Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: Gillian Harvey on March 14, 2010, 23:51:31 PM
-
I've looked after these 4 cats for 2 yrs or so now and I've got to know them really well and they are like my extra cat family :Luv: . You may remember last year one of them went missing for a few days - he's a young cat and real hunter - I was very worried, but he was back one morning when I went to feed them - as if he'd never been away, little monster! He hasnt done it since and the others are always there ready for the food, so I've never had to worry about them - until now.
They have an elderly cat (she's 19) who, just before christmas started having fits (there was a thread about it in Health) . She was put on phenobarbitol and hasnt had a fit since being on meds, but she hasnt been 100% recently and certainly looks more frail than when I last saw her. I've been looking after them since last Tuesday - this morning when I got there she wasnt there (I was shocked not to see her on the bed - cos, she eats her food, goes out for about 5 mins for the necessary - then sleeps on the bed - and thats pretty much where she always is) I looked all round the garden, no sign. I fed the others and then made a proper search of the whole property inside and out, I walked up and down the roads, talked to a few people, knocked on a few doors.
I decided to go back at lunchtime, just in case she might be there, she wasnt. Went round as usual at teatime, still not there. I knocked on a few more doors and one lady said she'd seen a tortoishell cat sitting opposite her house in the sun that afternoon, but there was no sign of her then.
Thing is, this is so out of character and so worrying because she hasnt had her meds for a whole day now - anyway, the owners wanted me to tell them if anything happened with this cat (because of her illness) so I've been in contact with them and although they were due back Tuesday, they are trying to get a flight back tomorrow. Everything was normal when I left them Saturday night - this cat was on the bed when I left, she'd eaten and she'd had her pill and I'd given her some Temptations treats just before I left. How can she just disappear into thin air?
-
What a worry :hug:
It's positive that the neighbour saw her in the afternoon, that means that when you checked back on them in the evning she hadn't been missing all day if she had been seen just a few hours earlier. Do they have a cat flap for her to get back in?
Her nose is probably put out of joint if her owners are away, I have a funny feeling that when they shell out for new flights and race back she'll pop back wondering what all the fuss is about :hug:
-
That is so worrying Gillian and I dont blame them for rushing back......the danger is that without her meds she will have a seizure and not know where she is or it could even be more dangerous than that.
I would be beside myself with worry as I am sure you are and can see you have only just posted so you must be at home now :hug: :hug: :hug:
-
Her nose is probably put out of joint if her owners are away,
But she's never done this before Helen. :( - and she's never missed her meals.... :)
Yes, there is a cat flap (they come and go as they please). I'm not absolutely convinced this woman who said she saw a tortoishell cat, did actually see this cat. As I was pulling into the road I saw a tabby and white cat coming from the direction she said she saw missing cat, I'm wondering if that was the cat she saw (you know how some people get their tabbies and torties mixed up?)
I have a funny feeling that when they shell out for new flights and race back she'll pop back wondering what all the fuss is about :hug:
I do hope so!
-
Have everything crossed for a positive update tomorrow morning :hug:
-
That is so worrying Gillian and I dont blame them for rushing back......the danger is that without her meds she will have a seizure and not know where she is or it could even be more dangerous than that.
I would be beside myself with worry as I am sure you are and can see you have only just posted so you must be at home now :hug: :hug: :hug:
Yes, I'm home now, but I went back again after the teatime visit, about 8 ish - still no sign, and I went round the garden with a torch. No use calling her because she is deaf. I will go round tomorrow morning hoping against hope she is there - but I just have such a bad feeling about this - she just wouldnt miss her meals.
-
I do hope she is all right but afraid I dont have a good feeling either :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
I worry so much about Franta and as far as I know he is not going outside at all but cant shut him in cos of Sasa, soooooo scarey and know that stress does bring on a seizure in him cos it happened after being at the vets when they wrapped him in a towel to try and give him a pill.....he was sooooooo upset and I should never have let them try :(
-
no-one wants to say it, but it is natural for an old and sick cat to go off somewhere alone and hidden
I hope that isn't what has happened, but it would be no-one's fault, and try as we might we can't thwart the natural cycle of things for ever
-
Daft question Gillian, but are you sure she hasn't got somewhere unusual in the house? Is there anywhere round the bed she could have got stuck? I Wouldnt rely too much on the neighbours word, I have taken in a few tabbies that were torties and vice versa
-
Hope she's turned up for her breakfast today :hug: :hug:
-
When Dingle went deaf she also went very loud so I assume you would hear her if she was stuck somewhere?
