Adopted feral escaped, maybe? (long)

2dogmom

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Hello Everyone,
As you can tell from my handle, I understand the minds of dogs a LOT better than those of cats. My first post is to ask for help figuring out what to do.

My husband and I I live in a rural area, our cat of 8 years disappeared recently. He was an aloof, independent, indoor/outdoor cat. We have about 15 acres of woods, 2 acres around the house are cleared.

A house is not a home without a cat, and I wanted one who would be able to take care of itself outdoors. There are a lot of animals in the woods-I would not force our cat to be outside, but I would not want to adopt an indoor cat who would go outside and then not understand the outside world.

I thought we had found him. The adoption description said that he had spent the first 10 months of his if outdoors (good trick here in freezing NH!). Then he was taken in (trapped?), received medical treatment and was fostered for about a month before we adopted. He had not once gone outside while at his foster parents, while he was there he also had not shown any interest in going outside until the last day.

I met him three times, took the dogs with me to the farm where he was being fostered to make sure everyone got along, which they did. Even though he was obviously frightened, he never tried to scratch or bite, and allowed me to touch him. So Friday afternoon I brought him home. I was told he would probably hide for three days and then come out. He liked to hide inside the box spring of his fosters' bed. We have a guest bedroom downstairs which is very quiet, so I opened the crate in there (kept the dogs out when I opened), and after he ran around the room a couple of times he went under the bed. He was fairly calm (I thought). I put some cat food in a bowl near the feeding area in the kitchen, put the litter box in the room and went to bed.

The next morning I went downstairs and could not find him. It looked like some of the food was gone, and now I am kicking myself because I had not completely closed off the pet door. We have a pet door to our deck which can be blocked if you close the glass sliding door. I had been planning to keep it closed for several weeks and let my husband talk me into leaving it partially open. His theory: animals need to be taught to use a pet door, this cat would not recognize it as a way out.

Now I feel awful, and I am kicking myself for not closing that blessed door against my better judgment. I think he ate some food and made his way out the pet door (the glass door was open about 3 inches to let air in, enough for a skinny cat to squeeze through). On the other hand, maybe he is hiding. I have called the local humane society and put fluyers all over the neigborhood. But he could be in the house. If he is outside, the weather is great right now, a cat who lived on his own for almost the first year of his life would have no trouble getting on until winter.

I can get into the mind of a dog, but not a cat, and not a feral one. He can't possibly recognize our house as his home. If he went out, will he try to go 'home'? Is he likely closeby? Did he wander to an abandoned shed? I appreciate any words of wisdom from people with experience and if you want to chew me out for not closing the sliding door all the way I guess I deserve that.
 

tnr1

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Tips for finding a lost cat:

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 Special Project Coordinator
Best Friends Animal Society
[email protected]
 
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2dogmom

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Hi TNR1, and thanks for the info.
I am wondering whether this cat would consider our neigborhood 'his' territory.
My husband tells me of a cat he had years ago when he moed 12 miles. Three times that cat left his 'new' home to return to his 'old' home. I wonder if this cat will try to go 'home'.

There are plenty of places for a cat to hide around there. The house down the road from us is vacant (owner passed away) and a cat could easily hide in the barn. Until someone sees him I would not dare put out a trap-around here you could catch any number of animals, a skunk, a racoon, maybe even a porcupine. And I know he did not respond to his name, just the same I have been calling in case he might recognize it and be able to locate us if he wants to.
 

satai

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I understand your worries - you can call the shelter where you got him in case you think trying to search in his original home area will be necessary - but do start locally - he has probably gone to ground nearby. Trapping him may be a good way to speed the process up.
 

beckiboo

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Block the pet door, and keep putting food out inside, too, just in case. When feral cats hide inside, they are extremely hard to find. The shelter should have advised you to place him in a small room to start with, that had limited hiding places.

Ask the shelter when his feeding time was...put down food outside for him at that time. And if you have any dirty litter, put it outside. That will signal to him that your house is home.

