New here and a lost kitty

We moved 13 months ago to a newly built home (from 90 miles away). Monday September 18th the landscapers came to take us from rough-grade to topsoil, mulch beds, patios, sidewalks and grass seed. Wednesday the 20th Smudge got out on our way to work and didn't return. The landscapers said she tried to get in during the day. We have not seen her since that morning. We have been out with flyers and had 3 calls of people spotting her in the watershed area of the development. My concern is that she does not know how to get home. So much dirt and mulch (that smells like manure) has been brought in....did it cover her scent and is she truly lost and can't find her way? What can I do to bait her home? We're going to do a trap on Thursday but I have heard there are a few cats living there so not sure if we'll get our baby back. My 5-year old cries nightly. Smudge's 3rd birthday is October 8th. She does have a microchip and has been reported missing but no word yet from any shelter or vet. Her collar was off (it was a new one and it needed to be tighter as it kept falling off so I took it off to "do later" and she runs out that morning UGH!). She is fixed and still has her claws (wouldn't think of removing them for situations like this). Any thoughts on the scent thing or tips to lure her home?

Im very sorry your kitty is missing. Someone with more experience should come along soon. In the meantime, you can do a search on here for "lost" and it should give you some tips. Good luck I hope you find your baby ......

You can try sprinkling some of her used litter around the yard to give her some scent to follow. You may have to trap her using a humane trap. They can usually be rented from local shelters or humane society.

Please keep us updated

She probably is close by -has she ever been outside before??? The best time to call for her in about 11-12 pm. Things should be pretty quiet and you could be able to hear her. There are probably alot of new noises and smells that she isn't used to. Do you have a blanket or something with her smell on that you can put outside by the door for her. I would canvas every house in a 1/2 mile radius to alert them of your cat. Any signs should have a brief description-like for instance "black and white " cat missing not black on white tuxedo cat missing.
Good luck in finding her-keep us informed!!

Thank you! I didn't think of the litter (great idea!). I do have a few blankets which were hers that I can put outside.

I did print flyers with her photo and distributed them on Sunday through the whole development. I also have it going into the sunday newspaper (it's the only day this one paper publishes and it's the most read). I've gotten a few calls but nothing solid.

I have been up several different times throughout the night but nothing. Since there is new dirt with grass seed I can see if there are any paw prints. There was one set and I got really excited so I put food in the garage with one of my shirts with the door open just enough to let a small animal in and right before bed I spotted a cat coming in the garage for the food but it wasn't Smudgie. It was a small black cat and the paw prints are about the size of that cat. I don't believe she comes around at all. I wonder if someone has her. I hope if that's the case that they will take her to a vet who will scan her microchip. I mailed flyers to all the vets and the vet hospitals in the area. This is just not like her. Yes (btw), she does go out daily but never goes far.

Thanks again for your tips...I appreciate them greatly!

sending prayers and vibes to Smudge to come home safely. Please tell your 5 year-old that people all around the world are praying and wishing that Smudge will come home to her family very, very soon. Actually, it's probably a good thing that you'd taken her collar off right before she took off; she's much safer outside without it. I hope that spreading her litter works - they really seem to respond to that! another hopeful sign in that there are other cats living outside around there - shows that the predator-threat isn't as high as one might fear. I'll keep checking this post for updates. Hugs, Susan

sending lots of good vibes
I"ve been around cats all my life and I"ve learn"t a lot about them have you seen my thread "cat talk" you should read it and try it its about a certain noise that all cats do

I will check your thread out.....thank you to you and everyone who has posted ideas and support. Thank you for checking for updates and praying for her to come home. I appreciate all of it.

You also may want to try this advice:

Best Friendsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] Animal Radio recently interviewed Kat Albrecht, author of The Lost Pet Chronicles, and she gave some very good advice on finding a lost cat:

Most people donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t differentiate between searching for a dog and searching for a cat, which is a huge mistake, because they are like apples and oranges. Cats are territorial, so when an indoor cat escapes outside, they feel displaced into unfamiliar territory. A displaced cat (and also an injured or sick cat) will hide and they will be silent. So walking around and calling the catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s name doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t work.

What that cat does is to look for the first place where she can hide, and she will stay there. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had people who have recovered their cats six weeks later, and the cat was two houses down, living under the neighborâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s house or under their deck.

Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve actually recovered lots of cats by treating them like ferals and setting a humane trap. These cats will sit there and watch and even listen to their person calling, but they will usually not respond.

Eventually, some of them will reach a threshold point between the seventh and tenth day where they finally do meow or they go into the humane trap, but many of them, especially the ones with skittish temperaments, just continue to hide.

As for a cat who is used to going outside, we really do advocate making your cats indoor-only. However, if an indoor/outdoor cat does go missing, it may be that theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been chased by a dog or beat up by another cat. They may run into an unfamiliar area, and they may hide in fear as well, or than can be transported out of the area by crawling into a car or the back of a truck.

Outdoor cats are still territorial. They donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t generally travel great distances by themselves, so theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re going to be found within their territory or just beyond it. Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll want to get into your neighborâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s yard to search under their porch, under their house, and in potential areas where the cat is trapped, because, again, the behavior of an injured or sick cat is that they will crawl in or under something thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s familiar to them and they will hide. And again, they wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t answer your call.

We rented a trap from the SPCA but only gone one who was wild (and smelly). A family fell in love with him on the way into the SPCA and adopted him. I don't know how well he'll do but good for them.

As for our girl, nothing yet. We put the trap where I had gotten reports of sightings but nothing. We still have no grass (the grass seeds seem to have washed away) but loads of soft soil but no paw prints. I have 3 ads in newspapers and nothing. My husband went out looking under decks etc. but didn't find her. I just don't understand where she could be. Her birthday is October 8th and my daughter made her a birthday hat and gift before she disappeared. She cries every night. We have another cat (Chini Alfredo Pierogi DeRoberto lol) but it's not the same without our Smudge. Even Alfredo is lost without her.

Thanks for the help. I truly appreciate it.

It is 2 weeks today and she's still not home. I have had several calls of people thinking they've spotted her and one who thought they had her but nothing yet. We're not going to give up.

I hope you find your kitty soon. Just like you said, Dont give up!".

Don't give up-please keep checking the area shelters too!!

Today is her 3rd birthday I went to the SPCA to return the trap as there were other people waiting for it but I put my name on the list to get it again. I checked the back room of cats who were incoming and not processed yet. I got my hopes up because the girl said she thought a cat came in with Smudge's description but it wasn't her. Then I got a call from a woman who thought she had Smudge but it wasn't. My daughter cried all evening because she had made her a hat before she left and we had a party planned. I promised her we'd have a party when she comes back, trying to be optimistic that she'll just return on her own. I sprinkled more litter tonight, put fresh canned food out both in the front and back and my son and I walked the neighborhood in the dark shaking the bagged food, calling her name and listening to see if she called out to us but no luck.

Come home Smudge!!!

Please come home Smudge .......

You know, certain people just shouldn't work at pet stores

I go to Pet Smart with my 2 kids (5 and 8 years old) being that we have another cat (kitten). My 5-year old starts telling a sales clerk who was stocking the shelves that her Smudgie is missing and we miss her. The woman asks how long she's been gone and I tell her 4 1/2 weeks and she's got the nerve to say "oh honey, I hate to tell you this but after 4 weeks she's either living with someone or dead but she probably won't be back". First of all, I have heard MANY stories of cats who go into hiding and are found 2-3 months later living only a few doors down under someone's deck etc. 3 people in my development have had this happen to them personally. Secondly, it's not that woman's business to tell my kids this. Would she tell them there's no such thing as Santa, too? If my husband and I have hope then my god my kids should be entitled to have hope.

As for Smudge, we had food on both the front and back porches. The food sat there for 3 weeks getting stale and then one day it was eaten! The animal that ate it was QUITE hungry to say the least. So, we put more food out. It took 3 more days but the food was eaten. We went and picked up a trap on Friday and set it out but the food is still there and nothing caught. A neighbor (old lady behind me) stated she thought she saw Smudge eating the food and figured we found her. I have to take this with a grain of salt because of her age and distance from our home. I also don't want to get my hopes up in case it's not her. I put fresh food out tonight and am hoping something comes around soon so we know either way if it's her. We have fresh cat prints on the dirt where we're trying to grow grass so I know it's not a skunk or anything.