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Help missing cat!

UKTigerlily
UKTigerlily Posts: 4,702 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
in Pets & pet care
I'm after any & all ideas for locating a missing cat please. I know this isn't exactly moneysaving but we have a good community of pet lovers here that are really helpful time & again & we really need a general pet chat forum (Hint)

Ok, well it's my neighbours cat & he went missing/hasn't been seen since Monday morning. I know it's abit early to panic, my own went missing for four days once (The only time) but anything could help! He's about five years old & has been here for years so we don't think he's got lost.

The other neighbour with the uncastrated tom actually moved out on Monday (Yay) so one theory is has Boo (The cat) somehow moved with him? Maybe he got into the van that was moving the stuff? He was ok with the other cat & they'd sit near each other.

Another theory is the neighbour who's Chinchilla disappeared was with the girl who's cat has gone awol. (This is where it gets confusing). He kept thinking one of the cats had had his Chinchilla, then they split & she got with his mate so she's wondering if hhurt the cat as 'revenge' as he hates cats & has made threats to Boo before.

Of course they are just theories. She's spoken to the milkman who thinks he saw a cat like him, but who knows. I'm gonna contact the two Vets in the next village tomorrow & the RSPCA & the council just in case he was run over. So, I need to know any ideas or ways to locate him.

He's a castrated tom cat, pretty big/overweight really, about 5 years old. He had on a blue & silver collar with blue fishes & a name tag with the owners phone number but isn't chipped. He's a short haired Moggy, black & white with huge eyes named Boobah. I'm hoping he just turns up like mine did but anything that might help i'll try!

Comments

  • peachyprice
    peachyprice Posts: 22,346 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Hiya Tigerlily,

    Is the house his mate moved out of empty now? He could be shut in there.
    Have you done the wandering the streets shaking a carton of food trick (or a fork and tin, if he has tinned).

    I really really hope it wasn't chinchilla boy.
    Accept your past without regret, handle your present with confidence and face your future without fear
  • the_devil_made_me_do_it
    the_devil_made_me_do_it Posts: 5,567 Forumite
    It's very difficult to locate a cats' whereabouts, as they can get themselves were many other animals can't.

    It's worth putting notices in shop windows ect and making his disapperance known to anyone and everyone. Encourage people to check garages and outhouses, as he may have got locked in.

    Start putting food out, hopefully, he'll get hungry and return for the food. Might take a few days of putting food out, but eventually, you might see him at the food and be able to coax him back in the house. I advised this to my mother's friend after I found out that her cat had been missing for 2 months. Now she has the cat back home.
  • foreign_correspondent
    foreign_correspondent Posts: 9,542 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    oh goodness, I have no idea, but for a moment there I was really worried your cat had actually upped and gone in protest to the new dog!!

    Has anyone contacted the neighbour who has moved to see if he has seen the cat?? Or maybe the removal company if they used one?

    Is the neighbours flat now empty? Is there any chance he got locked in there?
  • UKTigerlily
    UKTigerlily Posts: 4,702 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    peachyprice wrote: »
    Hiya Tigerlily,

    Is the house his mate moved out of empty now? He could be shut in there.
    Have you done the wandering the streets shaking a carton of food trick (or a fork and tin, if he has tinned).

    I really really hope it wasn't chinchilla boy.

    Yeah as far as we know it's empty, might be an idea to have her go up & shout her cat through the door? He lived in a first floor flat (Mate is ground floor of the same block) and it's the enclosed/door entry type. Mates cat used the window to get in & out & the uncastrated tom suffered! (We even reported the Owner alot!) So I doubt Boo got in but will tell her to go up & yell him, I can't get into her block as I don't have a key or know the access code!

    Chinchilla man is on the first floor in my block but we're not the enclosed/door entry type you can walk right up to our doors. He's abit weird, not all there :confused: He has got mad before cause the uncastrated boy was doing what toms do best up his door. He threatened then to kill all of the cats up here. I really hope he hasn't done anything to Boo, makes me abit nervous of letting mine out tho he did make mine a ramp cause she's not supposed to jump through the window.

    No point asking him, he'll either deny it or say he did it, but even then with no proof & the fact he might say it to wind her up we don't get anywhere. Plus the police wouldn't bother with it being a cat.

    I'll go out & have a look tomorrow, she wondered if someone's been feeding him but idk, he has a collar & looks more than well fed, you wouldn't think he was a stray or starving by any means & he's been here all the time I have & more (3yrs+) & never gone anywhere. Might be an idea to wait until the nutter neighbour is out & shout the cat incase he's locked him in his flat to panic her?

