Urgent advice needed cat gone what to do.

You obviously really love and miss your kitty, and I am just sorry that you are going through so much anxiety with this all.

I know it's probably not much comfort in what others have to say or advise, the fact is, he is still gone.

I admire the great lengths you are doing and have done to get him back, and I hope one of them pays off, or he just simply shows back up, which is usually the way a missing cat gets back home.

You can't continue to hold guilt about the window, it's hindsight now, and does no good at all.

You wonder if he is dead? Take yourself out of the picture and all the emotions right now and take a good look at the situation.

What does your gut instinct tell you? Why would you think or wonder if he is dead? There are no coyotes, there are too many regular ferals around there and theyre all safe, you walk plenty and would surely have seen him laying in the road had he been hit.

The worry has a way of causing us to imagine the worst case scenarios, yet when it all comes out, it was all for nothing and it will make perfect sense when he does return.

Hang in there!

Catwoman everybody shout to the heavens. I just saw my cat sasha at 1:00a.m.. Having been out driving the sub division again he crossed the walk right in front of the stop sign. I couldn't believe it! Now the bad news I don't have him. I stopped my car got out and called his name. And he stopped looked at me at the corner house and didn't know what to do.

So he went under the bushes and stayed there, I went back to my car and go a can of food trying to coax him out. It didn't work. He ran across the street again to another house and stayed under the bush. He didn't run fast like afraid but rather a catch me if you can kind of thing. So I tried to approach and he got away somewhere in the back yards around there.  I lost sight and I didn't want to piss off the neighbors at 1a.m.

He was only about two blocks away .3 tenths of a mile that's it. So about that time a car pulled up. It turns out this house has been converted to several apts. I talked to the boyfriend-girlfriend. They said many cats around there and the guy on the corner feeds them. So probably Sasha is getting food there what do you think?

So I left I don't want to push him farther away. But he looked good he wasn't hurt or beat up. I can't believe in one weeks time how thick his coat is now, wow..

So analyze this people what is he doing. Non-neutured looking for females? Enjoying his freedom? So does he even want to be caught and be my pet again? I am very happy he is alive for sure and want him back.

So my plan is to cancel the flyers, talk to all the neighbors at that area and the guy who feeds them. I was thinking I should get a live trap, I don't know what else to do. What do you think? Do you think he will stay in this area for a bit?

He knows me why is he doing this? hes out for female kitty women lol....Do you think he knows his way back home still? So the boyfriend-girlfriend are on the lookout and will be telling others. Their going to try and catch him I don't see that happening....9 days out now!

I'm not giving up!

That's great! So glad to hear he is alive and well.

It sounds like the guy that feeds stray cats might be a good person to talk to, if Sasha is going to his yard to be fed maybe he would let you put your trap there? December is kind of a strange time of year to be looking for female cats. I don't think any of them would be on heat, would they? February is so cold, any kittens born then would have very little chance of surviving.

Maybe he's just enjoying his freedom.

Good luck with the trapping.

I know its not mating season this whole thing is crazy. He knows its me and he knows I want him back. It warm up to 23 tonight, I hope he stays put. The humane society is loaning me a trap later today. One thing good about the snow I saw a lot of cat tracks so I know where they are. But finding out where the feral cat feeders in the neighborhood are was critical, he had to find a food source. And explains why he hasn't come home. This truly is detective work.

It's not going to be easy to live trap him. First off I will be trapping many others and letting them go but I don't think Sasha will go in the trap hes too dam smart. Any ideas?

You can run Sasha but you can't hide I'm coming to get you, vacation is over.

Will keep you posted.

So very happy he has been spotted.  Good luck with the trap.  It may take a few tries as you may catch other stray/feral cats.  That's ok just keep trying.  Keep us all updated!

Very very happy for you.  Don't ask questions as to why he is doing this. They have no answer. Cats are evolutionarily very close to wild animals.  Now you can focus on getting him back.  Talk to the guy who's feeding.  He might even be able to pick your cat up.  You're really close and you will get him back. :-)

Re-read the last line in the last post I left for you

It's not a bad thing to worry, and drive yourself crazy wondering why/where and thinking it must be the worse scenario, we all do it.

But your emotions are the ones involved so it's to be expected.   I was trying to keep you at least semi-grounded.

He is clearly eating well, which was the concern knowing the guy next door feeds, but I also had a feeling there are others around feeding as well, which is usually the case when there are outdoor cats.

It's nearly impossible to know all the spots where they get food, some people feed regularly, some randomly.

