Should I Still Be Hoping My Missing Cat Will Come Home?

How likely is it that a cat will return home after 3 months? My beloved George went out for his regular evening prowl on April the 3rd and I haven't seen him since.

George's mother was a feral cat that I have been feeding since she was a kitten. She had her first litter (she has since been spayed) but didn't take very good care of them.  By the time I found the kittens George was the only one still alive and he was so weak that he couldn't walk. I brought him into the house, half expecting him to die overnight, and fed him. He was such a tough little guy and started eating straight away. I took him to the vet, got him treated for worms and other stomach problems and he was soon eating huge amounts of food. Two years later he's grown to a sturdy 6 kilos.

He's always had outdoor access, I live in the country so there isn't much around here except for fields and woods, and he regularly stays out overnight or sometimes for as long as 24 hours. He's neutered, so I don't think he goes looking for females or starting fights with other tom cats. When he comes home after his nights out he never seems that hungry, which makes me think he is hunting and eating what he catches. However, he's never been gone for so long before.

I've done everything I can think of to find him. Searched the whole area, including empty barns he may have got into, called all the vets and animal rescue centres, registered him as missing at the town hall and animal control centre, put posters up all over town. (I replace these with new posters and a different picture of him every month, the latest poster offers a reward for any information.) I've also spoken to two different animal psychics, who weren't a lot of help, and George's picture is broadcast daily on the lost pet spot on our local TV channel.

I'm trying to stay hopeful. I know he knows this area well and seems to be able to hunt. He'd occasionally bring me home little "gifts" of mice and frogs. There are no predators in this area big enough to take a full grown cat and people keep their dogs chained up or indoors. I call animal control regularly to ask if any cats have been turned in or found dead on the roads, they keep records of this kind of thing and have promised to let me know about ANY cats they find, even the ones who look nothing like George. I have the feeling he is still alive out there somewhere, probably having a fine old time roaming around the woods. It's really heartbreaking not to have him at home. I've had a lot of cats but he really is a special one.

I know some people find their pets months or even years after they go missing but I think these cases must be the exception rather than the norm. How likely is it that I'll ever find George again?

My heart goes out to you.. this is such a sad situation as we want to know so much where our loved animals are.

But of course we just don't know the answer.. maybe someone has taken him and wants to keep him, although if he is used to being outside he would probably not take kindly to being enclosed.  Perhaps he has joined a feral group or, as you say, just decided to go it alone for a while. It is impossible to know.

Of course cats do return.. it has certainly happened. I would not give up hope and would keep doing what you are doing.

Maybe someone here can offer more ideas for you.

In the meantime, I send you lots of good wishes for the welfare of your George.

You just never know.   Have you already looked at this?  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/248019/tips-for-finding-a-lost-cat

that some day you are George are reunited

Thank you for all the good wishes. I say little prayers for George all the time, hoping that he is safe and well and finding food somewhere.

I think I've tried most of the things recommended on the Tips For Finding A Lost Cat - except for the pet detective. I'm not sure if they even have them in Japan, a Google search didn't come up with anything.

If anyone knows of a pet detective in Japan could they let me know?

So, here's an update on my search for George. Even though he has been missing for 3 months, 2 weeks and 1 day now I'm not going to give up. I figure that (1) I live in a very small town, (2) He is registered with Animal Control and the Town Hall department that deal with road kill and (3) the Japanese are VERY careful about keeping records of what goes on around town. If he'd been hit by a car or if a dead cat had been found in a park or field someone would have called city hall to ask them to deal with it. Also, he was wearing a collar. I know it's possible to lose a collar but if he'd been killed a day or two after he first went missing it would have still been on. I'm sure I'd know by now if George was dead.

I managed to find a pet detective that operates out of Tokyo but SOOOOO expensive. They put camera's up in all the places cat's hang out and, if a cat that looks like George shows up, they set traps. However, I go to all the local cat hang outs on a daily basis and I'm in touch with two other people who feed feral colonies. They've both been very helpful and have sent me photo's of cats from their colonies that are the same colour as George, but he hasn't shown up there yet. I think that, until I get a positive sighting of George, there isn't much point on shelling out on a pet detective.

I think that George has either headed into the forest and is living the life of a wild cat or that someone has taken him in and is caring for him. I'm hoping that it's the latter. Even though there are no predators big enough to take a full grown cat it's a huge forest and I don't like the idea of my boy being in there on his own for so long.

