My little girl's cat is missing

[Nakia]

Emma's 2 yr old tuxedo cat, Oscar, is missing and we have 16 inches of snow. He has been gone since Friday morning. He and his brother go in and out, mostly in, and they never go far from home because they are neutered and love their girls. Oscar is the most affectionate, docile cat I have ever met. Emma dresses him in baby doll clothes and pushes him around in a doll pram all the time. He sleeps on her pillow. They are a match made in heaven!!

 

I am sick with worry for Emma. She can hardly eat, can't go to sleep for hours at night, and she has diarrhea. She is my most sensitive child, and this is really hurting her. I don't know what to do for her. I am, of course, letting her cry and holding her a lot. She wrote Oscar a letter today, and she has drawn many pictures of him today. She is grieving in a 6 yr old way. The last picture she drew showed her on one side and Oscar on the other, and they were both crying. This is awful. We have been very honest with her about Oscar coming home, or not.

 

If you will, say a prayer for the safe return of Oscar, but mostly for Emma's hurting heart.

 

Any advice on how to help her? Also I would love to hear about any cats you know who have been gone for a while in bad weather and returned home safely.

[gingersmom]

A pair of kittens appeared at my neighbors last summer. One kitty disappeared but one black/white kitty was "adopted" by my neighbor. Her hubby has allergies so she could not bring the cat into her house. Fast forward to one year later and "Moxley" is over one year old, spayed, vaccinated and happily living outside. She is just starting her second winter outside. They got a heated cat house for her but she often seeks out shelter under their porch/house.

 

My brother had an outdoor cat that lived to the ripe old age of 17. There were a few times he disappeared leading my brother to drive around in the middle of the night calling his name. He always managed to come home within a day or two.

 

I feel so bad for your daughter. Hoping kitty has sought out shelter and will reappear when the sun comes back out.

 

Maybe let your neighbors know so they can be on the lookout for your kitty.

[Nakia]

My husband has been to each neighbor's house twice. He even looked in several of their garages to see if Oscar got scared and hid in one of them. I am just really worried because he didn't come home with his brother when the snow started Friday mid-morning.

 

We made lost kitty posters today. We will try and get out tomorrow to hang them.

[hornblower]

There are lots of tips on finding lost cats here:

http://www.catsinthebag.org/

 

Posters need to be blanketing the neighbourhood.

 

I know someone who does lots of lost dog & cat searches & she swears by knocking on people's doors and handing them a flyer. Ask them to check their garages. Remind them to bang on their cars before starting their engines - cats will hide in there because it's warm.

 

Go out in the evening when it's quiet & walk around the neighbourhood calling out your cat's name. If you feed dry out of a tupperware container, taking that along & shaking it will often work to encourage cats to come. Similarly if you ever shake a little treat pouch to encourage him to come, take that out and shake it outside. Walk a several block perimeter.

 

Put ads online on craigslist &/or your local buy & sell.

 

Make sure your local vets have flyers.

 

Call the shelters. PHYSICALLY GO to the shelters every few days. Cats (& dogs) are hard to identify & often shelters will misidentify incoming animals. They're busy and short-staffed; you need to go there and see if your cat is there.

 

best wishes

[Nakia]

There are lots of tips on finding lost cats here:

http://www.catsinthebag.org/

 

Posters need to be blanketing the neighbourhood.

 

I know someone who does lots of lost dog & cat searches & she swears by knocking on people's doors and handing them a flyer. Ask them to check their garages. Remind them to bang on their cars before starting their engines - cats will hide in there because it's warm.

 

Go out in the evening when it's quiet & walk around the neighbourhood calling out your cat's name. If you feed dry out of a tupperware container, taking that along & shaking it will often work to encourage cats to come. Similarly if you ever shake a little treat pouch to encourage him to come, take that out and shake it outside. Walk a several block perimeter.

 

Put ads online on craigslist &/or your local buy & sell.

 

Make sure your local vets have flyers.

 

Call the shelters. PHYSICALLY GO to the shelters every few days. Cats (& dogs) are hard to identify & often shelters will misidentify incoming animals. They're busy and short-staffed; you need to go there and see if your cat is there.

 

best wishes

 

We are copying the posters tomorrow. My husband said he will go out to Staples to make copies. My dang printer is out of ink.

 

We have been to the neighbors' houses, but when we get the flyers we will go again. Thanks for that suggestion. We are planning to take a flyer to every vet in the county as well. My mom works for one vet, and she has some connections so that might help.