His fur is quickly getting thick and plush, natures winter coat

Sadly he didn't come to you because he sees you as the threat to his freedom, which is obviously stronger than his need to be safe and loved by you. Nothing personal either! Just what is driving him to roam.

Mating season or not, it's his intact state that keeps him out there, despite the cold. He can also cause a female to go into heat. Kittens are born year round everywhere, but it's just not noticed as it is during the enormous spring season, when we get a tidalwave of kittens. (which btw starts in Feb, meaning December romances are happening NOW)

Honestly, I am looking at this realistically, and it looks to me like you are going to have quite the time, trying to catch him before he is ready........at least now you know he is nearby, not hungry, not frozen somewhere, not taken inside someones home, not lost.....

For that I hope it helps you to relax a bit. I know you want him home, and it will happen sometime, but unfortunately it is when HE is ready. 

Right good advice everyone. On my way to get a trap and talk to the feeder. Isn't there an expression that cats own you, you don't own the cat something like that. I have a difficult time ahead of me catching me.

So cat woman since he is 2-3 blocks away, I guess there is a chance he may wander more correct? Also do you still think he is not lost and knows he's way back to my house?

KA

Despite the fact that he is thoroughly enjoying his 'time out' roaming, cats instinctually will not roam too far from home, as he does know where his home is.

It is said that a male cat will roam up to a mile from home if it means mating, but that is not the common of a few blocks away.

He might go a bit further, but I would bet not. After 8 days out and he is still close by, it's unlikely he will go any further than that.

And YES, he def. knows where 'home' is 2-3 blocks away is not lost for a cat who is well acclimated. He is def. acclimated after 6 months.

Hi i just got the trap and talked to Pete the guy on the corner who feeds the cats. He was kinda difficult hard of hearing. He thought he might have saw Sasha but wasn't sure. I then told him I spotted my cat 12 hours ago right on this corner. He told me he has 6 cats, and feeds many more outside that come around.

I asked him if I could put a trap out and he said no. He was worried that I would trap one of his or others and worried what that might do to the cats. He kept saying he doubted my cat would return and that he knows of 5 males that would probably chase my cat off. So I gave him pictures and a flyer and he said he would be on the lookout. Then he said he would put his own trap out and monitor it. So we will see.

I then talked to a landlord who live next door to the apartment home. He agreed to let me put down the live trap as long as I monitored it. So that's a good thing. he says neighborhood infested with cats and he sees more then a dozen next door at Pete's house that he feeds.

So I got to decide what to do with the trap We have a big storm heading in with 6-7 inches of snow Sat. Sure enough as I drove two blocks back home I counted 7 cats running around houses.

This won't be easy to find him again. Maybe last night was my last chance but I'll keep trying not giving up. He may even return home.

KA

Hi everyone. After yesterday morning I had a little doubt the cat I saw was my Sasha. I was 95% sure which was pretty good. Now I'm 100% positive.This morning I went at the exact time 1:00a.m to the same house. And there was Sasha on the side walk this time underneath the streetlight. He knows my car as he slept in it during the winter 2009 when he was a kitten. I stopped the car, slowly walked toward him, and this time he let me get about 20 ft away and then bolted toward the backyard like a jack rabbit. Obviously someone is feeding him or he has found food he had energy. This is like a game or something to him I guess. So this is day 10 for his freedom and he seems to be enjoying it much.

I guess the good thing is he hasn't traveled since last night. Which tells me that he must have a food source, and there probably is a female or a few he is courting. What do you think? He was across the street again from the corner house (Pete), the guy who feeds cats. I hope this guy isn't trying to steal Sasha, you never know now a days. I'm a trusting person. He didn't want my trap there even for a few days which makes me wonder.

So I'm going to talk to the neighbors across from Pete where Sasha was again, and see if I can set up this trap I have there for a few days. It's either that or wait for him to come home. I'm just concerned he has to cross streets.

I'm very grateful to have seen him if only for a few seconds two days in a row.

Opinions?

KA

Ok well maybe now is the time to monitor a trap yourself.  Find out when she's been sighted. Bait a trap and wait nearby.  You can let the man know or not.  Be close enough that you can keep the wrong cat's from going inside.  Better yet see below

Most people i know who trap do not use an automatic door release, but a manual one with a string.  This way if the wrong cat goes in, you don't pull the string.  Worst case is your bait gets eaten and you have to reload.  You might need to spend a few hours doing this, and it might not trap your guy, but it could be this or many days of sightings....and more sightings....but nothing to show of it.

