This time it happened to me - Missing cat

[Antonio65]

One of my three yard cats has gone missing since Friday, March 15th, ten days ago.
The last time I saw her was around midnight Thursday, I was out in the yard and filled the dishes for the three of them. The next morning she wasn't there. I wasn't too worried, sometimes she wanders in the nearby yards and gets back home in an hour or two, but nonetheless I went looking for her.
Things started being weird when I didn't see her at noon and even weirder when she didn't show up at night.
I spent the whole weekend looking for her in the neighborhood. I also asked some neighbors, none of them saw her. I looked for her even at night, like at 1 am or early in the morning, I kept calling her and I still am.

I didn't find her on the road in the morning when she didn't show up, so I should be rather positive that she wasn't involved in a car incident.
I put up flyers on all poles and lamp posts in the neighborhood, stating that there's a reward for any good info to find her. A post has been posted on two Facebook pages (community pages).

She's at least 10 years old, is a very shy cat, she doesn't go close to people, and even I have some difficulties at touching her, so I think it's very highly unlikely that someone snatched her. Also, given that she went missing at night (between midnight and 8 am), I doubt that she stepped on a van and was taken elsewhere.

She wears a grey collar (Seresto collar) with a bright red tag with her name and my phone number, so I believe that whoever might have found her knows what to do.
I think she got stuck somewhere and can't get out, but she never meowed.

I don't know what else I can do.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Sorry she is missing. Have you asked the neighbors to check their backyards, particularly if they have decks or sheds/etc. that she could have gotten trapped in? If she happened to lose her collar and is not microchipped, you probably ought to contact local vets/shelters/rescues too. I'd actually contact them regardless and give them flyers as well, then call every day thereafter just to keep her fresh in their minds.

 

[Antonio65]

Yes, I asked all the closest neighbors to check their spaces.
Also, I wrote the same request on the flyers.
I don't think she could lose her collar.
The only local rescue and shelter is where I give a hand a few days a week, so I know she's not there.
I'm trying to contact the local police, they could tell me if anyone reported a dead animal on the public roads in the last few days, but they never answer. They have a number for emergencies and a number for other communications. I'm calling the latter, they never take the call.

I hope that all the flyers that I attached to the utilities poles and lamp posts will be noticed by someone who can help me.

 

[Norachan]

I'm sorry you are going through this Antonio65



I've found it helps to write something like "REWARD for any information leading to the recovery of missing cat" on the fliers. That gets people's attention. You don't need to say how much the reward is.

She may have got locked in somewhere. Try starting from your home and walking in larger and larger circles, checking every building as you go. The best time to search is just after day break. Not many people or cars around, but cats are at their most active. Even if you've already checked those places, keep checking. If she's scared or injured she might try and stay hidden at first.

One of the feral cats I feed recently came back to eat after being AWOL for 2 years! And one of my house and garden cats was gone for over 2 months once, then came home by herself. I think just going out, walking around and calling them sometimes helps because they can hear your voice and decide to come home, and other people are reminded that there is a cat missing.

 

[Antonio65]

I've found it helps to write something like "REWARD for any information leading to the recovery of missing cat" on the fliers. That gets people's attention. You don't need to say how much the reward is.

This is exactly what I did.
The fliers says "Reward for any info leading to finding the cat", with the word "reward" in red and larger font. I didn't say how much the reward is.

She may have got locked in somewhere. Try starting from your home and walking in larger and larger circles, checking every building as you go. The best time to search is just after day break. Not many people or cars around, but cats are at their most active. Even if you've already checked those places, keep checking. If she's scared or injured she might try and stay hidden at first.

This is what I'm doing, at night, even past midnight, and early in the morning. I looked around home, and away from home, multiple times.
A woman told me she saw that cat (she says she remembers the red tag) in her garden, but she can't tell if it was week or a month ago. It seems strange to me that my cat was on her property since she lives too far from me and there are too many houses in the middle. If I know that cat well, she never walks that far.
What I start to think is that someone, one of the neighbors, injured/killed her on purpose and hid her body. Because I don't know who could be, I have to consider them all potential killers, and treat them accordingly.

