Anyone notice how many cats seem to be going missing recently?

Lauragoesmad · 06-02-2009 9:08am #1

Hi Folks,
Everyday since my brothers cat went missing, I have been checking all the lost and found ads on the net. There seems to be a huge amount of cats going missing recently. My brother thinks it has something to do with the new brown bins. He thinks that a fox might of taken his cat as they can no longer get food from bins and such. He had seen a fox hanging around his house a few days before she went missing.
Just wondering if anyone else had thought there has been more and more cats going missing?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 06-02-2009 10:39am

Throughout history Cats have "gone missing". They roam. They set up in new homes quite easily - unlike dogs.
It's the nature of the beast.

Snuggle Bunny · 06-02-2009 4:01pm

Srameen, with all due respect I disagree. Yes, cats do go missing but 9 times out of 10 the ones that go 'missing' to new homes are not that domesticated, we have always had cats and one did go 'missing' only to have a fatal injury, more than likely at the hands of an inhumane 'human'.
I live in North Co Dublin and have seen poor dead cats on the side of paths etc, on grass verges, half of me thinks they are either being attacked by foxes etc or being treated cruelly. That said, they are nowhere near as sociable as dogs so can be very independent, but I think alot more go missing due to other animals, accidents etc and less to 'setting up home' elsewhere.

Sigma Force · 07-02-2009 12:17am

Perhaps foxes will take on a cat is hungry no idea but they sure aren't the main reason for cats going missing. Cats go missing because owners allow them to wander, also with the dark evenings drivers can't see cats until it's too late and also if someone feeds and allows a wandering cat into their home then the cat might just as well move in with them the person has no idea wether someone owns the cat or not because cats don't always have collars with id tags and few have microchips.
There are plenty of homeless cats that will make themselves at home in peoples houses esp. if invited in and fed, so it can be hard to tell wether a cat has a home or not.

People just refuse to keep their cats indoors and some will actually keep their cats indoors all day on purpose and only let them out at night..the most risky time for being hit by a car..madness.

If the cat returns safe keeping the cat indoors all the time is the only way or with access to a secure aviary type set up to the garden.
Putting up missing posters etc. and contacting rescues and radio ads etc. may help in finding the cat.

Lauragoesmad · 07-02-2009 8:27am

Guineapigrescue wrote: »

Putting up missing posters etc. and contacting rescues and radio ads etc. may help in finding the cat.

Yea, we printed up 1300 fliers and put them through every door in Marino and Fairview. Its like she vanished into thin air. We rang the council to see if a cat of her discription had been found dead on the roads. We really have tried everything.

Snuggle Bunny · 07-02-2009 7:44pm

I think a lot of people are are a little misguided and let the cats out to wander, and you're dead right in what you're saying. Because they're being let out unsupervised these accidents and incidents are happening, and they could be a whole lot lesser by just taking a few simple steps. I had a young cat last yr that we rescued, anyway he was kept in at night etc and as I worked from home at the time could really keep an eye on him during the day, my mam was always at me saying I was being cruel not letting him out at night, so one night last summer my husband left him out, and to be honest I didnt think it would do any harm, came down the next morning and my poor little fella was half dead out the back garden, the vet said another cat either attacked him, or a human or he got hit by a car and dragged himself back to the house, we had to put him to sleep and Im still gutted to this day for my own stupidity as well as losing him, so I strongly advise not to let them out at night, cats are very adaptable and no harm will come to them in your own home.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 09-02-2009 9:39am

Snuggle Bunny wrote: »

Srameen, with all due respect I disagree. Yes, cats do go missing but 9 times out of 10 the ones that go 'missing' to new homes are not that domesticated, .

You are entitled to disagree but you are wrong. It is well documented and any vet will confirm it. In deed it was being discussed on "Mooney" only a few months ago. Apparently Cats have a tendancy (not all cats and not all the time) to set up home in a new location after perhaps years with a particualr owner or family and even when located "refuse" to return to the original owners; unlike Dogs who even when re-homed usually will greet their previous owners with affection and readily return to them.

Having said all that the Cat, unfortunately, may have met with an accident. The Fox angle is very unlikely.

