I lost my cat.

jasmineh7777

I left really early for work, and came home early to take care of the dog. This morning was kind of crazy, because Shy had a mini seizure. When I got home, the cat was nowhere to be found.
I tore the house apart, and then had my parents come over and help me search. She is nowhere. I called the animal shelter, the adoption group, and the newspaper to put an ad in. I talked to my neighbors, and looked around the neighborhood.
It's been storming since this morning. She is an indoor cat; I don't know why she'd go out in the rain.
I am a mess.

Mrs_AF

I'm sorry Jasmineh Cats are a lot more resilient than people give them credit for, even indoor cats. I hope you find her though!

kellyjellybelly

Keep in mind they if she did get out, they usually stick pretty close to home.  Did you look in all closets, drawers, etc?  My neighbor recently thought her cat got out, only to find her the next day in a dresser drawer.  

Keep a bowl of food out by the door, and prop a door open a little if you can so she can come back in.  

Good luck, I'm sure she will be home soon.  

ohwhynot

Aw, she'll be okay.  Really, she will.  My cat was strictly indoors, too, but she'd make a break for it once in a while.  She always turned up (or, once, was picked up by the humane society).  Try to relax, try to think positively.  Cats know how to survive in the outdoors - she'll be okay. 

wadingmoose

My cat was an indoor cat for YEARS.  Lately he's decided that he needs to be outside.  He sneaks out either when the dogs are being let in and out or when H and I leave for work in the morning.  I worried a lot at first, but now every night when I get home, he's sitting in front of the garage waiting for me.

Your cat may have gotten stressed and afraid when the dog had its seizure and in the excitement may have been able to sneak out.  She'll probably come back, cats rarely get lost.

Also, check closets.  My cat can actually open bi-fold doors enough to get in and take a nap.  I've been panicked a few times only to have him wander down the stairs later and look at me like I'm loony.

jasmineh7777

I've looked everywhere imaginable. She's really tiny, and sickly. She's got one eye and is recovering from rhinovirus.
I'm somewhere between having a panic attack and throwing up.

wadingmoose

Also, one of the first times he got out, I stood on the front step with a metal dish with his food in it and shook it (hard food) the noise had him come out of his hiding spot immediately.

Mrs_AF

Do you have something that she lays on frequently, that she would smell? Put that out on the porch so she can recognize the scent as her home.

jessjo04

Aw, try not to worry too much. I know when my pets (dog or cats) get out, they usually end up sitting at the door shortly after. Cats are pretty smart, she'll get bored and come home!

Pirata13

I agree with shaking food, treats etc. My cats also have hid in ridiculous spots.  Hope you find her soon.  Good vibes heading your way!

vettechgirl

I am a feline behaviorist. This, is what I tell people when their kitties get out:

1. Contact all of the local shelters and vet clinics in the area with a description of your kitty and your contact information.

2. Contact some of the big radio stations in your area. A lot of them will put out bulletins about lost pets. Again, give them your kitty's description and your contact information.

3. Put out some food and water and a box with a used shirt/sweater in it. This will, hopefully, attract kitty back home.

4. Let all of your neighbors know your kitty is missing. Ask if they have any crawl spaces, sheds, etc, if they would be willing to look around, or let you look around, to see if your kitty snuck in to get out of the storm. If any of your neighbors are going on vacation, find out who is house sitting for them, and ask they tell the house sitter there is a kitty missing and to keep their eyes peeled.

Best of luck! I will pray for you!

jasmineh7777

I hope I'm just over reacting. This is my first cat, and it is pouring outside. Thanks everyone.

kd.joseph

I'm so sorry, I know how frantic I am when my indoor cat tries to bolt out the door.
I know years ago, my older cat actually got in our attic and was in between the walls. I could hear him but couldn't see him.It took treats to get him out.

Give it some time, I'm sure she'll be ok. I'll keep you in my thoughts, and let us know what happens. OK?

kikibaby

Aw, I'm sorry Jasmine   I'm sure she'll show up.

This is going to sound weird, but check under your bed- like, in the box spring.  I came home one time and couldn't find my cat, tore everything apart and laid down on the bed sobbing- lo and behold, who should wander out from under the bed to see what I'm doing?  I crawled under there, and she had tore into the box spring and was sleeping inside of it.  Cats do weird shiz.

georgia_bride09

One of my cats got out one time, and we didn't know until we came home and he was sitting on the curb. I cried for the rest of the evening, despite him being totally fine. I know how you feel.

ETA: It was that stinker right there, actually.
<------

I can't really add much to what others have said, but I do think she'll turn up. She couldn't have gotten far.

Brie2010

I'd put out something really stinky, like a can of tuna or seafood wet food, to try to lure her onto the porch.

You could also post an ad on Craigslist.

GL!  I hope she turns up soon.