One of the feral cats I feed recently came back to eat after being AWOL for 2 years! And one of my house and garden cats was gone for over 2 months once, then came home by herself. I think just going out, walking around and calling them sometimes helps because they can hear your voice and decide to come home, and other people are reminded that there is a cat missing.

I hope my cat comes back, though I wonder where she could eat and drink...

I posted 51 fliers yesterday. Today it's raining... It hadn't been raining for the past three weeks now! Great!

 

[tiggerwillow]

Good luck, I hope you find her

 

[Norachan]

What I start to think is that someone, one of the neighbors, injured/killed her on purpose and hid her body. Because I don't know who could be, I have to consider them all potential killers, and treat them accordingly.

Why do you think that? Has anyone complained about the cats or made any threats?

 

[Antonio65]

Why do you think that? Has anyone complained about the cats or made any threats?

I haven't received direct threats.
But I have overheard some neighbors complaining about the presence of so many cats around their homes or in the nearest proximity. One said that he was seeing too many cats, and he said that with a tone of contempt.
Another one is complaining that some cats are peeing or pooping in their garden and make the grass turn to brown. I have always seen them using my garden as their litter box, they have their own place under a pine tree, and use the fallen pine needles as litter.
None of my three yard cats meows out loud at any hour, they spend 90% of their time on my property, they are peaceful and don't do mess around (as far as I know).

I haven't found her yet. Most of my fliers are still in place. Only 5 out of 51 have been removed and even the heavy rain of the past two days made them fall on the ground.
I even called the local police and asked them if they had any report of dead cats on the roads, and they told me that the last report is from January 29th on a road far from home.
So I keep thinking she's locked somewhere or that someone hurt her and hid the body.

 

[Antonio65]

I just talked with one of the neighbors who I overheard complaining with words of contempt about my three yard cats. This happened about two years ago.
He asked me if I had found my cat yet, I said no. He asked me which of the three cats he used to see in my yard that was, and I explained to him it was the smaller black cats (two yard cats are black, the other is tabby grey), and he said he was sorry because he loved to watch them sunbathing in my yard. He also asked me some details on when and how the cat was last seen. He seemed seriously interested and sincerely sorry.
Should I remove him from the list of the suspects?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Should I remove him from the list of the suspects?

What does a suspect list do for you?

 

[Antonio65]

What does a suspect list do for you?

Actually nothing, I suppose, but it might change the way how I see some people and interact with them. They might do or say something that exposes them.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Actually nothing, I suppose, but it might change the way how I see some people and interact with them. They might do or say something that exposes them.

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but perhaps this person is asking so many questions because they want to find out what you do know about your cat's disappearance. Or they could genuinely be trying to make amends for their past behavior and comments. If you want to have a suspect list, given that it isn't going to really do much, I personally would not take this person off of it.

 

[dustydiamond1]

One of my three yard cats has gone missing since Friday, March 15th, ten days ago.
The last time I saw her was around midnight Thursday, I was out in the yard and filled the dishes for the three of them. The next morning she wasn't there. I wasn't too worried, sometimes she wanders in the nearby yards and gets back home in an hour or two, but nonetheless I went looking for her.
Things started being weird when I didn't see her at noon and even weirder when she didn't show up at night.
I spent the whole weekend looking for her in the neighborhood. I also asked some neighbors, none of them saw her. I looked for her even at night, like at 1 am or early in the morning, I kept calling her and I still am.

I didn't find her on the road in the morning when she didn't show up, so I should be rather positive that she wasn't involved in a car incident.
I put up flyers on all poles and lamp posts in the neighborhood, stating that there's a reward for any good info to find her. A post has been posted on two Facebook pages (community pages).

She's at least 10 years old, is a very shy cat, she doesn't go close to people, and even I have some difficulties at touching her, so I think it's very highly unlikely that someone snatched her. Also, given that she went missing at night (between midnight and 8 am), I doubt that she stepped on a van and was taken elsewhere.

She wears a grey collar (Seresto collar) with a bright red tag with her name and my phone number, so I believe that whoever might have found her knows what to do.
I think she got stuck somewhere and can't get out, but she never meowed.

I don't know what else I can do.