Get a trap now. The quicker you get him trapped the better. If you get a coon or something, just let it back out!
 
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2dogmom

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Thanks to all of you.
Does anyone have a good suggestion as to where to put the trap? If he is outside I fear that he could be anywhere. He could be in a tree, under the roots of a fallen tree, in the neighbor's barn about 1/4 mi away (the one who passed away recently and whose house is empty).

I have been checking the litter box to see if maybe he is in stil in lthe house somewhere and using it.

And I do not want to blame the shelter. It is actually not a shelter with a building, just a group of people who foster the animals or who do courtesy listings. It is pretty rural here like I said. Besides it was my mistake. I did not want to shut him in the room in case he did want to come upstairs. His routine at the foster home had been to hide in the bedroom and come out at feeding time so I mistakenly thought he would stick to his routine. But like I said, if only I had not listened to my husband and shut the blasted sliding door all the way I could be sure that he was still inside.

Beckiboo I would be ok with catching a raccoon- it is the skunk that I KNOW lives in the woods who has been digging in my garden that I do not want to catch! But I suppose I could find something to put on to be thrown out if I do find a skunk...
 

furryferals

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First things first,this is for being a bad meowmy
Now stop beating yourself up,
accidents happen.



It is advisable to keep any cat domestic or feral,indoors or confined for at least four weeks following a move.

Your cat will be disorientated and will probably just hide out somewhere close for a while until it feels at home.Then it will probably start to explore the area and could move away altogether.

I would go out in the night and shake the box of dry food,or tap the sides of the cat food tin with a fork.He will be familiar with those kinds of noises and may come out from where he's hiding.
If you don't see him after you have made the noises,leave some food there for him.
Go back the next night and do the same.
If he is still there he will come out eventually.
When you have him in a routine you can set a humane trap and trap him.

Good luck
 

mnjulz

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Another simple way is to go out at nite with a flashlight and look for his eyes. Those are easy to spot
 
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2dogmom

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Thanks for the replies.
I have not put out a trap yet-still not sure where to put it and if I might traumatize him.

I walked up and down our driveway (1/4 mile) at about 10 PM shaking a bag of dry cat food. I also walked up to the neigbor's horse barn and down to the house where the old woman recently died shaking the bag.

I had also put some dry cat food in a little pile near at about 6 PM where our driveway meets the dirt road. It was gone by 10 PM so I put out some more a little closer to the house.

I put the cat food bowl with dry food and a water bowl out on the lowest step of the staircase that goes to our deck. This would have been the staircase that he would have used to go into the yard. This morning some of the food was gone-most had been pushed out onto the step. So somebody has been eating! I do not want to get my hopes up too high, buy maybe it was a cat looking for the canned cat food(?)

I am going to put food out again and try using the trick with the flour to see the paw prints and figure out if it is a cat who is eating or some other type of animal. Whoever is eating it will get some canned cat food too. If it is a skunk, well then lucky skunk.

One bright side to all this, while I was out asking the neighbors to keep an eye on their barns and garages for any signes of a strange cat, as I drove up the dirt road to our house I saw a kid about 14 walking towards me carrying a young cat. The cat was kind of a light yellow tiger stripe with amber eyes. He had just been at my house and had talked to my husband. The boy asked me if this was the missing cat. Sadly I said it was not. The boy told me that this cat had been 20 ft up a tree for two days, he had to get a special ladder to get the cat down. All the while he is talking to me this cat does NOT want to be held and is clawing him. "What a great kid!" I thought. It is nice to know that we have some great neighbors like this, and I had never seen this kid before.
 

vik61

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I just wanted to thank everyone who replied to this because I learned a lot from the saavy responses. I never thought about the difference between finding a lost cat vs a lost dog.

I call my cat (who is not feral) using feeding time (Fish!) and for the most part she either comes to me or makes her bell ring so I know where she is. But now that I think of it there have been many times I was trying to find her, calling her like an idiot and she was right there in hiding.
 

