Cat search story w/ PIP on page 2

[spunkarella]

Sorry it's so long! Skip down if you've already been keeping up!

Our timid indoor cat went missing on Sat, 8/16. We didn’t notice he was gone until Sun, 8/17 because we had houseguests and he typically hides from them.

We canvassed our neighborhood, hung flyers, and searched all day Sunday. On Monday, we distributed flyers to vets and contacted an online pet detective to help us search. She was great at tailoring our approach, directing our search, and keeping us encouraged when hopes started dwindling. If you want her info, I can PM it to you.

At her direction, we continued searching, calling from our yard, setting humane traps, and setting out wildlife cameras every single day. We focused our efforts on a 5-house radius because the most likely scenario was that he was hiding somewhere very close by.

We had a few calls for potential sightings and followed those leads out the best we could. Once, we thought we saw our cat but we found out that our neighbor has a cat that looks very similar to ours.

Our neighbors were AMAZING during the entire process. Almost everyone we talked to went above and beyond to try to bring our cat home, including letting us search and set traps in their yards.

At one point we also considered hiring a second detective to fly to us and bring her search dog. It was a very difficult decision, but we ultimately decided against it because it seemed unlikely to yield positive results after talking extensively with our current detective and the potential new detective.

*****skip to here if you've already been keeping up*****

On Tue, 9/2 we got a call from someone saying they saw our cat walking in the ditch next to the closest highway. We went out and looked, but didn’t see him. We found cat prints leading from the sighting to a nearby drain pipe. We really thought it was very unlikely that he would be in that area, but we kept traps and cameras out because we were out of other options.

Two nights ago we decided to move one of the cameras a little farther down the highway to the next drain pipe, again just because we had no better ideas. That’s the night we got several pictures of him and made positive identification! It looks like he was staying in a field on one side of the road, then coming to a neighborhood on the other side to look for food at night.

Last night we set two traps on both sides of the pipe. We checked the traps this morning and there he was! He was in the trap on the field side. We covered the trap with a towel to keep him calm, put the trap in our car and brought his fluffy butt back home!

Our best guess is that he was accidentally transported underneath our guest’s car from our house to the stop sign at the highway. We looked under their car before they left, but we failed to really inspect inside the engine compartment and around the axles and wheel wells. We are just so thankful that he made that journey without being injured and was able to stay safe until we could find him.

Right now he is isolated in our bathroom so we can keep an eye on his input and output. We plan to reintroduce him to our other two cats in a few days when he is healthier.

He is very skinny but very affectionate and obviously happy to be home. We just can’t stop snuggling and loving on him! I never lost hope completely, but it dwindled greatly at times. I am so thankful for our detective, our neighbors, and the support I received here to keep going. YAY!!

[cajunmom]

So how far away from home was he? And we need some more PIPs!

[spunkarella]

Sept 10, 2014 14:37:14 GMT -5 cajunmom said:

So how far away from home was he? And we need some more PIPs!

He was 1500 ft or 0.3 miles away. Most cats don't travel more than 300-500 ft.

More PIPs when I get home to my computer! I am still having trouble from my phone.

[jerseyjaybird]

I'm totally overinvested, but I teared up when I saw your update this morning and again reading this post.

[compassrose]

I'm so glad your diligent efforts were rewarded! That's actually a pretty long way from home for him to be.

Happy your kitty is back where he belongs!

[cherry1111]

I wish there was video of you first seeing him in the trap this morning. I'm so happy for you. I woke up around 4am this morning and had trouble going back to sleep and was thinking about your cat and wondering if he had taken the tuna bait.

[mbcdefg]

I'm SO glad he's safe and sound at home with you. He's certainly been on a wild ride! I'm sure he's thrilled to be home with his family again.

[Pom]

Sept 10, 2014 14:45:31 GMT -5 cherry1111 said:

I wish there was video of you first seeing him in the trap this morning. I'm so happy for you. I woke up around 4am this morning and had trouble going back to sleep and was thinking about your cat and wondering if he had taken the tuna bait.