I don't know how deaf she is but wonder if you've tried clapping your hands Gillian. I do so hope she turns up quickly :hug: :hug: :hug:
-
Sorry Gillian, you must be frantic with worry :hug:
I hope she has turned up by now.
-
I hope shes turned up now
:hug: :hug: :hug:
love
Tab
-
Thanks :thanks: - she's still not home :( . Owners got an earlier flight and will be home by around 4pm.
Sorry Gillian, you must be frantic with worry :hug:
Yes Mark, frantic is the word.
Daft question Gillian, but are you sure she hasn't got somewhere unusual in the house?
Not a daft question Des - but I have had the house upside down LOL! Honestly I even looked up the chimney ;) and opened cupboards that I knew hadnt even been opened while I've been there! Under the bed, in the bed, in the duvet cover, under the cushions, in the cushion covers :Crazy: Not to mention the whole garden, under hedges, in the summerhouse, which I know hasnt been opened either!
I phoned round all the vets yesterday to see if she'd been taken in, but no, so she is on their lost and found registers now. I'm going back at lunchtime to put leaflets with a photo of her on them, and I've got a poster made up to put in the vets windows.
Trigger, yes that had occurred to me too - but somehow it doestn fit - I left her on Sat eve, having eaten her tea and settled on the bed - all as normal as can be. I just can't imagine her going away such a distance away from the house and garden, but I may be wrong.
Rosella, yes I did the clapping yesterday and this again morning - I stood and listened at garages etc - prob going to be arrested for loitering!
-
Gillian plaster your posters all around within a 200yard radius she wont be far. :hug: :hug:
-
So sorry she has not returned yet and it would be so great if she just saunter4ed in about 1600 to meet her owners :hug: :hug: :hug:
-
Oh no what a worry all round, hope she turns up :hug:
-
Well I put all the posters up and leafletted a few more doors and left copies and some spare leaflets for the owners return. They phoned me when they arrived home and I almost expected her to say Poppy was home, but of course she wasnt :( they are just as puzzled as I am about her disappearance - one theory they did come up with is the possibility of a fox getting her while she was outside - would a fox take a cat? thing is, although she's frail she's still pretty feisty, she got quite tempermental with the other cats recently and would really lay into them - so we would be likely to see clumps of fur around if a fox had tried to take her surely? some evidence of a struggle - but they havent found anything.
-
Gillian she would have to be very weak or even dead for a fox to take her, think owners need to ask to go into everyones shed/garage to check,my daughters cat went missing and fell asleep in someones garage behind a deep freeze,people checked garage and said no not in here,a couple of days later they noticed a disturbed bottle of coke,one cat found. Hope she turns up safely soon :hug:
-
Thanks Teresa :thanks: - so if she had died outside, then the possibility of a fox taking her is more plausible - and also would be why no signs. The not knowing is whats so awful, I'm upset enough, but her owners are distraught. I got it wrong, thought she was 18, but in fact she's 19 - and in all those years, she's never wandered - even with 4 house moves, and now suddenly she's just gone. :( Anyway, they will continue the search and I said I'd help if they needed me.
-
I'm hoping she has just wandered as she was confused with her owners being gone. :hug:
-
I doubt a Fox would have taken her Gillian, we have loads of foxes here and they are not interested in the cats, too many claws and they hurt !, as T said the cat would have had to be literally dying or dead for a fox to come near, we regularly see foxes in the field at one end and the cats at the other and they dont pay any attention to each other. I hope she is found soon :hug:
-
We also have foxes around here (4 miles from centre of Brum) and even saw a fox put his nose thru our catflap when we first moved in but never known of any attacks at all. My heart goes out to you, owners and of course elderly lady cat and send you the strongest possible come home safe vibes.
Is she a vocal cat normally? I'm still wondering if she might possibly have got stuck in the house somewhere and may respond to owners when things quieten down tonight? My brother's cat was stuck between the two pull out drawers below divan bed when he went on holiday. She was there for days whilst everyone frantically searched for her. Obviously this is more serious due to her age and health probs and say again, I hope she turns up very quickly now :hug: Hope you've told your friends that they must ring you whatever the time of night if she turns up.
-
i was told by my london vet that foxes are very wary of cats cos if a cat damages a foxes eyes thats ot for the fox.
i am sure she is close and a search of sheds garages and outside hiding places is needed by all neighbours, the problem is her deafness cos she cant hear anyone calling her.
being a cat who gpes outside i would hasve expected her to find her way home but the lack of meds is a real problem i fear :(
i do hope that she can be found very very quickly :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
-
Is she a vocal cat normally? I'm still wondering if she might possibly have got stuck in the house somewhere and may respond to owners when things quieten down tonight? My brother's cat was stuck between the two pull out drawers below divan bed when he went on holiday. She was there for days whilst everyone frantically searched for her. Obviously this is more serious due to her age and health probs and say again, I hope she turns up very quickly now :hug: Hope you've told your friends that they must ring you whatever the time of night if she turns up.
