Huey

I am writing to hopefully get some information to help me detrmine whether or not some tiny nails..which look exactly like cat nails found in wild animal droppings next to my home are the remains of my beloved cat Huey who went missing 60 hrs. ago.  My family is in a heart stopping disbelief and heartbroken devastation ..we have not stopped looking day and night..we live in an area surrounded by woods..but the 3 dogs were out when I let him out that morning so I thought if there was anything out there..they would alert me.

Today, right next to the house, we foundthe remains of a songbird..feathers and allot of down..nothing else..just feathers..and amongst the feathers I found some wild animal scat..about an inch long ..just a packed tight bullet of dry hair..mousey brown in color.I pulled this apart and found 3 tiny claws identical to cat nails..they are bicolored..NOT white..darker on the upside and more flesh-like..neutal on the bottom half of the curve.  My beloved Huey was a tuxedo..black with a pur white chest and paws.  I clip his nails regularly, but I have 4 cats and cannot remember what color his little nails are.  I have 2 grey tigers..their nails are white( one of these kitties is Hueys sister.  I have one long haired tri-colored kitty..her nails are white.  I have been desperately searching on line for some information which would eliminate these nails as my kitty's.  I know it is a very real and likely possibility that he was taken by a predator..I have been looking for signs pointing to this and this is probably the sign.  I am reaching out to this community of people for input.  We are a broken family right now.

than you for your input

What kind of predators do you have in your area.
 

What you found was probably an owl pellet. They eat songbirds along with small animals so it fits. They eat their prey mostly whole and hack up all the indigestible bits (fur, claws, beaks, bones, etc.). Large owls can take cats but I doubt they would eat the paws, so in my opinion, those are not cat claws. It is of course, sadly possible that a predator got Huey but I wouldn't take your find as proof.

I'm sorry Huey is missing . Have you checked with all the vet clinics, animal shelters, animal control agencies, etc. in the area? Have you knocked on all your neighboors' doors and asked them to check their garages, barns, and sheds, in case he got locked in accidentally? Put up posters in all places with bulletin boards?

Thank you for your prompt reply.  A Friend's immediate response to my description of the scene was the same as yours...owl scat...We do have barred owls around, but, as you expressed, she felt it was unlikely a bard owl would take a 9-10 pound cat..we do not see horned owls in this part of the state of Vermont.  Re: to vets/humane society's etc.  We live on 200 + acres..in rural Vermont.  We have no neighbors..very far from main roads etc...that being said..I am going to take every precaution and call all you suggest in the morning..Around our home is all cleared and landscaped..and surrounded by mown fields..then it is all woods and old roads etc.  the bloodhound, once he scented a toy which only Huey played with , took up through the woods and directly to some poop..about 1/3 mi. from the house..after he had totally ignored deer poop and bear droppings etc..this was no doubt from Huey..I feed the cats a high quality commercial raw diet and I recognized the shredded, minced up vegetables and I actually validated that it was a domestic cat by getting down and smelling it..there was no question.  The bloodhound was intensely on the scent for a while and then the activity ended..which I realize could mean Huey was caught by a predator there..we did not see any signs of remains ..we have been taking turns staying in that area..quietly..listening and calling..then early afternoon , my husband noticed the bird feathers which were not there yesterday.. I apologize for rambling..I cannot eat or sleep and I appreciate being able to share this with someone tonight..

thank you

Carol
 

We are keeping our fingers crossed that you find Huey.  

thank you. Of course, I see your kitties safely indoors and I ask myself how I could have gotten complacent..we have 3 large energetic dogs and I always let them out for a while before the cats..and have come to assume they will keep the immediate area clear of any threats to the cats.  How one unconscious move on my part because I was tired and Huey was yelling to get out.. could change our lives

We do have coyotes, fox, fischer cats, owls..in this part of Vermont..We have not heard the coyotes being active lately..we see fox rarely..we have never seen a fisher cat here..but all of these do inhabit surrounding
 

Don't beat yourself up.  Continue to search the area for your cat.  I might even put something of Hueys outside, maybe even his litter box to see if it would entice him to come out from hiding.  Don't give up hope.  There are outside cameras that you can get to set up on a tree.  They are activated by motion.  If you are financially able, you might consider going to Wal Mart and getting one.  They are less than a hundred bucks and might just get a picture of your cat in the area where you tracked him too.  Remember cats have a good hunting instinct.  They can climb and hide.  Keep searching.

