Those with cats that have gone missing, how long did it take for you to find them? Or did they never come back?
Posted by Individual-Course-59@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 112 comments
Going through this at the moment. Our precious cat has been missing for two weeks. They're normally fairly timid and extremely attached to us, so I've no idea what could have made them leave, or be keeping them away.
Most things I read seem to suggest that the highest likelihood is that they are somewhere hiding nearby, often too scared to come back.
reader270@reddit
My cat went missing for five days. I put info on my local facebook page, went out late at night calling him, put posters through letterboxes nearby and so on. I then just went knocking on doors near my house, and a lady in the road that backs onto mine dragged me in her house, whispered, ‘go to number 8, he steals cats, he’s done it loads of times,’ and then sent me on my way. I knocked at number 8 and a very shifty bloke came to the door. I shower him my poster, asked if he’d seen my cat and he didn’t even look at it before saying ‘no’ and shutting the door in my face. I went back the next day and asked if he was sure, and he was still really shifty. Within half an hour, my cat came running home from the direction of this bloke’s house. Cat was fine but very glad to be home. I spoke to a few more neighbours and apparently this bloke’s wife would lure cats into the house with food and then shut them in. She’d done it to a few other neighbourhood cats too.
avalanchefan95@reddit
That's wild. We had a cat go missing and someone told us they were positive it was locked in a house on the next street over (our alley shared back to back houses). We kept looking but the people weren't home. Turns out, they had been on holiday but when they came back, so did the cat so we did wonder if it was really in there.
In the end, we were leaving the window open in the kitchen for her to climb through and she returned after about 3 weeks. Showed up about 4am and came into the bedroom.
mattjessop70@reddit
People are fucking weird. Glad you got your cat back
Brokella@reddit
FOUR YEARS! Then she turned up at a vets about 15 miles away, traced through her microchip. She had turned feral and was a spitting viper of hate initially but she slowly acclimatised to being domestic again. She’s been back for 3 years now. She’s actually been shot before too so she’s had quite a life! She’s 17.
avalanchefan95@reddit
That's incredible
rebelallianxe@reddit
A friend's missing cat reappeared after 3 years turned out she'd been taken in by an elderly neighbour whose family assumed was his cat, until he died and they took it to a vet for a check up and scanned microchip.
WillowCreekWanderer@reddit
Oh wow!! If only she could talk to tell you everything that happened in those four years
ClickerKnocker@reddit
Knowing cats, she'd say, "Actually, that's none of your business."
Brokella@reddit
😹
WillowCreekWanderer@reddit
Good point
Theres3ofMe@reddit
Jfc 😲
MissingCat123@reddit
Almost one and a half months and counting unfortunately...
I have even made a few posts about it.
Unfortunately no leads at all so far (some similar-looking tabbies but that was bound to happen), but no definitive bad news as of yet thankfully. The reason why I have been extra pessimistic at the worst of times in this situation was because of the state he looked to be in when he disappeared. Previously was a healthy cat but unfortunately had lost weight and was visibly weaker the day that he went missing; so could've been dealing with something.
Every day has been basically repeating the same actions when it comes to trying to find him. Looking around, checking my emails, scouring the Facebook groups and the specific missing pet sites etc.
The return stories have helped so much in that regard when it comes to hope. But of course I try to apply the more relatable ones to my case and a lot of the ones from the US probably are less relatable (especially with how they view keeping cats outdoors vs us here).
The optimistic side of me pushes forward the fact that he was very street smart and obviously loved to roam, so the possibility of his hormones continuing to drive him despite his weaker state could still exist. But he would always return for food and knew this was his home where he slept inside so many times.
It's almost like I'm wishing for the possibility that he was driven out of his territory by a stronger cat, or felt less able to defend it too due to his health so went into hiding. Even if someone has rescued him, or he was able to eat elsewhere, I just hope that he didn't have any serious illness because he left the day that he was going to be taken to the vet.
I wish that everyone whose beloved pet is missing finds theirs. It is a truly horrible feeling. I just wish that my boy is still alive 🙏🏻😢.
