| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
My 7 1/2 year old cat got out of our house. He has never been outside unless we were out in the yard with him. He is neutered and has all his claws. He has been missing for 5 days. We have asked our neighbors, contacted animal control and the local shelter, and put up posters with his picture. We put his cat bed on our porch along with his cat food and some water and it hasn’t been touched. Is it normal for an inside cat to disappear for so long? How long do cats stay away from home?
Keywords: Away from home, MISSING
Answers to this question
8 Answers
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Usually if a cat gets outside accidently, they come back pretty quick. Sadly there is no way to predict how long it could be. It could be weeks. It depends on whether he was chased off by a predator, picked up by a well meaning rescuer, or just plain lost his way. I know a lady who’s cat was chased up a huge pine tree by a dog and stayed there a week. Have you contacted the local vets? Many vets will take in strays and someone may have picked him up thinking he was a stray. Also check around your town or city to see if there are private rescue groups. Cats can also go several miles from their homes so make sure you expand your search and post flyers in stores outside of your neighborhood. Also take flyers to the shelters and the ACO. As sad as this is to hear, check with the highway department for your area to see if they have found any deceased cats on the road. They just dispose of them and don’t contact anyone. I truly hate to say that and hope you find him alive and well.
Comments to Answer
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I know you contacted the ACO and the shelter but you need to leave a flyer with them with his picture and your contact information.
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I agree with catsofmany. Just keep calling animal shelters, call vets offices, put up lost signs.
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Thank you for all your help! Sergeant came home last night. We think he had been home for two nights eating, then would leave again. Last night we caught him in the act, so we were able to get him back inside. Not sure that he enjoyed his homecoming too much because he went straight into the bathtub to be washed with flea shampoo (he was filthy)! After his bath though, he curled up on our laps and slept with us all night. He has been purring ever since. We will be sure to keep the windows and door shut from now on to make sure this doesn’t happen again. One note though, putting the food out was both a good and bad thing. Good because it kept him coming back to the house, but bad because he would eat and leave and we were just lucky to notice. I would still suggest putting food out to anyone who has lost a cat, but try and keep an eye on it. Also, it turns out we were feeding at least 3 other cats. Once again, thank you for all your help! Oh, to answer my own question, my cat was gone 10 days and came home perfectly fine. Thank goodness!
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My cat, last year, left home for about three to four days. We were worried because he usually is never away from home. He mostly just goes around the yard. He eventually came back. Also the same thing happended wioth my other cat. SHe left for two days and came back fine. so i would wait a while and if the cat dosnt come home then you maybe should look around.
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Cats generally have a good sense to figure out how to get to home. If your cat ran off chasing something, no one really knows how far it could be. But the time for cats to come back vary. This 5 days could just be beginning, or the cat may come back may come back within a few more days. YOu have basically done everything you can to find your cat. Now all I would do is wait but dont’t give up. Now, if this goes on as long as 6 months or longer, I would not put food out anymore.
I wish you luck and hope you find your cat. Losing a pet is very depressing, whether it was your favorite or not.
Comments to Answer
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Hey, who minused me? It's not as good as the best answer, but I didn't think it should get a minus...
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usually cats come back within 72 hours and thats the max. There could be many reasons why he didnt come. He may come back today . Without thinking that he thought that he was out for a long time. If your cat is used to you calling his name when its time to eat.Do that and do it loud. It could be that someone thought he was a stray and brought him to a local animal shelter. It could be that your cat may come home in a week it could be that he found food and pond water from a house. but when you get him him/her chipped .
good luck
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my older cat use to stay out just for an hour or 2- then come back in and want to go back out later for another hour - then come back in and go to sleep. my younger cat use to go outside and only come home for dinner - she knew what time it was - but they hardly ever want that far - i could alway call them from the front door or the back - if they wanted to come that was their choice- try shaking some cat food bag!!
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I wish you well on finding your cat, mostly you can go out looking for the cat or put up signs with a picture fo the cat. Thats the best idea i have.
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