Cat has gone missing. **UPDATE! She's home :D**

Sheepdish1

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

Great cat OP. Glad you got it back.

I spotted my own critter running around in the local village.

Need to try and nab it

No way!! How long is it missing and where did you spot it? Mine was hanging around commercial bins and take aways scavenging for food!!

You should go down late at night or any time you think it will be quite, I think mine ran out of the bush briefly as it recognised my car engine pulling into the car park

Had it travelled far ?

Ruraldweller56

Sheepdish1 wrote: »

No way!! How long is it missing and where did you spot it? Mine was hanging around commercial bins and take aways scavenging for food!!

You should go down late at night or any time you think it will be quite, I think mine ran out of the bush briefly as it recognised my car engine pulling into the car park

Had it travelled far ?

I showed a picture of her to the folk in the local alehouse after which I subjected to severe, severe ridicule pfft.

Anyway a few weeks later the barman told me that a guy came in buying cat food.

Anyway turns out my cat strayed down to his place lol.

Ruraldweller56

Sheepdish1 wrote: »

No way!! How long is it missing and where did you spot it? Mine was hanging around commercial bins and take aways scavenging for food!!

You should go down late at night or any time you think it will be quite, I think mine ran out of the bush briefly as it recognised my car engine pulling into the car park

Had it travelled far ?

About a mile away

acequion

But have you got it back now?

Sheepdish1

Same as mine roughly a kilometre from my house. I think she was sleeping in the smoking area where I had been socialising a couple of weeks before I found her!

Did you get her back ?!

Ruraldweller56

Sheepdish1 wrote: »

Same as mine roughly a kilometre from my house. I think she was sleeping in the smoking area where I had been socialising a couple of weeks before I found her!

Did you get her back ?!

Not yet could be a while. I'll keep you all posted ðŸ‘

Fakediamond

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

Not yet could be a while. I'll keep you all posted ðŸ‘

I think your cat has just moved house without your knowledge or consent. I had a cat for about five years that left the village a mile away and basically moved in with me. I only found out she was pre-loved when her original owners spotted her sunning herself outside my home and asked me about her when I bumped into them in the library some time later. I didn’t know them. Turns out they had moved to the village and she was bullied by a neighbour cat. She basically just left home and ended up with me. Anyway, to cut a long story short, they came to visit her, I gave them a photo as a keepsake and I kept her!

Ruraldweller56

So my wife went to see if it really was our cat.

She now lives happily in the local mechanics office next to a tin of tuna and packet of ham. She goes into the kitchen to get fed by the people who work there at lunch time.

Wife says she'll never be back now. At least she is happy I suppose.

Sardonicat

Why don't ye just fetch her home???
It's great that they're minding her and giving her a bit of food but what about when she gets sick, vaccinations, worming etc? They need more than a bit of grub.

Ruraldweller56

Sardonicat wrote: »

Why don't ye just fetch her home???
It's great that they're minding her and giving her a bit of food but what about when she gets sick, vaccinations, worming etc? They need more than a bit of grub.

This is a semi feral animal. Practically, how would you see this working? We take it home, it realises the dog is still there what happens next? It's just going to go back down there again. We've already spent €100+ on this type of thing. But if it wants to spend its days down there what can we do realistically?

Sardonicat

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

Sardonicat wrote: »

Why don't ye just fetch her home???
It's great that they're minding her and giving her a bit of food but what about when she gets sick, vaccinations, worming etc? They need more than a bit of grub.

This is a semi feral animal. Practically, how would you see this working? We take it home, it realises the dog is still there what happens next? It's just going to go back down there again. We've already spent €100+ on this type of thing. But if it wants to spend its days down there what can we do realistically?

Apologies, didn't realise you'd been feeding a feral one. Ah, at least she's safe and getting her basic needs met. We "had" one like that for a while too. About all we could do was feed him and make sure he had shelter. No way could we ever get him to a vet, he would have torn our faces off if we tried and would have been so traumatised by the attempt he'd have left and never returned. At least he had a measure of security and comfort in his final years.

Ruraldweller56

Sardonicat wrote: »

Apologies, didn't realise you'd been feeding a feral one. Ah, at least she's safe and getting her basic needs met. We "had" one like that for a while too. About all we could do was feed him and make sure he had shelter. No way could we ever get him to a vet, he would have torn our faces off if we tried and would have been so traumatised by the attempt he'd have left and never returned. At least he had a measure of security and comfort in his final years.

