[amol4184]

Originally Posted by amol4184

A tragedy has stuck us.

Originally Posted by amol4184

As of 8th July he is still lost, that's 4 days now.

Originally Posted by amol4184

Don't want to spam but I have a semi-good news!

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

This is excellent news.

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

she was known to be around for quite a whilee.

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

Eagerly waiting for your next post.

GUYS!!!!!

Runaway cat is home. The ordeal is over. I can sleep now.

Last night, 9th of July I went to setup a new trap near where he was spotted by the IR camera. And as luck would have it, little guy peeked out from under the shed as we were setting traps and started meowing - he clearly knew our voices! I threw some chicken pieces towards him and he ate it. But he was still hesitant. We made sure we did not appear too happy and kept the manner cool. Next I made a trail of dry food/kibbles from the shed all the way to the trap. That hooked him out of his hiding spot. A few minutes later he was out and came very close to me. Without spooking him or showing over excitement, I picked him and he didn't resist. Probably too exhausted?

I then put him in the trap which was already setup and closed the door before he could realize. Then we carried the little bandit home, all safe, secure and sound.

Funnily enough, as soon as we reached home and let him out of trap he knew where to go and acted as if nothing had happened. He drank a lot of water, ate a lot of food, found his litter and took a dump and everything was back to normal just like that. The other cat, Roman despite missing him for days is acting scared and hisses at Chico. It appears that is an expected behavior after a hiatus and might take a day or two before they both assimilate. I shall keep you posted how that goes, there are some tricks to make reunion faster and we plan to do that.

Anyway. I Can't appreciate the support and kind words from this forum more. Those of you have indoor cats and wanting to take them out for some outdoor adventure, do NOT trust the harness at all. It doesn't matter how expensive it is or how many stars it has on Amazon, the cat will escape at the most unexpected moments. If your cat is brave and cuddles up to humans easily then he/she will get found earlier but if not then the cat will wait the longest time before making any move to return home and that time is just terrible. Seattle is currently boiling at India like 35-38 degree C temps and that might have caused Chico to throw up the resistance.

Thankfully as Ninja and T-E-G pointed out, the cats are very likely to remain in the same vicinity after being displaced. Chico did the same. He didn't wander off too far and all these days he was probably hearing our voices, looking at us from his hiding spot etc. Its crazy how these animals act once in survival mode. Chico had absolutely no outdoor experience, no street smarts, no aggressiveness, no courage even (we call him Fattu) but survived somehow. We weighed him and he's lost about 300 grams of his weight. Not too bad. We are guessing, against our assumptions, that he killed a mice or two and endured.

Some artifacts from the harrowing 5 days that we will never forget and taught us many lessons along the way:

The area showing where he was lost and ultimately found. The "found" place is a tool shed to keep tools for maintenance of the field. I am guessing Chico was hiding there all the time but too scared to come out. He only came out once he was extremely hungry and tired. This hiding spot was pointed out by the drone search team as "most probable". Before that, I didn't think the cat will come out in the open field, walk the distance and hide under the shed.


We had put up around 15 such posters at intersections and in the park. One below is exactly above the little opening into the woods in which he ran off.


Caught this Possum twice in the trap but no cat.


The trap that ultimately brought the cat home. You can also see many other posters which we had readied to put out but we didn't need to.


Little rogue is home. All the efforts and heartburn were worth it.


Oh and the camera that definitively changed the search game : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BKHDLJH

[poloman]

I am highly confused by cat psychology. We had gone for a trip home and a neighbor's cat some how sneaked in to the home through a window and wont come back. We had to rush back from a 500km and the cat had done damage of around 15K. This cat has an habit of sneaking in to locked houses and creating a mess.

Won't the cats come back to owners naturally like dogs if they ran away? Why they hide like this even if owners are calling and looking for them? This cat was hissing and was not even allowing the owners nearby when we opened the door. Being a dog person I was totally confused by all this drama.

[Fuldagap]

Originally Posted by amol4184

GUYS!!!!!

