Lost Cat questions

Question

Rusty   QUESTION: Ali,
  My newly adopted (October 2008), 9 month old, indoor-only cat, Rusty, slipped out without any one noticing for hours. It has been two weeks. I have been reading a lot about cat behavior and understand there is still a good chance he is very close. His temperament indoors is not that of a "frady" cat. He's more cautiously curious. He doesn't greet strangers when they come to the door, but he doesn't run from them, either. He just watches to see what they will do and in about 15 minutes he's approaching them.
We've done all the usual things; posting flyers, asking neighbors, walking the neighborhood and calling him; posted him on the Alabama Pet Registry as well as the local humane society's lost and found page (not to mention any other local website I could post him on).
I've read a lot about humane traps and dismissed it at first because we live in a rural suburb. There are raccoons and possums and many of our neighbors have outdoor cats. I'm afraid of catching one of the wild critters and need some advice on using a humane trap. Can you direct me to some one or a website?

ANSWER: Mindy,

Your little guy sure is a good looking fellow. I'm sorry to hear that he managed to slip outside without anyone realizing it until some time had passed. Indoor cats tend to act and react differently than they would normally act in familiar surroundings when they end up outside. Cats tend not to like any changes in their environment because they are territorial and most are creatures of habit. If Rusty hasn't been neutered yet he will tend to stray further from home than he would otherwise just because his hormones and instincts would tell him to find receptive female cats and mate with as many as possible. You may find that modifying your initial missing posters by offering a reward will get Rusty home sooner. It's certainly quite possible that Rusty is nearby and just unsure about what to do, you could try going outside late at night when things get quieter and bringing a dish of something extra special like a plate of tuna or whatever his absolute favorite food happens to be - bribery in combination with hearing your calls just might convince him to come out of hiding if he is frightened by the new experience of being outdoors. I think that it would still be quite wise to check animal shelters in your area daily just in case Rusty has been brought in as a stray or in the event that he's been hit by a car and taken to the shelter for treatment by a good Samaritan.

It's also certainly worth checking local vet clinics to find out whether they've had any stray kitties brought in with injuries, many vets will treat stray cats brought into their clinic and then re-home them for the cost of their treatment. I certainly don't think that finding Rusty is impossible - I answered the question of a young lady awhile back. Her cat had gone to the vet for an eye operation, unfortunately due to the clinic staff's negligence this kitty escaped from the clinic. The kitty in question returned home to a much relieved pet parent a few days before Christmas. I don't think that Rusty's gone far and this young lady wanted me to share the story of her cat's incredible return home whenever possible. There's hope, don't give up. Be sure to check under porches, in and under sheds and garages and any other spots that a frightened cat might hide. If you are in a farming area Rusty may be hiding out in a barn catching mice to survive so barns and farm buildings are a great place to check as well.

You could certainly try a humane live trap, but unfortunately there really isn't any guarantee that you won't catch wildlife. If you try setting a humane live trap in the hopes of catching Rusty to bring him back indoors I'd recommend waiting quietly nearby with a thick blanket or towel to throw over the cage. The reason for this is that if you do catch a wild animal it will minimize the stress on him. A humane live trap isn't meant to be used without supervising it and checking that nobody is caught in the trap that shouldn't be - in the past when I've used humane live traps to catch stray/feral cats so that they could be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and released in the area they were found I've always stayed nearby so that I could ensure that the animal trapped inside was a cat and I made a point of checking whether or not the cat was friendly - if so s/he would be released into a specially prepared room so that s/he could be taken to the vet the following morning. In short I guess that it would be best to have a wildlife removal expert focused on non lethal catch and release of any wild animals that may end up being unintentionally caught in your humane live trap. That option allows you to be well prepared in the event that you do end up catching a wild animal. Getting professionals involved also ensures the safety of all animals and people involved with handling the trap. There really isn't any guarantee that you won't end up catching a raccoon or other wild animal, but it's a matter of taking a calculated risk to get Rusty back home safe. Until Rusty is back at home safe and sound you will both be in my thoughts and prayers. Good luck in the search, I hope you find him soon.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ali,
  I just wanted to clarify your recommendation on involving a wildlife expert. Are you saying to be in touch with a local agency so that in the event I catch a raccoon or possum they can advise me on it's release back into the wild? Thanks.

Answer
Mindy,

Actually the recommendation was more about having wildlife experts release any wild animals you may catch in your humane live trap - this isn't a job for someone unaccustomed to working with wild animals and I wouldn't feel right recommending that anyone without substantial experience and training handle a wild animal for any reason, even if it is only to release that animal because things can go wrong and you may be bitten. The risks that go along with handling wild animals are what the professionals are paid for so my recommendation is to forget about handling wild animals in your trap other than to toss a thick old towel over the cage to minimize the stress associated with being caught in a trap. It's certainly worth speaking with local wildlife experts to find someone willing to respond promptly and release the animal back into the wild rather than euthanizing them. In a rural area there's also a chance that you may catch feral cats, you can certainly try to let them out of the trap, but you could also try beginning to manage a feral colony by spaying/neutering, vaccinating and releasing them if finances and time permit, this will prevent the colony from having a population explosion and the fewer intact cats there are in a colony the less likely the cats are to upset human neighbors. Good luck with catching Rusty, I really hope you don't have any trouble with other critters while you're trying to bring him back home. As always you and Rusty will be in my thoughts and prayers until he's safely home and has been given a clean bill of health by the vet.