My cat has gone missing

[Archie F. Swin]

Our family cat, who came to us as a stray alley cat in Oklahoma City back in '96 has been missing since Thursday. He likes to spend time outdoors, but has never been gone this long. He's a roamer, he likes to wander, but my optimism is beginning to wane. He's a good cat...he has the best disposition of any cat I've ever known. He's good with the kids and is social with company. Now I'm having to deal with the thought of never seeing him again. Our local animal control says no cats have been turned in and no dead cats that fit his description have been collected. I've informed his vet of his status, so there's just a glimmer of hope. I want him back, but if someone else has taken him in, my wish is that they're loving. He's old so he probably can't jump neighborhood fences anymore.

Here's to finding your way home George.

[greg63]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

Worked with my ex wife-I would sit her stuff out on the porch-and magically she would appear to try and drag it back in. I won that one, and kept the house.

[greg63]

...Hope your cat returns to you soon; safe and sound.

[CoMoChief]

It sucks when someone part of the family is missing, or a pet as you many say. Many people underestimate the value of the companionship pets bring. I hope he turns up somehow.

Having that said, look on the bright side, cats suck anyway, get a dog or another dog if u already have one.

[memyselfI]

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

Our family cat, who came to us as a stray alley cat in Oklahoma City back in '96 has been missing since Thursday. He likes to spend time outdoors, but has never been gone this long. He's a roamer, he likes to wander, but my optimism is beginning to wane. He's a good cat...he has the best disposition of any cat I've ever known. He's good with the kids and is social with company. Now I'm having to deal with the thought of never seeing him again. Our local animal control says no cats have been turned in and no dead cats that fit his description have been collected. I've informed his vet of his status, so there's just a glimmer of hope. I want him back, but if someone else has taken him in, my wish is that they're loving. He's old so he probably can't jump neighborhood fences anymore.

Here's to finding your way home George.

If you want him back you should probably do a few more things to cover your basis. First off, if you have any pictures of the cat then use it to make leaflets containing the cat's name, body description, any unusual markings, where he was last seen, and a number where you can be reached. If you don't have a picture, then search the internet for something similiar to use.

Secondly, you want to contact other VETs offices an all animal shelters in the area, not just the ones closest to you. The police would only know of found animals that are reported to them. Often times, most of the time, missing/found animals are NOT reported to them.

Lastly, you might offer a reward for safe return of the cat. If you decide to do this, put the information on the leaflet. Sometimes that will motivate people alittle more to turn in the animal or at least to be on the lookout for it.

If you find the animal, please remove the leaflets and let the VETs office know so they can remove your cat from their missing list. You might think this is a courtesy but it's not. People in the VETs office take their client's missing pets very seriously.

Good luck.

[Saulbadguy]

Originally Posted by grandllama

Back on the dairy farm I grew up on, we'd have cats go missing for years, just to show back up again... that fact alone gives me hope...

However, I had a stray, much like yours, that I saved from being destroyed... At the time I didn't want a pet, but Toonces grew on me quickly.

He was a big yellow tiger tom, and loved the outdoors. I adopted him in Indianapolis and he made the move to Kansas with me. When I moved to Missouri, my landlord wouldn't allow pets so I let my sister take care of him on my family's farm in Salina. Toonces loved the outdoors and loved having run of the farm. That love, I assume, took his life as he got older.

One week before I was to go get him as I had found a place that allowed pets, my sister called and said he had been missing for a week... he never showed up again...

Toonces was declawed but never lost a fight with the other alley cats... but I'm assuming that one night he ran into something (we're talking the wild animals of Western Kansas here) that was better than he was... (or some corksucker put out anti freeze)

I guess the point here, besides eulogizing the best pet I ever had, is to enjoy the times you had with George and wish for the best... (but, unfortunately, assume the worst)

Hate to tell you this, but i'm guessing Toonces stole a car and headed to Mexico.

Toonces, watch out!

[morphius]

If it helps you any I had an indoor cat disappear on me last year. Occasionally he would go out in the back yard in the fence and chill around the fenced in yard, and if he was out there for any amount of time he would sneak up front and hide in the bushes in the front yard waiting for us to come out.

Well, he was gone for exactly a week, no front claws, and he came back just as fine as when he left.

I now don't let the wife or son let him out in the yard anymore. Though I think he snuck out on us when we were letting the dog in or out, but we are just more careful about it.

[KCFalcon59]

Hire the right coach or the cat gets it.

[sedated]

Check the lawnmower blades for remains.

[Otter]

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

Hate to tell you this, but i'm guessing Toonces stole a car and headed to Mexico.

Toonces, watch out!

No wonder he kept getting in to accidents, he had no claws. That's like trying to drive without thumbs.

[royr17]

Mine has too, my girlfriend left to go get some steak sauce and left the screen door wide open last night and that cat ran out and i havent seen him eversince.

I hope he comes back because we love that cat to death.

[mlyonsd]

I'll refrain from making some easy cat joke here and just hope for you he returns.

[Rain Man]

That's too bad, Archie (and RoyR). I hope they come back safe and sound.

If it gives you any hope, one of my cats did the same thing last year. He never left overnight and he was gone one, then two, then three nights. We were distraught, putting up flyers, calling shelters, and walking the alleys. On a lark, I walked up to some people who were moving out of their apartment and asked if they had seen him. The guy said no, but that he's been hearing a cat meowing all day. As it turns out, our cat was trapped in the cellar of a house where a guy had left town. He had gone into his cellar to adjust his furnace and our social cat had followed him, only to get trapped there accidentally. He went three days without food or water, but was fine.

Along those lines, you might want to check the garages of any nearby homes where the owner is gone.

[siberian khatru]

When I was a kid, our cat went missing for about a week. I remember on a Sunday night, about the 6th or 7th day, worrying about Snowball and my Dad saying, "I'm afraid that cat may have come to some grief."

That evening, I opened the back door to get something and the cat came bounding down the back yard into the house. He lived another 16 years (put him down at 19). Our guess was he was being unfaithful to us -- had found another family in the neighborhood and was sponging off them for awhile before he got bored.

I don't want to falsely get your hopes up. But these things do happen.

[Hoover]

Its funny how a pet becomes part of the family.

I have a cat, Charlie. I found him while out walking one night, the little shit ran between my legs and I almost tripped. Anyway he followed me for 12 blocks, so my wife and I took him in, and neither of us were cat people.

From day one Charlie has been my cat, when I come home he runs to the door to greet me. When I go to my basement to watch the Chiefs, or to chill out, he is there on my lap. He's got a great personality, he can be sweet, but sometimes he's a pain in the ass to people (kinda like me). He's a great friend, I hope you can find George.

Hoov

[royr17]

I hope Abner comes back to the apartment, we really miss him already.