    Of course, it might be the cat has just gone walkies like mine did for no known reason, but i'm worried all the same! I just hope the neighbour hasn't done anything but there was a guy with terminal cancer living below him (Next to me) & the guy above me living next door to him was dying too & he didn't like the guy next door so would do DIY etc 24/7 non stop & says he drove him to his death, that's what he's like. So you never know?
  • spookylukey
    spookylukey Posts: 841 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Combo Breaker
    Sorry to hear your neighbours cat is missing, if he's just lost and there's nothing more untoward going on then hopefully these tips will help. I've copied and pasted the info from this link as I know some people don't like clicking random internet links! There's lots of good advice and other lost/found websites to post to, hope he comes home soon.

    http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/in...pic,305.0.html


    Here are a few things to try:

    1. Posters, Posters, Posters with picture and details with contact number.....hand out to neighbours and anyone you see. Put up in local shops, pubs and supermarkets. Stick to all local lamp posts. (If it rains go and collect them and replace however it's best to put posters in plastic wallets so if it rains they don't go all soggy - the neighbours and council don’t mind you putting them up so much that way). Also put one in your and friends cars - it amazing how many people see them this way. Make smaller flyers and push through every letterbox on your streets and the surrounding area. It is a good idea to offer a reward … of course this doesn’t have to be money … a box of cho-colates or a bunch of flowers is just as good.

    2. Knock on doors and ask neighbours to check their sheds and garages WHILE YOU WAIT … it's surprising how many people say they will check but as soon as the door is closed they forget. Knock on 10 doors either side of your house on both sides of the street.

    3. Register him lost at all vets/catteries/rescue homes within a 20mile radius. Follow the link and click on the map to find rescues in your area http://www.catchat.org/adoption/index.html

    4. Leave food out and a toy of his

    5. Leave out an unwashed item of your clothing

    6. Put the contents of your hoover bag on your garden - it’s full of smells that they will recognise and if doesn’t bring him directly to your door will at least hopefully keep him in the area. Alternatively if you have a litter tray that has used put some of the used litter on the garden as this will have familiar smells in it.

    7. Contact the local fire brigade and see if they have had to rescue any stuck cats

    8. Ask the local children to look - they are great for knowing all the local hidey-holes and love helping. Also have a word with your local post-person and milk man if there is one that delivers in your area. Also try and enlist the help of people walking dogs as they tend to go “off road” in the fields and parks.

    9. Ask the local radio station to announce he’s missing and give out a contact number

    10. Put an advert in the local paper

    11. Contact your local environmental services dept (bin men) they keep a log of all animals picked on the roadside ... I know this is not a pleasant call to make and hopefully it will come back as negative.

    12. Go out after dark when it is quieter with a friend / partner and walk round the local area gently calling every so often (give him a chance to answer you). Keep talking as you walk round that way if he is in the area he will hear you.

    13. When you talk to vets and rescues, ask them about any known local feral colonies and where they are based. If Kitty has been missing for more than a few days s/he might have wandered further afield and might be “hanging round” near a colony for security (safety in numbers) and company. If vets/rescues know locations of colonies, these might be useful to get some ideas of where to start looking.

    14. If you have Pet Insurance check your policy to see if they will assist with advertising costs or reward costs for a lost cat. Some policies cover as much as £1000 of local advertising and upto £500 reward.

    Finally have a look at these sites - they are all EXCELLENT

    http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php

    http://www.catchat.org/forum.html

    http://www.mymoggy.com/ contact Sue at mymoggy.

    http://thehovel.com/bb/index.php?f=2...ost&order=DESC

    http://nationalpetregister.org

    http://www.soyouhavelostyourcat.co.uk/#1

    http://www.ukpetsearch.freeuk.com/

    http://www.amissingpet.co.uk/lostandfound.html

    http://www.animalsearchuk.com/

    http://pet-rescue.org.uk/forums/index.php?showforum=308

    http://www.lostmycat.org/index.php

    http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk/html/lostfound.html

    http://www.foundandlostpets.co.uk/

    http://www.petsmiles.com/v1/found.php


    Also don't forget to check ad websites, such as.....

    www.friday-ad.co.uk

    www.adtrader.co.uk

    www.uk.freeads.net

    www.classifieds.co.uk

    and also your local rescue shelter/s websites too!


    Good luck and stay positive.

    Hopefully your little one has just got itself shut in a shed somewhere.

    And finally ……. IMPORTANT NOTE: When you get your furbabe back remember to remove ALL the posters and inform all vets / rescues / websites etc that they are home.
  • UKTigerlily
    UKTigerlily Posts: 4,702 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    If the guy who moved saw him he'd just ignore it, he can't even be bothered with his own cat! I have said to her & she knows the road he's moved to, and he's still with the same council so she could also ask them to ask him for her. She said she'll take a walk down his road to see. Neither of us have the guys info, only his first name but i'm sure the council could contact him & ask him to contact her.

    I dunno if leaving food out would work or not, mine would probably have it! lol but again, i'll ask her to try it, can't hurt & mine is got in at night too! lol FC no mine hasn't gone yet, she seems to grudgingly accept the dog & prefers to stay in 90% of the time. When I was walking Chaya by the gir;s flat today she went nuts, but it was too dark to see whatever she did, maybe it was the cat & he'd got hurt so couldn't get home, but maybe it was a male fox scent, being in season she might think male dog?

    I'll take her back as soon as it's light to see if I can see anything. I'm sure once I saw rat pellets down near my flat cause I was saying good thing my rats don't go out, so i've got feelings on the neighbour but I can't think about that yet, he might be innocent & if not I don't think I want to know, it wouldn't be pretty.