 

Thanks for the reminder about Craigslist. I just posted there along with a website for lost animals for our area.

 

I tried calling the shelter yesterday, but they must have been closed due to weather. We will call and/or go there tomorrow.

 

We have taken several walks the past couple of days looking for him. Yesterday Patrick and Emma went and she called for him. I figured he might come to her. He loves his girl so much.

 

Thanks for all the tips!!

[Hedgehogs4]

we have lost cats several times in our neighborhood and only one has not returned, and that one was just recently.

 

They have always turned up very close to home, since cats are very territorial. There are two very good possibilities: 1. they are hunkered down for warmth and shelter and not coming out--cats don't do snow. 2. A neighbor has taken them in.

 

I definitely second the fliers door to door through the neighborhood. This is what has worked for us (except this last time--albert was my son's cat and has been missing for four weeks now).

 

there is the concern of coyotes--do you have them in your area? we do, unfortunately, and i hope that albert was "readopted" and not taken by coyotes. hopefully they are just hunkered down against the snow.

 

i will say a prayer for your daughter. what she is going through is horrible...real grief.

[LibraryLover]

Cats have a terrible knack for wandering and scaring us, and then coming home. I hope you find him very soon!

[Denisemomof4]

oh, I'm SO sorry! My heart is breaking for your daughter and I can't even imagine what you're going through watching her!!!

 

Please - when you go see your neighbors, remind them to bang on their car outside before getting inside, perhaps even toot the horn, before starting their car. Cats do go inside to keep warm on the engines.

 

I pray that your daughter and her kitty are reunited SOON!!!

[Stacia]

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Hope he makes it home soon.

 

We had a cat go missing once for weeks. Turns out, he was hanging out/hiding in someone's basement area, but in a neighborhood a bit away from ours. So, spread your signs out.

 

Also, I had another cat that would sometimes disappear for a bit. As soon as we put out signs, he would always return. We used to joke that he didn't know he was 'missing' until he saw our signs & then he would read them & come home.

 

I'm hoping you have a happy ending....

[LauraGB]

:grouphug: Oh, that's awful! Along with all the other great advice, have the neighbors check thier basement window wells - there was a cat living in one of ours earlier this spring (when there was still snow). And definitely have them keep checking thier garages; that's where the cat we now have was found before he ended up at the humane society and we bought him, and he was pretty trashy looking, so I think he might have been hiding there for quite a while. Oh, and check all the shelters within a 30 mile radius, not just the local one.

 

Good luck! I hope he comes home soon!

[ChristusG]

Do any of your neighbors have sheds in their yards? My sister's cat has waltzed unnoticed into sheds quite a few times and gotten locked in there when the shed owners shut the shed and didn't realize she was in there.

 

Any parked cars that have not been driven in a while? The cat could be up in the engine or something?

 

Have you called all the shelters?

 

I'm so sorry for your DD!! We put our cat to sleep last week and my 5 year old cried all night. I know how girls love their cats.

[Catwoman]

I'll pray for your dd and her beloved cat.

 

One of our cats disappeared... and returned 2 years later, none the worse for wear, and acting like she'd only been away for a few hours. We never found out where she'd been, but could only assume that someone had taken her in as a "housecat," and she couldn't (or didn't want to) escape for all that time. Maybe the family moved or the person died, and someone put our cat outside and she remembered her way home.

 

So miracles can happen! And another of our gang was out in a terrible snowstorm for a few days, but we got him back again too, so please tell your dd not to lose hope.

 

I really hope you find him.

 

Cat

[Catwoman]

Do any of your neighbors have sheds in their yards? My sister's cat has waltzed unnoticed into sheds quite a few times and gotten locked in there when the shed owners shut the shed and didn't realize she was in there.

 

Also look under the sheds and under decks. With all of the snow, the cat could be trapped under a nearby porch, shed, or deck -- even one in your own yard.

 

Cat

[Liz CA]

Also look under the sheds and under decks. With all of the snow, the cat could be trapped under a nearby porch, shed, or deck -- even one in your own yard.

 

Cat

 

Holy cow! 2 years later? I just wanted to write that I didn't want to give you false hope but that cats are known to be gone for a while and return unharmed. I suppose Catwoman's post illustrates this.

I know the sickening feeling when a pet is missing. Is he neutered and does he have an ID tag with your phone number?