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I find it's easier finding a cat who is hiding by being pretty quiet. I would shake a bag of food a bit, then sit and listen.

The flashlight idea is also a WONDERFUL idea. It really works.
 
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2dogmom

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Well I talked to the foster daddy and he said that he would coax him out of hiding (in the house) by meowing. Also tapping a cat food can with a spoon.

He also gave me more background info. THis was a stray kitten who was befriended by a woman who was feeding him. In the winter time she made a shed for him in her yard. It was only when he got into a scuffle with some other animal and lost part of his tail that she decided he needed to be caught and given medical attention and a permanent home. He was fostered twice for a short time (4-6 wks) before I got him.

The 'pawprints in the flour' trick was inconclusive-can't tell what they are. Funny though, I put canned cat food in with the dry. Whoever dined on our steps last night ate the canned and left the dry. Since it was between 7-9 PM I will hide near a window and watch tonight to see if I am feeding a spoiled skunk or a cat who only likes the wet food.

BTW I have had the same experience calling a dog who was hiding. Zircon once ran into our woods when we were setting off fireworks during the 4th of July. He normally comes when called but he waited a couple of hours and I know he was close-by. I think it is matter of how scared they are.
 

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I have had to coax skittish cats with either "minou, minou,minou" and/or meowing. Sometimes the mama-kitty "meowmeow" works, other cats prefer the "meow?meow-meow?"; Joey responds best to "mew", like a small distressed baby-cat mew. Sending {{{prayers and vibes}}} that your lost cat finds his way back to your home.
And kudos to the neighbor boy who found the orange cat - sounds like it is a beautiful cat - I hope he finds its owners soon.
 
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2dogmom

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WHERE IS THAT WOOOHOOO SMILEY?!?


I SAW HIM I SAW HIM I SAW HIM!!!



I figured since somebody was eating the canned cat food, I would put out 2/3of a can. If it was the skunk, he would have one romping last meal, becasue I am not about to feed a skunk. If it it was the cat (Brady) I want him to like the idea of visiting our deck.

So at about 7:15 PM i put the food out. I staked out a place to watch in our future 2nd bathroom downstairs and watched. At 8:20 PM dusk he showed up. IT WAS HIM!!!! Something spooked him and he left. He returned at 8:40mand ate the food. He is alive!! He is well!! He is close-by! And he comes to our deck to eat the food!! I get a second chance!!

Thank you all for your advice!! As we say on dog forums when we want to say something really nice, DoG bless you!!!

I am going to move the food up a step every so often and gain his trust! I want to do right by this boy!! Thanks so much for your help!!!
 

kluchetta

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That's a good idea. You don't have any predators there, do you? Then you have as much time as you need. I'm so happy you saw him!
 
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2dogmom

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Thanks kluchetta.
I can tell you what I have seen on your property: moose, deer, skunk, porcupine, raccoon, groundhog (aside from the usual squirrels and chipmunks).
Supposedly there are foxes, coyotes and fisher cats inour woods, but I have never seen them. Zircon does a pretty good job of marking our property so I think as long as Brady sticks close-by and stays in hiding he shoud be ok. Plus this is a cat who grew up outdoors so he is better at taking care of himself (I think) then a cat who grew up indoors and at the age of 1 yr escaped for the first time).

I am torn between trapping him (which would traumatize him) and sneaking the food bowl closer and closer to the pet door every day. I read on the internet about a technique which basically uses your house as the "trap" instead of setting a real one. Frankly if he wants to have a life of hanging out outdoors and coming inside to eat and sleep, well that is about how Grey lived.
 

beckiboo

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Keep clanging the spoon on the can or shaking the food bag when you put out food for Brady. That way he "learns" to come. Maybe in time he will come up onto the deck with you nearby! Then it will be easier to get him inside.

Does he have shelter in your yard? If not, you should set something up.

I'm so happy you saw him!
 
