment indoors and the busy streets near my apartment. If you live in an area where you feel safe and secure letting your cat roam around catching birds, why not? 

Accidents happen everywhere... Keeping your cat indoors will by no means prevent all potential dangers, nor will letting your cat outdoors secure a happier "more natural" cat life. Use your judgement and accept the responsibility of whatever decisions you make in the end.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

KittyMonster said:


> If you live in an area where you feel safe and secure letting your cat roam around catching birds, why not?


Well, in addition to the reasons already stated, domestic cats (not a natural predator) have contributed enormously to the decline in the songbird population:



U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said:


> Scientific studies actually show that each year, cats kill hundreds of millions of migratory songbirds. In 1990, researchers estimated that "outdoor" house cats and feral cats were responsible for killing nearly 78 million small mammals and birds annually in the United Kingdom.
> 
> University of Wisconsin ornithologist, Dr. Santley Temple estimates that 20-150 million songbirds are killed each year by rural cats in Wisconsin alone.
> 
> Feline predation is not "natural." Cats were domesticated by the ancient Egyptians and taken throughout the world by the Romans. Cats were brought to North America in the 1800's to control rats. The "tabby" that sits curled up on your couch is not a natural predator and has never been in the natural food chain in the Western Hemisphere.


http://library.fws.gov/Bird_Publication ... d.html#Cat


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## Jeckel (Aug 11, 2009)

i agree that cats should be kept indoor, as I feel it is safer. However, I also realize other people may have differing opinions. Its not wrong to voice your opinion, but one can do it in a nice way, rther than a "you're wrong for keeping your cat outside/inside/whatever!" way. Wording is everything. Hoofmaiden, perhaps next time try something like "If you are consider about her getting lost again, you could consider making her an indoor only cat." It comes across as less forceful: telling people they are wrong will just put them on the defensive.

On another note: Glad your kitty is back home!


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## melysion (Mar 12, 2007)

KittyMonster said:


> Accidents happen everywhere... Keeping your cat indoors will by no means prevent all potential dangers, nor will letting your cat outdoors secure a happier "more natural" cat life. Use your judgement and accept the responsibility of whatever decisions you make in the end.


Yep. At the end of the day you have to weigh up the pros and cons and decide what you think is right for your cat and your circumstances. And regardless of whether you decide on an indoor only or an indoor/outdoor cat no-one has the right to tell you what you are doing is wrong. *Because there is no clear cut right or wrong here.* Only opinion.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Glad Boots is home safe!

Locking this thread...we really don't need another indoor/outdoor debate this week.


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