New Cat New to cat ownership. Help getting adjusted

[Traci]

Yes, call the shelter you adopted her from. They may have people there who are very familiar with Birchie, her personality, her traits, etc and might be able to offer tips to find her. Also tell them because people in your area may find her before you do, and they may take her to the shelter!

Call all vets in your area, take flyers with Birchie's photo, her description, location lost, and your phone number (don't do this tomorrow, just call and inform, you can do flyers in a couple days, most important right now is not wasting time, you must find Birchie). Then post flyers on any pole you can get away with in your area for at least two miles.

Call all rescue orgs in your area and do the same.

Call and place a LOST&FOUND ad in your local paper first thing tomorrow morning. Anyone in your area reading the paper will see it. Most people don't put ads in the paper until WEEKS after kitty is lost, so people seeing kitties have very short memories - post that ad ASAP and include the location, short description, date lost, make mention she's microchipped, and include your phone number.

Ask the shelter if they can loan you a live humane cat trap - Tina suggested the hav-a-heart trap, but I strongly recommend the TruCatch because it's easy to set up, its QUIET if the cat is trapped, it's lightweight, and there is no weird diagonal piece slamming behind kitty, the Trucatch has a simple top-swing door with rings that slide down enabling it to slide down shut without harming kitty or scaring her.

Read this: http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/re ... cedcat.php

It explains cat behavior when they escape or are too scared and are hiding. Chances are, she is VERY nearby, possibly even near where she escaped from by the hole from the water heater and water lines. Leave bites of food there, she might try to come back to where she escaped from, for food, for shelter, for human company.

That link also explains the differences between traps like hav-a-heart and TruCatch, the latter I strongly recommend.

If using a trap, you ABSOLUTELY MUST AT ALL TIMES, MONITOR IT! Not only can you leave a cat or any other animal in a trap in this heat and humidity, but trapped animals can harm themselves from fear and attempts to escape. Place a tarp over it before setting it, use tuna or sardines or chicken as the bait to entice her. Place it near your house, but in an area she will see right away if she's hiding in trees. She will catch the scent of tuna or other fish and will venture near. She hasn't eaten since before you brought her home, so she is HUNGRY!!

Go out and call to her, repeatedly, look, stop, listen, repeat. Take a can of tuna or canned fancy feast with you, tap on it with a fork and call out to her. Do not stop looking for her every single minute you have the chance.

The first 24-48 hours are critical to get her back home - use smelly fishy food, keep calling to her, get a trap, place it so she can see it, place the bait inside far enough that she has to trip the mechanism before she eats all of the food! Remember to put a tarp over it for shelter from rain, hot sun, etc - cats like dark spaces, and if she can smell the food, she'll just think of it as a box to go into.

Early morning and late evening or late night are the best times to get kitty to come near the trap - when sounds are quiet, the sun is down and the night is cooler- but don't ignore any other times during the day when you have the chance. Just remember that if you set a trap, you MUST be nearby watching it, so you don't catch a different pet or a wild critter! You CANNOT leave her or any other animal in a trap for more than a minute or two!

Ideally, if you have time, actually sit out there, calling to her every once in awhile, tapping a can of food with a fork, talk softly, but loud enough she can hear you if she's back into the woods. She has never been in those woods before, so she needs a familiar voice! A familiar sound of canned cat food! A familiar human who cares about her!

AGAIN, CHANCES ARE SHE IS VERY NEARBY, WAITING, WATCHING, SIMPLY FEARFUL AND DISORIENTED. Place bites of tuna and/or canned food from the exit point where she escaped by the water lines, across the yard where you saw her footprints, she will smell it and come out when she's hungry! Ideally, having a trap is the first order of business to catch her as she makes her way to all the bites of food you've left for her.

Here's a link that explains different cat personalities and how they react when they escape or are lost, READ IT: http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/re ... attips.php

If she's prior feral, then she may be an xenophobic type personality, which means, she'll hide in fear, but you have to tempt her to come out!

If and when you trap her (I HOPE!), immediately get her inside, close the door and inspect every nook and cranny in your home and fix them!

