There are so many variables with an outdoor cat. We had outdoor cats when I was young and there were a couple who never came home.
When I was 14, one of my indoor cats got out accidentally once (he was a beautiful Burmese cat) and he didn't come home and I was so worried. I went knocking on doors and found a little old lady had brought him in and she wouldn't give him back to me. I cried and went home to talk to my mother. A few minutes later he showed up at my doorstep crying. I was elated!
So, there are many reasons for them not coming home. If it's a she, she could have had kittens and is off taking care of them somewhere. Someone could have taken her/him in.
We also once had a cat who loves to stay in our backyard and catch mice - well he left the yard one day and never returned. I always hoped someone took him in to love him, but he could also have been hit by a car (so sorry to say that).
Have you called your local animal shelter? Sometimes they will get picked up too.
Good luck!
Hugs,
Janet
I'm happy to read that your cat came bck hm when you were 14. :))))
No, no kittens. Her & her sister were spayed on 01/13. I'm praying someone took her in and she's not hurt, but happy, fed, hydrated, & playing happily. :...(
She loved catching mice, lizards, birds, etc. I hope someone is loving her & taking care of her too. I haven't seen any road kills, thank God! I"ve searched high & low. I have notices out everywhere,
I called shelters, they didn't/haven't returned my calls. I'm going to look around at shelters today or tomorrow. Don't they just keep cats in shelters for 1 wk b4 they put them down?
I pray she didn't get picked up or dropped off at 'any' animal shelter. I don't really like those places. I know they're trying to help, but I get an awful feeling about those places.
Thx for the much appreciated advice.
I think each shelter is different and there are many that are "no kill" shelters. I'm praying for her and for you! Please keep us updated, okay? I know how scary and worrisome it is to lose a "furr baby." Lot of hugs, Janet
There are a number of reasons an outdoor cat will disappear.
One of the main reasons is a cat will get scared and flee from some supposed danger into a new, unfamiliar territory. Then they aren't able to find their way back home.
But I think you can envision some of the worst/ best scenarios if you try. The world is a dangerous place, and while some people will do right by a "stray", there are many people and animals who intend thm harm.
Frankly, the real danger is incidental harm. I once found a kitten stuck in adrain pipe with just it's rear end sticking out. If I had not extricated it, it would have likely died from it. cats explore and exploring comes with certain risks.
The only safe way to keep a cat around is to keep 'em inside.
Janet: DH & I went to a shelter, yesterday, & thank God she wasn't there. There was 1 cat, in the infermery, but she was skinny, sick, and thank God it wasn't Graybe. We searched in the adoption area, also, and she wasn't there. None of the cats lOOk/lOOked like my cat(s). I saw the cat on your profile. There was a cat exactly like that pic, but the cat had been adopted and waiting for the owner to pick it up. Is that Daisy's pic?
Savas*: Thx for the input. I thought about all of the reasons good/bad, and she still hasn't come home and no one has notified me, either. She could be in an nunfamiliar territory. I hope not. I hope/pray someone is taking care of her and won't let her out. She loves to be outdoors. I even thought of snakes, scorpions, hawks/owls, coyotes, wolves, dogs, oh my!
Yes, I know what you mean about certain individuals and what they do to some animals. Ugh! I hope Graybe's not stuck somewhere. I've hiked a little, but I was on bed-rest up until 06/28. That's the day she never came back. The last time I saw her was on 06/27 @7p.m.
Graybe is/was a curious cat. She also had a bad lft leg and couldn't jump too high, too fast. She is/was also not a veRy thin cat, nor quite a fat cat either. The odd thing is, that this blk, male cat that used to come around every wk., hasn't been around for 2 wks, either. I wonder if he took her home and the owners kept her. The blk cat lOOked, to me, to be scraggly like an alley-cat, though. You wouldn't think it had an owner, but it could've. (?)
I've neveR kept any animals indoors for too long. They love to be outside and so do I. O;-)