I am sorry for what you are going through, I know how it feels when cats don't come home - my little Lucy goes off for days at a time in warmer months.
However, my sympathy wanes on reading that neither you nor your sister have had your one year old cats neutered, which I consider to be irresponsible. A year old female cat, to me, is still barely a kitten herself but you say she is pregnant?
I'm sorry for the lecture but I get cross when pet owners don't take proper responsibility for the care of their pets. Cats can feely roam, I am a strong advocate of allowing cats outdoors - but NOT if they're not neutered. Female cats will get pregnant and male cats will roam for miles and frequently end up in fights and potentially get infected with the FIV virus which is rife in some areas.
I know you feel bad enough without the lecture. I just hope you don't take on another kitten without taking on the commitment and responsibility to vaccinate and neuter it when it's old enough.
Well, yes, she's still barely a kitten herself, but I didn't get her pregnant! Cats go outside and other un-neutered cats did their thing. It's no-ones fault the cat got pregnant, unfortunate it happened so young, but no-ones fault. If everyone neutered their cats, then cats would die out as a species. Some have to be allowed to procreate. Heck, what if the owner wants kittens? How is that being irresponsible? My sister is a cat lover, I'm pretty sure she would readily welcome more kittens and will look after them when they are born or find suitable homes for them if she can't take them all on. It would be cruel to keep her cat confined indoors so she did let her out to play, just in this case it has resulted in an early pregnancy. Unfortunate, but not earth shattering.
As I said, it is something I intended to do but let slip from my mind, but going through what I am now, I will make dam sure that if Rodger comes home or I get a new kitten, it will be neutered as early as possible.
Well, yes, she's still barely a kitten herself, but I didn't get her pregnant! Cats go outside and other un-neutered cats did their thing. It's no-ones fault the cat got pregnant, unfortunate it happened so young, but no-ones fault.
It's absolutely the fault of the owner if an un-neutered cat gets pregnant.
Only if the person who owned the cat didn't want the cat to get pregnant. Which isn't the case, hence why I have said it is not an issue to me nor a "problem" that is anyone elses business frankly.
Only if the person who owned the cat didn't want the cat to get pregnant. Which isn't the case, hence why I have said it is not an issue to me nor a "problem" that is anyone elses business frankly.
Well yes, if the owner understood the risk and wanted the cat to get preggers then that's fine. It was the suggestion that the owner bore no responsibility at all that was ludicrous,
I'm sorry but I feel it's irresponsible to allow a one year old cat to become pregnant, even if the owner 'wants' kittens - there are already plenty (far too many) unwanted kittens in rescue centres. Responsible owners don't let their cats outside, unsupervised, until they have been fully vaccinated and neutered.
Cats will never die out because there are too many people in the world who can't be bothered to get their cats neutered or because they 'want' kittens that they then have to find homes for. We should be striving to get the cat population down to more manageable numbers. My cats were still babies, in my eyes, when they were one year old - most vets will neuter at 4-6 months old.
A young, unneutered tom could have travelled miles and ended up in a fight with another tom. Even if the cat returns home, he will likely have some injuries or may have picked up an infection - is he even vaccinated?
It would never ''slip my mind'' to have my cat neutered.
I hope he turns up soon, that's the trouble with cats, they do their own thing, I have one and she's more demanding than my 2 dogs, but she has gone off for days, specially now, young rabbits!
Cats are nocturnal, try calling for it around your house late at night. Lay a scent trail (just by walking around) that leads back to your house. If he does return, does he have a way of getting back into your house?
Mine returned after 3 months but only after I'd started calling for it and I made a cat door. With hindsight leaflets were a waste of time (LOTS of false alarms) , I searched too far away, and it had probably come back earlier but didn't have a way to get back in.
We don't have cat flaps, so no way of him getting into the house on his own. It is a quiet enough area and I have been woken by the sound of him meowing on the windowsill before during the day, when I fell asleep on the couch one lazy Sunday so I imagine hearing him at night calling would easily wake me up and I could let him in.
I have tried calling for him at night but no success. All I got were some other cats from the area that hang around near the house staring at me from their lofty resting places.