If anyone has any remotely similar stories to mine (hopefully with a happy ending) then it would mean the world to me.
creamyjoshy@reddit
Ours went missing for a few days. It turned out she had slipped in silently behind my mum into the shed while she was moving the lawnmower back in there. Poor girl was in there in the summer for a few days before they found her. She was alright but suffered with kidney damage at the end of her life many years later
thattrailerguy@reddit
Mine disappeared for 10 days and I was convinced that was it. Turned out he’d been hiding under a neighbors shed literally like 3 houses down the whole time. He was too scared to come out even when we were calling him.
What finally worked was going out super late and just sitting outside talking normally. Not even calling loudly just chatting. He eventually meowed back and came out all skinny and freaked out.
Two weeks feels awful but it’s still really common for them to be close by just hiding. Hope yours shows up soon
Interesting_Fish309@reddit
Same with my boy. Stuck in a hedge for 3 days. He's indoor only cat n got out. He was too scared move 😔
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
I've heard this a lot. We have been out walking all hours but never just sat in the same spot like you say. Was he an outside cat anyway? Ours is and so I can't quite imagine that she'd be that close and not just come back..
CheeryBottom@reddit
I’m wondering if they’re stuck in someone’s shed. People have been mowing their lawns these last couple of weeks. I bet neighbours have had their sheds open. Our Bob was a menace for snooping in neighbours sheds and garages.
roxieh@reddit
I would be beside myself. I'm so sorry OP. I do hope she comes back soon, happy and well.
DimensionMajor7506@reddit
Could be trapped somewhere, e.g. locked in a neighbours shed or similar
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
Thank you, we have knocked lots of doors and made lots of posters.
_poptart@reddit
Have you posted on Facebook? My cat went missing for over a week a few years ago - I posted on all the local town Facebook groups, local car boot groups and in the end, a guy in a town 4 miles away posted about a cat that had been hanging out on a garage roof in his lane, some woman who had seen one of my posts contacted me, and we were able to go and pick our cat up! The kindness of strangers 🥰
We think our cat jumped in the back of a supermarket delivery van as there are two large supermarkets very near to where he ended up.
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
wow 4 miles away!
We are so rural and she is so scaredy that I cannot imagine any situation like that where she would go near a car or anything like that.
We have posted all over Facebook and had some lovely people ring up with leads that unfortunately haven't come to anything yet.
Thanks for sharing, need all the hope we can get
DimensionMajor7506@reddit
As I’m sure you’ve already done, make sure to talk to lots of your neighbours. Ask them to check their sheds / garages / whatever. That’s how we found our girl; did the whole shebang of going out at all hours, putting up posters, etc, but it was a neighbour we had spoken to who knocked one evening, carrying her, who said they found her in their garage!
Also would recommend posting on any local facebook groups (especially if there are any lost pet ones).
Gullible_Fan4427@reddit
Actually, you’re probably onto something there! One of my cats has gone on wanders a couple times, only for a day or 2. Always found her at night on a street not far from home whilst on a walk! Depending on where you are, probably cat timings rather than fox timings. Was looking for my parents cat after a fire at the end of last year in London. Definitely noticed a lack of cats when the foxes came out. She was never found but luckily the other one was ok!
Interesting_Fish309@reddit
3 days for one boy. One i never found 😪
McSheeples@reddit
We moved house and one of ours escaped. He was out for two weeks. We finally discovered he was coming back to the house in the early hours of the morning, but was too spooked to come in. We eventually managed to lure him in at 2am, left the door open and scattered some treats and then closed it behind him when he was properly in the house. You can also borrow cat traps from most cat rescues - set them up with a towel over and some food. We used one, but accidentally caught the neighbour's cat, who at least wasn't too fussed. I would suggest keep leaving food out and blankets, clothes etc with your scent on. Keep an eye out over night to see if they've been visiting in the small hours. I hope you get them back soon.
Superbabybanana@reddit
Had it a few times.
Cat 1) turned up with a different collar on. Started staying away more and more until the last time I saw him he ran away from me.
Cat 2) sadly we never saw her again.
Cat 3) missing a week. Had been locked in a house down the road.
Cat 4) turned up after 12 years. She was brought to a vets who scanned her microchip.