Runaway cat is home. The ordeal is over. I can sleep now.

Isn't it a case of the Jalebi ad from the '90s?! but only at an exponentially higher version.

Your story should go out as much as possible. Never stop looking for your pets who have gone out.

Roman seems to be angry with her companion about the sudden and unannounced departure.

Cats are known to be curious, explorers and wanderers. What else can explain this departure and return. Wish we knew what exactly goes on inside the minds of animals.

Der aaye durust aaye.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by amol4184

GUYS!!!!!
Runaway cat is home. The ordeal is over. I can sleep now.

Congratulations. Next time (hopefully not but I believe we all cat parents need to keep this mindset) you'll take it lighter on yourselves.

Caught this Possum twice in the trap but no cat.

The world is telling you to diversify your pets, I suppose!

Originally Posted by poloman

Won't the cats come back to owners naturally like dogs if they ran away? Why they hide like this even if owners are calling and looking for them? This cat was hissing and was not even allowing the owners nearby when we opened the door. Being a dog person I was totally confused by all this drama.

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

Cats are known to be curious, explorers and wanderers. What else can explain this departure and return. Wish we knew what exactly goes on inside the minds of animals.

All (domesticated) cats don't fall into one set of personality; there are quite a few of them. But there are common patterns - for e.g. if one has a pair of indoor cats, in most scenarios it will turn up into the set of one boisterous one and one extremely shy one. Doesn't matter if they came from the same litter or separate ones.

And yes, cats are curious creatures. But that's an acquired behavior and is dependent on the situation. Like all other dog-type or human-oriented behaviours (e.g. begging for food). By default, they are territorial, nocturnal and very cautious / suspicious of their surroundings. When in a "safe" space, they'll emote their curiosity, their happy nature, etc. But when pushed into unsafe/unfamiliar territorial space, their default nature comes out. E.g. your domesticated cat would not even go after the proverbial mouse or lizard inside your house. But put him in the wild for a few days, and he'll be able to catch any insect/rodent/etc. to feed himself.

@Amol's cat did the exact same thing our cat did; both were in a space they weren't familiar with. Both figured out a dark/hidden spot to stay away from all humans during day time; and only came out in the dark when the whole world went to sleep. His cat probably smelt him over the 3 days but it didn't feel safe enough to come out when he was around; which was 3 days later. In my case, my cat had found the basement store-room (which had a lot of junk stuff) to hide himself during the day. Unlike @Amol, I had a much tougher effort to capture him; still got several battle scars all over my hands/arms.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by poloman

I am highly confused by cat psychology. Being a dog person I was totally confused by all this drama.

A dog's biggest fear is starvation. A cat's biggest fear is predation. There in lies the difference between how cats & dogs behave when faced with stressful situation. This is just evolution/adaptation of cats & dogs over thousands of years since they have been domesticated.

Neither a puppy nor an adult dog has any threats. But they cannot hunt and fill their stomachs. So when they are lost, they might seek out human help, who might feed them. But in case of cats, they don't need our help with food, since they can hunt. But they fear for their life when lost since they are tiny & bigger animals out there will try to get them. Humans cannot save them if a dog attacks a cat, so they do not associate presence of their owners (in stressful situation) with safety.

In this particular example, all the commotion stressed out the cat because it was unfamiliar location (your house) with unfamiliar people (your family). If you were not in the house and had the owner approached the cat alone, she would have gone quietly. Conversely, if you go to the owner's house (familiar location for the cat), she will be calm and might allow you to approach her too after sometime.

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

still got several battle scars all over my hands/arms.

Like this eh?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by SmartCat

Like this eh?

Replace the marks on the face with deep bleeding scratch marks on legs and the pic would a be a apt representation. Still got a few (lifetime reminder) scars like these on my arms and legs

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by poloman

Won't the cats come back to owners naturally like dogs if they ran away? Why they hide like this even if owners are calling and looking for them? This cat was hissing and was not even allowing the owners nearby when we opened the door. Being a dog person I was totally confused by all this drama.

