9 replies to this topic

[brzghoff]

my cat is missing. i last saw him on the night of the 23rd. he is a 13 year old orange tabby who belonged to my granddaughter. he came to live with us when my daughter's family moved away 10 years ago. he's always been an outdoor cat, only coming inside to eat and then begging to be let outside when he was done. 

 

he was neutered when he was a year old, so he didn't roam in search of a mate. when an outdoor cat goes missing its almost always because they became injured or ill and chose to hide - or became the victim of another animal. i've hunted around our woods but its overwhelming to try and find a cat out there with so many places to hide.

 

we live on 10 acres of densely wooded forest, he's never seen a road. its been a full moon, prime for catching citrus rats and shrews. he's loved his freedom and we always felt like we were doing the right thing. all our cats out here have been outdoor cats and lived to the ripe old age of 16-17. however, he's the only one who rarely wished to come inside. he slept on a basket on the porch, the same one in which he was born.  i know its always possible he'll show back up, but somehow, when i realized it had been over 12 hours since i last saw him, that i would never see him again. its just so hard not knowing. 

[gail]

Ah Brz, so sorry to hear that. If I lived near, I would search and search for you.

Waiting and not knowing must keep you on edge. I surely hope your orange baby shows up soon.
Let us know.

[TryinginFL]

Brz, I am filled with sadness for the loss of your kitty.

 

Sherman disappeared 3 yrs ago on  New Year's Eve and did not come back all nite.  I am sure that he was lost as some kind people found him about a mile away.  I posted pictures all over town the next day and by that evening someone called and said they thought they had him.. He is a sweet dog and would go with anyone, so I was afraid that someone had taken him. At that time I was unaware of the coyotes in the area and I still have not seen any here in my neighborhood but they are not far  That lovely family brought him back to me that evening and they had bought him a new collar and a large bag of food!  (He is under 20 lbs!)  The lady had 2 grade school kids and I am sure that they wanted to keep him - I am so happy to find that there really are some caring, wonderful people left in this world!  (I gave them a reward...)

 

Now he was gone for 24 hours so I hope that your little feline will return.  My thoughts are with you, dear friend

 

Liz

[brzghoff]

thank you so much ladies for your support. its been tough, but i am getting better. i have my other kitty and my husband to comfort me. tfl, i am glad to learn your story had a happy ending. my remaining kitty is 17 and while she is very healthy, i know she doesn't have much time. i did have another kitty who up and disappeared - years ago - but she also was 17 and was ill, we always suspected she wandered off and hid when her time came. i have had to put a kitty down when he was ill at 16, while difficult, it was much easier than this loss. there is always a possibility that my orange tabby will return, but i really don't think so. 

[equuswoman]

thank you so much ladies for your support. its been tough, but i am getting better. i have my other kitty and my husband to comfort me. tfl, i am glad to learn your story had a happy ending. my remaining kitty is 17 and while she is very healthy, i know she doesn't have much time. i did have another kitty who up and disappeared - years ago - but she also was 17 and was ill, we always suspected she wandered off and hid when her time came. i have had to put a kitty down when he was ill at 16, while difficult, it was much easier than this loss. there is always a possibility that my orange tabby will return, but i really don't think so. 

 

Hi brzghoff,

So sorry to hear about your lost kitty. It's so difficult when that happens. Our DD has Aspurgers. She is on the autism spectrum and has a short hair female 12 year old chihuahua that is like her child. A year ago on July 4th she somehow got out of our chain link fence. The fireworks literally terrified her to death. We searched that night and was not able to find her. Searched all day the next day with no luck. About 5 pm we got a call from a lady who said I've seen this dog. She is at the Dollar General Store. This place of business is a mile from our house. She had walked there and when the automatic doors opened she walked inside the store. OMG what a miracle as we had given up hope of ever finding her. I was so thankful for my DD sake...

Prayers for you for peace and comfort.

Much love from TheEquusWoman

[Michgirl]

brz - have you found your kittie yet?  My heart is sad for you.  I hope your little one comes home soon.

 

We got a kitten this past August.  One of the C withdrawal symptoms is an allergic reaction to things like cat dander is heightened.  Guess who gets fewer kisses lately around here?  In fact, I am so sad but I think we might have to give him away.  I just can't go through withdrawal and allergies to him at the same time.  My heart is broken for you and me.

[brzghoff]

Michgirl,

 

I am sorry that you may have to give your kitty away.  if you must, i hope you can find him/her a good home. i have allergies, but cat dander has never been one of them.

 

no, my cat has not returned. i think he is gone. he was a voracious hunter. it was a full moon. i'm wondering if he tried to go after a cottonmouth snake. could have been a coyote. i've never heard one around here, but they are a big problem in the suburbs. we have bobcats but i've never heard of issues between them and domestic animals. he could have been sick and went and hid until it was too late. 

