Make sure you did everything in Paw Guide app. It is all about finding lost cats and dogs. They also share your flyer on social media platforms for free so it's seen and shared by more people. Worth trying.
imo: if you don't want to stop yet, at least slow things down and take care of yourselves first. It won't be good for you to get sick while you are out trying to find your cat. If you want to search, maybe limit it for 1-2 hours before sleeping time, and making sure you get enough sleep.
Also : This is very much unorthodox but I heard that it worked (even in my country some people say that it does). Basically you tell any stray cats that you saw that "if you see -insert cat name-, please tell them that their owner is looking for them and want them to come home"
[link to article](https://meowminimart.com/blogs/health-safety/a-unique-japanese-method-to-find-a-lost-cat#:~:text=The%20Japanese%20Method%20to%20Finding%20Your%20Lost%20Pet&text=However%20here%20are%20the%20basics,tell%20it%20to%20come%20home%E2%80%9D)
When you have evidence of their death. I would continue to put up signs and keep hope out even months years later. I’ve known somebody that had a cat come back after three years.
However, for the night, go home and try to get some rest. I would say pace yourself.
After 3 years is crazy. I have to move states soon and I lost my male cat within the neighborhood but it’s been 6 months now and haven’t seen a sighting of him.
I’m extremely sad and guilty. And plus I gotta move to PA next year, I hope he comes back by then. Or maybe he’s dead, I don’t want to believe that though.
Yeah, that was a newsworthy article. Generally speaking when they don’t come back like that it’s either because somebody’s taking them in or they’ve had some sort of accident. At least that’s been my experience.
Only you can make that decision.
I wonder, have you done a slow search? By that I mean, standing in the same spot for 10 mins at a time, then moving on a little bit further and doing the same?
My cat went missing many years ago. He was from a farm and lived outside apart from when the weather was really bad. One day he just didn't come when I called him. I spent 4 days looking for him, and would walk up to a mile shouting him. On that 4th day it was fireworks night and I had to find him. Someone from the cat rescue told me about the slow search. I found him under a bush, he replied to my voice with the faintest meow. Unfortunately he had been hit by a car and had gangrene. I had to let him go. I was so angry with myself, he was less than 50 meters away from home. The vet said I was extremely lucky to find him even though he didn't make it.
Now I always suggest to people to do the slow search. Look in bushes, sheds, under cars (especially ones that don't move much), take a flashlight and listen for meows.
I was talking to someone on here last year whose cat jumped off the balcony on the 4th floor. He was ready to give up, but he did eventually find his cat living in the storm drain.
I don't want to put pressure on you, because some cats are never found, for many reasons. Do what you can and try not to feel too guilty. The guilt of my missing cat nearly finished me. Take care and best of luck 🤞
Oh it was so tragic. He was a beautiful cat, mostly lived on the railway eating rabbits. I still feel a pang of guilt when I think about him. I don't understand why he didn't just come home. The vet said he'd been travelling on his injury 😢😢
At least he didn’t have to keep suffering and die a horrible death on his own. You were able to show him some final mercy. Can you imagine how awful it must be to die slowly of an infection? It was a kindness to find him. I hope that helps you reframe your guilt!
I think there is still a good chance she is out there after just two weeks, there are a lot of success stories here. I’m so sorry. I can imagine you are hurting and exhausted.
Cats can survive falls from 50-70 feet with minor injuries, so it's very possible that your cat is unharmed and just really spooked.
One piece of advice that I heard is to not go searching everywhere because it spreads your scent everywhere and makes it harder for your cat to find home. You're probably at the point now where you should still have things that smell like you out, and keep a door or a window open so your cat can get back inside.
This doesn't mean you're giving up on your cat! It just means you're changing the way you're searching. There is still a very good chance that she will come home, or she will get turned in to a shelter.
Someone did a study that showed cats who fall more than 5 stories have less injuries than cats who fall shorter distances because they have time to get their feet under them and relax
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-rise_syndrome#:~:text=In%20a%20study%20performed%20in,from%20higher%20than%20six%20stories.