Many cats do when they run away from the home. My cat's case was categorized as "displaced" by the SAR team - meaning cat was transported to an entirely new location and got lost. We created a scent trail from that location to our house but it crossed two streets and I don't think he would have made his way back home at all.

Re: cat hissing on his owner. I had a phone consultation regarding my other cat hissing on this runaway cat and the person told me that the cat that was home established our home as his private territory the day Chico went missing even though he was sad and lonely.

So when he came back, Roman was distressed and tried to defend his area. That cat which went in your house sensed that it was empty and probably claimed it as her own. When the owner came in, even they were treated as threat to the territory. Some cats are more aggressive than others and compared to dogs way more independent too. This cat seems the type that will quickly claim the area.

Originally Posted by Fuldagap

Roman seems to be angry with her companion about the sudden and unannounced departure.
Wish we knew what exactly goes on inside the minds of animals.

I wish! I do have some insight courtesy someone from SAR team. He tells me Roman must have claimed our house as his own territory and when Chico came back his claim was shattered and hence all the hostility. As of today, the hissing has stopped and Roman gives a curious look to Chico and smells his mouth and feet. They are yet to play together but things are looking bright! The other reason could be jealousy as we were showering all our affection on Roman all these days. I guess we will never know!

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Congratulations. Next time (hopefully not but I believe we all cat parents need to keep this mindset) you'll take it lighter on yourselves.
The world is telling you to diversify your pets, I suppose!

Thanks Ninja! Once I have large enough space I want to start a large-ish vivarium!

Originally Posted by SmartCat

A dog's biggest fear is starvation. A cat's biggest fear is predation.
Neither a puppy nor an adult dog has any threats. But they cannot hunt and fill their stomachs. So when they are lost, they might seek out human help, who might feed them. But in case of cats, they don't need our help with food, since they can hunt. But they fear for their life when lost since they are tiny & bigger animals out there will try to get them. Humans cannot save them if a dog attacks a cat, so they do not associate presence of their owners (in stressful situation) with safety.

Exactly this. Cats are known to survive without food and water for long time too. If they do feel hungry they kill small critters especially when they can't find their way back.

And unfortunately the predators come in all forms for cats. Here, even Raccoons kill small cats/kittens. Then there are aerial threats e.g. bald eagles, hawks and other birds of prey which are plenty in the area so a lost cat will almost never venture out in the open during day time. The land based threats are Coyote and feral dogs if any. We haven't see any feral dog here but there are Coyotes. Even an indoor cat that has never gone out knows this and goes in a self preservation mode once lost. When that happens they don't even listen to owners. I am sure Chico saw/heard us many times over but did not make any attempt to contact us for almost 5 days.

Looking back I think we underestimated his abilities to survive outdoors

Here's both of them this morning as the hostility has subsided.

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by ex-innova-guy

My grandma adopted this cat that was left by someone at our hometown house.

Visited my grandma over the weekend and got to meet Shabby again. She had given birth to 2 kittens, which were soon adopted by a family friend.


How it Welcomes you.


Cutie












Yum.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by amol4184

Runaway cat is home. The ordeal is over. I can sleep now.

Wonderful! You might rethink taking him out for walks?

Cats do indeed worry about predators. Only a few posts ago, we discussed how cats, on our streets, are at serious and deadly risk from the street dogs.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Wonderful! You might rethink taking him out for walks?

That was the first and last time they went out for a walk

[am1m]

Cats are amazing. I've always been a 'dog' person, but past 4-5 years, after our last dog passed on, we've not really wanted the additional responsibility of a pet. As things would have it, a local stray cat decided to add us to the list of houses she graciously allows to feed and shelter her.

So over the years, we've gotten her neutered, helped nurse her back to health after she was attacked by a couple of neighborhood dogs; didn't think she would survive that one, it was pretty bad, but amazing survivors these cats! So now she spends most of the day inside our house, sleeping and we kick her out at night.