Intruder313@reddit
In 22 years in order:
3 days - I decided I’d find her the minute I went outside looking and I did
1 day in my shed - she would stop crying out the moment I got near so I thought she was in the alley…
1 day locked in an alley (not long after the above)
She’s too old to go out side now :(
CurvePuzzleheaded361@reddit
Ours have those tractive gps collars so never go missing per se, but one of my cats love to go out for 8 hours a day in the summer. Sleeps in the arboretum behind our house. We would so worried before the collars, absolute game changer.
owmuch@reddit
3 years. Yes really
GabberZZ@reddit
Tinker was a very friendly and inquisitive cat and would regularly go to see the customers in the local beer garden.
Then one day he was just gone.
Only theory we have is he hopped into someone's car or van and they didn't notice.
This was before chipping was invented.
domsp79@reddit
My Dad's cat went missing once for about a week. Turned up a couple of towns away. Jumped into the back of a workman's van when they were having something done to the house. Was found wandering around near the workman's house.
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
wow 2nd story about them jumping in a van!! We might need to widen our search area 😅
BobMonroeFanClub@reddit
https://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/found-burnham-familys-kitten-is-back-home-after-jumping-into-delivery-van/
Gambit791@reddit
I once had a cat do a runner whilst trying to get him to the vets. He got away and vanished. Gave up searching after a while. Went on holiday 3 months later and came back to him sat in the house like he'd never left. Good job the catflap was unlocked!
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
wow what a feeling that would be 😍🥰
chaoticchemicals@reddit
I've lost cats that have never returned and no bodies found. I've found a cat that had been killed and that took neely two weeks to find him. I've had a car go missing for 8 weeks and turn up back home injured with radial nerve paralysis. I nursed him back to health with physio threw times a day. The vet gave us a chance to see if we could rehabilitate the nerve before amputation was necessary. We couldn't afford the surgery so we tried it and it worked, mainly because he was on house arrest for 6 months and couldn't roam far. Once he was back to full health he fucked off again ! My oldest cat, she will bugger off for a fair few days, more than once she's done nearly three weeks in the summer. We know she's in the fields behind our house once they've been harvested, gorging on rodents. She comes back when the weather turns. I live in the countryside and a village with less than thirty houses!
External_Current9391@reddit
We moved house when I was younger and our cat went missing for six months! We’d given up hope when a local cat charity rescued him and reunited us, he purred so loudly when we bought him home :)
nineteenthly@reddit
We had a cat go missing for several days and return very hungry and thirsty, but she was sprightly and fine. Never found out what happened. We'd written her off as dead.
WGD23@reddit
If anybody has lost a grey sheeba looking cat that meows as if its trying to talk it's usually in the bushes near my gaff at dawn and dusk, quite the character but won't come close.
repair-it@reddit
Ours left for a whole year, and returned on the morning we were going abroad on holiday.
cluelesspagan200@reddit
Almost 4 months now. Still hoping she'll appear but my gut tells me she won't be coming home.
Hope yours comes home soon, its awful not knowing.
monistar97@reddit
Ours never came back, my mums still sad about it 11 years ago. My dad’s friends cat went and came back 5 years later, staring down their new baby through the window as if he was angry he’d been replaced. He acted like he had never gone anywhere and lived a long happy life?!
rebelallianxe@reddit
We had one come back after 3 days (no idea where he'd been), one after 7 (she'd been locked in a neighbour's garage while they were on holiday) and one that sadly was found dead after 4 days. One of my mum's cats disappeared for 3 weeks once but they live by a wood. Think he'd gone a wandering.
GuiltyCredit@reddit
My cat was 5 years old when she went missing. I put up posters as Facebook was still in it's infancy. Shortly after another 2 cats on the street went missing. I suspect it was the cat lady who lived over the back. I think I saw her a few years later, but I can't be sure. If it was her she was very very fat.
I was devastated, still am if I'm honest. I feel like I didn't look hard enough or try hard enough, even though I know I did all I could. There are more resources now, social media can help a lot.
I hope your cat comes home x
RowRow1990@reddit
We had a family cat gone for 3 months, he came back in a bad way, but we got him back healthy, he lived another 8 years and was 21.