GigaByte · 09-02-2009 11:27am

Cole Gorgeous Wolverine wrote: »

Apparently Cats have a tendancy (not all cats and not all the time) to set up home in a new location after perhaps years with a particualr owner or family and even when located "refuse" to return to the original owners; unlike Dogs who even when re-homed usually will greet their previous owners with affection and readily return to them.

I had a cat that went missing almost a year ago. I did all I could to find her but I never did, then just before christmas she appear back up in my bedroom one night! When I got up she ran out, she's been back a few times and never eats the food I leave out. She looks in good condition so I think she's living with another family in the next estate.

She get's on well with her sister and I think she comes back to see her!

A lot of poeple end up with cats because the cat appears out their back garden one day and decides to stay there.

Cole Gorgeous Wolverine wrote: »

The Fox angle is very unlikely.

It's too dangerous for a fox to risk attacking a cat! A Fox wouldn't take the chance of getting an injury.

Dancor · 09-02-2009 11:33am

Off topic.

Run_to_da_hills · 09-02-2009 1:23pm

GigaByte wrote: »

It's too dangerous for a fox to risk attacking a cat! A Fox wouldn't take the chance of getting an injury.

Again I blame the lidded wheely bin for the disappearance of many cats and kittens.

A cat weak with the hunger wouldn't stand a chance against a hungry fox.

Hellrazer · 09-02-2009 1:32pm

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Again I blame the lidded wheely bin for the disappearance of many cats and kittens.

Agreed--dont know how many times Ive seen our cat jump out of the bin the morning Im putting it out for collection.I hate to think how many dont get out especially if the bin is only half full.

lightening · 09-02-2009 1:42pm

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

Hi Folks,
Everyday since my brothers cat went missing, I have been checking all the lost and found ads on the net.

So you don't know how many were missing before hand, you wouldn't have been checking.

The fox theory stinks. I have seen a fox and a cat feed from the same bowl with wary carefulness. As someone said, there is no way a fox would risk a scrap with a cat. One injury and the wild animal is bunched.

They are getting knocked down or being fed and looked after by someone else.

I would say the fox would have no problem feeding on dead roadkill, but you can rest assured, cats do a lot more damage to Irish native wildlife than foxes do to cats.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 09-02-2009 1:46pm

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

A cat weak with the hunger wouldn't stand a chance against a hungry fox.

I love how the Cat is weak from hunger but a hungry Fox is more vicious!:rolleyes:

Foxes only use their teeth in a fight,cats use teeth and claws.Foxes are only a little-maybe a pound or 2-heavier than most cats. In fact many Foxes weigh less than a Cat (Foxes 6-15 lbs, Cat 7-12 )The mistake some people make is thinking foxes are big wild dogs.

In reality it's likely a fox would avoid a confrontation with a cat unless it had good reason not to, due to the high risk of serious injury in such a fight. If cornered, and protecting a litter, a Fox will certainly fight a Cat but highly unlikely such a fight would be to the death. A Cat that is so weak as to be killed by a Fox would not live long anyway!

lightening · 09-02-2009 1:51pm

Exactly, and in fairness, for every fox you see, how many cars do you see thundering by?

Lauragoesmad · 09-02-2009 4:31pm

lightening wrote: »

So you don't know how many were missing before hand, you wouldn't have been checking.

The fox theory stinks. I have seen a fox and a cat feed from the same bowl with wary carefulness. As someone said, there is no way a fox would risk a scrap with a cat. One injury and the wild animal is bunched.

They are getting knocked down or being fed and looked after by someone else.

To be honest, I always checked the lost and found out on a couple of sites before she went missing, just have been looking at lots lately. 4 cats have gone missing from my brothers road since Christmas. We saw another poster up yesterday for another one. I think thats a bit over the average for one road.

I doubt my bro's cat got knocked down as we rang all the councils and they keep a list of domestic animals that are found dead on the road and they told us they hadn't found one like her.
She is not being fed by other people as she is really not a people cat. And plus every house in a 2 mile distance knows she is missing.

