missing cat/suspicious neighbor!!

[bella713]

Originally Posted by mandini

I got a call tonight from someone 1/2 a mile away, who has seen a black and white cat in their yard at night (including last night). She said she doesn't know of any neighbors who have a cat like that, and he is a bit skittish. I went over to look and call for him, but nothing. She's going to put out food tonight and I told her to call me if she sees him, no matter the time. If he shows up to eat the food, I'll see if I can get a trap.

I'm not giving up... I'm glad people are still on the lookout.

Handsome Pete gets fixed tomorrow, and it's not a moment too soon. I think he has sprayed every inch of my bathroom!!!!

I hope and pray that it's Marvin she's seeing

Handsome Pete

 

[mandini]

No sign of the b&w cat last night... She put food out and it was untouched. She is going to call me if she seems him again.

I guess I will just put more fliers out, especially in that area... I don't know what else to do...

 

[whiskerynature]

I'm so sorry he's not back yet.

Is humane trapping in your backyard an option? Like the way those trap/neuter/release programs? I don't have any experience with this. Don't forget to remind your local shelters weekly. Hopefully, you can bug them enough

so that they'll constantly be on the lookout for Marvin.

Come home, Marvin!

 

[mandini]

I just don't feel he's anywhere near my backyard....

If he was right there, he would come home. I know it.

If this lady spots the cat again, I am hoping she will let me put a trap in her yard. She's about 3/4 of a mile away.

 

[sarathan]

Originally Posted by fosterkitty

well, you should keep your cats inside. In a lot of places, if an animal is being a nuisance to a neighbor, they have every right take them to the shelter, and in some places they are allowed to shoot them. My neighbors lettheir cats outside all the time, and they are a horrible nuisance, but I would never shoot an animal because their stupid owners let them outside, but some people would do it.

Nice.

Mandini- I really hope you find your kitty soon! I really feel for you as I've been in your situation more than once. Please keep us updated!!

 

[mandini]

last night I walked for at least an hour, starting close to this woman's house. I walked down into the creek bed and followed it for 30 minutes, calling for him. No sign of him, though I did see some wascally wabbits.

When I was walking back to my house I asked a man walking his dog if he'd seen a B&W cat recently, and he said he saw one two nights ago, very close to where the woman lives. He said he remembered it because the cat was hiding in the bushes and staring at his dog. He said he thought the cat didn't have a collar. (There was another tuxedo cat who has a collar in that area, though her face is all black.) There are a few undeveloped areas around there, with a park and something resembling a swamp. Should I try the kitty buffet there?

Unfortunately my car is in the shop, so I can't go get a trap anytime soon, but I can start putting food out.

 

[catloverin_ks]

Sorry to hear Marvin isnt home yet

I was hoping to read this and see that he was home.

MANY COME HOME SOON VIBES!!!!

 

[mandini]

I walked over near the area two times tonight... the first time (around 8:30) I left a can of cat food. I have been feeling so upbeat the last couple days - something seemed to tell me that it had to be Marvin.

I went out again tonight at 2 am... I walked around with a flashlight. It was dead quiet... I only saw ONE cat in a driveway near there and yes, it was a black and white :-( I am pretty sure it had a collar though, but it was VERY skittish. I was carrying some tuna and set it down and it would not come close to me at all. It might have been white and gray with dark stripes. I continued on my way and nothing had even touched the cat food I had left earlier.

I started crying on the way home... I don't know how much more I can take. I had been so positive with all these stories of cats coming home after weeks or months, and now I am thinking maybe I will never find him.

At the same time I thought, people would probably think I was crazy to be walking around in the middle of the night by myself, looking for a cat gone nearly three weeks. And I have to say this is what love is all about.

I love you Marvin... PLEASE COME HOME!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[catloverin_ks]

Your not crazy!!! You just love Marvin and want him back.

I am so sorry to hear hes still not returned. I am still going to keep him and you in my thoughts!!! And send many more COME HOME SOON to Marvin!!!

Come on Marvin. You have been gone long enough!!! YOU NEED TO COME BACK!!!

 

[mooficat]

just catching up

Well there have been some positive signs, with two people spotting a kitty, you never know

Lots more come home vibes for Marvin..........we are all waiting and praying for you sweet boy

 

[pami]

Here are some tips to follow ......

Originally Posted by TNR1

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.