My friend had one who was found something like 7 years later. He was very poorly, but made it home.
Mine was gone for 10 days and it was awful. I was out looking for him all the time, nothing worked, then he just walked through the cat flap yowling his little head off and I sat there and just sobbed.
They definitely can come back, everything crossed for you yours does too
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
thank you ❤️
Important_Ruin@reddit
I wish my cat would come back. He's just been put to sleep this morning.
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
sorry 😔
PrincessPK475@reddit
One disappeared for almost 3 months.... She was a bit special and was just hiding somewhere close by and hadn't fed herself well turned back up in a right state and needed nursing back to health.
The second was a rescued street cat anyway and she got herself lost right after a move and was gone for a month.... We advertised everywhere including on gumtree which was how she was found!
She was podgy as ever and a massive flirt so she'd just made friends a few roads back to get fed.
Absolutely awful, I was sick with worry the entire time, but two positive outcomes after I thought all hope was lost..... Saying this, I recommend doing everything possible to bring them home, but simultaneously work on making inner peace... That way if they turn up it's a total win but you don't go through so much unnecessary suffering and despair. Awful horrible situation to be in I don't wish losing a pet on anyone, the unknown of it is the worst.
Big hugs and all the wishes for a reunion for you!
caspararemi@reddit
I moved from a house to a flat ground floor just a few streets away and mine would come and go for a day or two, then disappeared for months at a time. Then suddenly he'd appear back at my patio doors, looking very scruffy. I don't know if anyone was feeding him while he was out but he was very happy to find his food bowl.
He stuck around after that, but still liked to go out all night and wander. I had to get rid of him next tiem I moved and it was a flat with no outdoor space. He settled in okay but really hated my flatmate - he'd try to attack her legs if she walked past my room, so I rehomed him to a house in the country with lots of open space.
Hcmp1980@reddit
Next door neighbour, 8 months and he just appeared at the back door mightily pissed off his good wasnt in his bowl.
dlt-cntrl@reddit
I've had 2 go missing. The first never came back, we think someone stole him as he was a pedigree breed. The second came back with a leg broken in 3 places, which he had to have amputated.
I'm so sorry that you're going through this, it's heartbreaking.
OkCaterpillar8941@reddit
Ours disappeared to a neighbour whose house was on a separate road that we didn't walk along. The woman had been feeding an obviously well looked after cat with chicken and cream. The cat chose her. It was sad as the cat was a 6th birthday present for my sister and the woman refused to stop feeding it. But at least we knew she was safe. My toes were even safer as she was a bugger for attacking my feet whilst I was sleeping. Good luck finding your cat OP. It might have decamped to someone else.
TheBestBigAl@reddit
6 days. We went out calling her, asked neighbours to check their sheds, put up posters etc. There was no sign of her so we assumed the worst, and to be honest the worst thing was not knowing what had happened.
On the sixth morning my next door neighbour sent me a message to say that she thinks she saw a black cat running through her house but that had to head out to work immediately (she's a midwife and there was an emergency) so I said I'd check at the window throughout the day.
Sure enough, the first time I tapped at the window and called the cat, she sauntered up to it. Had to wait until the neighbour was back from work that night before we could eventually get her home.
Given the length of time I had been worried that she was trapped somewhere with no food or water. Presumably she found scraps of food at night (or quite likely found mice), and in an extreme twist of fate the neighbour's kitchen tap drips constantly which gave her water.
Vequihellin@reddit
A cat we had when I was a teenager disappeared for a week. I was a wreck. She turned up one day skinny and jumpy. She was known in the neighbourhood for just randomly going into people's houses. We think she got in and they went away or something and found her when they got back. I like to imagine her revenge for getting locked in was a few days worth of poop in all their houseplants.
Fast forward 20 years and Pixie goes out one day and doesn't come back. I was beside myself. I printed leaflets and posted them all around the neighbourhood. One night I went out shaking the dreamies and calling for her (which admittedly did draw many friendly kitties to me) and I was halfway up an adjoining road when this frantic wailing and meowing started up and she absolutely rocketed out of someones garden. I picked her up and carried her home, sobbing the whole way. We think she got chased up the road and didn't know how to get back. Either that or she was stuck in a shed or something. She's never gone too far from home since.