Ask your mailman or any regular delivery people. Good luck

 

[Kwik]

I'm sorry Antonio65 - although I cannot advocate for any cats living outside unsecured,still you love her no less so I'm sad by this news

But it's not uncommon for a cat that always stays in a small territory to suddenly wander off and go missing to God's Knows where for some time- I'm praying she'll return and nothing bad has happened

There are some very wicked people about so I don't blame you for your suspicions- let's hope and pray she's not encountered any of them

 

[Antonio65]

I'm sorry Antonio65 - although I cannot advocate for any cats living outside unsecured,still you love her no less so I'm sad by this news

I completely agree with you, but this cat was born as a feral, and got closer to humans later in time. She lived on a nearby property for about 5 or 6 years (maybe more) before moving to my yard a couple of years ago.
Over here she found one of her sons (he arrived when he was about 6 months old) and another feral cat that I believe is her sister.
She's not used to living indoors, and the few times I tried to keep her inside, she was much more than desperate.

My own cats are indoor cats only, they never get out unsecured, I only lead them out on harness and leash.

But it's not uncommon for a cat that always stays in a small territory to suddenly wander off and go missing to God's Knows where for some time- I'm praying she'll return and nothing bad has happened

There are some very wicked people about so I don't blame you for your suspicions- let's hope and pray she's not encountered any of them

I wonder what she could miss here. What led her to leave? She has lovely and friendly feline company. She has a warm shelter, she has at least four meals a day, a protected garden with absolutely no risks.

 

[Antonio65]

UPDATE:

Last night after 7 pm a lady called me. She had seen one of my fliers and told me she found an unknown black cat in her garden around noon. She hadn't seen my fliers yet at that time.
This black cat was sleeping on her doormat, she said the cat was small sized, with a shining black coat, but the cat ran away as soon as the lady opened the door. She hadn't the time to notice any other detail, like the collar or the red tag.
I went to her place and looked around, but it was dark (shortly before 8 pm). She left a dish with some food outside. This morning the food was still there. They checked the footage of their surveillance cameras around the property and nothing popped up.

This morning I went to their house again, I took a dish with the dry and wet food that my cat is used to eat, and I also took the trap cage with me. We set up the trap close to the house wall. They had no issue at all with having such a thing on their property, they were extremely kind. I told them that at the end, whatever the end will be, I will hand them a nice present. They replied that the only present they wish is that my cat comes back home.

What is weird is that this house is a quarter of a mile away from my home, and to get there you need to go in a non linear way.

The cat should have walked this distance, from the point on the left, to the point on the right.

I want to believe she walked up there, so today I posted 59 more fliers in that other area and nearby streets. So far I posted 110 fliers in a range of a quarter of a mile. Despite the heavy rain of the last two days (today it's dry), only two fliers fell from the poles. I replaced them.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I hope it is her and she can be trapped. But, what is your plan if this happens? How will you keep her from wandering again?

 

[Antonio65]

I hope it is her and she can be trapped. But, what is your plan if this happens? How will you keep her from wandering again?

I thought a lot about this. I could trap her and bring her back home, but what could keep her from doing that again? This is a hard question. What I know is that the first thing I will do is to take her to the vet and have her thoroughly check to see if she is alright.
I don't know if try to keep her inside, with the risk that she will dart outside and not come back for good at the first chance.
I'm still thinking, I've been thinking all day long.

 

[Unc]

I thought a lot about this. I could trap her and bring her back home, but what could keep her from doing that again? This is a hard question. What I know is that the first thing I will do is to take her to the vet and have her thoroughly check to see if she is alright.
I don't know if try to keep her inside, with the risk that she will dart outside and not come back for good at the first chance.
I'm still thinking, I've been thinking all day long.

Also when SHE Comes home (think positive thoughts, that kind of energy will create a positive outcome)
and take HER to the Vet maybe have her MICROCHIP'd that way in the event it happens again any
Animal shelter will know to contact YOU

 

[Antonio65]

Also when SHE Comes home (think positive thoughts, that kind of energy will create a positive outcome)
and take HER to the Vet maybe have her MICROCHIP'd that way in the event it happens again any
Animal shelter will know to contact YOU

The only cat shelter in the area is where I give a hand regularly.
I called the other shelter in a different city, they didn't receive any cats in the last months.