Me too- 5am!  Clearly, this was big for all of us

[spunkarella]

Sept 10, 2014 14:45:31 GMT -5 cherry1111 said:

I wish there was video of you first seeing him in the trap this morning. I'm so happy for you. I woke up around 4am this morning and had trouble going back to sleep and was thinking about your cat and wondering if he had taken the tuna bait.

Just imagine an ugly cry beside the road lol. DH and I went together and kept telling each other, "It's ok if he's not there today. We know he was here yesterday and we will just keep trying." Our hopes were completely up but we were just bracing for more disappointment.

We checked the empty trap on the neighborhood side first and there was a lot of "it's ok" going on during the walk to check the second trap!

[bryantpark]

Wow. This is amazing!!

[mbcdefg]

Can I ask his name, or would you prefer to stay anonymous?

[spunkarella]

Sept 10, 2014 15:24:18 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Can I ask his name, or would you prefer to stay anonymous?

I'm sorry, but I would prefer to keep that to myself. His name is unusual for a pet and I'm a little freaked out by the number of views these posts have gotten!

[mbcdefg]

Sept 10, 2014 15:29:43 GMT -5 spunkarella said:

Sept 10, 2014 15:24:18 GMT -5 mbcdefg said:

Can I ask his name, or would you prefer to stay anonymous?

I'm sorry, but I would prefer to keep that to myself. His name is unusual for a pet and I'm a little freaked out by the number of views these posts have gotten!

NP! Glad he's home

[pbutter]

That is so awesome that you found him!

[starburst]

This is definitely one of the best stories in GBCN history! I can't wait to see pics.

[waterchurch]

I'm so glad he's home!

[Deleted]

OMG what a story!

[krystee]

I am going to be the crazy MMer who asks the money question. How much did you spend on finding him between the pet detective, cameras, etc.? This is not meant to be judgy at all, as I would do the same thing in your shoes.

[lasagnasshole]

Sept 10, 2014 14:33:01 GMT -5 spunkarella said:

On Monday, we distributed flyers to vets and contacted an online pet detective to help us search. She was great at tailoring our approach, directing our search, and keeping us encouraged when hopes started dwindling. If you want her info, I can PM it to you.

Someone, anyone PLEASE tell me I am not the only one with this image in my mind:







P.S. - Glad that kitty is home safe.

[hopenotlost]

What a great story! So glad you found him. Honestly, I was wondering at the end if you would ever find him.

[spunkarella]

Sept 10, 2014 17:31:32 GMT -5 hopenotlost said:

What a great story! So glad you found him. Honestly, I was wondering at the end if you would ever find him.

You and me both! It was really hard some days to keep putting ourselves out there and trying just one more area, just one more day.

[abramos]

I am getting all verklempt here. I would so do the ugly cry and happy dance if I saw my kitty. So glad he is home safe and sound. Can not wait to see pics!

[mskitkat]

I'm so glad he's home!

[hopenotlost]

Sept 10, 2014 17:34:25 GMT -5 spunkarella said:

Sept 10, 2014 17:31:32 GMT -5 hopenotlost said:

What a great story! So glad you found him. Honestly, I was wondering at the end if you would ever find him.

You and me both! It was really hard some days to keep putting ourselves out there and trying just one more area, just one more day.

Happy endings like yours make my day better!

[nextbigthing]

This story is amazing!!! I'm so glad you didn't give up searching and found him! I bet he's so glad to be home!

[VillainV]

I am crying right now. Tears are rolling down my cheeks. Losing our cat is one of my biggest fears. I'm so glad you found your kitty and that he is safe and sound back with you where he belongs.

[Pilsy]

I'm usually on MMM but I've been following and pulling for you and your kitty. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

[RoxMonster]

Yay!! I am so happy you found him and brought him home. I was hoping I would see a post like this today after your update yesterday.

[msmerymac]

Well, if he hitched a ride, that explains how he didn't end up finding his way back to the house. SO glad your efforts paid off! It just goes to show that you need to keep trying!

[AAM2012]

Such a great story!!! Sooooo glad you got your cat back!