Farewell, my little one; Kîa: 2012-10-21…2015-04-21

Magister said:

Song for Kîa's farewell: Agnetha FÃltskog - A (2013), track 6: Past Forever. It should have been played at her end many years from now, after a full and happy life.

Click to expand...

I should have added this in the original post. I imagine the youtube link is a copyright violation, but here is that to the lyrics.
AGNETHA FALTSKOG - Past Forever: Lyrics

She could not have asked for a better farewell song; it defines all she was so perfectly, and all she might have wished, were she able to express such a wish in words.

Columbine said:

It's awful when they disappear like this. I'm still holding out hope for you and little Kia. All fingers, paws and even hooves are crossed here for you and your furry family

Click to expand...

Late Friday afternoon, and still nothing. I've put a classified in the local paper, but that doesn't come out until next Tuesday.


To be honest, her only hope now is if she's trapped somewhere and somebody hears her crying, or should somebody have found her.


Nimrod has been out all day, coming home only occasionally for something to eat and a cuddle. He's clingy, and whimpers to go out as soon as he can.


Should she never come home, I suspect it will be weeks before he accepts that she's gone.


I've decided; should this be her final farewell, I'm not going to let Nimrod live out his life alone. I'm aware that it is not always a good idea to try comforting a cat with a new kitten. But he always had his little sister close, and he's never been without her since the day they were born. I think it's worth the risk, should it come to that, and so long as I don't rush.


But that's in the future, and perhaps there's still a chance. I will not give up; not yet.

MDaisy said:

I've never had a pet microchipped as almost all of my pets were brought home from the shelter before this was available. Tails chose to adopt us so he didn't have a microchip either.

I will in the future get my pets microchipped.

Click to expand...

It's a legal requirement here; just as well, as I may not have done it otherwise, assuming nothing bad could happen. At least now if she's foun, there's a chance she will be taken somewhere she can be scanned.

Still pulling for you finding Kia.

Click to expand...

She's a little fighter; if there is any way she can get home, she won't give up until she's safe here again.

Magister said:

 
It's a legal requirement here; just as well, as I may not have done it otherwise, assuming nothing bad could happen. At least now if she's foun, there's a chance she will be taken somewhere she can be scanned.
She's a little fighter; if there is any way she can get home, she won't give up until she's safe here again.

Click to expand...

It's probably legal here too now. My last shelter cat was adopted over 15 years ago. Most of my cats were given to me by friends or neighbors or they arrived. At one time I had Andy, Callie (brother and sister given to me by a friend and they were my first kittens); Eric (another gift from a neighbor who was moving); Tribble (my only purebred BSH); and Smokey (a shelter rescue). I also had a Malinois mix dog joining the menagerie. Things were hopping here. None were microchipped as it wasn't being done. I wish they offered this service as it should help find your lost fur baby.

Friday morning, and no good news. I had one call after my advert appeared in the local paper on Wednesday; a woman thought she might have seen her on Tuesday morning. A new cat more-or-less matching her description (with collar and bel) came running up to her for attention.

But it was a long way from here; the next suburb, and over two miles away. It's possible, but Kîa would have had to cross main roads full of traffic to get so far. If it was her, God alone knows how she wasn't run over a hundred times.


Unfortunately, there've been no other calls, and no further sightings by the original caller. Sheagreed to put food out, just in case, and catch her if she saw her again (she has indoor cats, and a cat cage).


But three days since any possible sighting does not look at all good. No reports from vets, the Council, RSPCA, Animal Aid or from any of the local on-line sites to which I've posted..


Nimrod has almost stopped searching. Still he goes out. But he's not straying far, andhe comes back now after only a little while. He still cries, and is more clingy. But I'd say almost he's given up, and is beginning to understand that his little sister is never coming home.


I'm going to wait till the end of May. Then, if still I've heard nothing, it will be time to look at two new rescue kittens. He's lonely, and needs company, and I want to do it before he gets too old, and before too much time has gone.

Some cats do get an amazing distance from home. Have you gone to the area where she may have been seen and done the whole posters, leaflets etc thing there? It's possible someone's taken her in already. Get the word out there in a big way and hope...you may be near to finding her. In the first 3 weeks of taking in a stray, it's the law that the cat has to be returned to its original owner if found. After that, it's finders keepers.

Columbine said:

Some cats do get an amazing distance from home. Have you gone to the area where she may have been seen and done the whole posters, leaflets etc thing there? It's possible someone's taken her in already. Get the word out there in a big way and hope...you may be near to finding her.