My brother had seen the fox in his garden a few times and saw it chase his cat on the road. While I do think most foxes would not go near a cat, I'd say lack of food it forcing some foxes to get desperate and maybe attack a cat.

And another thing, just so everyone knows, I love foxes. Even if a fox did kill a cat and eat it, I see no difference in that then if a cat catches a rat or a bird. I'm just wondering where these cats could be going and am in no way a fox hater!

GigaByte · 09-02-2009 5:10pm

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

To be honest, I always checked the lost and found out on a couple of sites before she went missing, just have been looking at lots lately. 4 cats have gone missing from my brothers road since Christmas. We saw another poster up yesterday for another one. I think thats a bit over the average for one road.

I doubt my bro's cat got knocked down as we rang all the councils and they keep a list of domestic animals that are found dead on the road and they told us they hadn't found one like her.
She is not being fed by other people as she is really not a people cat. And plus every house in a 2 mile distance knows she is missing.

My brother had seen the fox in his garden a few times and saw it chase his cat on the road. While I do think most foxes would not go near a cat, I'd say lack of food it forcing some foxes to get desperate and maybe attack a cat.

And another thing, just so everyone knows, I love foxes. Even if a fox did kill a cat and eat it, I see no difference in that then if a cat catches a rat or a bird. I'm just wondering where these cats could be going and am in no way a fox hater!

Out of all the reasons you could come up with for a cat going missing the fox theory would have to be at the very bottom. Above foxes I would put the cold weather as an other possibility.

Run_to_da_hills · 09-02-2009 7:01pm

There is also the Chinese restaurant theory. :eek:

The Sweeper · 09-02-2009 8:36pm

Road accidents. Exposure. Attacks by dogs. Attacks by other cats. Attacks by other animals. Accidental injury while foraging - falls, cuts, getting stuck and being unable to get free. Getting trapped in someone's outhouse/shed while investigating it because the owner returns, the cat hides and the oblivious owner locks them in there. Attacks by people. Shooting by people. Poisoning by people. Other people feeding your animal because they presume it's a stray. Other people then adopting your animal.

There are plenty of reasons cats go missing. A big one on these icy roads would be motorists completely unable and unwilling to break suddenly to avoid a crossing cat.

newtlover · 11-02-2009 1:03pm

the cats started disappearing in my area when a local chinese restaurant opened up, the cat/chicken drumsticks are lovely there

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 11-02-2009 1:37pm

:mad:Any chance we can stick to the topic and cut out the Chinese gags?:mad:

sorella · 11-02-2009 3:42pm

So much depends on where you live; always in wild areas here. And we have had attacks by resident bagders a few times; one cat with a vicious bite on its back; another all but lost a tail.... and last year, where there was a sett a few yards from the house door, a series of noisy fights and one cat who had been injured already, lost.

Miss him still.
He was a gentle boy

These two we have now are "country wise" and would take the face off anything that attacked them, which is why they survived, but they were traumatised one night; I spent most of the night in the field coaxing them back in. ( full moon) Since when they stayed in at night of their own accord.

Told them if they saw one, to get up a tree - fast.

And the badgers abandoned the part of the sett nearest the house then also; left scat for me elsewhere to tell me they were still around.

We moved and have seen no setts here thankfully. Love the badgers, but love the cats too.....

Depends on the cat of course.

lightening · 11-02-2009 8:19pm

I guess the indigenous wildlife will be majorly affected when you introduce predatory felines like cats.

I notice minesajackdaniels is in Oz. I remember someone telling me in Northern territory that your cats can be trapped by the authorities in certain areas. Sends the cat lovers nuts. Other environmentalists hunted the cats, some of the Aboriginals hunt them for bush meat.

Sage'sMama · 12-02-2009 4:31pm

Snuggle Bunny wrote: »

I think a lot of people are are a little misguided and let the cats out to wander, and you're dead right in what you're saying. Because they're being let out unsupervised these accidents and incidents are happening, and they could be a whole lot lesser by just taking a few simple steps. I had a young cat last yr that we rescued, anyway he was kept in at night etc and as I worked from home at the time could really keep an eye on him during the day, my mam was always at me saying I was being cruel not letting him out at night, so one night last summer my husband left him out, and to be honest I didnt think it would do any harm, came down the next morning and my poor little fella was half dead out the back garden, the vet said another cat either attacked him, or a human or he got hit by a car and dragged himself back to the house, we had to put him to sleep and Im still gutted to this day for my own stupidity as well as losing him, so I strongly advise not to let them out at night, cats are very adaptable and no harm will come to them in your own home.

