# Looking for advise - my cat ran away from home



## James Preen (Dec 11, 2012)

Hi, 

sorry but this a long thread.

My cat has been missing since 23rd September (almost 12 weeks)

Lola is a female balinese cat, neutered but not microchipped, 4 years old. 

We also have her Brother Charlie, of whom i believe is the reason she left the home;

I woke up late one Sunday morning to a banging noise, half asleep I let the cats out mumbling to myself " i hope you pair haven't been fighting", 30 minutes later Charlie was meowing in a rather stressed out way and Lola was no where to be found - it had just started raining and previously she has always returned to my call, and always comes running back when it rains.

I now suspect that Charlie attacked Lola as our neighbours recently had a tom cat who I believe took a tinkle on our lawn thus provoking Charlie to attack Lola.

To make matters worse the cats had recently been relocated from the hall/stairs to the kitchen (because Charlie was clawing the new carpet on the stairs).

As such had this situation occurred previously Lola would have been able to run away and diffuse the situation, but in the kitchen there is just hard surfaces and a tile floor - she would be unable to grip the floor to fight back - so whoever attacks first wins

I have registered her as missing to all nearby cat homes etc, I have used all the advise on the general forum (someone was kind enough to email me that info when she first went missing). 

I have a cat trap I have placed in various locations 100+ meters from our home (with the farmers permission), I've walked miles and miles during the night with some Mackerel and then left it in the trap. I walk round most days searching aswell.

Exactly six weeks after she left i tried a different approach without any Mackerel, I walked 1 mile out from my house and then walked in a large circle calling her name. I'd almost hit a full circle when i came suspicious of a dog that was barking in the distance, it seemed the dog was barking at something but not from not the noise I was making. Unfortunately during the night it's very difficult to see anything, I waited around that area for a good 30 minutes but no joy.

So the following day I walked through a large field near to where I had heard the dog calling and after around 1 hour abount 100 meters ahead of me I saw a cat looking exactly like my missing cat, she seemed a little scared and the only reason I had any doubt whether it was my cat was due to the fact she didn't acknowledge my call.

I headed over to where I saw her exit the field but couldn't see her, so I came back on myself and headed back toward home and again I saw a cat walking about 100 meters ahead of me in the exact same direction she walked earlier, I called out "Lola" she stops, sits down looks over to me then walks off over the horizon of the field. it seemed somewhat peculiar that the cat went back round in a circle to give me a second viewing - I couldn't imagine any cat doing that unless it was mine 

I have cat trap in a forest area near to the field I saw her and I've been visiting the area 1-2 times a day, usually walking a few miles nearby, I spoke to the person who owns the dog and he has 3 cats that live outside in the fields where I saw my cat, none of his cats are similar to my cat so I'm pretty certain it was my cat that I saw.

I suspect she wanted to make me aware she was still out there but she wasn't coming back home

Almost all the advise i can find on the internet for missing cats seems a lot more specifically relating to finding a cat which has lost it's way so I'm hoping someone here may have some advise for me?

I'm really desperate and getting quite down over it now, she really was such a perfect little darling, I totally understand she's had a natural reaction and has left home seeking a new home, but obviously I desperately want her back and know living outside isn't going to do her any favours 

I believe we have managed to stop the neighbours cat from doing his business on our lawn now and Charlie now has free roam of the house and has stopped clawing the stairs carpet so I just need to convince Lola to come back

any help/suggestions anyone can offer would be much appreciated


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

What a very sad situation. The only thing I can suggest is that you go back to that area about 5 in the morning when its quiet. Take some warm chicken with you that you can throw in her direction if you see her again, to try and tempt her closer to you. Keep calling her name over and over.

Please keep us updated.


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## James Preen (Dec 11, 2012)

thanks for the response, I went out from 5am to 8:30am on Wednesday, walked a few miles around the outer area of where i saw her and then spent an hour in the field calling her.

I took some freshly cooked mackarel with me, as I didnt have any chicken available

unfortunately it's currently -4 degrees at the moment so the chicken would not be warm by the time I manage to get to the location - the mackerel was actually freezing up towards the end of my journey

However I left the mackerel near to the cat trap but not inside it, hoping she may eat after i had left, I have a small camera i left recording there hoping to get a sighting

I returned several hours later and it was untouched so I do suspect she has possibly moved on from this area now, I had been hoping she had possibly grouped up with feral cats nearby (I have caught two cats in the trap since moving to the field where I saw her)

I very much doubt anyone on this website lives in the DY9 area of the West Midlands but it can't hurt to post a picture of her just incase:

Any suggestions would be much appreciated


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