Click to expand...

Oh yes; our City Council covers more than one suburb, so the local paper covers a very wide area. I took out a large advert, complete with colour picture. With a coverage of approx. 43,000, the paper covers a vastly larger area than I could hope to manage with any kind of flyer. I did do that for the few streets immediately around here, but decided a classified in the paper would be tremendously more effective. Unfortunately, I've had just the one call on Wednesday (the day of it's delivery); nothing since then.

In the first 3 weeks of taking in a stray, it's the law that the cat has to be returned to its original owner if found. After that, it's finders keepers.

Click to expand...

Not entirely sure of the law here, but I believe that, once a cat is flagged on any central microchip database as missing, it must be returned to the original owner, regardless of how much time has elapsed. In fact, since microchipping and registration are mandatory, it may well be an offence for somebody to keep a stray without taking it to be scanned before claiming it. Certainly, they would be unable to re-register it in their name, which itself would be an offence (keeping an unregistered pet; probably theft into the bargain).


I've phoned every vet in the area, since not all scan as a matter of course, simply if somebody brings in a cat for a check-up. Of course, injuries are another matter.


I won't give up on her, and even should I get new kittens, always there will be a place for her here. But I have to think of Nimrod as well. He's lonely and miserable, as he's never been on his own.

That law is the UK law. I've been through this recently as I've taken in a cat in a very poor state of health. That's the information the vet gave us yesterday. Microchipping will make a difference of course, as it's proof of ownership.

I'm suggesting posters and leafleting in the new area simply because not everyone will get the local paper.


Still really hoping for a happy ending for you all.

Columbine said:

That law is the UK law. I've been through this recently as I've taken in a cat in a very poor state of health. That's the information the vet gave us yesterday. Microchipping will make a difference of course, as it's proof of ownership.

Click to expand...

I was pretty sure it was Aus. law also. But I will check tonight to be absolutely certain.

I'm suggesting posters and leafleting in the new area simply because not everyone will get the local paper.

Click to expand...

Actually, fortunately, in this case, they should, as it's free and delivered to every household. Of course, it doesn't mean everybody will read it; to be blunt, usually it goes straight in the bin here.


But it would be a vast area for me to try to cover, even limiting myself to the streets immediately around that in which the woman believes she saw her. At best, I might try to stick a leaflet or two on lamp-posts in each street, or perhaps one in every few letter-boxes with a request that people let as many as possible know. I have put up posters on local shopping-centre community notice-boards, but boards are becoming few, compared to a few years ago, and many shops now are franchises, and are stopped from putting up community notices by the terms of their contracts, damn it..

Still really hoping for a happy ending for you all.

Click to expand...

Let's hope so. Unfortunately, I really can't think of anything else to try. Radio would be good, but stations will no longer put lost-pet calls to air; understandable I suppose, since otherwise they'd be swamped.


Local pet-shops; shopping centres; notice-boards; classified in the free local paper; calling every vet. I've pretty-much saturated the local area with everything apart from leafleting every letter-box within a two-mile radius. And really, it's just not practical; it would mean hundreds upon hundreds of leaflets! If somebody is determined to steal her, there's very little I can do until they try to have her chipped in their name. At which point (assuming I'm correct about Aus. law), they'll be caught.


But that's very little consolation.


If (as I believed until the call the other day) really she is gone, then all I can do is move on and accept the fact, horrible as it is.


If somebody kind has taken her in and doesn't intend to steal her, then all I can do is wait for them to take her to be scanned, assuming they understand that's what should be done.


I will try leafleting the avenue in which she was seen, just in case. ; at least that's possible and practical.

Just checked, and it seems pretty unequivocal; keeping a lost pet for any reason does appear to be an offence under Aus. law (not sure whether it's state or federal). Any animal found must be reported immediatly to Council, or taken to a vet or pound for scanning as soon as possible.

I hadn't taken the scale of the area on board. I so hope Kia finds her way back to you

(I feel I should add that the first thing I did with my little one was get her to the vet...no microchip in her case. If she had had an owner I would, of course, returned her )

For those who have not microchipped their pets you can get the kits to microchip them yourselves. I looked online a couple of years ago when I had pits. It was becoming a law that all pits had to be microchipped is why I searched online for the kits.

It's over a week now; I hope that you've heard something about Kia.

