HELP. Cat is MISSING

anna mae

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MY friend's cat is missing for 4 days. His brother has been home nursing a sore paw and won't go out. There is a strange cat leaving dead mice at her door and hanging around the yard. Any thoughts as to what's going on and how to find her cat Copper??? Please help.
 

pami

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This is from one of our Advisor's on this site, Katie (TNR1)


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.

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callista

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Are you sure it's a strange cat leaving the mice? What I mean is it might be your cat, hiding somewhere, hunting... I don't see why a strange cat would leave presents for people it didn't know?
 

catsknowme

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Originally Posted by Larke

The missing cat's brother is the injured one, not the lost one.
Maybe the new cat ran off the missing cat and caused the injuries on his brother. I agree that it would be unusual for a strange cat to leave mice on the door unless she is considering your friend's place her territory now - just like in an old-fashioned western where the new guys run off the sheriff and his posse.
Your friend might leave food and the missing cat's scent in the outskirts of the yard, in case the missing cat is intimidated to go to the doors. It will encourage him to stay close by. Please keep us posted! Sending prayers and vibes that the missing cat comes home soon
Susan
 

tabbytail

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I sure hope he comes home. My indoor-outdoor cat has been missing for a month as of yesterday
He was mostly inside, but had to get out once in awhile. The longer you refuse him his outside time, the longer he'd stay gone the next time. He had been missing four days before but came back. He's very sweet, loves to roll over on his back and purr, and is like the "Benji" dog of the neighborhood, more like a puppy than a kitty, often following kids home. I can only hope he's with someone who loves him and not hurt but of course I always presume the worst in my fears and tears. I have tried everything, except crawling under everyone's deck which I am afraid to do. It makes me sad to think he might still be around and afraid to come home (there are cats around here who scare him). I hope he isn't hungry or worse. I still hope one day I'll look out there and see his precious face again.
 
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anna mae

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Tuesday after Christmas he came home, completely uninjured but skinny.

Copper's brother had been refusing to go out but did so on tuesday. After an hour or so Copper came home. Then there were a few tense hours until his brother came back. The stray hasn't been around since.

My friend said Copper is very mild mannered and she has never seen him fight about anything. We figured the stray came around and Copper took off. His brother (Hermie) must have battled with it to get the sore paw and stayed in the house to recoupe. Meanwhile, the stray made the mouse offering, my friend saw him leaving it and shooded him away.

I told her to leave unwashed clothing (would have their scent on it) around outside incase Copper was out of his territory, it might lead him back to his yard. Also for her and her husband to walk around the yard talking might bring Copper out of hiding and keep the stray away. But she felt the only real hope was for Hermie to go out and find his brother. And she was right, Copper came home after Hermie finally went outside.

These two cats were the offspring of a ferral cat that gave birth in my friends garage. The mother cat had taught them to hunt and survive but disappeared after about 6 months. My friend spent years gaining their trust and getting them to come inside the house.

So, they are both home now, the stray is no where around, all is good. Thanks to everyone for your help and concern, it's nice to know you're alway there.
 

hissy

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Please get him to the vet immediatley, have them check his liver values, do a CBC and a fecal.
 
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