So I'm trying to stay positive and do something proactive every day to find him.

,
But, oh where IS he?

What a beautiful kitty! I do hope he comes home to you soon!

How rural is your area? Are there a lot of farmers around? Or houses with large tracts of land? He may be getting food that way --- especially if there are other cats around. And if he's not very friendly with people, then I'd guess they wouldn't immediately notice him. Perhaps you could also set up cameras around the feral feeding station. George may be eating there, but not in front of the feeds. I bought a camera from Amazon.com in the US and had a friend ship it out to me.

My kitty went missing a few weeks before George did, and she just came home last week. It can happen. If you are sure there are no predators and animal control hasn't called, then there's really no reason, as you've said, to believe he is dead.

I recommend joining the Yahoo Group Missing Cat Assistance as well--many people on there are looking for outdoor-access cats, which I believe works a bit differently than looking for indoor-only. The group is full of good ideas--I actually hired a pet detective (albeit online only), but in retrospect, she really didn't tell me anything I couldn't have learned from that group. I don't think it is worth the $$$.

I see you are based in Japan--I used to live there a few years ago, even adopted a street kitty from there!

Good luck, I found (rural) Japanese people so helpful!!

Hi lagay,

Thank you for your message. It really cheers me up to hear that people still find their cats after they've been missing for so long. How did you manage to get your cat back? Did she come home on her own or did you find her somewhere?

The area I live in is very rural, it's a village right on the edge of the Fuji National Park so as you can imagine there are plenty of places a cat could hide. But, as you said, people here are very helpful and I occasionally get calls from people who've seen a cat like George. I'm staying hopeful.

Thanks for the advice about the Yahoo group, I'm going to check it out now.

I was glad to see that "lagay" shared her story on her Zhu Zhu whom has since returned home after three months. THERE IS HOPE!!!! Please hang in there and I am sending mega, gigantic vibes that your beautiful George will soon be found. :cross:

Never give up hope and try to visualize him safe and sound and being loved by somebody. Keep looking while reassuring yourself that such a handsome boy would be picked up and brought home by someone.

You have so much advice here that I am just giving you a big hug and reaffirming you might be the exception to the rule.

he's sooooo handsome...

Thank you eicanfly, I think so too.

Lots of people have said he looks a bit like Maru, the Scottish Fold that is so popular on YouTube. I think that's a good thing because Maru is a real superstar in Japan.

I'm hoping that because George is so cute looking someone will be taking care of him

Hi, I can only imagine how
Might feel , after so much care being given to your kittie that needed you so desperately. I would like to think he is happy and well. Even though not in his usual place. He may be very busy with some cat intuitional traits and I wonder how did you get knowledge of the local animal resque org? I ask because in some countries there are no such organization for animal. I wonder does the dept. of agriculture have reports of domestic animal activity?

Hi Assul,

Yes, I'm hoping he's out on important cat business somewhere. This place seems to be a real paradise for cats.

There are no government run animal rescue organizations in Japan, just charities that are run by animal lovers. I found these by searching on the internet. Strangely, most of them seem to be run by foreigners living in Japan.

The forestry department keeps a record of domestic animal activity in this area. They are responsible for making sure all the bears, deer and wild boar stay in the forest and they are also responsible for collecting any road kill. They keep records of everything they find, so they're always the first people I call when one of my cats goes missing.

I've just come back from another long walk to look for George and replace any flyers that are missing. The ones I put up have rip off strips with my phone number on the bottom and some, particularly the ones near the schools, have had lots of numbers taken. It's good to know all those school kids are looking out for him.

I've also found that all the posters I put up near the garbage collection spots have had numbers taken from them too. This might be a good place to put flyers if anyone else loses a pet. I guess every household in the neighbourhood has to go there at least twice a week, and usually early in the morning when cats might be out trying to look through the garbage sacks for food. 

I can't offer TOO much help in the way of finding him, but I can offer encouragement!  I work as a volunteer at my local no-kill shelter.  One woman had been coming there every week for years.  She eventually gave up, and just a few days after she failed to visit us on her usual schedule, we found him!  She and her cat were reunited after being apart for almost 6 years!  THERE IS HOPE!

Praying for you, I have high hopes!

BTW!  If this is an option, you could set up his own FaceBook.  Once you gain a large friend base, you will have a lot more people who know who he is, what he looks like, etc.  That is at least another pair of eyes valiantly searching for him.