YummyBumps@reddit
We last saw ours 2019 he was missing from for 6 months got a phone call to say he was at the vets. He left again the next day. July 2025 got a phonecall to say he had been found, brought him home and he is still here. He goes out and comes back again without a problem now.
Arbdew@reddit
One of ours is currently "missing". They were both my Dads cats initially, but when he died they came to live with us. Never showed any interest in going outside, but we'd forgotten to put a window on the latch one evening and off she went. Was spotted by a neighbour just up the street about 5 days later, got a wireless cam and it picked her up about 4 days after that. She comes back to our hose every day ( I leave food out) but seems perfectly happy and healthy- she always was a very self sufficient cat. That was 4 weeks ago, so she's now got an outdoor shelter and the house is covered with cams. I've still not actually seen her so if it wasn't for the cams I'd have no idea she was still around.
Might be an idea to get a cam- we've got a Tapo C410 solar powered one. At least you'd know then if she was still coming back.
pullingteeths@reddit
You know that contrary to the old wives tale level "wisdom" that the UK still backwardly goes by regarding cats that you don't have to just turf them out the door alone every day in order for them to be happy right? You don't need to have an outdoor cat. You can keep them indoors, play with them and give them cool toys, and give them time outside under supervision or train them to walk on a harness. If you're worried about their safety don't let them out on their own, it's that simple.
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
honestly just go away
pullingteeths@reddit
Why? It's likely your cat will come back and I really hope they do. But if people actually want to keep their cats safe from going missing this is how you do it. The idea that cats MUST go out isn't backed by real evidence and is more of a country specific tradition. This is the risk you take by letting them out. Sorry for giving real practical advice I guess
Lynex_Lineker_Smith@reddit
You’re a lot politer than I would be
Nannyhirer@reddit
About a year but he never really fully came back to us. First ever broken heart.
Embarrassed_Park2212@reddit
I haven't experienced a cat go missing but I read this advice on another cat sub.
If you have stray or other cats where you live, tell them your cats name and that he's missing and he needs to come home. Also go out late at night when it's quieter, with a torch, and look under cars and in shrubbery if you have that around you.
PoownSlayer@reddit
My cat was missing for something like 5 weeks it was horrible. It turned out she had fallen through a hole in someones shed and got trapped in there. The person only checked the shed because they kept seeing a different cat hanging around it - turns out this random cat was dropping food through the hole to feed my cat and keeping her alive.
I would reccomend posting on your local Facebook and asking people to check their sheds.
I really hope you find your cat!
newtonbase@reddit
A friend lost theirs for years. They moved house twice before it turned up at a vets and was traced through the chip.
Mumlife8628@reddit
I put used litter in a bag in the garden when my shy cat got out, she'd been missing 3 days when I did that, she came home 2 days after
Was around Xmas time and I spent hours circling the block and iv woods at end of street
Horrifically distressing i hope your fluff comes home soon
Opening-Fortune4@reddit
Mine went missing for five days, then we heard him (he’s very vocal) walking down the street. He shouldn’t be able to get out of the garden but he’d managed it somehow.
Do you have a neighbourhood WhatsApp group? Ours were very good, looking out for him, spotted him a couple of times. I’m sure we would have found him through them if he’d stayed out longer.
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
Posted in loads of Facebook groups but she's shy, I can totally imagine her avoiding being spotted by anyone. We are quite rural as well. Glad yours came back x
Opening-Fortune4@reddit
Cats do go missing and turn up after a surprising amount of time. Hope yours does too.
Awkward-Warning-9238@reddit
We are also rural. Our cat used to go missing for around 10 days around this time of year every year. We assume she survived on newly born mice etc.
She'd come home eventually, until she got ran over, 10k later and shes now a half blind lovely cat that can't get out of the garden.
Very possible they're trapped in a shed or something so get people to check. Night time when it's quietest is best time to go out and look.
coinsntings@reddit
2 weeks, we put up posters and went out every morning/evening looking for him.
