Where's My Cat??

[User1189]

Marshmallow got out September 5th. I was losing hope, but then she came for a 'visit' a few weeks ago. She wouldn't come near; just sat on the fence looking at us for a few moments. The weather here can go down to -28 c sometimes. Is she capable of taking care of herself at all? We've been seeing paw prints in our yard, and I think it might be Marshmallow because the other cats are probably being shut inside. Please help Marshmallow come back. Should I still be hopeful?

 

[maggiedemi]

That's good that she came back for a visit. At least there's still hope. Does she have a favorite food that you can offer her next time she shows up? Something she can't resist?

 

[Grillby]

Are you putting out food for her? Maybe that will help entice her to visit again more regularly to the point where you'll be able to get her inside again. If not and it stays cold, you could possibly set up some sort of shelter for her? She may not use or go into it, but the option would be there for her in case it gets too cold and she needs a place to rest and stay cozy.

There's a really neat method of using those big, plastic totes and transforming them into little shelters for cats to stay cozy in. There was a tutorial, but I can't seem to located it right now, I'll have to post it if I do manage to find it. I haven't done it myself, but there's a lot of people that said it worked out nice, though I wouldn't know from first hand.

Personally I just keep my garage door cracked at the bottom for our local ferals and strays around my house to get into when it gets too cold. I have a bunch of straw filled boxes for them to nestle down into, food/water and if it gets super cold one of those kennel heating pads that activate wit weight. (But I'd be careful about doing that. Only if you're confident it'll be safe and check on it frequently.)

 

[saleri]

Make sure to put her Litter outside, cat's can smell that from pretty far away.

 

[ArchyCat]

Would the OP please update? Could you borrow a live trap to capture her? Good Luck!

 

[User1189]

I haven't seen marshmallow since I last posted. I have tried putting litter and food, but the weather was really cold and no cats came out. How do I get her to come back?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Be patient. We have had cats who came home MONTHS later, very little the worse for wear! Cats are remarkably resilient and good at finding warm places to hole up in bad weather. Hang in there. Keep putting food out, and keep watch! Best of luck. You are in my thoughts.