I wonder, if Nimrod can't find her, if she has been taken in by someone. Just because it's UK law that a cat be returned to its owner, if Kia hasn't been taken to a vet, they may not know she isn't feral.

I'm sending you fondest wishes that she'll return home soon. This situation must be awfully stressful for you.

Best regards,

Phyllis

PHarber-Murphy said:

It's over a week now; I hope that you've heard something about Kia.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, nothing new. I had hoped, possibly, that today (Saturday) might yield something, since, although the local paper is delivered during the week, it's possible that some wouldn't bother looking at it until the weekend. I think, realistically, tomorrow will be the last day I can expect anything from the advert in the paper.

I wonder, if Nimrod can't find her, if she has been taken in by someone. Just because it's UK law that a cat be returned to its owner, if Kia hasn't been taken to a vet, they may not know she isn't feral.

Click to expand...

I'm beginning to wonder that also, assuming it was Kîa the woman saw. The description fits, save for the fact she said she was tiny. Kîa isn't a huge cat, but certainly I'd not say she was small. But then, she had been lost for a week, and would presumably have lost a good deal of weight.


It's illegal here to keep any stray without taking it to be scanned. But somebody mightn't give a damn about that, or, more kindly, might not know. Certainly I didn't until last night, although I suspected. And certainly, should I have foun a lost pet, there is no way I'd just keep it witout first taking it to have its chip scanned.

I'm sending you fondest wishes that she'll return home soon. This situation must be awfully stressful for you.

Best regards,

Phyllis

Click to expand...

The most unpleasant part, of course, is not knowing what's happened to her. Nimrod is a mess; fine (will still purr and put his tail up) whilst I'm patting him. But he just wanders aimlessly around. And he had an accident in the laundry (the room, for U.S readers; not the clothes) last night beside the litter tray. Fortunately, it wasn't much, but I'll have to get an enzymatic cleaner to remove all trace, as I've never needed one before now. The last time he did that was as a frightened kitten.


He's all but given up looking for her; just mopes around and seems depressed. He'll play a little, but not for long. Actually, he seems happier outside, even when he's not searching, or curled up on the bed whilst I'm working. Poor little boy doesn't deserve this.

Still hoping for a reunion. You and Nimrod must be going through hell. Feliway diffusers may help Nimrod, and rescue remedy may help you both cope with this difficult time. Not knowing is the worst.

Columbine said:

Still hoping for a reunion. You and Nimrod must be going through hell.

Click to expand...

Just let him out this morning. Actually, he seems a little happier; trotted out with his tail and head up.

Feliway diffusers may help Nimrod, and rescue remedy may help you both cope with this difficult time.

Click to expand...

I've been giving him his Vetalogica calming tablets every day, always which have helped when he's been frightened. I've held off using Feliway, as I didn't want to destroy her lingering scent around the house (I assumed that might comfort him more). Also, I wished to keep it in reserve in case she did come back, and he didn't recognise her (she might smell wrong to him after being gone for so many days).


But perhaps, after nearly twelve days, it's time to plug in the diffuser.

Not knowing is the worst.

Click to expand...

Yes: it's not a very nice feeling, to put it mildly, particularly waking in the night, certain one has heard a meow, which (of course) turns out merely to be a micro-dream, or nothing at all.

I really hope your little love returns. I'm sat here crying! My cats are indoors but have been going out recently and got stuck in a yard where a dog resided. I had to climb in to get her out. Then another nearly impaled herself on some spikes that circles a scrap yard. Almost had an heart attack as I watched afar from my top window! Safe to say they won't be out again without a harness. Cats have been known to disappear for a few weeks then return. We had a 'tom' cat called Muffin which disappeared for 6 years then turned up on the doorstep. Looks like he had been stolen and kept in all those years, then released due to failing illness which they didn't want to pay for. Had a rubber jaw and kidney failure. We where so glad we got to be with him one last time. Please don't give up hope, I'm sure Kia is out there somewhere thinking of home with you and Nimrod.

I don't know if I've said this already, but when I was a kid one of our cats went missing for almost a month. Then, just before Christmas, he strolled back in - hungry and thinner, but otherwise acting as though nothing had happened.

You're in my thoughts.

So sorry to hear she is missing, don't give up hope, she may return. Hopefully someone has her and are feeding her and soon they'll see a flyer. I did have a cat. He was an outdoor cat, that left for 8 months, no trace and then he just came home meowing for food, he is semi-feral so I doubt anyone took him in, cats can sometimes be strange. I do hope she comes home.