- Joined
- Nov 18, 2018
- Messages
- 19
- Purraise
- 65
My mom’s cats, Jet and Lando, came to visit for Christmas. As my mom was loading them into the car yesterday to leave, Jet broke out of his carrier and sprinted across the yard and around the side of the house where we could no longer see him. We have no idea if he stopped somewhere or kept going, he could be anywhere. Though he’s been at our house for two weeks, he’s never been outside and is unfamiliar territory. He’s an indoor cat. Jet is super skittish even in the house, so I don’t know that he’s the type who will come when we call his name. Many times he’ll only come out from under the bed if Lando comes with him (Lando’s more socially adjusted). Probably the only thing we know is wherever Jet is, he’s scared.
Here’s what we’ve tried so far:
Walking the neighborhood and calmly saying his name and “kitty kitty”
Looking under bushes and in various hidey spots as best we can (many of the bushes are very dense)
Putting out his used cat litter and food
Putting out clothes that smell like Mom and Lando
Putting Lando out in a secure crate for an hour to see if Jet would come to him
Set a havahart trap overnight with his favorite smelly food on the porch
Searched at night with a flashlight to try and see his reflective eyes
Mom sat on the porch for an hour reading and “talking to him”
Of course, most of this only works if he’s in the immediate vicinity, but we have no idea if that’s the case.
Can anyone suggest other things we can try or do? Mom’s understandably distraught, and getting moreso because she can’t stay any longer than tomorrow. We’ll still be looking for him of course since it’s our home, but I’m at a loss as to how to get him back to us.
We have a cat-friendly dog who wanted to play with Jet while he was here; Jet didn’t want to play, but didn’t run and hide from him either. I could take him for a walk and see if he alerts at any of the bushes? I’d be worried about Jet running, but if he does at least we know where he is? I dunno. Any other suggestions?
Here’s what we’ve tried so far:
Walking the neighborhood and calmly saying his name and “kitty kitty”
Looking under bushes and in various hidey spots as best we can (many of the bushes are very dense)
Putting out his used cat litter and food
Putting out clothes that smell like Mom and Lando
Putting Lando out in a secure crate for an hour to see if Jet would come to him
Set a havahart trap overnight with his favorite smelly food on the porch
Searched at night with a flashlight to try and see his reflective eyes
Mom sat on the porch for an hour reading and “talking to him”
Of course, most of this only works if he’s in the immediate vicinity, but we have no idea if that’s the case.
Can anyone suggest other things we can try or do? Mom’s understandably distraught, and getting moreso because she can’t stay any longer than tomorrow. We’ll still be looking for him of course since it’s our home, but I’m at a loss as to how to get him back to us.
We have a cat-friendly dog who wanted to play with Jet while he was here; Jet didn’t want to play, but didn’t run and hide from him either. I could take him for a walk and see if he alerts at any of the bushes? I’d be worried about Jet running, but if he does at least we know where he is? I dunno. Any other suggestions?