Lost Indoor Cat

Question
Hello,
My cat, Pyper, got out through a screen window on 1/10/09.  We still haven't found her.  We tried using a cat trap and caught 3 cats but not her.  There have been two possible sittings, but we aren't 100 sure if it was her or not.  The biggest problem is that in the meantime, we have moved to a different area.  I am worried that I have less of a chance of finding her now because of the move and I miss her very very much.  It has been a month and I am starting to give up hope.  We had to take the cat trap back because it was getting to expensive, but we have covered the old apartment complex with flyers.  Do you have any other suggestions of things that we might do to help our cause?  How long to missing indoor cats tend to stay hidden before coming out for food?  Also, we have had quite a bit of rain... would she hunker down and hide during these rainy days and night?  Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Cami

Answer
Hi Cami.  I'm so sorry to hear your beloved kitty is missing!  You have taken all the right steps.  About the only other thing I could suggest is to bring flyers to all the local vet offices just in case somebody brings her in thinking they're getting "their" new kitty a check up.  And if shelters don't know she's missing, alert them, and I would visit a couple times a week to make sure she hasn't slipped through the cracks.

Cats can't go for more than a few days without food, but they can go without being seen for much longer!  Indoor cats who get out and get afraid can hide for days or even weeks.  I don't think it's impossible that she's hiding out someplace, under somebody's porch or in some bushes, perhaps only sneaking out for a few moments at night to find food.  But statistics show that most lost pets who are going to make it home, make it home within the first 48 hours.  So I also think it's possible someone may have taken pity on her during all the rain and brought her inside.  I hired a pet detective once.  Sherlock Bones is his professional name.   He was a pleasure to work with.  He's got an ebook now, available for download through his website, www.sherlockbones.com  I haven't read it, but it definitely may be worth looking into.