Surprising to hear that cats return after such long periods of time. It gives me a glimmer of hope seeing as it is now 2 weeks since he vanished. I hope it doesn't take 3 months for him to return though! Once he does return (fingers, toes and everything else crossed) he's in for a lot of cuddles and then an immediate trip to the vet!
How long has it lived in the current address? If it's lived elsewhere, even if miles away, it may go there. A leaflet may be of use if someone else is feeding it. Was it chipped? I'd also try all local rescue homes.
Depending on your area though, I believe most of the science says it will be within a street or 2 of your house.
When The Beast went missing I was out in the after work, half hour at a time over the course of the evening going round the village calling his name.
I made up some flyers on the computer and would hand them out to people who I saw.
I also made posters and put them up.
The git turned up on the doorstep. I had just come back from one of my walks and it was chucking it down and I heard squeaking at the front door and there he was soaking wet, covered in mud and twigs.
Why he didn't batter through his flap I don't know.
On the face off it, flyers and posters didn't bring the Beast home, but a few years back we had a random cat come in and hide in the wardrobe, get hoofed out, come back in again.
It was at the patio doors in the evening, so taking pity on it we fed it outside, it left but the following morning it was back in the wardrobe. Hoofed it out again.
That evening we go for a walk along the bridleways at the back of the house, and see some posters for a missing ginger cat and the address which is just down the road from us.
We decide this is the same cat and resolve to give the owners a call when we get back, that we have seen the cat.
We get back and cat is sitting looking through our patio doors, we let it in and it sniffs about and the Beast appears and it starts hissing something evil.
Beast, ever the macho alpha male cat backs away and sneaks upstairs.
We put cat in the beasts carry box and get in the car, when we get to the address, a couple are at the end of their drive gardening. I get out and say "I think we have your cat"
Lady breaks all records getting to the car, looks in the cat box, looks at me, grabs the carry box out of my hand and runs off indoors.
Man comes up and shakes mine and the OH's hand and explains that the cat is 10 or 12 and lady has had her longer than they've been together and that they have only been here a few weeks.
I guess cat got confused with all the houses on the estate looking rather alike, and finding a place with a flap and someone who gave it food decided to keep coming back.
Lady eventually comes back, all red eyed, and we explain again cat coming in and us giving it food and how we saw the poster and put two and two together.
Kisses and hugs from lady, she asks our address and says she will drop a bottle round.
Cynic in me thinks "hmm, we'll see" but the warm, fuzzy feeling OH and me got was more than enough.
But sure enough, when I get home from work the next day, there is a rather expensive bottle of both red and white, with a little card saying thank you, on the doorstep. The OH who was home all days swears she never heard the doorbell, so it was a bit of a milk tray moment.
So I would suggest that flyers and posters can work, for us, although the Beast turned up anyway, It was something to do to feel useful and positive. But for that ginger cat it was the route home.
My mams cat went missing for about 2 weeks a few years ago and someone told us to leave her bed outside, they are usually not far but if they get a fright can hide for ages which ours did she was sat on the front wall while my mam was gardening when she usually goes in the back and some kids came past and scared her and she ran, anyway we looked all over for her asking people to look in their gardens, notices up etc, then someone mentioned about leaving the bed out and she would be able to smell it, coincidence or not she came home that night, good luck.
It is comforting to read these stores of peoples cats returning after being away for weeks on end, so I am still holding out hope for Rodger. After reading your post last night Michelle, I took his bed and set it out in the garden. I hope that if he is close and is afraid to come home or if something is stopping him for coming back to the house that the smell of his bed will entice him here.
It is comforting to read these stores of peoples cats returning after being away for weeks on end, so I am still holding out hope for Rodger. After reading your post last night Michelle, I took his bed and set it out in the garden. I hope that if he is close and is afraid to come home or if something is stopping him for coming back to the house that the smell of his bed will entice him here.
Good luck, I hope it works for you too. Let us know how it goes.