[Kathleen in VA]

Another vote for the possibility of your cat being in someone's shed. I went out to my shed once, opened the door and a neighbor's cat bolted through my legs. I almost passed out cold before I realized it was not a raccoon or skunk. I've also found cats in my crawl space, and once there was a whole litter of kittens living under the tool shed at my church (it sits up on cinder blocks). Our dog ran away right after a bath and didn't have his collar on. He ran into a neighbor's garage several blocks away and they called animal control who took him to the pound. It happened on a weekend, so we couldn't call until two days after he ran away. The waiting was quite painful, but we did get him back. I'm praying Oscar has found a cozy place to ride out the cold and snow and will make his way back to you and Emma soon. :grouphug:

[Nakia]

Thank you for sharing. I am a bit encouraged, but Emma is verging on hysterical at times. It took her hours to go to sleep last night. She is so pitiful. I can't get my van out of the driveway to go to the shelter, but I am going to call them when they open in 30 minutes.

 

My husband checked all the neighbors' sheds and garages when he went to their houses. I don't know where that rascal could be.

[kalanamak]

 

My husband checked all the neighbors' sheds and garages when he went to their houses. I don't know where that rascal could be.

 

 

Don't forget walking the streets and calling.

[Nakia]

Don't forget walking the streets and calling.

 

Done...multiple times. :o:crying:

[Lizzie in Ma]

Hope he comes back soon. :grouphug:

[duckens]

I am so sorry to hear that your little cat is missing, and how hard this is on your daughter. :grouphug:

 

Call the shelters. PHYSICALLY GO to the shelters every few days. Cats (& dogs) are hard to identify & often shelters will misidentify incoming animals. They're busy and short-staffed; you need to go there and see if your cat is there.

 

:iagree:

 

As a child, our dog Kibbles would run off. I remember calling the shelter and asking if they had a dog by his description. He also had a collar and license. Nope they didn't. We went to the shelter the next day. "Well, that dog has been here for three days....so you have to pay for the time even though you called about him a day and a half ago." GRRRRRR.

 

As an adult, my beloved cat Guinea didn't come home one night. The next morning, after leaving a message at the shelter, I drove down there to see who was in the cages. No Guinea. I filled out a missing cat report.

 

I got a call early evening: they had found my cat, but he wasn't in good shape. They suspect he had been hit by a car and attacked by a dog. (So he's down two of his nine lives). The shelter worker said that she prayed all the way back to the shelter that someone had filled out a missing cat report. She called me promptly, and I picked him up within an hour. She kindly waived the shelter fees because she knew that I would have some vet bills to pay. Thank goodness I worked for a vet at the time!!!

 

--Laura in Iowa

with Twinkle, Simon, and Guinea, who are now solely inside cats

[plimsoll]

Try putting some article(s) of clothing that smell like your family outside, hanging on the door knob or on the porch. A friend of mine lost his cat for several weeks. When he put a tee shirt on the doorknob, the cat was back at his door meowing to come in shortly thereafter.

 

Good luck!

[Nakia]

He is not at the shelter.

[woolybear]

That is so sad.

 

:grouphug: to all of you. I will pray for Oscar to come home safe and sound and soon.

 

 

No advice or stories to share. I'm sorry.

[Tammyla]

Poor kid, but cats are smart. I'd still be hopeful.:grouphug:

[Catwoman]

Any updates? Have you found him?

 

Still praying!!!

 

Cat

[Remudamom]

Don't give up. Read the posts again and make sure you've covered all the suggestions. We'll be praying that your kitty comes home for Christmas. Cats will amaze you with what they'll do.

 

It's so heartbreaking. My then 16 yr old lost her house kitty overnight and it was awful watching her worry.

[Annabel Lee]

Oh, (((Nakia and Emma))), how awful! I cried reading about your poor dd's heartbreak. My brother's cat disappeared once in the middle of winter for over 3 weeks. We're in interior Alaska. We thought an owl or hawk had gotten him, because he was used to roaming around outside at will but always returned home. Just over 3 wks. later, he returned - very thin and with patches of hair missing. We don't know what happened to him but whatever it was, it booted the arrogance right out of him. He was from then on a very humble cat, and lived a long life until his natural passing from old age. You asked for us to share this type of experience, but be careful about offering too much hope to your dd since the chances are unknown for the poor cat. She's already grieving and you don't want to take her on an emotional rollercoaster. Praying for you. <3

[Nakia]

Oscar still isn't home. We went to the shelter today and the vets. We posted flyers in the shelter and vets' offices. We are praying so hard for him to come home. We have been really honest with her about the fact that he may not ever come home, but we still have a lot of hope. She is continuing to grieve by crying, talking about him a lot, and drawing a lot of pictures of him. She didn't cry herself to sleep last night, so that is an improvement. She did pray a precious prayer for him, and she asked God to let her know if Oscar isn't coming home. Poor thing. She is asking for closure. My heart grieves with her.

