Help, my inside cat got out!

My 2 year old fixed inside male cat got out, this is his first experience with the outside world, he has been missing for 3 days, will he return?

Most likely he is close to home, since he has no experience in the outside world. He's probably very scared, and has gone into hiding mode.

The best time to look for him is between 2-4 in the morning when the world is quiet. Without all of the noises, he will be more likely to come out to you.

Leave food and water out for him. He still needs to eat!

Wear an old t-shirt or sweatshirt and do a serious workout in it. Get it really sweaty and infused with your scent. Leave that outside by your door (and food, if possible). If he is in the area but isn't sure where "home" is, your scent will guide him.

Take some of his soiled litter and sprinkle it around your yard. Again, the idea is to give him scent clues that this is home if he has wandered or fled outside of the immediate area.

Good luck! I hope he comes home very soon!

Did he have a collar on??? I agree that he is closer than you think.
Have you checked with the neighbors to see if he got in a building by mistake??
Did you contact your local animal shelter??

Originally Posted by Heidiho

My 2 year old fixed inside male cat got out, this is his first experience with the outside world, he has been missing for 3 days, will he return?

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Best Friendsâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] Animal Radio recently interviewed Kat Albrecht, author of The Lost Pet Chronicles, and she gave some very good advice on finding a lost cat:

Most people donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t differentiate between searching for a dog and searching for a cat, which is a huge mistake, because they are like apples and oranges. Cats are territorial, so when an indoor cat escapes outside, they feel displaced into unfamiliar territory. A displaced cat (and also an injured or sick cat) will hide and they will be silent. So walking around and calling the catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s name doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t work.

What that cat does is to look for the first place where she can hide, and she will stay there. Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had people who have recovered their cats six weeks later, and the cat was two houses down, living under the neighborâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s house or under their deck.

Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve actually recovered lots of cats by treating them like ferals and setting a humane trap. These cats will sit there and watch and even listen to their person calling, but they will usually not respond.

Eventually, some of them will reach a threshold point between the seventh and tenth day where they finally do meow or they go into the humane trap, but many of them, especially the ones with skittish temperaments, just continue to hide.

As for a cat who is used to going outside, we really do advocate making your cats indoor-only. However, if an indoor/outdoor cat does go missing, it may be that theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been chased by a dog or beat up by another cat. They may run into an unfamiliar area, and they may hide in fear as well, or than can be transported out of the area by crawling into a car or the back of a truck.

Outdoor cats are still territorial. They donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t generally travel great distances by themselves, so theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re going to be found within their territory or just beyond it. Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll want to get into your neighborâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s yard to search under their porch, under their house, and in potential areas where the cat is trapped, because, again, the behavior of an injured or sick cat is that they will crawl in or under something thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s familiar to them and they will hide. And again, they wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t answer your call.



Joy Moffat
Community Programs & Services
Best Friends Animal Society
[email protected]

Originally Posted by TNR1

A displaced cat (and also an injured or sick cat) will hide and they will be silent. So walking around and calling the cat’s name doesn’t work.

What that cat does is to look for the first place where she can hide, and she will stay there.

We’ve actually recovered lots of cats by treating them like ferals and setting a humane trap. These cats will sit there and watch and even listen to their person calling, but they will usually not respond.

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Thanks for the words. Yes, it explains well what happened with our Muskis, a shy, strickly indoor tom-cat (russian blue). He fled during vet-examination in the veterinarys house. The vet let us search through his house. Of course, it is a little unpleasant to look EVERYWHERE in others house, so we didnt look exactly everywhere. But we did searched as well we could. And the house was clean and neat I must say.
After that we did searched throught the neighborhood night and day calling for him, looking also up the threes, asked kids around, had papers in mailboxes in all the neiborhood (he could have been trapped by accident somewhere) and having announcements in the local newspapers and of course notices on notice-boards in neighborhood and the food shop in the village.

A houseowner 200 meters away did saw a new stray grey cat, it was probably Muskis. We agreed with the countys hunter to lend a humane trap next day,
but took the carrier and went to make a last try to get him by ourselves. And our son phones: The veterinarian did phone. He do hear a cat in his cellar where the washing mashine is! Yes, that was Muskis... Probably when he fled and get out, the first he met outside was their dog who barked (the vets mom did heard the dog barking). And Muskis fled probably in the first open hole - ie the open window to the cellar. And he was surely there these three days.

But I DID searched through the cellar! He must have hidden well, and didnt get out even when I called...
Or when I was searching near the house calling - he must have heared me and my wife, his beloved MOM...

Thank you for all the good advice, litter and clothes have been put outside all around the house and yard, I surely hope this works, my world has been unside down since this all has happened.

He was found today behind our well house, scared skinny and crying, it took 15 min of talking to him to get him to come to me. He is sleeping on our bed at the moment. Thank you all so much for your concern and very helpful information, I am so glad there are still some wonderful concerned folks out there, thanks again, Heidi.

What great news! I'm glad he is safe at home again. Poor baby!

Wonderful news!

