Keep searching, and searching. I love my cats so much. If one of them got lost, I would search to the end of the world and back.

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luckily i havent faced this problem yet, but i know i will be a mess

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Really great advice. I found above information very helpful. But most importantly I would say don’t give up hope or your search.

True... I hope it never happens

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thank you for the good advice i will give them a try

Kitty Galore
x

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Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.

One of my cats has been missing for 2 weeks - all possible sightings have been on the other side of a busy road, the other 3 directions from my house are fine, but ...she picked that one!
She is microchipped and my council waste providers scan any....well, you know - so at least I know its not that

Ive tried most of the first post - some impeded by my other cat & neighbours cats.

There was another suggestion of putting food out at night with a baby moniter in case they are too freaked to return in normal hours - i've been doing this. I left a blanket under to catch stray hairs - all have been the wrong colour

i found some interesting tips on behaviour from

Recovery Tips: Lost Cat Behavior | Missing Pet Partnership

may help someone else too

sorry this is so long!
if anyone has advice on helping my other cat cope i'd love to hear it. shes lost confidence and become really clingy - cried when i put rubbish out.

Never give up! We lost Shoo (12 1/2 at the time) in January 2009 and I was frantic. I looked EVERYwhere. Put up posters. Rang doorbells. Went to shelter 2-3 times a week. Checked websites on lost/found cats several times a day. Put flyers in every mailbox within 2 mile radius. No luck.

Know how we found him? We were walking through the neigborhood and turned the corner to see him sleeping on a neighbor's lawn! We called his name, he came right over to us. We walked him home to reunite him w/his friends and siblings. He was hungry and thin, but other than that, OK!

That was last July, a year and a half since he had been missing! Yes, we looked in the area before . . .it was only 4 blocks from home! Unbelieveable. He's doing great. . .back to his normal weight . . .and is indoor ONLY now. He doesnt even show a hint of wanting to go outside.

BTW, when we took him to the vet for his first homecoming checkup, he found two BBs imbeaded in his front leg. My guess is some idiot shot him, he got scared, took off and couldnt find his way back.

I should mention we think he hooked up with a feral cat colony in the area and there was a nice lady feeding them all. If you know a group of ferals or nice people who feed strays, check w/them! Cats go where there is food.

This is gonna sound like I'm taking the mick, but I'm really not: Pray to the Goddess. Be very specific (e.g. asking for your cat to be led to you within a specific amount of minutes/hours/days etc. (but be realistic, if your cat may be an hour's walk away, don't say "2 minutes") and be very polite. I have prayed to the Goddess 4 times before about my cat, and she has helped me 4 times in a row. Don't forget to thank her after she helps you.

The Goddess is known (amongst Wiccans anyway) for her association with animals.

What do you do when you loose your cat to something you've never heard of?

I agree with other posters, never give up hope.

My mum had a cat who went missing for 4 months. She put loads of leaflets around and her cat was found living semi-feral on a farm.

I've had two cats who went missing at different times.
Barnie, I moved house and she got out after 3 weeks. I put up posters, called her and kept looking for her. I knew she had got disorientated and was trying to find her way home - it just wasn't like her to go missing. After 2 months we decided to plant a tree in the garden in her memory. I was beside myself with grief not knowing what had happened to her. That same day she turned up in the night, so hungry she didn't stop eating most of the night! The next day I got the vet to give her a health check (I paid extra to have him come to the house, I wasn't going to risk putting her in a carrier!). She had a few ear mites but otherwise fine.

Another story - we recently rescued 3 cats from the RSPCA. Holly, a very timid cat got out after 4 weeks (last Friday). I called her in and she got scared, jumped over a fence and ran off. She didn't come back when I called her but didn't think she could have gone far. This time I knew she wasn't disorientated but had got spooked and thought she was better off hiding outside than coming back in the house. I kept calling her for days and left food outside. No joy. I felt so bad I'd wanted to give a homeless cat a forever home and nice life but thought it wasn't to be. I put a litter tray that had been used outside the back door. I put some unwashed towels and pyjamas on the washing line. Anything to get scent from the house outside. On Thursday evening I was just about to put some posters up when I saw her in the garden. I called her and she ran off again. On of our other cats saw this and kept going to the bottom of the garden to see if she was there. The same thing happened yesterday morning. So I knew she was around but couldn't get her back in. Last night I left the back door open and fried some sausages on low heat and left the kitchen for a bit. She sneaked in and went upstairs! We've set up a sanctuary for her in the bedroom with food and a litter tray, she was nervous at first until we reassured her. Now she's loving the attention and fuss.

So my advice is to keep trying. Your cat may be hiding somewhere and only prowls around at dusk or at night. Keep asking neighbours, the chances are someone may have seen your cat. Shake the kibble box at night, the sound can be heard from further away when there's no traffic noise. Keep calling in the day even if they're hiding and too scared to come back they can hear your reassuring voice.

Nothing can prepare you for the pain you feel when your cat goes missing. It's the not knowing and the 'what ifs' that go through your mind all the time. I found it helped to talk about it with other sympathetic moggie lovers. People who don't have pets just don't understand. Try and take comfort in the fact that you're doing everything you possibly can.
Hope you have some good luck soon.