If for some reason, the shelter can't loan you a trap, ask local rescue orgs for help. Last resort, purchase one if you have a farm&ranch store (some carry them, some don't, call first so you're not wasting time)

DON'T GIVE UP! The first 24-48 hours are critical and offer the best chance of luring her back (with food, using the trap, calling out to her etc)

[Tina B and crew]

Hey Traci...thanks for the tip on the traps. Back when I was trapping strays and ferals Hav-A-Hart were the only one's I remember. I'm glad there is a better option now! It's good to know, not that I plan on doing any more trapping any time soon.

Any news Zenwalker? I've been thinking of Birche a lot and sending vibes for her to make her way back home!

[Traci]

Please post updates when you can zenwalker, let us know how the search is going - have you at least sighted or heard her yet?

Tina, yes, there was a time when the hav-a-hearts were the only thing available, then came a couple others, I love the TruCatch, I managed to catch three cats just last week, it was so easy and the cats were not afraid of entering the trap (one was the neighbor's cat, one a stray, and one was owned, whom was the one I fully intended to trap) - it's step-plate mechanism is adjustable for light to heavy weighted cats, and the door closing is pretty quiet! I also love the powder-coat on it, it makes it nice for kitties, no sharp edges. Just one thing, you have to put a locking clip on one of the doors, because if the pet/animal gets too rambunctious inside the trap and rolls it over, one of the doors releases so they can get out (the sliding drop-down door stays put though). TruCatch sells the clips right on their website.

They are alittle pricey though, I paid 90.00 for mine. Worth every penny, in my opinion!

[Zenwalker20]

So, I have semi-goodnews.

Unfortunately I have not been able to get her back, BUT she is hanging out around the house, she has been missing since yesterday morning. She is eating the food i have been putting out when she thinks no one is around, i haven't seen her eating the food though. 2 of the plates i put down on the ground was eaten by ants, but i put on plate up higher in the air, on top of my steps and that is gone. I saw her just a few mins ago! I am excited I was just unwinding watching a little tv and i saw her through the window. I have a shed beside my house and was actually on the roof of it just laying down relaxing. i saw movement out the corner of my eye and saw her. So I slowly got up and went outside and as soon as i went outside and took a step toward the she shed, she jumped down and ran into the woods. I didn't hear the bell jingle on her collar but i got a good view and its difinatly her, she won't come near me at all or respond to talking or food. I have to put the food out and disapper for a few hours and she well eat. The shelter was closed today so i wasn't able to ask them about traps, I will head by a farm supply store and see if i can find one there tomorrow or swing by.

I am still upset about all this but i am relieved that she is okay and eating, and she didn't decided to try to run back to the shelter. Hopefully she is just decided weather or not to trust me, and she will warm up with time and i will be able to approach her.

I swear she was a different cat in the shelter.

Thanks again everyone

-David

[Traci]

Don't be wasting any time - every hour that she is out there alone, is another hour of risk for her. There are critters in the woods, there are mosquitos in this heat, it is horribly HOT almost everywhere in the nation right now, (and how far away from a street or road is your property?!) - She is scared!

Most important of all, she could very quickly revert to feral status, don't forget this!!

FIRST thing in the morning, get on the phone and call the shelter, rescue orgs, farm and ranch stores, get that trap IMMEDIATELY! (call first so you're not wasting time running all over town). That she is nearby, and presumably eating the food you're leaving out, she might stay close if there is a food source (you), but you can't predict how many days she is going to stick around before wandering. It's imperative you attempt to find someone with a trap ASAP and get it home, set it up and catch her!

Until then, leave out food tonite, as well as a clean dish of fresh water. Maybe even leave a window open, or a door slightly ajar as long as you're up to watch. The scent of smelly fishy food might be enough for her to venture into your open front (or back door). She is still hungry!

Again, I can't stress this enough, the first 24-48 hours are critical, get that trap first thing tomorrow morning and commence trying to catch her in it!

[Tina B and crew]

I am glad that you at least sighted her. I hope you are able to quickly find a trap today and will be successful! I, like Traci, am also concerned about her reverting to her feral nature. Finger and toes crossed, prayers said, and lots of hope that today will be a day of success for getting Birche back inside. Thanks for keeping us updated David. We all want what is best for this sweet kitty.

[Traci]

Zenwalker, any updates??? Did you get/find a trap to use?