[Nakia]

Oh, and thank you for sharing your stories.

[Michelle O. in MO]

Nakia, We went through this last summer. My 10yod cried for a steady two weeks and then off and on after that. We had suspicions our cat wasn't coming home because he had never disappeared for so long.

 

One of the things we did was have a memorial service for "Monkey". We bought some fake flowers (so they'd stay in bloom all year round). We also bought a few other trinkets, and then picked a spot outside of dd's bedroom window where she could look outside and see it. She wrapped his brush and toy in his small blankie and then buried them beneath the flowers. Then she and a few friends/family who knew and loved Monkey all said a few words. There were tears, some smiles, lots of hugs. Finally, to help her cope with her grief, she turned to books.....cat books. She's a little older than your dd, but the books she found were fantasy/fiction and really helped her get through her sadness.

 

Perhaps you can find a little stuffed animal that looks just like your daughter's cat? Like a Webkinz or something? Maybe that would comfort your daughter a little. She could sleep with it ... I don't know.

 

These things have comforted my dd, but I know each child is different.

[Nakia]

Nakia, We went through this last summer. My 10yod cried for a steady two weeks and then off and on after that. We had suspicions our cat wasn't coming home because he had never disappeared for so long.

 

One of the things we did was have a memorial service for "Monkey". We bought some fake flowers (so they'd stay in bloom all year round). We also bought a few other trinkets, and then picked a spot outside of dd's bedroom window where she could look outside and see it. She wrapped his brush and toy in his small blankie and then buried them beneath the flowers. Then she and a few friends/family who knew and loved Monkey all said a few words. There were tears, some smiles, lots of hugs. Finally, to help her cope with her grief, she turned to books.....cat books. She's a little older than your dd, but the books she found were fantasy/fiction and really helped her get through her sadness.

 

Perhaps you can find a little stuffed animal that looks just like your daughter's cat? Like a Webkinz or something? Maybe that would comfort your daughter a little. She could sleep with it ... I don't know.

 

These things have comforted my dd, but I know each child is different.

 

Thank you for those sweet suggestions. I am so sorry your dd had to go through this. It is just about unbearable for me to see her like this. :grouphug:

[Michelle O. in MO]

Dear Nakia

 

I'm Michelle's daughter, Rachel, the one who lost my cat. I hope & pray that Oscar will be returned to your daughter. I still miss my cat, Monkey, and feel tears come to my eyes when I think of him. When I think of him, I try to think of comforting memories.

 

It makes me happy to know he is probably with Jesus, and Jesus is taking very good care of my kitty. Sometimes I wonder if he is right beside me when I stand by his grave. But then I think to myself, that everything is alright, and I'll see him again one day up in Heaven. Please keep us all posted on what happens.

 

~Rachel~

 

p.s. Tell Emma that I know exactly how she feels, and that I hope Oscar will be reunited with her.

[Nakia]

Dear Nakia

 

I'm Michelle's daughter, Rachel, the one who lost my cat. I hope & pray that Oscar will be returned to your daughter. I still miss my cat, Monkey, and feel tears come to my eyes when I think of him. When I think of him, I try to think of comforting memories.

 

It makes me happy to know he is probably with Jesus, and Jesus is taking very good care of my kitty. Sometimes I wonder if he is right beside me when I stand by his grave. But then I think to myself, that everything is alright, and I'll see him again one day up in Heaven. Please keep us all posted on what happens.

 

~Rachel~

 

p.s. Tell Emma that I know exactly how she feels, and that I hope Oscar will be reunited with her.

 

Thank you so much, Rachel. You are such an inspiring young woman. I am so very sorry for your pain. We are still hoping and praying that Oscar comes home. I will tell Emma what you said. Bless you.

[Catwoman]

Dear Nakia

 

I'm Michelle's daughter, Rachel, the one who lost my cat. I hope & pray that Oscar will be returned to your daughter. I still miss my cat, Monkey, and feel tears come to my eyes when I think of him. When I think of him, I try to think of comforting memories.

 

It makes me happy to know he is probably with Jesus, and Jesus is taking very good care of my kitty. Sometimes I wonder if he is right beside me when I stand by his grave. But then I think to myself, that everything is alright, and I'll see him again one day up in Heaven. Please keep us all posted on what happens.

