- Joined
- Apr 11, 2016
- Messages
- 130
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So happy to have found this site, I have been searching for a source to help me with my feral cat's disappearance. I call him semi-feral, because he displays traits that tell me he was once owned, but that was probably a long time ago. Our boy has lived in our back garden for over a year and a half. He wandered in and we let him stay. I have always had cats, but never outdoor cats. If I had my choice I would have brought him inside, but he would have none of that. The only inside time he had was during some meals, where he would come into the entry hall, wait until I left, and eat his meal. He has never let me touch him, but he would wait for the car to pull into the driveway, and follow me into the doorway for food. He would also emerge if we were sitting or working in the garden. He has places to sleep in our garage, an insulted kitty condo, and plenty of food all year round. There is an area in my garden that serves as a cat path way, I suspect a neutral territory, where several cats come an go, including neighborhood pets. This never posed a problem until recently. Our boy disappeared on March 8. There was no sign of a fight, he was just gone, did not eat his morning meal. Most times, he would wander off for a day or two at most, and during the night I am sure he went on excursions, but was usually back in the morning. A few nights after he disappeared, I noticed a strange cat in the back yard at 1:30 am, eating from the bowl of food I had left out for our boy. I realized this cat probably scared him off. The next day I noticed spray marks on our boy's kitty condo, which I immediately cleaned with odor neutralizer. I am trying to trap the interloper to have him neutered and vaccinated, and evaluated for adoption. Meanwhile, I just want my boy to return!
Has anyone had a similar experience, and if so, what did you do to try to encourage your feral(s) to return? We have looked everywhere throughout the neighborhood, but there is no sign of him. Some earlier threads indicated that some people waited many months for their feral cats to return after having been scared off. Is this typical?
I was advised to leave things out that have his scent on them and I have done this. What else can I do?
Has anyone had a similar experience, and if so, what did you do to try to encourage your feral(s) to return? We have looked everywhere throughout the neighborhood, but there is no sign of him. Some earlier threads indicated that some people waited many months for their feral cats to return after having been scared off. Is this typical?
I was advised to leave things out that have his scent on them and I have done this. What else can I do?