Missing Maine Coon
Discussion
Hi guys,
Not quite sure why i'm posting this - its a bit cathartic but perhaps someone may have some words of advice.
Our beautiful 2 yr old Maine Coon boy has been missing since Sunday. He's been neutered (and chipped) and he's always been an 'outside' cat, he's most happy sitting all over my vegetables or sitting in the neighbours gardens like he owns the place. He plays happily with lots of other cats in the area and regularly annoys all the dogs, only venturing in for food, sleep or checking up on us to make sure we're still there. A quick chirp and a roll around and he's off out again. I should mention that we are perhaps 200 ft or so (a few roads) from open fields and farmland so we have an ample supply of mice and frogs brought to us on a regular basis. Just this summer, though, he has taken to eating half of them and leaving the rest around the garden. He has also just started to stay out all night (he has a microchip flap that shuts him in after dark, we think he has worked this out) but he is always around in the mornings. He has gone missing for a night or so before, usually when he's been stuck in someones garage or shed, but never this long.
We have knocked and delivered flyers door-to-door around the area, and have stuck up photos on lamp posts with contact numbers. He is quite well known (being so large) and lost of people have not seen him since Sunday. We had a report from a house next to the local farm that he had been seen on Tuesday night ( the lady in question does not know him and had not seen him before I showed her the photo, she was quite suprised that it looked like the cat she had seen the previous night - she said he didn't look like a normal cat!)
She said he looked like he was hunting in the fields, quite happily, not scared. We have walked the area last night calling for him but no sign, unfortunately.
Does anyone know if its possible he has just gone wandering? Got caught up in the chase and forgotten where he is? I know a few people have said that 4/5 days isn't that long but he has never been gone for that long before. Maybe the report from the farm was a red herring but most people around the area have checked their garages and sheds and there has been no sign of him. Could he be lost?
We have of course, informed local vets and cat charities etc.
Apologies for the length of post, its nice to get it off my chest in actual fact!
Many thnaks for listening!
Mark
Not quite sure why i'm posting this - its a bit cathartic but perhaps someone may have some words of advice.
Our beautiful 2 yr old Maine Coon boy has been missing since Sunday. He's been neutered (and chipped) and he's always been an 'outside' cat, he's most happy sitting all over my vegetables or sitting in the neighbours gardens like he owns the place. He plays happily with lots of other cats in the area and regularly annoys all the dogs, only venturing in for food, sleep or checking up on us to make sure we're still there. A quick chirp and a roll around and he's off out again. I should mention that we are perhaps 200 ft or so (a few roads) from open fields and farmland so we have an ample supply of mice and frogs brought to us on a regular basis. Just this summer, though, he has taken to eating half of them and leaving the rest around the garden. He has also just started to stay out all night (he has a microchip flap that shuts him in after dark, we think he has worked this out) but he is always around in the mornings. He has gone missing for a night or so before, usually when he's been stuck in someones garage or shed, but never this long.
We have knocked and delivered flyers door-to-door around the area, and have stuck up photos on lamp posts with contact numbers. He is quite well known (being so large) and lost of people have not seen him since Sunday. We had a report from a house next to the local farm that he had been seen on Tuesday night ( the lady in question does not know him and had not seen him before I showed her the photo, she was quite suprised that it looked like the cat she had seen the previous night - she said he didn't look like a normal cat!)
She said he looked like he was hunting in the fields, quite happily, not scared. We have walked the area last night calling for him but no sign, unfortunately.
Does anyone know if its possible he has just gone wandering? Got caught up in the chase and forgotten where he is? I know a few people have said that 4/5 days isn't that long but he has never been gone for that long before. Maybe the report from the farm was a red herring but most people around the area have checked their garages and sheds and there has been no sign of him. Could he be lost?
We have of course, informed local vets and cat charities etc.
Apologies for the length of post, its nice to get it off my chest in actual fact!
Many thnaks for listening!
Mark
He could have gone wandering, I used to have a cat that would bugger off for days on end and as he got older (late teens) the days would turn in to weeks.
With such a lovely cat however I'd be thinking other things, I had two NFCs which I stopped letting out as every bugger was picking them up and wandering off with them.
With such a lovely cat however I'd be thinking other things, I had two NFCs which I stopped letting out as every bugger was picking them up and wandering off with them.