    I'll get her to do a poster with his pic for the two shops up here too. She says he isn't prone to losing his collars & I doubt he'd be stolen, he's a castrated Moggy so not really any worries there as such. Glad I asked now people here always have good ideas.

    We're hoping the neighbour hasn't done anything as he also was convinced a cat has his Chinchilla, plus she split with him for his mate & he's made threats. I'll make sure I get contacting as many people as I can think of tomorrow! Will also check the sheds/outbuildings some flats have here
  • UKTigerlily
    UKTigerlily Posts: 4,702 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    spookylukey wrote: »
    Sorry to hear your neighbours cat is missing, if he's just lost and there's nothing more untoward going on then hopefully these tips will help. I've copied and pasted the info from this link as I know some people don't like clicking random internet links! There's lots of good advice and other lost/found websites to post to, hope he comes home soon.

    http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/in...pic,305.0.html


    Here are a few things to try:

    1. Posters, Posters, Posters with picture and details with contact number.....hand out to neighbours and anyone you see. Put up in local shops, pubs and supermarkets. Stick to all local lamp posts. (If it rains go and collect them and replace however it's best to put posters in plastic wallets so if it rains they don't go all soggy - the neighbours and council don’t mind you putting them up so much that way). Also put one in your and friends cars - it amazing how many people see them this way. Make smaller flyers and push through every letterbox on your streets and the surrounding area. It is a good idea to offer a reward … of course this doesn’t have to be money … a box of cho-colates or a bunch of flowers is just as good.

    2. Knock on doors and ask neighbours to check their sheds and garages WHILE YOU WAIT … it's surprising how many people say they will check but as soon as the door is closed they forget. Knock on 10 doors either side of your house on both sides of the street.

    3. Register him lost at all vets/catteries/rescue homes within a 20mile radius. Follow the link and click on the map to find rescues in your area http://www.catchat.org/adoption/index.html

    4. Leave food out and a toy of his

    5. Leave out an unwashed item of your clothing

    6. Put the contents of your hoover bag on your garden - it’s full of smells that they will recognise and if doesn’t bring him directly to your door will at least hopefully keep him in the area. Alternatively if you have a litter tray that has used put some of the used litter on the garden as this will have familiar smells in it.

    7. Contact the local fire brigade and see if they have had to rescue any stuck cats

    8. Ask the local children to look - they are great for knowing all the local hidey-holes and love helping. Also have a word with your local post-person and milk man if there is one that delivers in your area. Also try and enlist the help of people walking dogs as they tend to go “off road” in the fields and parks.

    9. Ask the local radio station to announce he’s missing and give out a contact number

    10. Put an advert in the local paper

    11. Contact your local environmental services dept (bin men) they keep a log of all animals picked on the roadside ... I know this is not a pleasant call to make and hopefully it will come back as negative.

    12. Go out after dark when it is quieter with a friend / partner and walk round the local area gently calling every so often (give him a chance to answer you). Keep talking as you walk round that way if he is in the area he will hear you.

    13. When you talk to vets and rescues, ask them about any known local feral colonies and where they are based. If Kitty has been missing for more than a few days s/he might have wandered further afield and might be “hanging round” near a colony for security (safety in numbers) and company. If vets/rescues know locations of colonies, these might be useful to get some ideas of where to start looking.

    14. If you have Pet Insurance check your policy to see if they will assist with advertising costs or reward costs for a lost cat. Some policies cover as much as £1000 of local advertising and upto £500 reward.

    Finally have a look at these sites - they are all EXCELLENT

    http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php

    http://www.catchat.org/forum.html

    http://www.mymoggy.com/ contact Sue at mymoggy.

    http://thehovel.com/bb/index.php?f=2...ost&order=DESC

    http://nationalpetregister.org

    http://www.soyouhavelostyourcat.co.uk/#1

    http://www.ukpetsearch.freeuk.com/

    http://www.amissingpet.co.uk/lostandfound.html

    http://www.animalsearchuk.com/

    http://pet-rescue.org.uk/forums/index.php?showforum=308

    http://www.lostmycat.org/index.php

    http://www.animalrescuers.co.uk/html/lostfound.html

    http://www.foundandlostpets.co.uk/

    http://www.petsmiles.com/v1/found.php


    Also don't forget to check ad websites, such as.....

    www.friday-ad.co.uk

    www.adtrader.co.uk

    www.uk.freeads.net

    www.classifieds.co.uk

    and also your local rescue shelter/s websites too!


    Good luck and stay positive.

    Hopefully your little one has just got itself shut in a shed somewhere.

    And finally ……. IMPORTANT NOTE: When you get your furbabe back remember to remove ALL the posters and inform all vets / rescues / websites etc that they are home.


    Wow thankyou SO much from me & my neighbour, that's amazing & how awesome of you to go to the trouble like that to help! Thanks all! I'll pass all of this onto her in the morning & get her making up posters of him. When mine disappeared for four days just as I started putting posters up she appeared as if to say what?! That's such useful info it should be a sticky!
  • UKTigerlily
    UKTigerlily Posts: 4,702 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts
    Nope, will post if & when, no signs of him :!!
This discussion has been closed.
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