Cat 'disappeared' indoors for four consecutive days...?

[droktober]

Thanks for sharing the good news.  Hopefully, Taboo will be staying with another friend when you have to travel in future!   He (and you) don't need any more of these adventures! 

Oh yes! I will arrange someone to come over to our place to feed him and etc. We tried this even before but so many are like; aaah we have to travel to your place everyday, really?!?! So I thought I don't want that to be a burden to anyone and took him to this friend...

This one time adventure was eeeeenough 

 

[ondine]

Are there pet sitters in your area?  We pay a young woman to come twice a day when we're away.  It is well worth knowing our cats are at home and being cared for.  Maybe there's a university nearby where you can get a student to do it?  He or she doesn't have to be paid a lot - gas money and a little extra.

 

[droktober]

Are there pet sitters in your area?  We pay a young woman to come twice a day when we're away.  It is well worth knowing our cats are at home and being cared for.  Maybe there's a university nearby where you can get a student to do it?  He or she doesn't have to be paid a lot - gas money and a little extra.

That is exactly the same thing my vet friend suggested me. It's definitely an option! The nearest university I know is only 5 tramp stops away from us.

 

[catapault]

I do love happy endings, as do all of us. So glad to hear that Taboo is back home again.

 

[envy]

I'm glad you found him!  I was going to say that even though he might not be the adventourous type, if he was in an unfamiliar apartment, there's a better chance he may have tried to make a break for it, which it looks like he did. 

Definitely suggesting next time you have someone come by your apartment to look after him.  I have a friend who did it for me, and as long as he was able to play my PlayStation, he was quite willing to stay for a couple hours to keep the cats company. 

I'm so glad you found him!

 

[tulosai]

I really encourage a BONDED pet sitter unless there is a person who you TRULY TRUST is responsible who you already know.  They will want more than just gas money, but you can also feel absolutely certain that they will show up each day and that if there is a problem of any kind, whether medical or otherwise, they WILL know how to deal with it. They will also know how to deal with a timid cat like yours and how to make sure Taboo is comfortable with them and even comes out for some time with them.  I personally would not trust a university student who I didn't know who was willing to come over for gas money plus a little extra, either with my cats or frankly with my home. Maybe I'm showing my age here but I'd much rather pay more and have actual peace of mind.

 

[ritz]

So glad this had a happy ending.

 

[goholistic]

I'm also very glad you found your kitty and that he is okay!

I had been following this thread and impatiently waiting for an update.

 

 

[catapault]

You could also ask at your veterinarian if one of their vet techs or a kennel maid does any in-home cat care at the client's home. Or even ask if there is anyone they recommend for such services.

A picture of your lovely Taboo would be welcome, so we can all go "So pretty, and welcome home."

You must feel so relieved. Must have been an agonizing few days between when you learned of his absence and then finding him again.

 

[catspaw66]

Wonderful news. As many said, he was close to home.

If you get a sitter, like tulosai said only consider bonded sitters.

 

[franksmom]

Really great news! I wanted to refer you to this great article on pet sitters which may be helpful (http://www.thecatsite.com/a/a-pet-owners-guide-to-pet-sitters)

 

[elakandoejogiyu]

Hi,
Yesterday my indoor cat disappeared too. I could hear him
Crying but I couldn't find him. I opened the cupboard and he was there but I am very careful and I am sure he didn't get in when I opened it. Also there are not holes inside. They can probably litterally disappear...

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

 

[catspaw66]

Perfect response.

 

[CatDrWho]

Hi everyone.

We really don't know how could anyone help us with our sad issue but here we go;

We have around 7 yrs old cat (we took him when he was approx. 1 yr old, as per the vet's estimation as we didn't know his exact date of birth).

He was an abandoned cat, which the previous owner just cruely left in the empty apartment when moved away.

We sometimes travel abroad (for max 1-2 week period, 2-3 times per year) and the past 2 times we did, we gave him to a friend of ours.

He did get always a tad depressed our friend said, some meowing during the first nights, no sightings of him except for litterbox usage and feeding, but in less than a week he started to socialize with

our friend eventually. Our cat is one of those types which you could call shy, and timid. Whenever me and my wife are home, and if the doorbell rings or lots of noise is coming from outside, he tends to hide. When the owners of our flat come to collect the rent, the cat is

in 'survival mode' and we don't see him for at least solid 30 - 60 mins even after the visitors have left.