Sorry to hear about your missing puss. Does he like getting into cars/vans at all? Just thinking, is it possible someone was delivering something nearby and he nipped inside? A neighbour's cat went missing a few years ago and that's exactly what happened to him. He'd got inside a van and ended up the other side of town. George the cat had apparently jumped out as soon as the driver opened the door and the driver couldn't catch him. But he recognised him from 'missing' info and where he'd been delivering stuff, so contacted the owners and they went to the area and called his name. Luckily he appeared almost immediately. Might be worth checking if any of your neighbours had anything delivered on that day. Hope you're reunited with Rodger very soon.
Can't say I've ever noticed if he hangs around cars/vans, I'm at work during the day so only saw him when he appeared in the evenings looking food and some sleep.
It's been almost 6 weeks now. I think I'm just gonna have to resign myself to the fact that Rodger is gone (either re-homed or dead) and he isn't coming back. I'm not looking forward to cleaning away his bed and feeding bowls. Gonna break my heart to not see him any more.
Have called all the local vets, have asked on Facebook on pet groups, been round the local area calling him, have left his bed outside so he might pick up the scent if he's close by but afraid to come home... Nothing.
I have someone's cat at the moment. He was hanging around the house and rushed over to me for affection when I spoke to him.
He's obviously been living rough for some time, was appallingly thin, ravenous, and had a badly infected bite on his tail. After many vet visits, two operations and a lot of feeding up, it now looks as if he won't need his tail amputated as it is finally healing.
He's not castrated, undoubtedly went off looking for sex, and I'm not sure he'd have survived if we hadn't taken him in. He's not microchipped - not many cats are in France - and when I've got him healthy again, we'll have him chipped, castrated and only then will I see if I can find his owner. He's a very affectionate cat, loves people, and deserves a home which will take proper care of him so frankly, I hope his original owners aren't found - as they didn't get him neutered it is likely their fault he went wandering. But in any event, he'll be a healthy cat, neutered, chipped and vaccinated and he's so lovely I know I'll be able to find him a good home.
Message to cat owners: get your pets spayed or neutered if you really value their well-being.
Comments
Hope you find him soon.
However, my sympathy wanes on reading that neither you nor your sister have had your one year old cats neutered, which I consider to be irresponsible. A year old female cat, to me, is still barely a kitten herself but you say she is pregnant?
I'm sorry for the lecture but I get cross when pet owners don't take proper responsibility for the care of their pets. Cats can feely roam, I am a strong advocate of allowing cats outdoors - but NOT if they're not neutered. Female cats will get pregnant and male cats will roam for miles and frequently end up in fights and potentially get infected with the FIV virus which is rife in some areas.
I know you feel bad enough without the lecture. I just hope you don't take on another kitten without taking on the commitment and responsibility to vaccinate and neuter it when it's old enough.
As I said, it is something I intended to do but let slip from my mind, but going through what I am now, I will make dam sure that if Rodger comes home or I get a new kitten, it will be neutered as early as possible.
It's absolutely the fault of the owner if an un-neutered cat gets pregnant.
Well yes, if the owner understood the risk and wanted the cat to get preggers then that's fine. It was the suggestion that the owner bore no responsibility at all that was ludicrous,
Cats will never die out because there are too many people in the world who can't be bothered to get their cats neutered or because they 'want' kittens that they then have to find homes for. We should be striving to get the cat population down to more manageable numbers. My cats were still babies, in my eyes, when they were one year old - most vets will neuter at 4-6 months old.
A young, unneutered tom could have travelled miles and ended up in a fight with another tom. Even if the cat returns home, he will likely have some injuries or may have picked up an infection - is he even vaccinated?
It would never ''slip my mind'' to have my cat neutered.
I absolutely agree with you there.
Mine returned after 3 months but only after I'd started calling for it and I made a cat door. With hindsight leaflets were a waste of time (LOTS of false alarms) , I searched too far away, and it had probably come back earlier but didn't have a way to get back in.
I have tried calling for him at night but no success. All I got were some other cats from the area that hang around near the house staring at me from their lofty resting places.