AmoroAgain

She'll come back when she gets hungry! Hopefully soon.

wadingmoose

Ahhh, another one of my cat's favorite hiding places - in the rafters in the basement.  Sneaky little devil.

arthomas82

Crap, I'm sorry. I've had TONS of cats throughout my life and they are soooo resilient. They are great at hiding (even if they get outside) and if they're afraid (such as from rain) they will not come back until they're ready. Scary feeling, I know. But it truly is rare for a cat to take off and not come back.

jasmineh7777

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'll give them a try.

andyandhillary

I'm so sorry!  Once she gets home make sure you take her to vet to make sure she didn't get too sick from the rain.  Keep us updated!

waltzingmatilda13

Aww, I'm sorry jasmineh. Right now she's probably just afraid of getting wet if it's still pouring outside and will likely come back once it stops. Just leave the door open for her so she can get inside when she does.

Celles

My indoor cat gets out occasionally.  This is going to sound incredibly weird, but if I walk around the block meowing in "his" meow (multiple cat owners know what I mean! -- I have to mimic his meow, not another cat's!), he will ALWAYS respond and come running.  It's the only way I can get him home, though.  Food, treats, etc., don't work, but meowing around the neighborhood has never failed.

I think it's his plan to make the neighbors think I'm crazy.

I'm sorry, Jasmineh.  But don't panic yet!  She will come home. 

ebonyivory10

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_lost-cat?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:437bb6ed-ca48-45d9-88fa-7972b81a89bbPost:ebac99ca-f22d-467f-9c6a-7c92ee52e3dc">Re: I lost my cat.</a>:
[QUOTE]Aw, I'm sorry Jasmine :(  I'm sure she'll show up. This is going to sound weird, but check under your bed- like, in the box spring.  I came home one time and couldn't find my cat, tore everything apart and laid down on the bed sobbing- lo and behold, who should wander out from under the bed to see what I'm doing?  I crawled under there, and she had tore into the box spring and was sleeping inside of it.  Cats do weird shiz.
Posted by kikibaby[/QUOTE]
Same here but it was our couch - she had crawled under and tore a hole into the bottom and burrowed into a tight space. 

I hope you find her!

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

Oh no! Did you check under the box springs? My cat definitely sneaks through holes and up INTO the box springs. Whenever I've really not been able to find him, that's usually where he is. Same with the couch.

I agree, she'll probably come back ina  few hours. Cats have a great sense of direction. Plus, they get hungry.

diva1397

I'll second that cats are amazingly resilient.  Our female siamese cat got out a couple of years ago in December.  This cat is only about 8 pounds and completely declawed (by a previous owner--not us!).  She is extremely skittish and refused to come to us when we would see her, and was out for an entire month before we were able to catch her in a humane trap.  During this time, she stayed under the house, and did fine even during a rare Louisiana snow.  She had lost a little weight, but was totally fine.  She's still doing fine almost 2 years later.

So, try not to worry too much!  Good luck finding your kitty.

KerryAnn

This site helped me immensely when I had the same thing happen a few years ago:

http://www.catsinthebag.org/

Good luck!

rbtrumpet

*ditto everyone

Also, one time (LONG ago) we couldn't find my cat - searched everywhere - decided to just wait and see when he would come home (our strictly indoor-only cat like to take 2 day MIA whenever he gets out!).

Anyways, about 11 that night, I was sitting in the living room on the couch, and all of a sudden the couch started making noise!  The cat had found a hole under the couch and crawled up inside the back cushion and decided to take an all-day nap there.

This was about 11  years ago, and he still plays these types of games with us....

andyandhillary

Wow.  cats are crazy!

K Byte

The exact same thing happened to me two days ago. I came home from work and Baxter (the hellbeast in my sig pic) was nowhere to be found. I live in an apartment and he never goes outside. He's SUPER sensitive to environmental noises, like construction, fireworks, thunder, etc. This is relevant because I think our apartment people were doing outdoor maintenance and making a bunch of noise flushing out the gutters and cutting down some tree branches really close to my balcony. Anyhoo, I was in a panic thinking he somehow got out, I called FI, etc. and looked EVERYWHERE. It turns out the cat was hiding in one of my kitchen cabinets which was nearly empty because most of the dishes were in the dishwasher, which was the only reason he could fit up there ... it was literally THE LAST place I looked.

So who knows, your cat could be hiding in the house somewhere! I hope you find her! Keep us posted!

Blurry cell phone pics  or it didn't happen:

katiewhompus

Any luck Jas?

Our 4th day in our new house Dh called me at work to tell me he couldn't find Demon anywhere, and that the cable guy just arrived. I spent the entire hour drive home panicking because there are lots of dogs in the neighborhood and she didn't know where she was. I get home and the cable guy had the door wide open. I turned into a screaming banshee and he left real quick. Dh had searched for an hour, and we both searched another hour. I'm shaking treats, crying, everything. Finally I find the sucker under the bedspring. It's a nice comfy place to hide.
She also once fell off our balcony and hid under the neighbors couch!

I hope kitty is just hiding somewhere inside Maybe under steps or in a dresser?