Moved house, now Cat missing

kitty123

We moved house 5 weeks ago and kept our 4 year old female cat firmly indoors. Last weekend we let her out for a short time on 2 occasions under supervision. She wandered out of our sight for a while but came back after an hour or so (we kept calling her).

We decided we weren't going to let her out at night as we always tried to keep her in at night at our old house.

I have been away and returned tonight to find that my husband opened the cat flap for her at 10pm last night :mad: She hasn't been seen since (almost 24hours now).

Obviously we are beside ourselves with worry. Is it likely that after this length of time she could still try and go back to our old address? (2.5 miles away across town)

Some people say cats don't get "lost" and just enjoy exploring. This seems a long time to be exploring in the cold.

She has a collar with our address details and phone number and is also identichipped. In anyone's experience, has Identichip ever been effective for tracing a lost cat to their owner? I wrote on the inside of her tag that she is microchipped but otherwise noone would ever know she had it.

We have been around a large local area calling her. There is a lot of greenery around us. Now it is so dark we can't really do any more.

Tomorrow I will start asking neighbours and phoning rescue homes and vets.

This is so traumatic

KVet

Since you moved have you phoned up the microchip company to change the address on their database?

calmspirit

If it's any help, the same thing happened to me a few months ago, one of my cats decided to dissappear for 2 days after we moved (not immediately after) I even drove back to the old house to check! Both cats semed to have settled well and had been in and out for a week or so.

I have no idea where he was for those 2 days but he did come home to our new house after causing me lots of worry and almost making me lose my voice from walking around calling him!

I am guessing he was exploring ..but he wont tell me!

I really hope you find him - it's such a worry but he will probably just turn up without a word of apology to you !

Best of luck

kitty123

KVet wrote: »

Since you moved have you phoned up the microchip company to change the address on their database?

Yes, luckily I changed our details before we moved and also updated the details on our cat's tag. I tried registering her lost with Identichip over the phone tonight. Their mailbox is full so I have had to email them.

I feel so guilty not being out looking for her right now. I keep going into the garden and shaking her food box. I worry she is cold and frightened :-(

Fire_Fox

Apparently you should empty your vacuum cleaner bag close to home, and also only call when you are walking towards home and not away. Might be worth checking your old house, ask the new people and neighbours to keep an eye out for her.

Apricot

Yes definitely try the vacuum bag - that's what brought my Missy back after 5 days! Also, try calling her when it's a bit later as it's quieter and she's more likely to come back. If you haven't seen her by tomorrow I'd start getting posters up both in your new neighbourhood and your old - it may be someone has found her but she may have lost her collar.

Really hope you get her back soon, sending out lots of positive vibes to you x

kitty123

Thanks everyone. Where abouts do we put the vacuum bag? If she is lost further away surely she won't be near enough to find it?

We have been out twice more and searched and called but no sign. We have tries to look in the bushes with a torch too. I have been and put flyers through letter boxes of neighbours.

If she has lost her collar I guess I can only rely on her being taken to a vet/rescue home. I am so worred about the freezing temperatures outside, surely that would make her want to come home?

I can't sleep but my DH seems quite happy to get in bed and go to sleep!

dollydoodah

Empty the contents of your vacuum bag on your garden....apparently it has quite a good success rate of cats re-appearing after their owners have done this. Maybe even more so as she is new to the area - she might have wandered just slightly too far and be lying low.

Hope she makes her way back soon.

claysam

Hi the same thing happened to me two weeks ago. We have moved three months ago and my inside cat decided to run away in all the snow.
She had never stayed out overnight before.

Altogether she was missing for 6 nights, and as you can imagine I was petrified she had got lost. She did turn up however and was very hungry lol!

Everyone kept telling me she would be ok, and this is what cats do, (I just wanted them to shut up lol!)

How ever they were right and she did turn up.

So try not to worry and leave an item of your clothes on the doorstep, with some food (we were recommended to try warm tuna for the smell) and hopefully she will turn up.:(

There_Goes_Trouble

Try also contacting the people who have moved into your old house in case she turns up there. She may not go into the house as things have changed since she left, but if they see her hanging about they could call you.

kitty123

Panic over....in she came at 2am, wet, muddy and full of squeaks and purrs! :j
She even came to find us for cuddles before catching up with her food intake!! She slept tucked under my arm in bed for the rest of the night :-)

Phew, what a relief. :A

Thanks to you all for your thougts and advice :T