I recently found a cat that had wandered about 4 miles from his home - search far and wide.
Don't just ask people to check their garages, sheds and gardens - ask if you can search yourself, they won't crawl around on their hands and knees looking for your cat but you will.
Keep ringing the charities, council and vets every couple of days. Cats can sometimes slip through the net so don't assume they will contact you when your cat turns up.
Sorry you are going through this, I know the hellish feeling from when ours have gone missing.
Don't just ask people to check their garages, sheds and gardens - ask if you can search yourself, they won't crawl around on their hands and knees looking for your cat but you will.
Keep ringing the charities, council and vets every couple of days. Cats can sometimes slip through the net so don't assume they will contact you when your cat turns up.
Sorry you are going through this, I know the hellish feeling from when ours have gone missing.
Another owned by a Maine Coon who goes walkabout body!
Bruno's our No 1 Tom to a harem of 7, and has always had a habit of disappearing for a few days and then coming back as if nothing was amiss. We too are in the depths of the country, 1 single track road which we check regularly, and lots of goodies for cats - hence 7 in the family.
Sunday just gone saw his return after a 5 week absence!! We'd nearly given him up! He stayed for 2 hours, then off again, back tueday, in for 48 hours and now off again - maybe there's a Maine Coon convention they're all going to.
So th emessage is - don't despair for now, just get Norwegian Forest cats next time - 3 of them and no such trouble!
Bruno's our No 1 Tom to a harem of 7, and has always had a habit of disappearing for a few days and then coming back as if nothing was amiss. We too are in the depths of the country, 1 single track road which we check regularly, and lots of goodies for cats - hence 7 in the family.
Sunday just gone saw his return after a 5 week absence!! We'd nearly given him up! He stayed for 2 hours, then off again, back tueday, in for 48 hours and now off again - maybe there's a Maine Coon convention they're all going to.
So th emessage is - don't despair for now, just get Norwegian Forest cats next time - 3 of them and no such trouble!
Sorry to hear of that. When, years ago we had cats one used to disappear regularly - usually to the church a few doors away. He may have been particularly pious, but more likely a plethora of mice. We fretted and fretted and spent a fortune on international phone calls one holiday - he always turned up in the end. A friend lost their cat for 3/52. It turned up, skinny and slightly oily - probably trapped somewhere without food but with water - but came back eventually.
As you & others have said, put up posters - he may have tarted himself and adopted another family who will feel guilty if they realise what angst their spoiling him is causing you.
Now we've teenage children they've trackers (mobiles) unless they don't answer, have left them at home or lost them, leaving us with the bill for whoever found the phone..
ETA - you mention farmers - at least he's B&W so not, like the browner MCs, going to be mistaken for a fox and shot.
I'm sure he'll turn up - and get spoilt rotten for causing you so much grief.
As you & others have said, put up posters - he may have tarted himself and adopted another family who will feel guilty if they realise what angst their spoiling him is causing you.
Now we've teenage children they've trackers (mobiles) unless they don't answer, have left them at home or lost them, leaving us with the bill for whoever found the phone..
ETA - you mention farmers - at least he's B&W so not, like the browner MCs, going to be mistaken for a fox and shot.
I'm sure he'll turn up - and get spoilt rotten for causing you so much grief.
Edited by nomisesor on Saturday 22 October 19:32
Edited by nomisesor on Saturday 22 October 19:35
Hope your 'little' blighter has turned up as if nothing has happened but if not, our mogster did a disappear trick for 11 weeks! Then just wondered down the drive as if he'd been gone an hour or two. Keep up with the flyers, door knocking, local vets and the local council (but hoping the latter haven't seen him)
Fingers crossed x
Fingers crossed x
Well, thank you everyone - he turned up Saturday afternoon!
Still have no idea where he had been. First thing he wanted to do was sniff all round ours and the neighbours garden. I'm assuming he was checking his territory over. He doesn't smell like he's been shut in anywhere but he's definitely either been feeding himself or getting fed!
We had to spend most of day yesterday taking all the posters down!
Until the next time then!
Mark
Still have no idea where he had been. First thing he wanted to do was sniff all round ours and the neighbours garden. I'm assuming he was checking his territory over. He doesn't smell like he's been shut in anywhere but he's definitely either been feeding himself or getting fed!
We had to spend most of day yesterday taking all the posters down!
Until the next time then!
Mark
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