But we can proceed with good advices, if there are others with similiar problem.


These lost homecats are often starving. This may be a danger, especially if the cat is fat. Starving is especially dangerous for fat cats! The liver may get hurt (they get easily a so called fatted liver).

Contact veterinary for advice in those cases as soon the cat is back!

But if the cat not fat, some days starvation usually not dangerous (luckily for ferals...). Of course as always: if in doubt contact vet, especially as the lost cat may had been hurt in others ways too...

And dont give himher too much to eat at once if he was long starved.

Wonderful news!
One question. Is shehe fat? Starvation no good for fat cats - risk for liverdamages, the s.k. fatty liver - if he is fat contact veterinary...

If not fat heshe should be OK althougt starved and thinned.

I'm SO glad you found him! I bet he is just as happy to be home as you are.

I'm also going to merge this with your original thread, so that people who are following that will know that it's a very happy ending.

I am glad you found him. This is one disadvantage of keeping a cat prisoner in a house, which is of course totally against their instincts, WHEN they do get out, they are totally disoriented, and so scared they go into hiding for days.
My Bella has always been allowed to roam, she knows her house, her garden, which she adores, and her immediate neighbourhood, so the problem you experienced will never arise.

Originally Posted by Belissima

I am glad you found him. This is one disadvantage of keeping a cat prisoner in a house, which is of course totally against their instincts, WHEN they do get out, they are totally disoriented, and so scared they go into hiding for days.
My Bella has always been allowed to roam, she knows her house, her garden, which she adores, and her immediate neighbourhood, so the problem you experienced will never arise.

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Belissima....welcome to the cat site...perhaps in Spain cats have less issues with being indoors/outdoors..but here in the United States it is actually FAR SAFER for them to be indoors only. Please remember that this board has members from different countries with different policies and that what is considered the standard in one country is not the standard in another. I live in Virginia and most rescue groups here recommend and some even require a cat remain indoors. Cats may want to be outdoors...but as the individuals who are charged with ensuring they live a good life, we must take into account the risks of predators, diseases, poisoning, potential to be run over and other considerations.

Katie

Thanks for your welcome. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Here NOBODY keeps their cat prisoner indoors, and many would be astonished that that is a standard practice in the US and other places.
In my neighbourhood there is little traffic hazard, no natural predators to cats, they are all neutered, so there are not many fights, and vaccinated against cat disease.
My Bella is happiest outdoors, in the summer the door is left open and she comes and goes at will, and she just hates wet days when she has to stay in.

Originally Posted by Belissima

Thanks for your welcome. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Here NOBODY keeps their cat prisoner indoors, and many would be astonished that that is a standard practice in the US and other places.
In my neighbourhood there is little traffic hazard, no natural predators to cats, they are all neutered, so there are not many fights, and vaccinated against cat disease.
My Bella is happiest outdoors, in the summer the door is left open and she comes and goes at will, and she just hates wet days when she has to stay in.

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Again...I think it is important to respect the decisions of the individuals on this site. Many people (even outside the USA) have chosen indoor only lifestyles for their cats. We all must make the decision that is in the best interest of our cats. For those of us that do have predators, diseases and traffic issues....we must take into account the risks of an outdoor lifestyle.

Katie

Originally Posted by Belissima

In my neighbourhood there is little traffic hazard, no natural predators to cats, they are all neutered, so there are not many fights, and vaccinated against cat disease.

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Those aren't the only dangers to cats. There are plenty of sick and twisted people that would think nothing of harming or killing a cat.

Plus, they can get parasites from critters they eat or fleas/ticks from the outside environment.

Originally Posted by Noelle&Oliver

Those aren't the only dangers to cats. There are plenty of sick and twisted people that would think nothing of harming or killing a cat.

Plus, they can get parasites from critters they eat or fleas/ticks from the outside environment.

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Noelle..from where I live, I would agree with you regarding the dangers that cats face here from being indoors/outdoors. However just as I would ask Belissima to respect those other members who have chosen to keep their cats indoors only, I would also ask that we respect Belissima's decision regarding her own cat. I personally have never been to Spain, but it sounds like Belissima lives in a location where cats having indoor/outdoor access is the norm. It also sounds like the cats there do not face several of the dangers that cats in my location face.

Katie

Belissima is free to do whatever she choose with her cat(s), as well as everyone else here on the site. I simply listed other reasons, that she did not mention, as to why a person would keep their cat(s) inside.

My Napoleon was not a fat cat, and now he is really skinny. I still can't believe what I've been through with this, and he is acting his ole self again, lol, I am so happy. Thanks Heidi

Originally Posted by Heidiho

My Napoleon was not a fat cat, and now he is really skinny. I still can't believe what I've been through with this, and he is acting his ole self again, lol, I am so happy. Thanks Heidi

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Heidi...I'm glad Napoleon is back indoors.

Belissima is free to do whatever she choose with her cat(s), as well as everyone else here on the site. I simply listed other reasons, that she did not mention, as to why a person would keep their cat(s) inside.

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Noelle..those are very good points.

Katie