I have a cat this last three years she was an indoor cat in our apartment and it never bothered her. Now we live in a house with a garden and two free to roam cats (Not mine) She was so depressed seeing them outside and was constantly crying at the glass doors and windows to get out. Everyone told me i was cruel to her and should let her out. So i bought her a harness and lead and now walk her in the evenings or let her wander in the garden with the lead on while i'm watching. People stare at me and dog walkers laugh at me even though i would never leave the front garden with her but i don't care my baby is safe here's a pic of her from the wkend in the snow. It really is worth it and it didn't take long to train her, just let them lead you rather than thinking you can make them go where you want.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 12-02-2009 4:37pm

Wonderful to hear about a responsible Cat owner. You are a rare breed. Never mind what others think; you are doing the right thing. A happy Cat, a contented Owner, a safer Cat, and a protected Wildlife.

boomerang · 12-02-2009 6:24pm

Fair play to you Sage'sMama, I wish there were more cat owners like you.

When I adopt a cat, she'll have access to an enclosed run off the house, and outside of the run, she'll only be allowed outside on a cat harness.

I've fostered cats and kittens and used a cat harness to give them outside access - they took to it beautifully.

Never mind what anyone thinks about how you care for your cat - your a pioneer!

Sage'sMama · 12-02-2009 9:41pm

Thanks guys!

It's common in America to see people walking cats and ferrets you don't really see that many poeple walking cats in Ireland! If anyone says anything i just tell them she's deaf and then start talking to her! Leaves them all confused

. I'm sure they think i'm a bit mad but i don't care i'd be lost without her.

"Life's Ambition: Mad Old Cat Lady...The Simpsons"

Snuggle Bunny · 13-02-2009 2:41pm

What a great idea Sage's Mama that pic is adoreable! If I ever did adopt another cat it would be a lead and harness all the way, good for you;)

rom · 17-02-2009 7:29pm

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/39512/1422146

Lauragoesmad · 18-02-2009 1:37am

I didn't watch that video, ROM, I didn't quite like the title " This guy is cooking cat for dinner.":mad:

Rory123 · 18-02-2009 1:53am

I was thinking of this section of the rules...

Animal Cruelty:
From now on any more condoning animal cruelty BAR asking for how to deal with “vermin” will NOT be tolerated.
Endorsing or condoning violence in any form will result in an immediate ban. This includes mentioning petrol bombs and attacking persons/animals.
Do not post anything others would find offensive. You might think it's funny, but others might not want to see pictures of animals being hurt, mutilated or killed. Animal cruelty is baaaaad, so don't promote it!

Poster will be banned without warning.
Consider this the final word on the matter.

But then I thought I'd better watch the clip first... I laughed. A lot!

Jules · 18-02-2009 2:09am

no no its not animal cruelty at all its actually very funny, no cats or animals are hurt at all in that!

Vegeta · 18-02-2009 11:36am

Cole Gorgeous Wolverine wrote: »

Having said all that the Cat, unfortunately, may have met with an accident. The Fox angle is very unlikely.

I think a lot of the problem with the Fox versus Cat thing is that a fox has no problem picking up a dead cat from the roadside and carrying it off. People then see a fox with a dead cat and wonder did they kill it or just carry off a dead one.

Great to see some responsible cat ownership here too. The cat is one of the most damaging creatures to wildlife if left unchecked. They hunt both day and night, breed all year round and often kill for fun.

catzrus · 18-02-2009 11:59am

Cats are now starting to come into season, so if you have a outdoor/indoor cat that is not nuetered/spayed, he/she could be off looking to mate.

boomerang · 18-02-2009 12:21pm

Yup, if only more Irish people were sold on the idea of indoor-only cat ownership, there'd be far less litters of unwanted kittens born each year. ANVIL estimates 180,000 stray, unwanted kittens die each year in Ireland. That's a shocking figure.