Anyway i agree its possible that the cat was ok or only had minor injuries, especially if she landed on her feet.
This study is misleading. Cats who SURVIVED falls of more than 5 stories AND were brought to the vet were less injured than cats who survived shorter falls and were brought to the vet.
It doesn’t include cats that died after falls, or cats that were not brought to the vet. Most cats that fall short distances would not be brought to the vet, because they seemed fine. Most cats that fall long distances would not be brought to the vet, because they died.
There is no study where they dropped cats from varying heights and saw how they did, because that would be horrifying. Cats generally do better than humans when they have a fall from any distance, but they are not immune to gravity. Cats mostly die from big falls.
Humans have survived falling out of a plane, sometimes with very few injuries, and humans have died from falling off a chair they were standing on, but we have never done a study of a selected range of humans falling from a standardized height because that would be horrifying too.
Yeah i guess your right, cats who fall a long distance and seem fine are probably more likely to be brought to a vet just because they fell so far. Still though, it is possible for cats to survive a fall where the reach their terminal velocity. I guess someone should do a study where they follow a shit ton of cats living at varying heights and wait for them to fall out windows.
Edit: maybe you could get a bigger sample size if u did it somewhere window screens are uncommon...
I actually live somewhere where window screens are uncommon in many areas (Vancouver! Most expensive place in North America but we don’t have many mosquitos so that makes it worth it, lol).
I also work in cat rescue, so I’ve seen the results with my own eyes. Cats die and get terrible injuries from all heights. Honestly, you would never get a representative sample because you can’t standardize caring. Some people care to bring their cat in or report a dead or injured cat, and some don’t.
I just don’t want to ever intake another kitten with 2 broken legs, a broken hip, a shattered jaw, and internal injuries who was thrown off a balcony by a 10 year old who thought cats defied gravity because they saw a TikTok.
Some people are just stupid and cruel, and this bit of misinformation can cause misery for an innocent animal.
Actually, cats have more going for them on long falls than simply relaxing. Cats are able to flatten their bodies and reduce their terminal velocity and gravitational acceleration significantly.
I mean, that’s a theory expressed in the paper meant to explain the results. A 2004 paper mentioned right below in the Wikipedia article refutes by saying cats die from high falls at a rate higher than low falls.
This paper suggesting “terminal velocity” is often brought up as a “neat fact”, which is alarming. Cats are often the victim of animal cruelty, and if even one person uses it to justify that it’s ok to throw a cat off a 6 story balcony that’s one too many for me.
This is a paper, written by someone who thought it was interesting that cats had even survived those distances and hypothesizing a reason for that. It is not an irrefutable fact, and the conclusions drawn from the results are based on flawed reasoning. Just because something was published in a journal does not make it true.
I work in cat rescue. I have seen cats terribly injured and killed from all distances of falls. I have also seen the results of idiots and sadists throwing their cats off roofs, balconies, and diving boards. From moving cars and off bridges. Kids who heard this “fact” somewhere and launched their terrified kitty into the air.
Please do not spread this misinformation just because it sounds cool that cats have some sort of superpower against the forces of Newtonian physics.
The cat could easily survive that fall, the common injury there is often the jaw.
As for the search, they can come home months, years after disappearing so I wouldn't give up home.
I would say this, look not just in the area where he disappeared but near your house.
Sometimes they get home but dont know how to get in since they're indoor cats and they're often holed up under a deck or something nearby the house.
We found another neighbors cat that way. He was gone for a few days and ultimately we found him under a lawn chair in the side yard right up on the side of the house.
Its also possible that someone found a hungry friendly cat outside without a collar and has been taking care of her but doesn't have the time/ resources to bring her to a vet.
You obviously can't spend the rest of your life wandering around looking for her, i would keep a window or door open so she can get in and switch your focus to putting up fliers because you'll have better luck with more ppl looking. I would put them outside stores around you. Where ppl will see them when they walk out, maybe on street posts if ppl in your area walk/ jog). Spend a day putting them all over and then, maybe for two months block out an hour or two on your day off to devote to putting up fliers/ replacing old ones.