 

i'm coming to grips with acceptance, but i still can't bring myself to remove his water dish and basket where he slept from the front porch. his food dish remains just inside the front door in the corner behind the ficus plant. 

 

i know that loss drives depression, but never realized how much it can aggravate anxiety. i guess in this case, its the not knowing. 

[brzghoff]

i am beside myself. i just learned that our tenant has been allowing his pit bull mix to cross a bridge that crosses a creek connecting our property with his. the bridge is not used anymore (by people) - its not safe. we own the property and house next door to us, the property we rent is 3.5 acres and ours is 6.5. he promised he would not let the dog loose. they have another dog, mixed breed, that only stays in their yard and i trusted they they were capable of keeping the new one under control. i know the new dog and she is sweet but very energetic  - typical nearly full grown puppy. she was a stray they picked up about 3 months ago.

 

the dog has been coming on to our property into the area where our missing cat liked to hang out. i have no evidence that dog goes after other animals or that she went after mine however, i do know the predisposition of pits (and the origin of this one is unknown). even pits who get along well with other cats/pets within their household will go after others in their neighborhood if allowed to run. 

 

today my other cat who never leaves the front porch ventured into that same wooded area. took me an hour to get her back onto the screen porch, i have closed both doors. while she was out i learned that the neighbor's friend's dog was out running across the bridge towards our house. i don't know what kind of dog he is. the tenants two dogs were inside.

 

i am freaked out. ever since my other cat went missing my remaining cat has become more comfortable venturing out into the yard. she was constantly harassed by our missing cat and stayed on the screen porch - but we always left the door cracked so she could go outside when she felt comfortable. now that he is gone, she is exploring more. i honestly think she is looking for him even though they never got along. i have seen that with other cats i've owned - one dies and the other goes looking and/or mourns even though they didn't get along. so as long as she wants to continue looking for him, she will go into the same area where i think he disappeared. 

 

however, i have no evidence the neighbor's dog was involved. i don't know how to handle this. i can keep my cat locked up but that would drive her crazy - and as a result, us. for 17 years she's been able to  come and go as she pleases. for the last 10 years, she's kept close to the house, but previous to us inheriting the other cat, she spent 7 years venturing further out. she is curled up on the living room couch right now with access to the screen porch. the french doors are open since its a beautiful cool breezy day in florida. but i know she'll want out again.

 

the tenant is also re-roofing that house right now - that's his trade.the roof is halfway ripped off. addressing this with him now would be awkward to say the least. 

[TryinginFL]

Oh, brz 

 

I am so sorry...

 

I lost my silky terrier to cancer a few years ago and I still tear up every time I think of him.  Mourning for pets is a difficult process.  Some can get over it more quickly, but I am obviously not one of them.  Currently my oldest dog, Bentley, a Yorkie, has congestive heart failure.  He just turned 14.  I give him 3 meds morning and nite (almost $90/month)  He does not act his age except for sleeping more and I will try to make his life enjoyable as long as he is not in pain.  He had been my daughter's dog, so he is extra special.

 

I hope that your kitty did not meet a cruel end... I can feel your sadness and indecision.  I think if it were I, I would talk to the neighbor nicely (not blaming, of course), and ask him to please keep ALL dogs in his yard.  No need to take a chance.

 

I am shedding tears for you, dear friend

 

Liz

[brzghoff]

thanks for the support!

 

we don't want to talk to the tenant until the roof is done. i know how some folks get defensive about their pet's behavior and i don't want any discord while i have half a roof with all the rain. every day he has to cover/uncover back and forth with all these showers blowing in from off the atlantic. it is very frustrating. my husband is helping over there and if he sees the dog running lose he is going to tell then tenant the dog needs to be under control due to liability concerns. we own the property, we're the ones who are liable for damage/injury. 

 

as for my "surviving" cat, we never determined what has happened to the one who went missing, i locked her up on the screen porch and she can come inside for the past few days. today i cracked the back screen porch door again (she was going nuts) and she is once again remaining close to the house. i found out my husband had place her further out in the yard the day she ventured out into the woods. he was just trying to encourage her to re-discover her freedom... now that he knows better i am hopeful she won't go back there again. i am watching her closely.  

 

when i was a teen my dog had congestive heart failure. that was in the '70's. the vet put him on digitalis - liquid drops. he also had to go salt-free. back in those days they didn't have sodium-free dog food. we had to make it. we'd make big batches of hamburger mixed with oatmeal and let him eat any vegetables he liked. he was crazy about celery. of course it is higher in sodium than other veggies -he craved the salt! wasn't enough to be an issue, though.