Otherwise, he can be very social with us. He never showed any signs of illness' and ate, drank and used the litterbox normally.

Here I will note that he is and always was an indoor cat. He is scared of going out. Really.

Now we are with my wife currently still abroad, and we gave him again to the same friend of mine to be looked after.

His flat can get quite hot in the summers (but not as hot as one of our previous flats where our cat had no issues with the heat. Even when tempature rose up to 90 fahrenheit/32+ celsius). He didn't even pant or anything. He seemed always good.

Our friend just emailed us that in their city there was a heatwave, but nothing abnormal or nothing that our cat hadn't gone through before.

He said there was those signs of a cat being more lazy than before and just lying around, but still close to a window, which he also was afraid of whenever a louder noise would be made by ongoing traffic etc. The apartment is on a 2nd floor by the way.

Our friend says that last weekend (26 or 27th of July) was the last time he clearly saw our cat in the flat doing his normal things.

This thursday he tells us that he hadn't seen any trails or signs of activity in the house (food not really touched or litterbox used) and

he thinks that maybe the got ran away. However me and my wife knowing our cat better (and even the friend admitted that he never had to worry about the cat bailing as he was very afraid of new people and noises) are pretty damn sure he did not escape. But he is not simply able to find our cat no longer. Which strikes as a very odd thing, considering cats do not leave safe shelters and reliable food sources. Indoor cats especially I would think.

This is now 4 days ago and our friend says still that hasn't seen any signs of him. He's checked the cats usual hideouts, favorite being behind his refridgerator. Granted in the past two times at his place, he said he thought he didn't see the cat for days but noticed that at least food is being eaten etc. He only said that the cat seemed depressed in the weekend (when last seen) and he only understood that something may be not right when he was cleaning the litterbox and there was nothing to be cleaned since the last time. Also that sometimes the cat actually came to greet him when he arrived from work. In the beginning the cat was eating like a horse he said, and then towards that last weekend, a little less. But then it was already very warm and that is always when I noticed our cat eating less.

Maybe he was fueling himself? Can it be that our cat is still in his apartment (after all, they are hard to be found if they choose to really hide) but it's just strange that all of a sudden he changes his behavior so. Did he get so depressed (or scared of something) that we took him there again that he has decided to remain hidden? Granted this time abroad is a little over 2 weeks this time, and last travel took only as long as til the time he now misteriously disappeared? Our friend is saying maybe he escaped to go home. We seriously doubt this as he's never been an outdoor cat and we took him always by car to this friends place. Our friend didn't mention anything like that the cat would've been vomiting or panting so I'm just praying he hasn't gotten ill despite that Our trip abroad is ruined and we'll be flying back coming Tuesday (6th of Aug) and we're hoping by this time, he would actually be found, safely, unharmed, inside the flat. We of course acknowledge the fact that the cat may have ran away, but certainly not for very far. Our friend has gone to the neighbours and is looking every day few times the building around (however if he has left the flat, it would be very unlikely that he would've even gotten out from the building due to the always closed main doors).

I guess what would calm our minds is to know if anyone here has experienced something similar? I know cat's can get depressed and thus being very antisocial and stay hidden for very long periods. But knowing how his flat is, we don't really see where the cat could vanish. And what worries us is the fact that there seems to be no signs of litterbox usage or drinking water and feeding. Our friend keeps saying he has tried looking even from the most 'silliest' places for him, but to no avail.

My wife's mom shared something similar from her past; Their house cat was once so shocked and/or scared of another cat having visited their place, that the cat hid for 15 consecutive days, behind their stove! And they had been using it and the cat never dared to come out. And this whole time without eating and drinking or going to the toilet. He turned out fine in the end.

Apologies for this long note, I hope someone had the patience with us and can share us their thoughts/experiences.

Would be highly appreciated. This cat is our family. We miss him and it kills us that we have to wait 4 more day before we can

even ourselves to go there to look for him.

Could it be that the cat flap wasn’t fully closed properly. The cat could have used his muscle power to force back the closing slide?..I’ve lost mine and am wracking my mind for possibilities