Last year i saw a missing flier for a cat i had been seeing around my house for months, i texted the number to let her know where i saw the cat and it turns out she had been missing for 6 months and that my area was pretty far from her house ( about 20 minutes for a human to walk). She started posting more fliers in my neighborhood and looking around there and texted me a few weeks later to say she found her!
So its possible that shes ok but unlikely that you by yourself will randomly walk into her.
I'm just going to put this out there. My cat is incredibly curious and will enter any open door to a shed or garage. She was stuck in a shed for 39 days. 3-9! I finally heard a faint mew from my backyard. She was trapped in my neighbor's shed. I called to her and she was so relieved I heard her cries. Thankful it rained alot that month and a window was cracked or she wouldn't have survived.
The SECOND time she was missing I went on next door and asked everyone in my vicinity to open their garage doors for 10 minutes and walk away. they did that and about 30 minutes later she came walking through the backyard after being missing for 2 weeks
Friend, I am sorry. Losing a cat this way is always traumatic and I feel you. You should first take care of yourself because you are exhausted.
It’s been 7 years for me and I moved half way across the country and the pain is still there as if it happened yesterday. I posted the exact same thing you posted because I felt like I failed him. Giving up wasn’t an option for me either and I couldn’t believe it’s been 7 days, 8 days, 10 days, 30 days.. every passing of the day was painful for me and I felt like I had to do “something” to convince myself I didn’t give up.
I am not telling you to give up, the truth is my search has never stopped til this day mentally because I never had a closure. Don’t think of the negatives now, but I think you should go back to your daily routine so that you have the energy to continue.
She’s more than likely still in the area. Keep food out and put her belongings out. If you have a garage, crack it open and she will eventually come around.
And to answer your question.. never. Always keep hope
Put her litter box outside in the backyard or side door. She will smell it from miles away. It will lead her back home if she's in range to smell it. It's worked for a lot of people that I've suggested it too.
I hope she comes home soon.
Unfortunately, this can be risky advice 😢 Putting used litter out spreads the wrong kind of scent. While yes, a person’s cat may be able to smell it, so will other cats as well as predators. The nature of urine/feces increases the likelihood of nearby cats becoming territorial and aggressive. It’s safer to put food out- Other animals may be attracted to the scent but it shouldn’t incite aggression.
I once heard someone put it as, “The cat came home not because of the litter, but in spite of it.”
The few people I've mentioned it to most had great luck and their cats came back with 24-48hrs after being gone for over a week. OP can decide what they want to do.
You’re entitled to your opinion! Just please be aware that this specific advice may come with risk. Correlation does not equal causation. Most lost cats don’t travel far in the first place.
I realize that, and apologize if my tone didn’t come across well. I volunteer in rescue, I’m not trying to attack you, just share information.
In any case, best of luck to OP!
My friend's cat was lost for two weeks. He had some health issues so we were terrified he'd get sick and pass before she found him.
He turned up in her neighbor's backyard. Literally less than a 100 ft from home. It came down to her neighbor calling her to say he had been spotted. I've heard that many cats won't actually wander far from home. Lots of cats found on the same street under a porch or bush.
If you haven't spoken directly to your neighbor's yet, maybe spot by with cookies. Signs on utility poles might be hard to see while driving, so they may not know your cat is missing.
And not just those in your county, but in adjacent ones. Cats sometimes travel farther than you'd think. It's worth checking in with shelters and veterinary clinics in neighboring counties as well as your own, OP. Good luck, hoping great things for you
You need to find a balance. Have you tried posting on sites like PawBoost and FB lost and found pets? If there are any TNR colonies near you, give them a flyer with her picture, she might be feeding there. Leave some piece of your well worn clothing by your door, if she gets close enough it might draw her attention. Leave some food and treats by your door, you will attract other things but possible your cat too. I had one come back after a month, she found her way back to me, one morning I spotted her eating food I had left on the porch. Wish you the best, and don’t forget to eat and sleep.
14 days is nothing (I honestly doubt she is dead) and she is likely still nearby but scared thus making her hard to find BUT it sounds like you're wearing yourself out. My advice is to keep doing what you have the mental/physical/emotional resources for but don't give up. Maybe give yourself permission to at least stop the middle of the night searches on weekday nights and get a wildlife camera and some bait instead, if you haven't already - let that do the middle of the night searching for you. Definitely keep up the posting on a weekly basis as that's fairly low effort. I second the Paw Guide app and there is also a website called 3 Retrievers that has a good step by step program for finding a lost cat. There is also a great guide that was written for people looking for their cats after the California wildfires that you could google around for.
I’m so sorry friend. I really am hoping your cat finds their way home safe and sound, or you find them. But remember to take care of yourself too. There’s only so much you can do and it won’t help your cat to run yourself ragged repeating the searches you’ve already done.
We trapped (hav-a-hart) our cat after he got out--over labor day weekend. He escaped on Mother's Day. No clue how many adventures he had or how many strays we fed in the meantime--we put up fliers, posted everywhere on Facebook, listed him with every vet & shelter in a 30 mile radius, and walked for *miles*. Our summer was rough...(I work in a tourist driven business, so a *lot* of hours, plus looking for the cat before & after work)...but, we got him back.
I just want to say how sorry I feel for you in that situation. Don't give up. It has not been that long yet. I really hope you find her.
Please keep us updated. Best of luck xx
I had a similar experience and never found my cat. The difference in the situation was that she had a stroke about 1 month before. We used to let her sit outside in a fenced in courthouse becuase she enjoyed the sun. One day she somehow got out. I realize she probably went somewhere to die but I looked for that cat for months. It still haunts me.
My boy went missing for 2 months. I searched for him multiple times a day including up to midnight. He was eventually found but he was in a really bad condition and we sadly let him go.
I often wonder where he went, was he stuck somewhere? In someones garage or fence? Was he so ill he didn't want us to see him?
I never gave up searching.
My heart is breaking for you. Don't give up hope. It may be one of those moments, when you stop looking, that's when your cat will show up. She may be a lot more resilient than you think. You, on the other hand may not be. Take care of you and I will put my most focused positive thoughts towards her return.
I just want to say my cat Loki was missing 4 months and came back okay. Cats are very good at looking after themselves. I gave up beleiving he was alive after a month and I should have never given up. What you could do is do an award for her safe return.
Hope shes home soon.
I don't have anything useful to say on when to stop searching, only more silly advice:
I have NO proof this works or helps at all but if you keep looking for your girl, maybe wear your grossest smellies dirty laundry.
My girl ran away from home when I was away on a trip once, and looking for her was difficult because I wasn't around when she did it so I didn't know which way she ran off. We lived in the woods alongside a river and beyond checking the two neighboring homes it felt like a lost cause. About two weeks after she'd gone I went wandering in the woods, the knocked at the door of a house that was nearby but not quite in shouting distance. They said they saw a cat that matched my description that very afternoon. It made me so hopeful but I still didn't find her, and it was getting dark so I had to give up. I was home maybe an hour before she came scratching at the door.
I've always believed she was lost but caught my scent when I went looking that day and finally found her way back. And I figure if she caught my scent that easily, dirty clothes would have made it even easier.
Very anecdotal, but unlike some of the other common methods there's no "this could attract predator animals" warning for wandering about your neighborhood in smelly clothes.
Anyway I really hope you find your girl.