To me the whole point of a cat, over a dog, is the freedom. We go out for weeks or months at a time, and no issues, she manages. Either hunts for rats, or I suspect more probably, goes to her backup houses in the neighborhood for food. And she's back in the house a day or two after we return. (If only human relationships could be this convenient! )

After decades and multiple dogs, freezing morning walks in Bangalore rains and traffic, not being able to travel without agonizing where to keep the dog or who can come take care of it, I'm just loving the flexibility a cat gives us! Obviously, a different point of view, but I don't know if I'd want to make a cat as dependent on a family as a dog is.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by amol4184

That was the first and last time they went out for a walk

Wow. That wasn’t clear from your first post; I inferred your cats were used to the harness and outside visits. So you decided to test out your cats with the harness(es) in a public park away from your home on 4th of July with the fireworks and people around?

Sorry to be rude, but that was a very dumb thing to do. He must have had a harrowing night on 4th with all the fireworks and noise around, poor fellow.

[amol4184]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Wow. That wasn’t clear from your first post; I inferred your cats were used to the harness and outside visits. So you decided to test out your cats with the harness(es) in a public park away from your home on 4th of July with the fireworks and people around?

Sorry to be rude, but that was a very dumb thing to do. He must have had a harrowing night on 4th with all the fireworks and noise around, poor fellow.

The city had no fireworks ordinance so the fireworks/noise were much less compared to previous years. Prior to that we were practicing the harnesses for about a month before and he got used to walking with the leash and all, which we thought was enough? Clearly it wasn't as something spooked him on that fateful day. I agree it wasn't a good idea. To be honest, with his temperament, it's not a good idea to go to the park any day of the year as anything can spook him.

[Thad E Ginathom]

There are always exceptions. There are cats that love to travel in the car, and won't run away. My mother used to take a rabbit into town on a leash!

On the whole, though, taking most cats away from their home and/or territory tends to be stressful for them.

Originally Posted by am1m

We go out for weeks or months at a time, and no issues, she manages. Either hunts for rats, or I suspect more probably, goes to her backup houses in the neighborhood for food. And she's back in the house a day or two after we return. (If only human relationships could be this convenient! )

Again, there are always going to be cats that are fine with this, but I wouldn't recommend a cat on the basis that it can be expected. Anyone taking on a cat should consider that it will need care and feeding during any time away from home, and that it may well feel despondent at being left alone.

There are shades to this. I used to leave my cat overnight for a weekend at my girlfriend's. She was fine and only needed enough food and water. Any longer, though, and I'd certainly arrange a neighbour to visit daily. Have done that same service for friends too.

Another factor is how they eat. Some cats just take what they need, returning to the bowl when they need more, so leaving 36 hours food is no problem. Others will gobble the lot every time the bowl is filled and will have nothing left for subsequent meals.

Also, in multi-cat families, there is often someone who will steel everybody else's food. I had one tom cat who absolutely loved his sister --- except at meal times, when he would do his best to steal her food before even starting his own.

Cats and cat families are as varied as people and no less so than dogs.

[RaghuVis]

Originally Posted by amol4184

Runaway cat is home. The ordeal is over. I can sleep now.

We are all glad the harrowing time is over for you now! Maybe you should take this as a signal to be prepared and keep your/your family's mental state in check when eventually these cats fade away from your life.

During my college days, I once gave shelter to a stray cat, which became so attached to me. My mom was livid with both me and the cat. She never liked pets. But slowly she started talking to the cat whenever it came and eventually started giving milk to it. They developed a very natural bond. A few months into this, our neighbor kept rat poison as the rat menace was too much despite our guy having eaten so many of them. It eventually ate a rat that had consumed rat poison and passed away. I was sad but I never expected my Mom to take it to heart. She was furious at me for bringing the cat and making it attached to her. From then on, whenever I try to give milk to some other stray cats, she will soo it away. She says she cannot handle one more heartbreak.