Surprising to hear that cats return after such long periods of time. It gives me a glimmer of hope seeing as it is now 2 weeks since he vanished. I hope it doesn't take 3 months for him to return though! Once he does return (fingers, toes and everything else crossed) he's in for a lot of cuddles and then an immediate trip to the vet!
How long has it lived in the current address? If it's lived elsewhere, even if miles away, it may go there. A leaflet may be of use if someone else is feeding it. Was it chipped? I'd also try all local rescue homes.
Depending on your area though, I believe most of the science says it will be within a street or 2 of your house.
I made up some flyers on the computer and would hand them out to people who I saw.
I also made posters and put them up.
The git turned up on the doorstep. I had just come back from one of my walks and it was chucking it down and I heard squeaking at the front door and there he was soaking wet, covered in mud and twigs.
Why he didn't batter through his flap I don't know.
On the face off it, flyers and posters didn't bring the Beast home, but a few years back we had a random cat come in and hide in the wardrobe, get hoofed out, come back in again.
It was at the patio doors in the evening, so taking pity on it we fed it outside, it left but the following morning it was back in the wardrobe. Hoofed it out again.
That evening we go for a walk along the bridleways at the back of the house, and see some posters for a missing ginger cat and the address which is just down the road from us.
We decide this is the same cat and resolve to give the owners a call when we get back, that we have seen the cat.
We get back and cat is sitting looking through our patio doors, we let it in and it sniffs about and the Beast appears and it starts hissing something evil.
Beast, ever the macho alpha male cat backs away and sneaks upstairs.
We put cat in the beasts carry box and get in the car, when we get to the address, a couple are at the end of their drive gardening. I get out and say "I think we have your cat"
Lady breaks all records getting to the car, looks in the cat box, looks at me, grabs the carry box out of my hand and runs off indoors.
Man comes up and shakes mine and the OH's hand and explains that the cat is 10 or 12 and lady has had her longer than they've been together and that they have only been here a few weeks.
I guess cat got confused with all the houses on the estate looking rather alike, and finding a place with a flap and someone who gave it food decided to keep coming back.
Lady eventually comes back, all red eyed, and we explain again cat coming in and us giving it food and how we saw the poster and put two and two together.
Kisses and hugs from lady, she asks our address and says she will drop a bottle round.
Cynic in me thinks "hmm, we'll see" but the warm, fuzzy feeling OH and me got was more than enough.
But sure enough, when I get home from work the next day, there is a rather expensive bottle of both red and white, with a little card saying thank you, on the doorstep. The OH who was home all days swears she never heard the doorbell, so it was a bit of a milk tray moment.
So I would suggest that flyers and posters can work, for us, although the Beast turned up anyway, It was something to do to feel useful and positive. But for that ginger cat it was the route home.
Stay positive OP, thoughts are with you.
Good luck, I hope it works for you too. Let us know how it goes.
It's been almost 6 weeks now. I think I'm just gonna have to resign myself to the fact that Rodger is gone (either re-homed or dead) and he isn't coming back. I'm not looking forward to cleaning away his bed and feeding bowls. Gonna break my heart to not see him any more.
if you havent, its worth giving them a quick call
Dont give up hope, I do hope Rodger comes back home soon
Thousands of lost pets get returned through them.
I got a cat returned Home that had been missing for five years though one site
Our cat went missing last Wednesday.
He's obviously been living rough for some time, was appallingly thin, ravenous, and had a badly infected bite on his tail. After many vet visits, two operations and a lot of feeding up, it now looks as if he won't need his tail amputated as it is finally healing.
He's not castrated, undoubtedly went off looking for sex, and I'm not sure he'd have survived if we hadn't taken him in. He's not microchipped - not many cats are in France - and when I've got him healthy again, we'll have him chipped, castrated and only then will I see if I can find his owner. He's a very affectionate cat, loves people, and deserves a home which will take proper care of him so frankly, I hope his original owners aren't found - as they didn't get him neutered it is likely their fault he went wandering. But in any event, he'll be a healthy cat, neutered, chipped and vaccinated and he's so lovely I know I'll be able to find him a good home.
Message to cat owners: get your pets spayed or neutered if you really value their well-being.