Well now, not exactly feral. We got her as a couple of months old kitten who had strayed into my friends house. Which was weird. Given that he keeps greyhounds and 2 terriers, one a snarly, vicious type and the other a super duper hyper jumping around the place type.

Hence I wound up getting saddled with her. She'd have just been eaten where she was. I very reluctantly took it back to our place. I was tempted to just dump it off someplace if I'm entirely honest.

But I didn't and she wound up growing on me. She'd gone missing a few times. Once very early on when she was still quite small. I was distraught but even at just a few weeks old she'd somehow managed to fend for herself.

I found her just a few short yards away. I think she'd been cleared by the neighbourhood cats when they realised that there was someone keeping and feeding a cat in their house.

We've had her now about 18 months. She spent a lot of time inside. She used to sleep at the foot of the bed.

But the wild streak was always there. When we moved house and she went for a drive. God she did not like it. The country living don't suit what she'd have been used to either.

Anyway we are where we are. The mechanic told my wife to take it away the other day. But it just wasn't having it.

Sardonicat

Maybe ye could try and rehome her? Let the local ISPCA or animal shelter know where she is they could pick her up and get her a nice secure (town!) home.

Graces7

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

Well now, not exactly feral. We got her as a couple of months old kitten who had strayed into my friends house. Which was weird. Given that he keeps greyhounds and 2 terriers, one a snarly, vicious type and the other a super duper hyper jumping around the place type.

Hence I wound up getting saddled with her. She'd have just been eaten where she was. I very reluctantly took it back to our place. I was tempted to just dump it off someplace if I'm entirely honest.

But I didn't and she wound up growing on me. She'd gone missing a few times. Once very early on when she was still quite small. I was distraught but even at just a few weeks old she'd somehow managed to fend for herself.

I found her just a few short yards away. I think she'd been cleared by the neighbourhood cats when they realised that there was someone keeping and feeding a cat in their house.

We've had her now about 18 months. She spent a lot of time inside. She used to sleep at the foot of the bed.

But the wild streak was always there. When we moved house and she went for a drive. God she did not like it. The country living don't suit what she'd have been used to either.

Anyway we are where we are. The mechanic told my wife to take it away the other day. But it just wasn't having it.

One of the three newbies I took in a few weeks ago has that wild streak. Like a split personality? The experts on ferals say that by the second generation they have changed genetically.

When I moved from Kerry to Connemara I took a feral I had been feeding and handling for three years... When we arrived, and I let him out he headed for the hills and I never saw him again.

So I am learning from you too. Thank you. Although this little one is so affectionate when she pleases, then acts like a wild thing.

Fakediamond

Yeah, the cat I mentioned above had a fully feral mother and was never fully tame with her first family, although her sister was fine and not at all wary of humans. After a few years with me she would sleep on the couch and sometimes settle on my lap.

Sadly, she died from stomach cancer before she was even 10 years old, her sister continued on with her family for a few more years and also died of the same condition, which was a bit shocking.

I’m still friends with her original owners.

Ruraldweller56

Graces7 wrote: »

One of the three newbies I took in a few weeks ago has that wild streak. Like a split personality? The experts on ferals say that by the second generation they have changed genetically.

When I moved from Kerry to Connemara I took a feral I had been feeding and handling for three years... When we arrived, and I let him out he headed for the hills and I never saw him again.

So I am learning from you too. Thank you. Although this little one is so affectionate when she pleases, then acts like a wild thing.

Glad I can be of help Grace 😊

Yes I don't really know how you'd describe it but it's like the wildness is always there. If though it was for the most part a pet.

We'd only a half hour drive when we moved. She found it quite traumatic. We thought she had settled in. I think getting the dog was the tipping point.

acequion

Amazing creatures, aren't they! Mine is now almost 7 years old and I've had her since she was about 4 months. She basically wandered in my open back door one beautiful Spring morning. But she didn't move in with us straight away. She'd come visit every morning and again every evening around 8, those long early summer evenings. We'd make a huge fuss of her and she loved that but we never fed her and she never wanted food.She'd always wander off back where she came from. Sometimes an older cat would be with her, also tame and friendly, her mom we reckoned. Both totally tame and totally socialised.

