Moving Blues and a Missing Cat

[ruben mendoza]

Hello, I've visited the site before and have always found it very fun and educational. I have a few questions to ask all you cat lovers.  A little about myself, my family took in a bombay black cat that was living under our house about 3 years ago. He was feral and we were told by the vet that he would never adapt to humans because of his nature and upbringing. My mother never takes no for an answer, She worked and worked and worked and eventually he began to come into our home and eventually became our cat. We adopted another female black cat who was pregnant (pretty sure it was his) and she gave birth to one healthy kitten. She had complications and nearly died herself (several cats were still inside her and died) she made it. We took in 3 more cats that were strays (their mother was killed by a pit bull) and now we have 6.

We just moved to a new city, and it has been a trying time. The younger cats want to go outside all the time (they were raised outside) and the oldest (Gordon, the bombay) ran away a few days ago. I love my cats, and will do anything I have to to make sure they are safe and happy. I thought about giving them up (our yard is small) but I love them too much. I can provide whatever they need, but I need help.

1. Tips on finding a lost cat in a new city

2. Tips on how to function in a 6 cat household

3. Do cats have to go outside? Can they live inside all the time?

4. How do I stop the midnight meowing.

thank you guys so much.

 

[16cats]

That's a lot of questions! :-)  I'm just going to tackle the first, most pressing one, the missing kitty.

Gordon is going to be harder to find, because he will likely revert to being feral outside in a new environment.

Put out food and water for him. Try to make a hiding place for him - better yet keep a door to a basement or garage ajar so he will come back in.

You should make a lost cat flyer with info and a photo of Gordon, your phone number and distribute them to your neighbors. Talk to them. Ask them to contact you if they see him. If you can, get a trail cam and put it up in your yard and watch if he is around. Let the most trust worthy of your other cats outside (under supervision). Hopefully they will encounter him and make him realize where home is.

Our semi-feral kitty Tutti went missing for 2 weeks a few years ago. I put up flyers and talked to our neighbors. A neighbor 3 houses down saw him in her garage one day and quickly shut the door on him and called me! He hid and it took hours to coax him out but we finally got him. It was great! Another semi feral got out this summer and we put up trail cam and spotted her right away. We saw where she went and put a trail of tuna to a trap and were able to trap her and bring her in.

You may need to get a trap to catch Gordon. Sometimes there are cat rescue groups in the area who will loan you one. Be patient. he is around. It may just take time to bring him back in.

 

[basschick]

i find a can of tuna lures missing cats most of the time.  and you may need a trap, depending.

best of luck to you!

 

[ruben mendoza]

Do you guys keep your cats indoors? What are tips on how to keep them happy and content inside?

 

[ruben mendoza]

Update:

Our cat is still missing, going on 3 weeks. I have posted to social media and bought a trap (so far, 5 different cats ) but not mine yet. I'm struggling but won't stop til I find him.

The cats seem to be getting along better inside, We have 5 that are slowly learning to co-exist inside. They do still want to go out but in time.

 

[cat-tech]

Post flyers to all the local lost and found facebook pages and craigslist, your local newspapers, take flyers to the nearest veterinary clinics, post flyers to neighbors in an entire block's radius, go out and ask your neighbors if they've seen him, to check their garages and sheds for him.  Take flyers to, and, check physically the shelters and rescue organizations in the area.  Don't rely on shelters/rescue orgs to call you, you have to call them and physically check them because your description and their description vary considerably.  Ask nearby businesses if they will let you post a flyer.

Leave a t-shirt with your scent near your door, and fresh food and water if possible.  Late nights and early mornings are when hiding cats tend to come out of hiding when traffic is minimal - when searching, take a can of food and tap on it with a fork while calling his name, or shake a bag of treats.  Extend your search area to another block, two blocks, three blocks...

At night, take a flashlight and look under cars, up into trees, under bushes, trailers, decks, porches (the latter from a distance so you're not trepassing unless you have permission), etc.  Cats hide in small dark places, as quiet as possible.

Use a live trap - rescue organizations or your local shelter may lend you one and will show you how to use it and set it up properly.  Do not set a trap and just leave it to check later, cats can seriously harm themselves in a trap due to fear, it has to be monitored at all times and especially in inclement weather.

As for one of your other questions, yes, cats can live happily indoors.  All it requires is a safe and happy environment.  Enrich their environment with quality playtime, room to play, interactive toys, a safe window to perch at (but locked so they cannot escape), your love and attention, and commitment to their well-being, happiness and health.

Don't give up on searching for Gordon, he could still be nearby your area, learning where to find food, established a safe hiding area.  The more you expose yourself, your voice, your scent, if he's nearby, he in fact may be watching from a distance and needing more encouragement to come out to you.  Keep looking, calling out to him, etc.  Update your posts on the net, and make sure your flyers posted physically elsewhere are still posted - sometimes a caring soul will find and take into their home, but if they see your flyer, they'll know he has an owner!

 

[imaginewizard]

Are your cats neutered/sprayed? That'll help with preventing roaming and midnight meowing (and loads of other nasties).

Cats don't need to live outdoors, if engaged with and kept active, they can be more than content indoors. My cat is fully indoors since I adopted him. 

 

[ruben mendoza]

Thank you guys so much for the information and support, they are greatly appreciated in times like these. I have been stressed waiting for him to come back and now have some depression. Yes all of my cats are neutered, the two female are a bit more territorial and the 3 boys we have (all under 1.5 years) are a bit more aloof when it comes to territory in the household.

This is a breakdown of my cats and their situations

Connie (Age is unknown) she was adopted off the streets about 3 months after we took in Gordon. She was pregnant at the time and hanging out with Gordon a lot so we decided to take them in as a couple. She became the queen of the house and really runs the place. Gordon is more chill and relaxed to where Connie is more dominant.

Chance (3 years) Chance was the only kitten to survive Connie's first and only pregnancy. One of the kittens was breached (twisted and prevented Connie from birthing them) so she is really important to us. She is a bit more of a follower and does and acts how Connie does.

Lee- Lee was a stray kitten (from a stray cat that used to live in our old home) and his mother was killed by a pit bull. We took him in and have slowly made him an indoor cat. Lee is a very relaxed cat that likes his quite time. Does like to venture out but not to far.

Cooper- Cooper was a little stray (same litter) that I grew fond of, he is a black cat that follows Gordon around and since Gordon ran away he hasn't been the same. Cooper sees Gordon like a dad and doesn't know how to act when he isn't here.

Jordy- Jordy was the last cat we took in, his mama left him at our doorstep. He's a weird kid but lovable and adapts easily.

What kinds of toys do you guys use to play with your cats?