I am so sorry about your lost Huey. I hope that he will return to you or you can find him very soon. Hope this helps, some suggestions for finding a lost kitty. http://www.thecatsite.com/t/248019/tips-for-finding-a-lost-cat for Huey. Keep us posted.

To all of Huey's followers,

I  am not certain as to how to post a message you can all read..not sure if it just goes to the last post..

We have not found our little guy.

I have been completely focused on the task at hand so have not taken the time to check in with all of you.  We had a bloodhound out here within 24 hrs...to try and establish an area..which we did..although ..to get an uncontaminated scent article for a kitty who lives with 3 other kitties and 3 large dogs is tough..so how successful we were with that affected the search..but you have to choose to go with something..and we did..after that day we searched and quietly spent time in that area..then I had a certified MAR lost pet investigation representative come out..we did posters..based on GPS mapped out territories etc..and covered every conceivable angle..that was Wed.  we set out motion sensitive cameras..we borrowed high powered night binoculars as we are seeing eyes at night and wanted to be able to decipher the body.

I had an extensive consultation with the "Go - to" predator guru in Vermont...and had a list of very specific questions Re: to where our property is located..and typical behavior patterns of the predators which are right here..I must go..as I have much to do before dark, but I wanted to thank you for your support..

I am also wondering what your experiences with a pet communicator in finding lost cats is..I had only used one once for a sick kitty..which was extremely difficult for conventional vet to get a diagnosis on..I actually got desperate yesterday..and called one who had been recommended by a local cat rescue org...she told me he was unquestionably dead..predator..happeded very shortly after I let him out..she was getting no life signs from him at all..her name was Hilary?...Calm Pet services or something..so needless to say I was in shock..and I know I have to allow for this..as it is highly possible given where I live..but given who I am..I will not give up until I have concrete evidence.  I appreciate any honest feed back on this.

C
 

hno: C.... I have also used an animal communicator at times. :nod: My SIL uses one too and lost a cat the same way. :shame: I am sorry that Huey is not back and I am not sure what to tell you as to whether you should believe the animal communicator or not. It is obvious you love Huey very much. :heart3: It is really hard to not continue to hope and dream that your beloved Huey will come home. Sending you loads of vibes and strength to get through this somehow.

Thank you for your kindness.  I am learning so much about myself through this time.  I had not fully realized that I am person who cannot give up hope unless there is concrete evidence showing me it is time to let go.  I find that if I am fully engaged in the process of doing everything I can to support Huey's safe return, if, in fact, he is still alive, 1.  I do not have the time or energy to spend in placing blame on myself for having let him out that particular morning..2.  I am meeting some truly loving , kind people in my immediate community who are all routing for Huey's being reunited with his family and 3. Tapping in to the incredible support and information there is out there in cyberspace.  this process has expanded my heart to be more compassionate to others going through the grief of not knowing what has happened to their beloved companion..I used to judge those people..thinking..How could they have been so careless as to have let that little one out of their sight...I am now one of them,,,We are flawed as humans aren't we?..and then , sometimes, on the other side of those mistakes..our life becomes different.

good Night for now.

Carol

Oh Carol, you have me in tears. Only because what you say is so true. We do learn and even gain so much from these life tradegy and losses. I have such empathy for what you are going through and know your pain. You are not alone and we all do our best to care for our kitties. Once we experience what we once thought another was careless, we see how quickly we are to judge and that one day we might be walking in their shoes, so to speak. But, please don't be so hard on yourself, Huey couldn't have been loved more and wherever he is..... he knows this. :heart3:

Carol, do you have a photo of Huey?  I just always think it helps when people send that there's a picture we can visualise.

I do hope this turns out well for you and Huey.. I know how much it hurts..

I apologize for not responding..I do not know how I missed your post...I am going to try and send a photo of Huey now...I am not good at that stuff but will try..

thank you for the suggestion.

Carol
 

Ctrl/Cmd+V

Hi Carol, your photo isn't showing up properly and when I clicked the link it took me to Google sign in.
If you'd like some help uploading photos I'd be happy to help!

I have no idea how to post photo..I have a photo in one of my e-mails which I used to print out posters to help in my search for Huey...and just tried ..what obviously failed..any help is most appreciated

This might help give you some pointers on posting pictures. http://www.thecatsite.com/a/image-and-video-tutorial MORE for Huey.