No, she's not vocal at all, I don't think I've ever heard her miaow. Just can't think of anywhere in the house she'd be. Their beds arent divan types - theres nothing underneath them but space (LOL - unlike under my bed where a cat could hide for days amongst all the junk!).
Yes, they have promised to ring (or text depending on the time) - whenever there is any news.
Yes Gill, I'm worried about the lack of meds too - on the other hand she had been a bit 'spaced out' on the phenobarb - could have caused some confusion maybe - but why now, when she's been on them since December? - suppose, like Mark said, confused because her owners werent there - but then again, its nearly a week since they went away - why would she suddenly be confused now? Also, of course, if she is shut in somehwere - lack of food and water :(
-
So hard :hug: ....whats her name?
-
So hard :hug: ....whats her name?
Her name is Poppy - this is her (taken last year)
(http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb234/scruffyjoe/CUSTOMER%20CATS/WildingPoppyJun092.jpg)
-
Poppy is gorgeous, please come home Poppy :hug: :hug:
-
Just read this Gillian - I'm so sorry - it was bad enough for you last year but this is worse. I pray she comes home soon safe and sound. She is adorable bless her.
Mary
A big hug for you :hug:
-
Hoping the gorgeous girl is back now :hug: - her colouring is so like Alice's - she is lovely :Luv2:
-
Fingers and toes crossed here too :hug:
-
Cmon Poppy - time to come home.
-
just checking................
-
how horrible for you Gillian
-
The title says she's home...is she?
-
Greatttttttttttttttt but is she OK ?
-
Just had a phonecall - can't believe it, she's home ;D This morning they popped a few more of my leaflets in the next road to them - then their phone started ringing off the wall!!! She was in one lady's front garden just sitting there (these are big front gardens with lots of shrubbery here you wouldnt necessarily see a cat obviously if you were just passing) and another lady phoned to say she'd seen her walking down the road! :shocked: (the cat that never wanders LOL!). She was SO close - I'd been concentrating on HER road and her owners said thats what they'd have done too, never thinking she'd go any further.
Anyway, she's a bit wobbly but otherwise seems fine and they are going to get her checked at the vets, but not today, they want her to settle back at home and see how she eats before whisking her off ets (she's not happy going to vets!)
So, thanks for all your positive vibes for Poppy from me and her very relieved owners :thanks: and I think a few of these are in order -
:yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy:
-
omg how wonderful - I can say it now but I really feared the worst which is why it took me so long to post - thanks goodness!!!
-
That's brilliant news, glad to hear shes home and well :hug:
-
just stunning news and yes loads of these
:yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy:
i am so pleased she is ok ;D
-
Whew! I'm so relieved for you... maybe if there's a next time, negotiate for them being confined to barracks ‘till their people get back? Cats may not like it but it'd do your blood pressure a world of good! :Crazy:
-
Whew! I'm so relieved for you... maybe if there's a next time, negotiate for them being confined to barracks ‘till their people get back? Cats may not like it but it'd do your blood pressure a world of good! :Crazy:
Ditto :evillaugh:
Glad she's back - you deserve a strong drink :hug:
-
WOOHOO!
So glad she's safely home!
-
The best news for a Tuesday, glad all is OK
-
I can say it now but I really feared the worst which is why it took me so long to post - thanks goodness!!!
Yep, me too Dawn.
The houses in that road back onto her owners garden - but there doesnt seem to be any way through from their garden, and there are 6ft fences, which means she MUST have gone out the front walked down their road, on a bit, and then down into the next road where she was found.
confining to barracks - not really an option, their cats would be climbing the walls by day 2 - and they are going away for even longer in June! Better start with the blood pressure tablets! :Crazy:
-
that's wonderful news
do you think she was looking for her owners?
but one positive thing is that more neighbours are aware of her now, so if she does wander off again she will be recognised more easily
-
:wooooo: Excellent news!
-
I'm soooo pleased she's home ;D ;D ;D ;D
Defo calls for some more bananas :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy:
-
Poppy you little Budder :rofl: :hug: :Luv2:
I am so pleased for everyone Gillian.
Mary
:wooooo: :wooooo: :wooooo: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :dance: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :yayyy: :catlove2: :ahh: :lick:
-
Yay!! So glad she is home! :hug: :hug:
-
So pleased she is home - was a bit worried when i read the post , so didn''t say anything - but did tell my lot at the bridge to make sure she gets home safely !