In the end someone called the number we'd put on the posters saying they thought they had our cat on their drive, had put out milk to keep him there and gave us their address. We went over and as soon as he saw us he came running to us.
He was skinny, we reckon he'd been stuck in a shed or garage or something (it was the summer holidays). After that he never strayed far from home, so we never had reason to worry again which is quite nice, it was really stressful at the time obviously and I wasnt even in my teens at that point. My boy is going on 15 now and loving life
New-Tap-2027@reddit
Had this happen twice over the years. Both very timid cats from shelters. She went missing one evening and for weeks we walked the local area which included a huge cemetery and park. Made notices called vet and shelter in the city nothing. Months passed and I get a call from a local guy that had found her collar on his allotment. But no sightings. Then one day my partner took a small detour due to traffic and saw a cat that looked like her so stopped called her name and she turned to him but was afraid. He jumps in his car goes to the local shop and buys some ham, calls me and I run over to the area less than a mile away. It’s her and she’s eating the ham looking rather happy. She lost weight and was a little scruffy but none worse the wear.
2nd, I had moved to a different area of the same city and it was a busy road and as he was older decided to be easy on him, if he remained inside unless I was outside then he’d happily come in the garden but wasn’t even interested in leaving it. Until he got frightened by someone he didn’t know and bolted. Same story same areas walked nothing. 8 months go by nothing. Then one day coming home I see him sitting on the opposite of the street about 2am. Rush to get something to give him. He’s less than half of the cat that left. He came in the house of his own accord and settled in for a nap. Fleas and dirt you couldn’t imagine.
Don’t give up hope, keep walking the area. Look for places they might be hiding, or finding food to scavenge for themselves. Hence why I mentioned the cemetery as there is plenty of small wildlife to hunt if needed. Put notices in a many shops, FB even TikTok. Call vets and shelters. I hope you find them soon.
Not_Mushroom_@reddit
When I was younger, prob 30 years ago I remember our old cat, laboured breathing for a couple of days, laying on the fridge as it was a warm place, then one day just left out the back door. Was gone probably 2 weeks, then came home and died a few days later.
I believe it left to die but then wasn't ready so came home. It was pretty much a house cat so never went outside for more than a few minutes to poo etc.
allthingskerri@reddit
One was three weeks ended up he is was in next door shed the whole time. Another has never turned up - isn't dead (or at least hasn't been found and scanned into the system) isn't in anyone's home (or at least hasn't been taken in and need vet treatment) it's been 7 years now. He was a very strong big cat so I imagine he is a stray somewhere
WillowCreekWanderer@reddit
My parents had a cat before I was born who went missing a few times (he fancied himself a tom cat, despite having been neutered lol). A couple of times he was eventually brought home by neighbours who found him in their gardens, and once he was gone for several weeks before waltzing back in like he'd just popped out for a few minutes!
Is your cat usually an indoor cat, or indoor/outdoor? Indoor cats who get out will usually stay very close to home, but cats who are familiar with the outdoors might wander a bit further afield.
I've heard that the best time to search for missing cats is in the evening, because that's when they're most active and more likely to respond to you calling them/shaking some treats
Pedantichrist@reddit
Roger sometimes goes for months. I do not know where. One day he will not come back.
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
Wow, are your nerves not shot?
Pedantichrist@reddit
They are. Philip and Biscuit are always here, but Roger just pops in for a month, then disappears for a fortnight, in a random pattern. It is very stressful.
Brokella@reddit
My cat (see my comment above) went missing periodically before going missing for 4 years. I think that she hated her two sisters (also our cats) and left home because of it. She’s back now and a bit more bloody grateful of a roof than she was!
Icy_Appearance_8610@reddit
Has a second home most likely.
Tea-Loving_Linguist@reddit
One of mine went missing for 3 months.
We were on holiday and someone else was feeding her. That person said he hadn’t seen her for a few days, and we didn’t see her for 3 months after getting back.
She was a real home-loving cat who preferred lying around indoors to going out. We assumed she was dead.
Then, 3 months later, she just came back as if everything was completely normal, not skinny or anything.
She never did it again.