It absolutely breaks my heart. I work in a rescue and in just another few weeks we will be inundated with calls about baby kittens needing our help. We will be full to capacity with kittens again until next autumn, and there'll be a long list on the whiteboard in the kitchen of more and more people wanting to get rid of their cat's kittens and we'll have no space to take them.

Meanwhile, because there'll be such a glut of kittens, all our older kittens and adult cats that are seeking homes will be passed over time and time again. The only time of year that we have any real success in rehoming our adult cats is in the off-season (November - February) when there are very, very few small kittens about so people who want a to rehome a cat don't have a choice but to take on an adult.

The suffering that the stray kittens endure is so bloody needless. (If they're not killed on the roads, so many of them come to us badly debilitated with cat flu.) I just wish more Irish people saw the need to spay and neuter but if you're not in the frontline of rescue, it's hard for people to see the big picture.

http://www.anvilireland.ie/fulcrum.html?ep=46

Sage'sMama · 18-02-2009 4:18pm

I totally agree with boomerang in the factory i work in there are loads of stray cats roaming around and three litters of kittens last year none of which i have seen since last summer don't know if they were moved by the mothers further into the bog though. i rescued one kitten because i could catch it and the local vet re-homed it within two days. If i could catch the other cats i would just so they could be neutered and vaccinated and then re-released. It is such a shame but i think things are gradually starting to change opinion wise in this country on the welfare of our pets. Meanwhile i'll keep feeding the ferals until i finish up in two weeks i'll miss them when i go but i know i'm not the only one in the factory that looks out for them.

GeeNorm · 18-02-2009 4:35pm

I could well have the answer.
The feral population in my area got out of control. Kittens everywhere getting run over and all of them with obvious eye infections etc, spreading disease amongst local cats.
Anyway, the DSPCA happily provide cat traps and I carted 13 of them up to the depot in the mountains. Some could have been local cats without collars... how can you tell? Any cat, feral or not is basically a wild ball of angry fur when you cage it.
I did this a good while ago but it seemed to be common enough as the DSPCA were well prepared to lend out traps.

I have no interest in judgements. I am simple posting to give you another scenario for why cats go missing.

Shewhomustbe... · 18-02-2009 7:14pm

I find the fox angle a complete no-go.
http://www.enfo.ie/leaflets/Foxes.htm

I've seven cats, six indoor, though we let our oldest pop in and out, she may go for a little wander in the garden but usually just sits on the window sill.
Anyway..... one evening she was on the window sill when a fox came a little too close to the house for her liking and in a move which surprised the life out of my partner she flew off the sill and launched at him giving him a number of hits to his face and head. He backed off but she was ready to go at him again. He may have fought back but I don't think even if he did he'd kill Sheila.
I absolutely agree that it is irresponsible cat owners that cause the problem/s. We have TWO un-neutered cats that visit us, we know that someone in the village must own them which is the only reason we haven't brought them to a shelter - or got them neutered.

I also have cat harnesses and our cats (the brave ones!) LOVE going for walks in the garden. People NEED to change their attitudes to how they keep their cats and it would certainly be a worthwhile campaign.

Shewhomustbe... · 18-02-2009 7:24pm

He's got some well trained cats!

Rory123 · 18-02-2009 9:40pm

Shewhomustbe... wrote: »

He's got some well trained cats!

Did you find that picture on a website about the sorts of people anyone would least like to be stuck in a lift with or sit beside on a transatlantic flight?!

sorella · 19-02-2009 3:39pm

We have a scheme here in Donegal also; humane traps so ferals can be neutered and returned to their environment.

I would never deprive our two of their delight in climbing trees etc. Watching them out there is a joy; they were neutered early on also.

But we live in a very rural area.

