# My cat keeps going missing



## supernanauna (May 11, 2010)

I got a lovely new cat from RSPCA last November. Very friendly and very vocal.

About 6 weeks ago she went missing but through a chain of coincidences (people spreading the word about her) I got her back safely and well looked after. I did notice after that incident that she was much less vocal, which is a shame because I used to enjoy our 'conversations'.

But now some new behaviour has started. She went missing from 7 pm on Saturday, then reappeared at 3 pm on Sunday. Again, last night (Monday) I didn't see her from 6 pm until she turned up at 8 am this morning.

She didn't seem to want to be touched after her return this morning.

When she comes back after being out all night, she isn't hungry which leads me to believe that maybe somebody is feeding her.

Her fur felt very cold this morning - don't know if she'd been out all night or if it was because it was a chilly morning.

This behaviour is starting to worry me - it's almost as if her personality is changing. 

Has anybody experienced this type of thing - I'd be grateful for any advice.


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## Huge2 (Jan 28, 2008)

Probably exploring her territory. It was cold last night, so that might explain her cold fur.

The good news is that she's coming back. The lack of hunger may be due to hunting.


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## supernanauna (May 11, 2010)

Thank you for responding. She is a good hunter (too good sometimes - she gives the birds a hard time) but she always seems to bring home what she catches and never eats them. I know she sometimes goes in next door and eats their cats' food so maybe she's roaming further astray and doing the same at somebody else's house. 

But it does worry me because one of my neighbours has a family of foxes in her back garden.

I fell in love with her at the RSPCA because she was so friendly and so very very vocal but now she's neither - she's become a different cat almost overnight.


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## Huge2 (Jan 28, 2008)

I hate to make assumptions over the internet, but did you keep her in for at least 4-6 weeks before letting her out? I will assume you did as you got her 6 months ago, but no harm in asking right? 

You could try doing that again. Shut the catflap or however she gets out for a few weeks. I'm not an expert, but it makes sense to me.

I'll also give you a warning. I take it you're in the UK as you mentioned the RSPCA, but this is a predominantly American forum, and they don't generally let their cats out. You might get negative comments on letting your cat out at all, but trust me, you are perfectly entitled to do so, as many many people do in the UK.


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## supernanauna (May 11, 2010)

Huge - I'm a completely wally - I didn't realise I was on an American forum.

I kept her in for a week when I got her first - that's pretty normal procedure in the UK. I didn't realise that American cats are usually kept indoors - you learn something new every day!

Maybe this new behaviour is just a sign that she's now completely secure with us and feels comfortable going for long rambles. 

Thanks for your help,
Úna.


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## SonoGrl13 (May 10, 2010)

I'm an American (sometimes I wish I wasn't) and as much as I would love to let my cat out, it is just too dangerous. I don't think that we are against it, it just isn't safe. Besides being hit by a car there are so many angry animal hating wacko's that take their problems out on creatures that are weaker than them. Cats are at risk of being poisoned and abused when we let them out. Kids will walk buy and kick a friendly cat, (it just makes me want to hurl). I wish so much I could let my cat out, she really enjoys hunting and the outdoors, but I know she would be gone forever in less than a month of outdoor activity. People will also assume it's a stray and try to feed the cat and keep it. Where I live there are so many wild animals she wouldn't make it either. Ugh... it's frustrating because she sits and looks through the window and I feel bad. 

A little off topic but not really, I have an enclosed patio with plants with 8 feet cement walls and I am going to stack two doggie gates on top of each other at the door size entrance and let her go out there for small time intervals. Sometimes an enclosure or a patio/deck can be a great alternative to letting our cats out. My cats are safe on a deck and never try to climb off, they respect the height. They are safe and still can roll in the sun and get all dusty and stock birds (unsuccessfully). That little bit of outdoors is so satisfying to them rather than nothing. You can see it in there eyes!

K


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Of course you're entitled to let your cat outside no matter where you live.  But considering that this keeps happening, you might consider making her an inside kitty. Many of us have inside cats who are perfectly happy and healthy with much less risk to them, and we would be happy to help you transition your cat if you would like to give it a try. Obviously it can be difficult at first (b/c the cat is in one habit and you have to teach her a different one), but trust me--it's not really that hard (I've converted many indoor-outdoor cats to indoor only with great success).


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

And yes -- having a safe, enclosed "outdoor" space is great. I had my front porch enclosed (solid at bottom and screened at the top) 2 years ago and in the evenings I open the front window and let the kitties play on the porch. They love it! There are commercially-available cat enclosures as well, if you don't have a screenable porch area.


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## straylover (Mar 9, 2010)

Huge said:


> I'll also give you a warning. I take it you're in the UK as you mentioned the RSPCA, but this is a predominantly American forum, and they don't generally let their cats out. You might get negative comments on letting your cat out at all, but trust me, you are perfectly entitled to do so, as many many people do in the UK.


Over here, we let our cats out too, but the danger to them is nasty human beings and traffic (cars, motorbikes, etc). Too many cats die each year as a result of being hit by vehicles. Last week alone we lost a few young cats to traffic. 

That being said, I do know of community cats that have gotten used to the outdoors and would probably hate being confined to a house. The weather here is horrible though and they sometimes lose they appetite.


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## straylover (Mar 9, 2010)

Oh yes since we're on the topic of letting cats outdoors, i would say sometimes even our local town councils are a threat to cats.

Generally town councils are very reactive to resident complaints. If someone complaints that an animal has scratched his vehicle or has dirtied the area, a witchhunt will begin. That witchunt may result in stray cats and dogs being rounded up and dispatched off to the SPCA, where they may be put to sleep.

Mind you, these are not unsterilized cats being put to sleep. These are *neutered *cats being put to sleep - after someone has spent money caring for them, sterilizing them, sending them to the vet when they got sick, etc.

That's why we tell cat owners -- let your cat roam if it suits, but just bear in mind your government can catch it and kill it without even telling you about it.

It has happened before in my country too many times.

Just a couple of years back, thousand community cats rounded up and killed by our government because some residents complained and said cats are a hygiene problem. After a furious backlash from animal rights activists, they agreed that neutered cats will not be put to sleep. But I can tell you, the murder still goes on while we are not looking.


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## Huge2 (Jan 28, 2008)

Not in the UK.


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## gunterkat (Aug 19, 2006)

Thumbs up for the UK! :thumb It's great for kitties across the Pond.  
Is this prodigal kitty spayed? She won't wander very far if she is.

I am always with Arianwen on her outdoor adventures. There are too many dangers for a cat on her own where I live. There are stray dogs, predatory or toxic wildlife, careless motorists, bizarre cat-hating humans who feed cats to their dogs, to name a few.


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## Xanti (Nov 4, 2008)

Huge said:


> Not in the UK.


Exactly Huge. The u.k government does not round up cats and kill them as they have a right to roam here.


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