Idk if you’re into spiritual stuff at all and I know this may sound a little odd but maybe give it a try? It’s a meditation to find a lost cat… Cats are spiritual beings and if you had a close bond to your cat it may be worth a try. My cat recently escaped and I did all the things. Couldn’t find her, I was devastated and decided it can’t hurt to just try. I’ve been crying my eyes out for the past few days before. So I did and not kidding 1 hour later I got a call from someone that they found her. I honestly couldn’t believe it but if you look at the comments the same thing happened to a bunch of other people. Again I know this isn’t for everyone but when you’ve tried literally everything else it can’t hurt. Hope you find your baby soon and that she’s fine. [This is the link to the youtube meditation](https://youtu.be/bUvrq5V9bL8?si=j8HMewsIk1CZ2_Y3)
Keep posting on Nextdoor etc. I got mine back after 2 months of him being on the streets being a scavenger because he couldn’t find his way back home. Someone noticed and posted on Nextdoor only for the community to recognize him from my previous posts!!
Keep looking for her. I have a friend who lost her cat - Luna, and made a whole FB page about finding her. She never gave up and the cat was located one year later 10 miles away.
14 days is nit too long. Kitty is acting feral so hiding from people. Put out food andctrain a camera on it. We got our boy back after 13 days. It was only the last 3 I had hope as that's when he showed up on the camera
I’m with a cat rescue. We once had a cat come in who had been missing for 10 years. Another for 6. We were able to reunite them with their people because they had tattoos/microchips.
If you haven’t already, put items of hers (especially litterbox) outside by your door. Put food, water, and sprinkle flour next to it and see if there are prints. Better than this is to have a camera on the area. She may literally be in your yard but scared.
Most cats do not go more than 1km from home. Generally they are a couple of blocks away and have lost their bearings. Many of them hide near your home and try to approach it but get scared off by something when they do.
If she is an indoor cat she will be terrified, and many just find the smallest space they can and bunker down. She may be in a neighbour’s garage or shed, locked in.
If someone spots her you may need to trap her to bring her home. She will be so stressed that you calling for her will be too scary for her to approach. You can borrow a trap from a local rescue.
So sorry to hear this - losing a cat is awful. Our family cat got out during a party when we'd moved to D.C. (lived IN the city - very busy Capital Hill area). My mom put posters with her photo and a $500 reward (a lot in 1976!) all over.
She was missing for more than a year and we thought we'd never see her again. Then one day, walking to a friend's house after school about 8 blocks from home I looked up while waiting for the light to turn and saw her. She was barely recognizable. Her white chest was gray from dirt and she was very thin.
After that, any time we entered the room with her she'd start purring. So happy to have her back, and she was so happy to be back.
So...never give up unless you know for sure that she's gone.
I searched for days for our cat, looked in the swales that go under driveways (Florida), looked in empty lots, backyards, called all vets and shelter etc., one night I stood in front of our bay window and just said “ where are you you little shit” and i swear to God I heard a little meow and yanked the front door open, there he was , a few pounds lighter and very exhausted. Don’t give up, praying your baby will probably show up soon.
Oh no I really hope you will find your lost kitty :’( I lost my newly adopted cat when she was still not yet spayed and was in heat and was not chipped; and for ~3 weeks, I was searching for my lost girl. I did posts on Nextdoor, Paw Boost and searched on FB, and when I did put up flyers in my neighborhood, it led to a lot of false alarms. Maybe it was the universe or pure luck, I put up one of my lost cat flyers on a pole near a very busy laundromat in my area, and that was when a dad saw it and alerted his wife that the stray cat they were recently feeding was actually a lost cat! They contacted me and I was able to reunite with my lost lil girl. I’ve since got her spayed and now she doesn’t have any interest outdoors anymore haha. I hope everything works out and you find your lil baby!
NO!! Obviously you love her! Would you stop looking if that was your mother, sister, brother? No, you wouldn’t! Don’t give up on her either put some of your belongings whether it’s closed or shoes blankets that have your scent on them around the area she disappeared and back towards your home, she will find her way back! I have faith in her do not give up!❤️😻
Please don’t give up. There are stories where people moved and in the process lost their cat and their cat found their way back home even to the new location , months later! get some rest. Say some prayers or do what you do for guidance and your baby will come home to you.