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2dogmom

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Well last night was a disappointment. I thought I would be clever and sit very quietly on the deck while Brady came to eat. I figured sein I now know he comes between 8-9PM it should be pretty easy. NOT!!!
8PM I put out food, shaking bag and tapping can, 'meowing' was foster daddy had told me he did at dinenrtime. I sit on a deck chair where I can see yard, but where I am not in line of sight from the food and water.
8:45 PM I give up. It is too dark, my eyesight is not that good anyway, the cat could be doing cartwheels in the yard and I wouldn't know it.
9 PM I watch from the same basement window as the night before when I saw him. Something is moving at the edge of the yard, but is it a cat? Whatever it is it is not moving closer to the food.
9:15 PM I go to the upstairs bathroom window to have a better look at the edge of the yard. I cannot believe what I see so I get binoculars. It is the skunk. Crumbuns! Maybe between the skunk being out there and the amount of wet food I put out the night before Brady decided it is not worth it tonight. The skunk moves closer to the food/stairs and is now by the bird feeder on the post in the middle of the yard. My dog Zircon barks. The skunk is his arch enemy. I turn on the flooodlights to the yard, go out on the deck and say (in a mock police voice) "Please leave the premises" The skunk scuttle off into the night. I stay on the deck for a moment as I hear some kind of 'discussion' in the woods near where I know Brady is hiding. A quarrel between cat and skunk? I come inside.
9:45 PM I decide to see if by now someone has eaten the food. I step out onto the deck, look down the stairs (about 12 steps) and there is the skunk, happily eating the DRY food only. He is not the least bit bothered that I am on the deck. Good thing I did not put out a trap. DH says to get the BB gun. I say I have a clear shot since he is only 10 ft away. DH says don't do it, he will spray the house. My dog is looking at me as if to say "let ME take care of him". I have washed this dog so many times to get rid of skunk smell, what is one more time, the evening was a bust anyway. I give Zirc permission to go outside. He runs towards the driveway, I hear him 'grumbling". Two minutes later he comes back inside. I step outside and smell skunk. I ask DH to smell the dog-no skunk. Hm, maybe Zircie is getting better at running off skunks without getting sprayed.
This morning: The food bowl is wiped clean. The plan now is to put out canned food ONLY and keep the BB gun ready. I do not want t pet skunk, and I am amazed at how unafraid he was.
 

beckiboo

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I love using a police voice to get rid of a skunk! I suggest putting the food out a little earlier, when it is still light out. Then whether Brady eats or not, pick it back up after about an hour, so the skunk won't get any. Whether you decide to sit on the porch or look out a window...hopefully you will get another Brady sighting.

Leaving food out all night is just calling all skunks and raccoons in. That won't help Brady any! And if he misses a meal, he will be more hungry next time, and more quick to come to the bowl!

COME HOME, BRADY!!!
 
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2dogmom

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Beckiboo, thanks so much I will try that. I was thinking that Brady should be able to rely on the food being on our deck, but you're right, now that the SKUNK is sure of it, I have to change my tactics!! I just hope he is still lurking out there. Somehow I think that if he does not show up for a day it will break his routine and he might go away. That part of our property looks pretty rednecky-old mattress, boats, pop-up camper. In other words, plenty of places for a cat (or a skunk) to hide.
I was annoyed at DH this morning. I went down there to see if there are enough good hiding places and found something I did not like. We toss all of our kitchen waste like apple peels, coffee grounds, eggshells etc into a little plastic container and then every so often I go out and bury it. Well if I do not get to it fast enough, DH goes and just dumps it into a big hole he dog out of sight behind the trees. So I see corncobs, artichoke leaves, a whole smorgasbord for the skunk! I removed the 'good' stuff and buried it somewhere else, covered the hole so now maybe it will not be that attractive to the skunk.
Speaking of which, I was thinking of asking a friend for used cat litter to spread around there. Will that deter Brady? Or will it make the place smell like cat? He supposedly does not like other cats but does like dogs. Will the cat litter help annoy the skunk?
 
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