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
uh this is so reassuring and hopeful! Thank you
LordSideQuest@reddit
One of mine was missing for 23 days. We'd put up posters and posted fliers locally and heard nothing. I'd given up hoping she'd come back. Then one day I got a message from someone on our street saying theyd seen a skinny cat that looked like ours. I was at work so couldn't check, but asked my housemate to go look, and by lunch he messaged to say she was back :)
We guess she'd been in a shed or garage and got stuck in there. The vet said her belly was empty and swollen like she was starving, but she must have been able to eat/drink at least something in that time otherwise she wouldn't have made it.
I hope yours comes home safe, if you haven't already, it might be worth putting some posters up/fliering your neighbours. Female cats dont tend to go far, so could be local, males can have quite a range though. Sometimes they don't come back because they've gotten into a garden they cant get out of, or gone in somewhere when a door/window is open, then got trapped, so its worth asking people to check locally.
Another one of the reasons they don't come back is if they got chased out of where they know and can't find their way back. Leaving some of their litter outside (if you still have it), or their bedding, or even something that smells of you like a jumper or hoodie you wear a lot, can help them smell their way home.
Also if you're not opposed to taking a slow walk around the local area (cos it might look a bit odd to some people), calling loudly enough they'd hear you, and moving along the road slowly enough that they've got time to come out of hiding and find you, if they are just hiding and don't know their way home, they may hear you and recognise your voice. Pick a quiet time to give them the best chance to hear you if you can.
Good luck, I hope they're home safe and soon.
Diligent_Craft_1165@reddit
7 days. He was 2 roads away hiding under a parked van
littletorreira@reddit
We had one who went missing and came back 3 years later very fat. There was an old lady locally stealing people's cats. We had her a further 4 years before she disappeared for good. But she'd been losing weight and we had a very appointment booked but we think she went off to die.
jools4you@reddit
Mine went missing for a week. I informed the local cat rescue. Some kind stranger found her on the other side of town and bought her in. Honestly when they phoned me to say she was found it was like I'd won the lotto I was so happy. So so glad I spent the money on the microchip as there was no doubt she was mine.
imposterindisguis3@reddit
6 months. There had been sightings of him. We often went out looking but had started to give up hope. Prior to this, he had gone for a few nights, then 2 weeks..
Someone ended up taking him to a local vet who read his chip and called us. When he came home, he was really disorientated, didn't know where he was or seem to remember anything, after a few hours he started to relax. That was a couple of years ago. Not unusual for him to be gone for a night, but not so long since. He's currently making sure we can't use the chair. *
Ocelot1982@reddit
One of ours went missing for 22 months…apparently a family ‘thought he was a stray’ and ‘took him in’ 🤔, never took him to the vets. Eventually he got a stomach bug, and they took him to the vet who scanned his microchip and called us! He’s now settled back in with the other 4, and is as much of a loveable pain in the arse as he was when he went away.
Jimbobthon@reddit
Couple of weeks. We did go looking for him daily, but we were looking the wrong direction. Someone posted on a local community page and we picked him up.
He only goes outside now on a harness and lead
Haunting-Button-4281@reddit
6 weeks, we found him fairly close to home and at night. Would have lasted much longer on his own, it was winter as well
Competitive_Pen7192@reddit
My cat went to live with my mother due to my son's allergies to her.
She was kept indoors for over 9 months but ran away when the garden door was open. I spent two days between work and abandoning my own family to look for her. Silly cat hadn't actually gone far, she was likely no more than a few meters from the house and was probably chilling out with the neighbours cats and eating their food.
My sister managed to lure her off a garage roof and kitty hasn't gone missing since. She's older now so often won't go outside even if the door is wide open.
Hope OPs one turns up. I tried everything like leaving out cooking tuna and standing outside at 3am talking to where I thought she was.
Majestic_Egg204863@reddit
My first cat went missing and never came back, this was 20 years ago now. She was called Daisy, but turns out she was a boy and had gotten the neighbours cat pregnant! I always wonder what happened to him, we never saw him again but I hope he just found another family and stayed there instead of becoming homeless
Successful-Watch3814@reddit
3 months! She was living in a shed 2 miles away!
