Help! My cat is missing

I am not sure if I need to be alarmed or not. My 5 year old neutered tom is missing. My cousin and his family were over this weekend to visit and they accidentally left the back door open and he ran out the back door. Now, my cat is a house cat and rarely goes outside. Usually when he does go outside, it is monitored and we stand right there.

He ran out the back door and they said they tried calling to him but he stayed under the deck and was unreachable.

It has now been 2 days and there is no sign of him. We have been calling for him and he is no where to be seen. We looked under the deck, around the house, in the trees, nothing. Some people have said not to worry he will show up but this is unusual for him to be gone for so long.

I am thinking of putting up posters and asking the neighbors if they have seen him. Should I wait a couple more days or get started now?

reply to post by Jaellma


Explanation: S&F!

Start Now!

Personal Disclosure: I hope you find him safe and sound! Goodluck!

We had one of out r cats go walkabout many years ago, we drove around looking for her too, and 2 weeks passed. Then one morning I'm laying in bed and she comes trotting in peeping at me.

Hopefully yours feels the same when they've had enough and want a good feed.

Fingers crossed!! But don't stress yet, 2 days is not a long time for cats. Good luck!!

Good luck finding your cat. I have never found mine till this day and he was the type that always came when called.

Best of luck to you.

reply to post by Manhater
Wow, that's not encouraging. The kids are stressed more than I am even though I take care of him more than they do but I can understand what's going on in their minds.

In any case, we will go looking for him later today. I am worried because we live in a suburban neighborhood and we have lots of foxes, raccoon, groundhogs, deer, rabbits running around here, you name it. Hope he didn't get into a fight with one of them. He is an unusually large tom, black with piercingly green eyes so he will be easy to spot if the neighbors saw him.

Will keep you all posted.

reply to post by Jaellma


I would put the flyers up now.
Best of luck. Hopefully he is just having a little adventure and will return to you soon.
Fingers crossed. Let us know when he comes back.

reply to post by Jaellma


I am a cat person and understand exactly what you are going through.Cats are sometimes strange creatures.I have had this same thing happen more than once,and usually the cat comes home on its own.However,I would not stop looking yet.I truly hope your companion comes home soon.

two days is kind of long for a house cat. check the neighbors, they often find a good place to hide out. try walking around the area calling to him with food in hand, or treats. they usually come running for food. hope you find him..

I'm so sorry your kitty is missing. Since he's an indoor kitty, I'd start checking with neighbors now. He may have been scared outside of something. Run into a neighbors garage, or house, and is stuck inside. Some people view any cat on the loose, as a stray. Some will take in a stray, and try to keep it, not knowing they are only a few doors away from home.

Good luck finding your furry family member.

Des

reply to post by Destinyone
Thanks for all your responses. I have a couple of meetings to attend today so will not get a chance to really look for him until later this evening. Hopefully he shows up by then.

reply to post by Jaellma

Inside cats often become confused and scared when suddenly confronted with the great outdoors. And when scared, cats climb things that they cannot climb down (often they lose their claws climbing up). Now even more scared, they stop making any noise. The instincts that they believe will save them from predators also prevent you from finding your lost cat.

Your best hope for finding a scared cat high in a tree or on a roof is to walk around at night with a flashlight looking for the reflection from their eyes; it works for under crawl spaces too. Don't give up too quickly, it may take many hours over a few days to find a scared cat stuck in a tree.

If you do locate your cat it is usually impossible to reach it yourself. Instead, ask your local fire station chief if the station crew needs some "ladder training". At least out here in the country where I live, the volunteer fire crew is always eager to get more actual field experience.

Best of luck and best regards,
Z

Start now and call all your local animal shelters to see if anyone might have turned him in.
I know how you feel. I've had a lost kitty and I pray your buddy makes it home OK.

Hope you find your kitty soon!

Nothing yet. He has not showed back up yet. We cased the neighborhood and dropped off flyers to neighbors. Tomorrow I plan to call the local shelters and report him missing.

Put some lasagna in a bear trap in your back yard

edit: assuming your cat is name garfield

reply to post by Jaellma


Thanks for the update you and your kitty are in my prayers. Think positive.

I had a cat that went awol in winter for a 2 weeks. We had a snow storm and wind chill of -40 degrees Fahrenheit. I thought he was a goner, but he made it home.

reply to post by sad_eyed_lady
Really? That's good to know because even though we are in the WashMet area and have had temperatures in the 90s recently, it dropped down considerably last night and was very chilly. I was worried about his safety and wondered if he got cold last night wherever he is. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I'm sorry OP but your post reminded me of this-

Missing Missy

Please don't read until you've found your cat safe which I sincerely hope is asap.
You may be due for a laugh then. (PS-She did find her cat!

That's happened with us too. One thing that might work... Sit his litter box outside. Cats have a keen sense of smell. That actually worked for a cat we had once. Good luck.

reply to post by maybee
Hmmmm, thanks. I didn't think of that. BTW, I have already contacted the Animal Shelter and Humane Society in my area.