Hello KittenGirl,

That's amazing, I'm so glad that she was able to find her cat again. I wonder where he had been? It would be great if they could talk to us and tell us about their adventures. Some of the strays I feed have disappeared for months at a time and suddenly turned up to be fed again. It encourages me to keep looking for George, if they can survive out there on their own then so can he.

Thanks for the suggestion about the Facebook page. My husband sent George's picture to everyone on his Facebook and Mixi (The Japanese equivalent to Facebook) friend list, but maybe George should have his own Facebook too.

I'm thinking of investing in a trail camera and setting up a few feeding sites further afield. I know all the strays in this area, as they come to my house to be fed, but I thought I'd try some of the other places that cats congregate. The people who feed these cats have sent me pictures of any cats turning up for food that look like George, which was really helpful. He hasn't been seen yet, but you never know....

Thanks for all your words of encouragement.

Cats are strange, wonderful creatures, as I'm sure you already know! Zhu Zhu came back on her own after 3 1/2 months--fatter than when she left. I highly suspect someone took her in--she's a cute kitty and only has a microchip, no collar. Like in Japan, I think, nobody would check for that microchip either.

She had no ear mites or fleas, so my vet thinks definitely she was inside someone's house the whole time! They probably assumed she was a friendly stray. This, despite the fact I papered the entire district with lost cat posters, replaced them regularly and offered a substantial (for China) reward, no one came forward with her.

I think a wildlife cam/kitty buffet combo is a great tool in the cat search. Lets you know who is in the area. I bought a Primos camera (anyway, the cheapest on Amazon) and felt it worked well--lets you eliminate certain areas from the search, and find out which cats are in the area. Best money I spent during the whole ordeal, even though it technically didn't work for me, it made me feel I was making progress~

Hi lagay,

Yes, you're right. Cats never fail to amaze me with their guile and ingenuity. I think that's why so many people admire them. It's no wonder we say they have 9 lives.

I've started leaving food in a graveyard about a mile form my house where I've often seen stray cats. I don't have a camera yet, but I've found a good spot over looking the graveyard where I can watch what goes on. (Now I'm really a Mad Cat Lady, hanging out in graveyards in the middle of the night.) I stay for about an hour, then come back again as soon as it gets light to collect the bowls. I haven't seen any cats yet, but the bowls are always licked clean and it smells as if cats hang out there. I'm going to keep going back until the cats understand that there is food there every night, be which time I should have a camera to film who turns up.

I think that a lot of the things we do and the money we spend when we're looking for our cats is mainly to make us feel that we're doing something, even if it doesn't actually lead to the cat being found. It's better than sitting at home going crazy, anyway.

I'm glad to hear that Zhu Zhu was being taken care of. Cats are very good at use at using their charm to win people over, aren't they? They seem to know how cute they are.

Got myself a Trail Cam!

It took a while to get here, had to have it shipped from the States, but in the meantime I've been leaving food in two potential cat hangouts for the past 2 weeks. I used the camera for the first time last night and was able to film three different cats coming up to be fed. None of them looked anything like George, but it's made me think that it might still be possible to find him.

Has anyone got any experience of using a trail cam to find a missing cat? I'm not sure how long I should keep feeding in one spot before moving on to another. I guess that different cats might come to be fed every night so maybe a week of filming in one place before moving somewhere else? Also, what kind of food smells the strongest? I've been using packets of chicken cat food, which smells pretty strong to me, but maybe fish would be better?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

I'm by no means an expert, but I felt five/six days was enough to gauge who was coming to eat, and when. Now, not every cat will appear every day, and I'm not sure there are any patterns to it. I used cheapo dry food mixed with warmed tuna (to carry the scent) and would have cats waiting for me! I read somewhere else that fish sauce was smelly, so I mixed it with water in a jumbo-sized spray bottle (one where you pump a few times and it continuously sprays, think you could get it at a hardware store) and sprayed around the trees and bushes. Seemed to attract more cats that way as well.

 Good Luck!

Thanks for the advice Lagay.

I got some Nampura fish sauce to spay around the areas I'm feeding and filming and a couple more cats showed up. There seems to be one big tom and a couple of females. They look like a pretty well established family group so I don't think George can be there. I'm going to try a new spot tonight.

I have to say this trail cam is a lot of fun.