-
OMG I just squealed when I saw title!
I really thought the worst and am relieved and completely delighted for all affected but mostly you and Poppy. What on earth was she playing at? :no no:
I have been in the position of having a neighbours cat die (heart attack) whilst we were catsitting and it's such an awful thing. Just chuffed to pieces :)
-
This is something anyone thinking of starting a cattery should think about. I know a cattery owner who has been in the position of having to tell people. Do you spoil their holiday or do you wait until they get back? - I suppose a cat that is vulnerable could be pushed over the edge during a cattery stay?
-
I have been in the position of having a neighbours cat die (heart attack) whilst we were catsitting and it's such an awful thing.
:hug: I've never (yet) had a death while catsitting, I have another cat I look after who is on heart medicdation and its always in the back of my mind that she could just go at any time :(
This is something anyone thinking of starting a cattery should think about. I know a cattery owner who has been in the position of having to tell people. Do you soil their holiday or do you wait until they get back? - I suppose a cat that is vulnerable could be pushed over the edge during a cattery stay?
In Poppy's case we talked about what they would like me to do in the event of the worst happening because of her seizures - and they said they would want to know. I know this disappearing act wasnt the worst thing - but I knew they' want to know anyway. I'd want to know if a cat had disappeared while I was away, because I'd come straight back home, not sure about if it had died though - its not like you could do anything then is it? :(
-
im so glad shes home, the first thing i did when i got in from work was check this thread!
This is something anyone thinking of starting a cattery should think about. I know a cattery owner who has been in the position of having to tell people. Do you soil their holiday or do you wait until they get back? - I suppose a cat that is vulnerable could be pushed over the edge during a cattery stay?
i would want to know regardless, ive always told friends that have catsat for me to let me know if anything even slightly odd happens. i would want to be with them holiday or no holiday
-
OMG i'm so pleased she's home.
as for whether i'd want my holiday spoiled, most definitely. if something is wrong then i'm coming home immediately.
-
I definately would want to know and like them would have rushed home
-
the cat sitter I use makes you fill in a form with details of what you would like done in the event of death - cremation etc - she also wants information in what happens to the cats if you die while away!
-
Fantastic news, glad Poppy is home safe and sound ;D
-
Come home vibes for Poppy again please - she's done it again, thankfully not while I was looking after her this time! Her owners emailed me to say she was on the bed around 11.30 pm last night, but nowhere to be found when they got up this morning. They've called round to the house where she was found in their garden last time - and talked to the others in that road - but no-one there had seen her. An electrician was out and about in his van when Poppy's owners were walking the streets and he said he'd just seen her - they went to where he'd said, but she wasnt there. :( . They've done copies of the leaflets I did last time and leafleted their road and some other nearby roads, informed all the vets again etc.
-
What the hell is she playing at? GET YOUR ASS HOME NOW POPPY :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2:
Hope they find her soon. :hug:
Mary
-
What a little monkey.............POPPYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY come home now :shify:
-
Hope the wanderer returns again soon :hug:
-
Come on Poppy, come home now please :hug:
-
Eek! Poppy lassie this is NOT a good habit, if you want to get all the humans chasing around after you all you have to do is grab the end of a loo roll and run...
-
Poppy is still missing - her owners have been out and about with more leaflets and another poster on the noticeboard at the entrance to their estate - there are just no sightings this time (apart from the electricity man who said he saw her). This is since Monday pm - the longer she's gone the less likely it is she will be found alive, if she is found - without her seizure medication and food of course. I'm just so sad for them and for Poppy, if she's somewhere curled up asleep, under a bush, she's unlikely to be seen - and being deaf, she won't respond to calling. :(
-
That is terrible. I hope they decide to keep her in if she comes back :'(
-
I had hoped that she would be back as quickly as last time - it's not looking gooid at all but she's in my prayers. :hug:
Mary
-
There have been 'possible' sightings - but each time Poppy's owner goes to the place where she's been seen, theres no sign. If it IS her, then she is close. Someone in the road said that another person had been feeding a tortoiseshell cat that looked bedraggled and thin - don't think the person was in when Poppy's owner went to look, but she looked all round the front garden and no sign. She's been back and forth all day looking under bushes, and around all the places she may have been seen - its so frustrating, and of course, it may turn out not to be her anyway.
-
One of the things I did when Smudge was missing was to rub a t shirt all over me to get my smell on it and cut it up and tied it to bushes, gates, trees etc. near home for her to smell her way back to me. Maybe this would help with Poppy being deaf and not hearing your friend shouting her.
Fingers crossed she is still around and is ok. :Luv2:
Mary
-
So sad that she is so illusive :hug: