Lost cat :-(

[wolfsoul]

I've been catsitting for a couple of months for a lady..

Someone broke into my house last week and my door no longer closes, so I've been shutting the outside door. My only guess is that the people upstairs opened the outside door and the cat got out.

I'm quite upset. :( This was the day before yesterday and I haven't told the owner yet -- I thought by now the cat may have come back. I don't even know what to say. I told her she would need to find a new place for the cat because it was ruining my house and was aggressive with my pets, but she said she couldn't find a place...And now this happens.

Please pray the cat comes back. The thing absolutely ruined my entire house and I have to spend hundreds of dollars to replace everything it damaged...and now I have to give the lady her money back...After all the stress the cat has put me through and now I'm even more stressed out. I'm never catsitting again. Never...I can't believe this happened. :(

[Laura's Babies]

Wow! That really sucks and I bet she will think you let the cat out on purpose. Maybe the kitty will come back, don't give up on that yet!

[Catty1]

Is the cat neutered/spayed? What damage did it do? Holy cow, I hope it finds a new home...not sure what kind of owner the lady is.

Call the Humane, vets, anyone you can think of. Borrow a live trap from one of them. Leave some stinky tuna in the trap, or outside.

GOOD LUCK!

And catsitting is a joy, with the right cat. I think it's best to visit them in their OWN home, twice a day, for feeding, and 1'2 hr of attention and play! DOn't give up...just go to the cat, don't keep it in your place. Easier on everyone.

HUGS HUGS HUGS

[wolfsoul]

Thanks so much guys -- had a big cry and now I'm feeling a bit more hopeful that she will come back. I don't imagine she would have gone too far, it's so cold outside -- gets to -30 at night right now. My door is open so maybe she will come right in.

She is spayed, thank goodness. Everything is closed tomorrow but on Monday I will head over to my vet and see if they have a live trap -- great idea, Kia loves her food.

I'm so upset...The owner is going to be so sad. She brought the cat over here from New Zealand. She loves that cat...I feel so terrible.

[Catty1]

Is there ANY chance she could be hiding inside somewhere? After all, it is an unfamiliar house to her...

Will she come if you call to her?

Poor baby and poor you!

I know it's wicked cold...but might you bundle up and do a quick round with a flashlight? If there is a shed or something in your yard, she might have gotten in thru a wee hole to seek shelter.

Call the Humane, even if you get an answering machine, in case someone brought her in. Leave a message - I am sure someone checks the voice mail. If they give you a number for emergencies only - USE IT.

Fingers and paws crossed here, and prayers!

[wolfsoul]

What damage did it do?
Whoops missed this -- she peed on alot of my clothes and blankets and my bathroom mats so I had to throw them out. She peed all over my livingroom carpet. She ripped up the curtains in my livingroom and kitchen and my shower curtains...the cat pee smell has gotten into the walls, I've bleached them and bleached them and I can't get it out. I eventually kept her in a crate most of the time, which in turn meant my dogs couldn't be in the crate. My puppy chewed up my glasses, my phone cord, my computer mouse, my flat iron, my air pruifier cord, and a bunch of other sutff because he was loose at night..I finally somewhat fixed my bathroom door so he could stay in there at night. It's been terribly stressful!!

[wolfsoul]

She's definatly not in the house, I've looked in all of her favourite hiding places. :( I'm going to go out later tonight to do some more looking. Brrr I'm not looking forward to it!

[Flatcoatluver]

Oh my gosh... Don't worry, I know you will find her. I will pray for her return though. Getting a trap would be a great idea. Is she normally a inside only cat?

I was babysitting a dog, somehow this little tiny poodle squezzed through this really tiny and I mean TINY hole in the fence. I was so scared, tears rolling down my face looking for this dog. We finally found her.. But She didn't like me, which made me even more scared she wouldn't come to me. But she was scared enough she came right to me.

[Catty1]

That cat was freaking out because she wasn't in her own home...

You might show the lady the bills for your damage, make it clear you are NOT claiming it from her this time - but next time her cat gets home visits from you, or nothing.

Just my two cents

HUGS! Hoping for a godo update....we need Gary's Pet Angel squad here!

[wolfsoul]

She's an outdoor cat, so I imagine she wasn't happy about being cooped up. The problem is that the lady doesn't have a home right now -- she said the cat would try running back to her home, but it's burnt down. She is staying with a friend right now. The cat didn't get along with her friend's cat, so that's why she neededsomeone to take her. She had been keeping her in the shed at first. Honestly it's a better situation than it was here, I had to keep her in a crate alot of the time.

I just feel so bad. I really wish I didn't like the lady, but she really is a nice person wo really seemed to love her cat..

[Lizzie]

Will you be able to check around her old home just in case she did go back there? If she's used to being outdoors, she may well try to find her way back "home". That's a bad situation for all of you. She was reacting to being confined, new smells, lack of her guardian, and created the kind of havoc I've lived through also. You may find yourself having to remove and replace the lowest two feet of your walls which is what I've done - as long as you have sheet rock walls? I thought the insurance company covered the rental of a home in cases of fire? If your friend could find a rental with a cat-proof fence, it would be the only good way through this situation. Good luck in your search! Poor cat and poor you.

[BC_MoM]

I would check places near your home outside -- small spaces she could hide, like under porches, bushes, etc.. try leaving food out for her.

I remember watching Beverly Hills Vet and that's basically what they did. And the woman found her cat way under the neighbours porch.

Good luck, Jordan. Poor kitty. :(

[Freedom]

So kitty is used to being outdoors part of the time. That means she has a route she normally follows. Outdoor cats are creatures of habit just like our indoor ones! "That cat was always on the porch of the five-and-dime at 2:30 in the afternoon," kind of thing. Her route most likely took her near her home as that is where she started and ended, right? If that house, the one that burned, is near you, kitty could find her way back to her old route. And habit is what she craves right now, to get back her old life and feel more settled and more comfortable. If you want to look for the cat, and if the house isn't too far, then I think looking around that area may be a good choice for some searching.

Just an idea. Good luck.

Sandra

[kuhio98]

She may not be able to get back home if someone has picked her up and taken her to a local shelter. Have you visited them all and filled out a lost cat form? Look everywhere in the shelter because sometimes cats and dogs are mixed together ?!?

You may not know Kuhio's story, but she was put to sleep the day after we were at the shelter looking for. They said they didn't have her. They had us look in 1 room. She wasn't there. Turns out she was in the medical clinic. They never even told us about that room. We didn't know to ask. They couldn't find her in their piece of &*#)@% database either -- she was right there all the time.

Have you gone door-to-door with the neighbors? One of them may have taken her in thinking she was a stray.

This site has some excellent ideas: http://www.petrescue.com/library/find-pet.htm

[moosmom]

BCMom is right, please check the perimeter of your house. Every nook and cranny if you have to. That's what happened when LilEli fell out of my living room window. It took 5 days to find him but he was hanging out in the entrance to the basement of my building in a tiny crawl space. Cats do not venture far from their food source. Also check the the lady's home.

Good luck finding her.

[wolfsoul]

Thanks everyone,

I will call the shelter when it's open tomorrow but I know she will not be there --- she does not come to people, and you have to give the SPCA $40 for every cat you give them, so nobody turns stray cats in there unless they are being a nuisance. The city is basically filled with stray cats. Occasionally they are abandoned outside the SPCA so they don't have to pay the fine, so I suppose it's a possiblity she is there. I will leave a message today.

I will have to call the owner today, so I will ask where her home was. I know it was on the other side of the city, and I don't have a vehicle, so I don't know if I'll be able to check there. I don't know the bus routes well, but perhaps one of my friends can take time away from their Christmas shopping to help me.

I kept my door open all night, but of course the people upstairs closed the outside door. So the cat would not be able to get in...Figures.

[Catty1]

Oh, I HOPE you find her....can you get a stack of sticky notes to place on your neighbour's doors?

Hopefully she IS stuck in a nook or cranny around your house...under the porch or something.

How about a pet carrier with food in it and a towel, placed outside overnight? She might venture in there.

HUGS and PRAYERS!

[catmandu]

The Pet Angel Search and Rescue Squad is on the case now, and the are scouring the neighborhood for your Visitor.
They have an excellent record and hopefully they will have her back soon.
Looking at her house is a good idea, if she lives close to you.