InspiringGecko@reddit
A friend of mine lost her cat a few years ago. She was gone for weeks. My friend moved. A while later, one of her old neighbours called her to tell her the cat had returned home. I think the cat had been gone for 2-3 months total. They were happily reunited and are still together.
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
Thank you ❤️
pwuk@reddit
3y or so for one of my childhood cats
mrbios@reddit
My parents cat went missing for over a week once. We eventually found her in an empty house that was up for sale directly opposite my parents house. They had a cat flap, she had got in but couldn't get out. She appeared to have survived thanks to a dropping kitchen tap, we think.
NinjaTigerB@reddit
My old cat returned after a couple of weeks (twice). Both times he was quite badly injured but managed to drag himself back. He was a very hard cat.
SayerTron81@reddit
My cat was at my mum's while we went on holiday and he disappeared the day before we got back.
3 months later we saw a post on Facebook asking who's cat this was and it was him, 5 miles down the road.
We collected him and took him to the vet the next day and he'd put on half a kg.
Rhyobit@reddit
we adopted a cat from our neighbour who passed away a few years ago. She came by looking for food, was pretty scrawny so we took her in. She got out once and was away for about half a week, we found her on a neighbours picnic table. About a year later, she got out, and we never found her.
From the vet visit we had, she was very elderly and it was likely she went out to pass.
Nervous_Difficulty_6@reddit
I reckon it was around a month.
The vet rang us one day and asked if we’ve lost a cat named ‘X’ and we had. Turned out, she was at a house backing on to our back garden, an old lady had been feeding her for a month. The lady had taken her to the vet at the advice from her daughter. But, rather than the vet ringing us whilst she was there, they sent her home as she was deemed ‘not lost/stray’ because of how close she was to our home.
Anyway, she’s been home now for well over a year. The lady had bought a bed for her, loads of cat food and some toys. It was only because of her daughter saying she looks loved and definitely not homeless, that she should attempt to try and find her owner.
She’s been back a few times, because the lady does keep trying to feed her. But we’ve been very insistent now, to make sure she stops feeding her. Part of me feels bad, as this lady is 83/84, and her husband is now in a home. She’s clearly very lonely. But, she’s our cat, not hers.
So to give you some sort of hope, your cat may be getting food from someone else.
Can I ask though, is your cat old or ill?
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
wow, that's kind of annoying. I would be upset.
She's 4 and not ill at all. I also think she'd absolutely opt to hunt for food before going near people or houses that have other cats or dogs (she really is quite shy).
We have done posters through letterboxes though so hopefully if she has gone to someone else they'll know she's missing
Thanks for your reply
HalfAgony-HalfHope@reddit
I have a friend whose cat came back after 3 months. Very thin and dirty etc. Suspect she was trapped somewhere. She never really left the garden after it either
Ill_Refrigerator_593@reddit
A friend of mine had about 8 weeks.
ArmouredFlump@reddit
Hate to be the one to say it, but they rarely come back.
Cats who know they're going to die or are sick often find somewhere quiet and secluded to curl up.
The only case I know of when a cat made it home was an old family friend who had moved house. His cat tried to travel the 60+ miles back to the old house.
The family thought well she's gone. A couple of months later dads at a farmers market about 30 miles from his new house and hears 2 women talking about a cat that has just started showing up in one of their gardens. He thinks that sounds like Tabitha! Speaks to them, rocks up to the woman's house and there she is. Made it half way to her old house.
Equivalent_Word3952@reddit
Mine never came back 😢
Individual-Course-59@reddit (OP)
Sorry :( how long has it been?
dinkidoo7693@reddit
My neighbours cat was missing just over 2 years. She came home from work one afternoon to find him curled up on the front doorstep.
forgetmenotjimmy@reddit
Ours got trapped in someone's unfinished kitchen extension while they were on holiday so they called as soon as they got back and found our number on her collar.\ Can't remember how long it was but over a week I think. Hope yours comes back to you soon 🤞🏻
Icy_Appearance_8610@reddit
He made it home from the vets in 4 days. Had leapt out on my way into vets. We looked everywhere initially, in the area. I went out and walked around in the hope he’d pick up my scent. Arrived home on his own steam from about a mile away but had crossed a dual carriage way.
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