Later that summer we went abroad for a month,thinking we might never see the little puss again, but the day after our return she reappeared and never again left. She was now ours and we took her straight to the vet and sorted out all the necessaries. Seven years on she's part of the family and we couldn't imagine life without her.

Where she came from we never found out. We made extensive inquiries but nobody was missing a kitty of her description. But she was 100% tame which made all the difference. Ferals will always have that wild streak, hence the chance they may one day leave. We like to think that ours was a little kitten who went and chose her own new family. And all the evidence backs it up.

Ruraldweller56

acequion wrote: »

Amazing creatures, aren't they! Mine is now almost 7 years old and I've had her since she was about 4 months. She basically wandered in my open back door one beautiful Spring morning. But she didn't move in with us straight away. She'd come visit every morning and again every evening around 8, those long early summer evenings. We'd make a huge fuss of her and she loved that but we never fed her and she never wanted food.She'd always wander off back where she came from. Sometimes an older cat would be with her, also tame and friendly, her mom we reckoned. Both totally tame and totally socialised.

Later that summer we went abroad for a month,thinking we might never see the little puss again, but the day after our return she reappeared and never again left. She was now ours and we took her straight to the vet and sorted out all the necessaries. Seven years on she's part of the family and we couldn't imagine life without her.

Where she came from we never found out. We made extensive inquiries but nobody was missing a kitty of her description. But she was 100% tame which made all the difference. Ferals will always have that wild streak, hence the chance they may one day leave. We like to think that ours was a little kitten who went and chose her own new family. And all the evidence backs it up.

They really are. I wonder if they could talk what they'd say 🀔

Graces7

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

Glad I can be of help Grace ��

Yes I don't really know how you'd describe it but it's like the wildness is always there. If though it was for the most part a pet.

We'd only a half hour drive when we moved. She found it quite traumatic. We thought she had settled in. I think getting the dog was the tipping point.

Reading up afterwards on a specialist feral cat site, I "should"have kept him locked up for a while as ferals are totally territorial. I try not to think about him, trying to get home from Connemara to Kerry...

Sheepdish1

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

This is a semi feral animal. Practically, how would you see this working? We take it home, it realises the dog is still there what happens next? It's just going to go back down there again. We've already spent €100+ on this type of thing. But if it wants to spend its days down there what can we do realistically?

That’s great that you found out she is safe and sound. Is she neutered?

If the mechanic doesn’t want to keep her it could be best for her to be given to an animal shelter or charity and be completely rehomed if you think she will keep wandering off. It would mean she would get worm treatment / boosters etc and someone that will commit to having her. Some people are quite happy to look after a cat that comes and goes like that as sometimes it suits them better.

Great game that you found out where she was, she is obviously quite resourceful, the complete opposite to my cat that was missing 🀣

Ruraldweller56

Yes she neutered and has some of her injections but probably is due more at this stage.

The mechanic is mad about her. She sleeps on a chair in his office by day next to a tin of tuna and a packet of ham. By night she goes across the road to the farmers hay shed. I couldn't take her back now I'd be like scrooge.

My neighbour is looking to give away some farm cats so I might take him up on his offer. They're probably going to be half wild as well though. I should probably look for a kind of pet.

Graces7

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

Yes she neutered and has some of her injections but probably is due more at this stage.

The mechanic is mad about her. She sleeps on a chair in his office by day next to a tin of tuna and a packet of ham. By night she goes across the road to the farmers hay shed. I couldn't take her back now I'd be like scrooge.

My neighbour is looking to give away some farm cats so I might take him up on his offer. They're probably going to be half wild as well though. I should probably look for a kind of pet.

There are some lovely kittens and older cats for sale or given away. Like my three... Many have been home reared etc. Yes, farm cats will be wild....

Ruraldweller56

Graces7 wrote: »

There are some lovely kittens and older cats for sale or given away. Like my three... Many have been home reared etc. Yes, farm cats will be wild....

I see some very nice cats on done deal. I'll need something that doesn't mind dogs.

Graces7

Ruraldweller56 wrote: »

I see some very nice cats on done deal. I'll need something that doesn't mind dogs.

Many of the ads say and I have always found sellers happy to give details like that. You can tell a lot from the message they put on. It is the older cats i feel sorry for; I chose 3 that are one just under a year, the other two just over. No regrets!