I Guess It's Time.

I guess it's time that I accepted the fact that Gin kun is gone.

Gin came into my life in the spring of 2012. At that time I was living in a neighbourhood that had a lot of feral cats. I had started getting the tamer ones spayed and neutered. I didn't really know much about TNR at that point, but I realised that there were a lot of kittens being born and then disappearing so I knew something needed to be done.

I had managed to get the local tom cat neutered about a month before Gin kun showed up. Gin was very obviously male, battle scarred and scrawny. I have to admit my first thought was, "Oh great, another tom. Just when I'd fixed the last one."


A few months after I started feeding him he disappeared for a few days, then came back with his right ear torn practically half off. I'd been able to pet him a little before let, so I decided to risk picking him up and trying to get him into a carrier. Amazingly he let me do this without putting up a fight. I took him to the vet to get his ear cleaned and stitched and got him an antibiotic injection. This was the first of several trips to the vet. Once his ear had healed I took him back again to have his broken teeth removed, then finally got him neutered in 2013.

His son and daughter, Albert and Sophie, were two of the last kittens born into the colony.

I really wanted to make him into an indoor cat, but that was a long struggle. After several failed attempts I managed to get him to stay in over night during the winter. When we moved to a new house the following summer I was determined to bring him with us, along with as many of the other colony cats I could re-trap.

He settled into life in the house and enclosure really well. This is one of the first pictures I took of him in his new home.


Of course, having Albert and Sophie there probably made things a lot easier.


On July 2nd of this year, as I was coming home with an armload of groceries, Gin managed to dash out of the front door and ran off into the night. At first I wasn't too worried. He'd managed to get out before. Once he was gone for two weeks and a forest of this size must be quite a good place for a cat to be, particularly one that had taken care of himself for so long before finding a home.

I went out for long walks to look for him every day, cooked chicken with the kitchen windows open every night, convinced he would come home when he was ready to.

But the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months and there's been no sign of him. Maybe something happened to him out there in the woods. Maybe he wandered further than before and couldn't find his way back. Maybe he's found another home somewhere.

I guess I'll never know for sure.


Gin. Just a feral cat, battered and war torn,

To me you seemed the noblest creature ever to walk the Earth.

I miss your presence, hope our paths cross again one day.

In this life or the next.

Farewell my boy, wherever you are. 

When I adopted a cat, she was caught from outside & when I got a 2 story condo, she fell/jumped off. She was gone for 2 or 3 days. I was devastated. I went out all the time when I was home & took a plastic container filled with dry food & shook it, called her name & talked to people. I was in a suburban area so there were trees & bushes, but mostly streets & cars. I was so scared for her, I didn't quite know what to do with myself.

After actively searching for her outside, from the time I got home from work & before work, after a couple days I began to lose hope. I thought she got hit by a car or eaten by a coyote or she just took off & didn't want to return. One night I was out shaking my container, calling her name & I see this little head in the bushes. She meowed & then I knew it was her. When she came closer to get the food I grabbed her!

Point is, she was wild since the day I got her & always longed to be outside. They are different from the ones who are born in a house. When I was in a different state, there was a farm that was looking for a barn cat. I thought should would be the perfect cat for them so I gave her to them. I always thought of her, hoped she was well & wondered about her. All you can do is think good thoughts because you'll never know what happened. I spent time thinking about the bad stuff to, what if something got her, what if she took off & got hit by a car. That doesn't get you anywhere. I would rather think that she's out in the barn catching mice all day then laying in a ditch dying slow from a car hitting her.

Since your boy was in the outside before, he knows how to handle himself. He just might be having the time of his life chasing birds & climbing up trees. I wouldn't lose hope, there are stories where cats returned after years. He's really pretty so maybe someone else grabbed him.

Oh, Norachan. I am so SO sorry to read this Gin was such as special guy :heart3: I have no words right now, but you and Gin are in my thoughts and my heart He was a VERY lucky boy to have found his way to you, and I'm certain you gave him a better life than he'd ever imagined was possible.

I understand that you need some closure at this point, but I'm going to go right on hoping that he finds his way back to you someday

I'm so sorry.  I, too, will hope that he may still find his way back to you but I understand needing to let go.      What a beautiful boy.  

I'm so sorry your beautiful boy disappeared like that.

Is there a chance that someone else close by might have taken him in? We had quite the number of ferals years ago, most eventually ended up in our house but there was a beautiful grey cat that my wife named "Silver", and she promised him that she would take him in, but after Sabrina had babies outside he sort of disappeared, and we always clung to the hope that someone else who feeds them in our neighborhood (and there are a few!) took him in.

Wherever he is, I hope and pray that he is happy....

Nora, I am so sorry. Will say a prayer that he will return to you.

He was loved and has not passed from this earth nameless and forgotten.

What a  beautiful boy, I pray that someone fell in love this him and gave him a good home. If something bad happened I hope he is at peace and knows that he was special and loved.

Thank you everyone for your kind words.

The area I live in is so remote, I don't really have any neighbours. I'm surrounded by forest and the nearest village is about 3 miles away. I have spoken to the nice lady who feeds feral cats in the village (She found Sophie for me when she ran away) and to an old guy who has a couple of cats of his own. They've both promised to call me if Gin shows up.

There is a chance that he is still out fending for himself somewhere, but I felt it was time to start a thread in his memory. That way, as Kittens Mom said, he won't have passed nameless and forgotten.

I think for those who love cats the way we do, the not knowing is the worst. We always imagine the worst, and many times it it does turn out different, so don't lose that feeling of hope,it is still better then imagining all those horrible scenarios. My feral tom. Russell, has disappeared for three to four months at a time and has somehow wandered back eventually, so there is a chance. I have given up on his returning so many times, that now I wonder how long it would take me to really give up on him. 

Your Gin kun knew he was loved, and to him that was the most important thing in the world. He knew how to take care of himself and was full of confidence and free spirit, I'm sure that where ever he is, he is taking his situation in stride.  I understand the feelings of having to accept the inevitable and letting go, a person can't live in limbo forever. My heart goes to you, I know the pain of not knowing what happened and it is not something I would wish on anyone. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your family today, you have always been such a Godsend to this site, and make everyone feel like a part of that Cat Site family. I hope you can take comfort in knowing you made such a difference in that boy's life, you shall be blessed fro your big heart and your efforts to help people who love cats the way we do. Take care and give all those little ones in your care a kiss from me, they are missing that  beautiful silver family member too. Dear Gin kun, I pray that wherever you are, you can send a message of comfort and love to those you left behind. They love you and will always think of you, if it is possible please return to the ones who care so much. You are greatly loved and missed!    

What a handsome gentleman.  My wish is that someone else has taken him in.