 

[duchess15]

Just checking to see if you have an update on Marvin. I hope that you find him soon and it was so sweet of you to take that stray in at a time of grief and worry. Sending you many come home

 

[mandini]

I got another call yesterday from a woman about a mile away who had a black and white stray on her property... looked similar but not Marvin

I almost took that cat home too but I'm just broke, can't afford to take her to the vet.

Handsome Pete got fixed and he's still hanging out inside my bedroom. He's a bit skittish, reminds me of when I first had Marvin. If I move too quickly he freaks out and runs under the bed or back into the bathroom.

He was pretty docile and meek, not growling or anything at my cats (though they hiss at him). I felt bad for him because one of my cats kept hissing at him and he seemed so afraid. So I brought him onto my bed and petted him and he was purring and curled up with me. He really liked it. When I stood up he just flipped out and began howling at my cat, and suddenly tried to attack her. I tried to get him to go back in the bathroom and he wouldn't do it. I had to chase him with a broom to get him back in there.

I don't know what the deal was, except that he liked being loved so much that he figured he'd better let my cat know he was planning on staying and she had better get used to it.

He sits at the window and meows... he really wants to go outside.

 

[shakadaka]

I'm so sorry that Marvin hasn't come home yet ...COME HOME MARVIN ! Stay positive hun, I know it is so hard not knowing, where there is love there is hope

 

[whiskerynature]

Just wanted to check in and see how you are doing. Any more leads on Marvin? How's Handsome Pete?

Stay strong and positive and hopeful.

With all the TCS vibes aimed your way

, you never know...he might come strolling through the neighborhood

.

Come Home, Marvin!!

 

[mandini]

I haven't gotten a call in a week now. He's just vanished. It's hard to stay hopeful.

I don't know what else to do.

Handsome Pete is doing better. He is really very happy. He loves to play and he talks a lot through his throat. My 11-month-old Bebe is starting to accept him, though my 11-year-old Beezus won't even come inside. Today Bebe and Pete were sleeping on the bed, about a foot apart. She still growls and hisses at him and they fight when they are both under the bed, but I think she sees him playing and is interested. The feliway seems to help.

I don't have any hope of Beezus accepting him. She still resents Bebe after nearly a year!

Marvin and Bebe were good friends, I could tell she really misses him.

 

[reesespbc]

Originally Posted by mandini

I haven't gotten a call in a week now. He's just vanished. It's hard to stay hopeful.

I don't know what else to do.

Handsome Pete is doing better. He is really very happy. He loves to play and he talks a lot through his throat. My 11-month-old Bebe is starting to accept him, though my 11-year-old Beezus won't even come inside. Today Bebe and Pete were sleeping on the bed, about a foot apart. She still growls and hisses at him and they fight when they are both under the bed, but I think she sees him playing and is interested. The feliway seems to help.

I don't have any hope of Beezus accepting him. She still resents Bebe after nearly a year!

Marvin and Bebe were good friends, I could tell she really misses him.

I hate to say anything that insinuates that you should give up hope on finding Marvin, but have you thought that maybe you were meant to find Handsom Pete? Not that he could ever replace Marvin...

 

[mandini]

I think I was destined to find Pete.

Pete seems to think so too. He is so happy, despite being neutered

. He seems to be telling me, "I love my new house! I love getting petted! I love the yummy food! I must be such a good boy to have all this great stuff!"

I still miss my Marvin. It's funny, I don't think Marvin "sent" Pete my way. Marvin got along with a gray cat who used to come on our property (even come inside our house) but he would get so mad whenever a neighbor cat who was also a tuxedo came close. It was like he was saying, "That cat is trying to look like me and steal my place! The nerve!"

So I think if Marvin could see Pete in the house he would be especially offended. I imagine him trying to tell me, "Mama that cat is an impostor! He is not Marvin! He is lying to you and saying he is Marvin! USURPER!!!"

 

[rapunzel47]

Every time I see you have posted in this thread, I think, "Is this THE post? Is he back?"

I'm sorry Marvin hasn't come home yet. I know how hard that is, and how hard it is to keep hoping, but kitties have been gone longer and come home. I hope Marvin does, too.

 

[moonlights mom]

Just keep praying...don't loose hope. Cats like to wander and explore but he knows where his home is and he'll be able to find his way back. Did you have him microchipped? Was he wearing a collar? Poor you...God Bless...I can't even imagine Moonlight running away...it must be so hard! Don't loose hope though. Have you tried petfinder.com? If he was rescued, he might be in there like in a foster home. Keep checking around. Post up lots of flyers. You can find a website in your area that you can put a lost ad in. Also do in your local newspaper(s). Your baby will be back soon....