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Old 07-24-2010, 04:01 AM
disheartened disheartened is offline
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Default Re: 8 months old DSH cat lost in Subang Jaya SS18..help!

All the things I mentioned previously were based on my own experience. My cat got lost in an area unfamiliar to him, and he has been lost for almost 2 months now. I still have not given up hope. I've lost count of how many times I went there looking for him, sometimes even 3 times a day (and the place is about 30 mins drive away). The first thing my cat did was to hide in a drain, he didn't come out for hours. And then people tried to help but it only freaked him out. I learned the hard way that you should not get strangers to approach your cat - they will only scare him off further and further away. I appreciate all their help regardless. I'm just worried sick about my cat and I don't know if he ever managed to get out of the drain. There are so many things I wish I could take back.

I did learn a lot of things along the way about finding a cat:
1. You cannot run after your cat, he has to come to you on his own. Speak with a soft voice, get some smelly tuna out and encourage him to come out. Do not make sudden movements or he will run away. He has to walk to you and eat the tuna. Then he may trust you enough to let you take him home. Do NOT ever get a stranger to approach him. He will simply run away. He knows only you, and will trust only you.
2. When you walk around, keep opened canned tuna in your hand (the one sold in supermarkets for humans - they smell more) to let the smell draw cats in. Also listen often for his cries. If you hear any meowing, check the tree, check the drain, check under the cars - don't leave that place until you find the cat that meowed. It is possible that someone liked your kitty so much they decided to keep him. So the meow could be coming from a house, too.
3. Leave lots of dry food in the area everytime you visit. It's going to take him a while to adjust to being a feral cat, and he needs all the help he can get right now. Dry food doesn't go bad as fast as wet food does, it's cheaper, and more cats will be able to eat it. Feral cats normally have a 'feral feeding station' (like a kind old lady's house) that they eat from everyday. If you manage to find this 'station' check it often. Talk to the 'station's' owner if you can and ask if they've seen your cat. Take a picture along to show them, and leave your number with them.
4. You may see a lot of lookalikes. BEFORE you go searching, get your old pictures out and memorize the pattern - is his belly white, are his ears orange, is his nose pink, how thick is his tail. You will often only manage to catch a glimpse of a cat before it runs off so you have to be sure.
5. Keep cat food in your pocket at all times. I once caught glimpse of a cat and he was waiting for me to give food and because I didn't have it with me, I lost time, he saw a stranger and ran away never to be seen again. It might have been my cat, I'll never know.
6. Stay in the same place for 15 mins and call out for him loudly. Cats can move both ears in a different direction to determine where the sound is coming from. If you're not there by the time he finds you, it will all have been for nothing. Give him time to come to you.
7. The two stories that inspired me to keep looking were 1) a little boy went searching for his cat again after 10 days had passed, and when he failed he sat down on a bench in the park and started crying, and his cat came to him and jumped on his lap! 2) someone hired a pet detective and he found him after 1 month whilst it was eating at a feral 'feeding station' very close to the place where he got lost.
8. Try to think like a cat - I need shelter, I need food. Where would I need to stick close to? Check Google Maps to have an overall view of the place where he got lost. Cats like places like parking lots where there are few people around.

I am guessing that the reason why your kitty ran away from you was because you walked towards him and he felt the need to hide, and the food wasn't smelly enough to change his mind. Next time you see him - Act normal, speak softly if you speak at all, offer the smelly tuna in your hand to him, leave it on the ground and back away so he can come and eat it.

I know how devastating this situation must be for you. Sometimes I feel like crying before I even begin searching. Hence my username 'disheartened'. Thanks for allowing me to share my story. I have never seen my cat but you've already seen yours once - I have high hopes for you. And it's a very kind thing you're doing for this cat. I hope you find him, and I hope he's safe and well.
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