Ok so some more good news. I didn't see him early this morning, but we had about 9 inches of snow over last two days. So he was probably bedded down somewhere. I found his feeder. Today I receive another phone call from a girl who saw my ad in the newspaper. Before she even started I asked her how close do you live to the streets. E. Exchange/Hickory where I personally saw him at 1:00a.m. Friday and Saturday. She indicated she was at the other end of the block.

She then asked me if my cat had blue eyes, (Y), a tiger striped face, (Y) a raccoon like dark tail, (Y) a dark tan like coat on his back, (Y), non-neutered (Y). "I think that  Ive been feeding your cat daily the last 10 days. "Hes been hanging around my cats. She took a picture, emailed it to me and sure enough its my cat! Amazing he's 2 blocks away and no wonder he's not coming back because he has food. 

She said her mom gave him water and he has been drinking a lot. So he was dehydrated for sure. So I met with her and brought my trap the humane society loaned me. She said I could put it around her house, but she was worried about her cats being trapped. She has three inside/outside cats. She asked me if i could wait a couple days and she was going to start feeding over by the garage door and try to trap him that way. So I agreed reluctantly I guess.

My big concern will he will move on, or get hit by a car, or some other injury. But she indicated she sees him daily between 8-11p.m. And when I met with her at 3p.m. I missed him by 5 minuets. Of course he would have ran off from me. Little stinker. Do you think it's possible he will smell my scent being over at her house 15 minuets and run off again? I hope not.

So I'm getting close, but I have to get him. He's being fed and content being outside in this miserable snow cold. He won't come home at this time.

KA

Ahah! Yes! As I said before, you never know who all is feeding the cats outdoors, or who has indoor/outdoor cats they feed, he will hang out there and have his food source regularly. People who are cat lovers, seeing a new cat coming around, they feed them too.

So, you are getting much warmer here! Great news.

No, I wouldn't worry about him smelling your presence earlier in the day and stay away.

However, I think she may have an easier time trapping him than you, since you will have to stay there and monitor. He will know and be leary.

Hello. She saw Sasha and fed him again last night between 11pm and midnight. She tried to feed him in the garage and sneak up and close the door on him. However every tried she tried the snow we have and the bitter cold makes the snow crunch when she walks. And he's running off and coming back, but she had no luck.

She has agreed to have me try to trap him and she would take up the majority of monitoring. Plus she will keep her cats indoors. However there are other ferals in the neighborhood. So I might only get one shot at this. If my cat saw another cat get caged surely he would be very timid to get in that situation himself. So I've never trapped and have been reading and there are all kinds of ideas out there. So looking for advice from anyone who has trapped or knows best way.

I know the cat has to see all the way through the cage. I believe I can wrap the sides and put newspaper on the bottom floor of cage. I was thinking to bait it with tuna however with this cold weather any can food is going to freeze withing 25 min.

Also , I've read that I should also slowly bring the food closer and closer to the cage over a period of days, slowly putting the food towards the back of the cage. So the cat isn't leary and eventually will go all the way in the trap.

Should I camouflage it with a tarp, then throw snow over it? Do I put an article of my clothing or his blanket in there to give him a familiar scent?

Going to be setting this up in a few hours so any advice would help.

Thank You

KA

One thing she CAN do easily is to attach a string to the door knob so she can close it from a distance. This works very well.

As for the trap, if he sees another cat get trapped he won't go anywhere near it.

Newspaper on the bottom only, do not tarp or cover it at all, also don't set it out in the middle, it looks less obvious if it is set next to a wall or something.

Use tuna and sprinkle a couple very small bites along the papered bottom to lure him to the back. Pour a bit of the tuna water along the paper as well.

If he does get trapped, immediately get to it and cover it completely, as fast as possible, this prevents him from earing up his face trying to push the wire away to get free. (common)

I've seen many people trap cats and not know this and the poor cats nose is chewed up and bloody, even saw one actually have a broken nose

I'd try the string on the door knob. Less traumatizing, but trapping is fine too. Just hope he doesn't witness another cat getting trapped.

first and foremost...he isnt lost.he has shown his face but doesnt want to be separated from the gals.he is out "tom cattin" a strategically placed humane trap with bits of tuna, salmon, or his favorite yum yums may help to lure him in.i would set the trap where you most often see him, and just around dusk to dark thirty.check the trap often.i would just keep me eyes peeled.if the neighbors comply by not putting out food he will come to where he knows food is .he loves you too, but instincts being so powerful you may be in for a wait.please have him neutered asap.to avoid unwanted litters and having your kid runn off like a hormonal teenage boy.please dont give up hope, when he is good and worn out, tired and hungry he will show up.best of luck!

Any news??  I hope you have brought him home safely.