They are home bodies; back for food and sleep every day etc

quote=GeeNorm;59086013]I could well have the answer.
The feral population in my area got out of control. Kittens everywhere getting run over and all of them with obvious eye infections etc, spreading disease amongst local cats.
Anyway, the DSPCA happily provide cat traps and I carted 13 of them up to the depot in the mountains. Some could have been local cats without collars... how can you tell? Any cat, feral or not is basically a wild ball of angry fur when you cage it.
I did this a good while ago but it seemed to be common enough as the DSPCA were well prepared to lend out traps.

I have no interest in judgements. I am simple posting to give you another scenario for why cats go missing.[/quote]

Shewhomustbe... · 24-02-2009 10:21pm

Rory123 wrote: »

Did you find that picture on a website about the sorts of people anyone would least like to be stuck in a lift with or sit beside on a transatlantic flight?!

No, that's my Dad.

luckat · 24-02-2009 11:05pm

Lauragoesmad wrote: »

Hi Folks,
Everyday since my brothers cat went missing, I have been checking all the lost and found ads on the net. There seems to be a huge amount of cats going missing recently.

A lot of cats always go missing. But if you know how to find a cat, youl can often search successfully.

http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Lost-Cat

(Good tip: leaflet the local schools - kids see things adults don't. And leaflet the local Garda stations and libraries and doctors' surgeries and dole offices - anywhere people gather and gossip.)

But a lot of cats are found; and most cats are found near where they lived.

I minded a friend's cat for a year when she re-emigrated back to America. When she got homesick for Ireland and came home, I gave back her cat, who ran away after a couple of months.

A year later my friend's son spotted the cat - a sweet cat, but as stupid as a cushion - in the derelict house next door to them, and coaxed her back in. She was half-starved and parasite-ridden, but settled in and lived happily with them until she died of old age.

(I'm now minding another of the same friend's cats, as she's moved back to America again. But she's not getting this one back!)

Rory123 · 24-02-2009 11:25pm

Shewhomustbe... wrote: »

No, that's my Dad.

Oops, I'm very sorry.

Shewhomustbe... · 25-02-2009 7:07pm

(I am joking

)

Rory123 · 25-02-2009 7:17pm

OH MY GOD! YOU ABSOLUTE WHOOER!
I couldn't sleep last night because I felt like such a twat!

I heart cats?! For God's sake I'm so gullible.

I believed you because it was an attached pic and not a link. :pac:

Bandana boy · 26-02-2009 5:32pm

I would wager that more cats are killed and injured by other cats than by Foxes

villaman · 15-07-2009 12:09pm

I live on the main Portlaoise road out of Mountmellick and in the past two years, we have lost 4 cats right outside our front door. If anyone online lives on that same stretch of road, I am outlining a petition to tackle the problem of speed. If you would like to sign this petition, look out for flyers in the area in the next couple of weeks. We are sick to death of boy racers and hgv's racing through a 50 zone at 100 kph. The local gardai don't give a toss about it and prefer to hide in ditches on the approach to Port Laoise. 99% of the time, they aren't available and it'sjust amatter of time before there is a serious accident.

PinkTulips · 15-07-2009 3:32pm

ever seen a fight between a cat and a fox?

you'd think the fox would win wouldn't you?

you'd be wrong though

my teeny tiny 3.5lb female chases foxes for fun!

we have foxes in the field behind us that i feed and we have lots of cats, i've seen multiple fights bbetween various differant cats and foxes and the closest a fox ever came to winning was the vixen who managed to get the cat attacking her to back off, no way was she going on the offensive though. a full grown tom i had used to chase the fox all the way round the house and off down the field!

Bluefrog · 15-07-2009 6:13pm

Been struck by this too since I started the site. Though its still only early days, the stats so far are:

Total Lost & Found Posts:
Dogs: 29
Cats: 26

Of those,
Posted as Lost:
Dogs: 17
Cats: 20

Posted as Found:
Dogs: 12
Cats: 6

I would guess that much fewer cats are posted as found as cats tend to look quite independent and its not unusual to see them out and about on their own whereas dogs alone tend to stick out like sore thumbs.

Will be more useful to look at this after I have a year's data rather than under a months but I thought it was interesting anyway.

In any case, microchipping is good for everyone.

Anyone notice how many cats seem to be going missing recently?

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