 

~Rachel~

 

p.s. Tell Emma that I know exactly how she feels, and that I hope Oscar will be reunited with her.

 

Rachel, I'm so sorry to hear about Monkey, but it was so sweet of you to share your story to help make Emma feel better.

 

I posted this earlier in the thread, but I wanted to let you know that Monkey may not be dead. My cat disappeared one afternoon and we thought for sure that she'd been hit by a car or something. We looked everywhere for her, but never found her. Then... 2 YEARS LATER... she came strolling up on to the back deck and meowed to get into the house! She was in great health, and we never figured out where she'd been, but she's sitting here next to me right now, so I just wanted to let you know that miracles happen! We guess some nice family must have taken her in, thinking she was a stray, and kept her as an "inside cat" all that time.

 

Cat

[Nakia]

Oscar isn't home yet. It will be a week tomorrow since he disappeared. We are still hoping and praying that he comes home soon. We did go adopt a new kitten because my husband was convinced that would help heal Emma's heart. She still wasn't eating and had an upset stomach all the time. She is smiling again because of the new kitten. She still misses and talks about Oscar, of course. But at least she can be happy for Christmas. We won't ever quit hoping Oscar comes home!!!

 

Here is our sweet Oscar

 

Here is Lily, the new kitty

Edited December 24, 2009 by Nakia

[JudoMom]

Oscar isn't home yet. It will be a week tomorrow since he disappeared. We are still hoping and praying that he comes home soon. We did go adopt a new kitten because my husband was convinced that would help heal Emma's heart. She still wasn't eating and had an upset stomach all the time. She is smiling again because of the new kitten. She still misses and talks about Oscar, of course. But at least she can be happy for Christmas. We won't ever quit hoping Oscar comes home!!!

 

Here is our sweet Oscar

[ATTACH]1950[/ATTACH]

 

Here is Lily, the new kitty

[ATTACH]1949[/ATTACH]

 

Lily is beautiful, and I'll keep praying for Oscar. I'm glad your dd is smiling again :001_smile:.

[jenL]

Oscar isn't home yet. It will be a week tomorrow since he disappeared. We are still hoping and praying that he comes home soon. We did go adopt a new kitten because my husband was convinced that would help heal Emma's heart. She still wasn't eating and had an upset stomach all the time. She is smiling again because of the new kitten. She still misses and talks about Oscar, of course. But at least she can be happy for Christmas. We won't ever quit hoping Oscar comes home!!!

 

Here is our sweet Oscar

[ATTACH]1950[/ATTACH]

 

Here is Lily, the new kitty

[ATTACH]1949[/ATTACH]

 

I'm so sorry to hear about Oscar. He looks just like our cat, Jax, whom I couldn't imagine losing. He's a lot like your Oscar - so friendly, loving, and docile. I pray Oscar returns home soon. A similar situation happened with my aunt's cat a couple of years ago. It turns out she went to ALL her neighbors after waiting and waiting, and he was living in someone's garage a few streets over.

 

I'm glad your daughter is smiling again. I hope Lily brings her much love and joy.

[OnTheBrink]

I'm really sorry your Oscar hasn't come home yet. I hope that he's simply been taken in by another loving family. Have you looked at any "found" ads?

 

Your new kitty is adorable. We got a new kitty a few weeks after our Siamese died and he as brought a lot of joy back into the house.

 

:grouphug:

[Tammyla]

I just had to check in on your Emma. :grouphug:

 

Lily gives me a measure of peace, silly but I'm happy your dd has her. Watching your child grieve is heartbreaking. Hugs to you both.

 

Oscar isn't home yet. It will be a week tomorrow since he disappeared. We are still hoping and praying that he comes home soon. We did go adopt a new kitten because my husband was convinced that would help heal Emma's heart. She still wasn't eating and had an upset stomach all the time. She is smiling again because of the new kitten. She still misses and talks about Oscar, of course. But at least she can be happy for Christmas. We won't ever quit hoping Oscar comes home!!!

 

Here is our sweet Oscar

[ATTACH]1950[/ATTACH]

 

Here is Lily, the new kitty

[ATTACH]1949[/ATTACH]

[Nakia]

Thanks so much for all of your kind words and the prayers for Emma and Oscar. I am searching "found" ads everyday and calling the shelter daily. No sign of him yet. I keep hoping someone has taken him in and is loving him until he can find his way home. I just know he will come home!!! He has to. Emma needs her boy.

[Nakia]

Oscar came home!!!