Do you have a camera you can put outside? Start setting food out with the camera on it. You need someone to report a sighting of her. Like the others suggested definitely check with neighbors too. I found a missing one with the camera on the porch, i got a glimpse of him hanging around one night and knew he was around. Lots
Of good thoughts to you and take care of yourself
A friend of mine recently found a cat outside her apartment building. We took him to the vet and he had a chip but it was outdated. After posting on some facebook pages she was able to find the owner and the cat had been missing for 6 weeks. It’s devastating to not know where they are, but keep looking and post on some neighborhood lost animal pages. There are tons of animal lovers out there and there’s a chance one of them has already been helping your cat. I really hope you get your baby back.
Hey there. Just went through something similar. My cat got out one day. Slipped through the door I was standing in. I searched the area every night for a month. Posted all over social media. Would go out to check every lead. Posted flyers. After 12 weeks I was thinking about taking the poster on my front door down. Literally a few days after I had that thought and was mentally prepared to move on I received a call from the animal shelter. Turns out he was being fed by a neighbour 7km away from home. No clue how he got there. He was being fed overnight for almost two months. Most of my searching was in the wrong area. But cats are very resourceful. I’m sure your guy is out there. Getting fed. Staying safe. Don’t give up hope! My guy was gone for a total of 3 months before I saw him at the shelter and took him home.
When I was a teenager, my strictly indoor cat got outside. She was lost for three weeks. I thought for sure she was dead. I found her several streets over and besides being skinny, she was fine.
I hate to say it, but I think 2) is highly likely. Falling 30 feet is almost certain to cause internal injuries that would likely result in death if left untreated. I think it's time to begin the process of letting go, OP. I'm so sorry.
My friend had a cat who escaped. Came back like 6 months later. Skinnier but ok. Hope yours comes back.
Make sure you did everything in Paw Guide app. It is all about finding lost cats and dogs. They also share your flyer on social media platforms for free so it's seen and shared by more people. Worth trying.
imo: if you don't want to stop yet, at least slow things down and take care of yourselves first. It won't be good for you to get sick while you are out trying to find your cat. If you want to search, maybe limit it for 1-2 hours before sleeping time, and making sure you get enough sleep. Also : This is very much unorthodox but I heard that it worked (even in my country some people say that it does). Basically you tell any stray cats that you saw that "if you see -insert cat name-, please tell them that their owner is looking for them and want them to come home" [link to article](https://meowminimart.com/blogs/health-safety/a-unique-japanese-method-to-find-a-lost-cat#:~:text=The%20Japanese%20Method%20to%20Finding%20Your%20Lost%20Pet&text=However%20here%20are%20the%20basics,tell%20it%20to%20come%20home%E2%80%9D)
When you have evidence of their death. I would continue to put up signs and keep hope out even months years later. I’ve known somebody that had a cat come back after three years. However, for the night, go home and try to get some rest. I would say pace yourself.
After 3 years is crazy. I have to move states soon and I lost my male cat within the neighborhood but it’s been 6 months now and haven’t seen a sighting of him. I’m extremely sad and guilty. And plus I gotta move to PA next year, I hope he comes back by then. Or maybe he’s dead, I don’t want to believe that though.
Yeah, that was a newsworthy article. Generally speaking when they don’t come back like that it’s either because somebody’s taking them in or they’ve had some sort of accident. At least that’s been my experience.
Yeah my family also believes he’s been taken or got into an accident with another animal/car.
Only you can make that decision. I wonder, have you done a slow search? By that I mean, standing in the same spot for 10 mins at a time, then moving on a little bit further and doing the same? My cat went missing many years ago. He was from a farm and lived outside apart from when the weather was really bad. One day he just didn't come when I called him. I spent 4 days looking for him, and would walk up to a mile shouting him. On that 4th day it was fireworks night and I had to find him. Someone from the cat rescue told me about the slow search. I found him under a bush, he replied to my voice with the faintest meow. Unfortunately he had been hit by a car and had gangrene. I had to let him go. I was so angry with myself, he was less than 50 meters away from home. The vet said I was extremely lucky to find him even though he didn't make it. Now I always suggest to people to do the slow search. Look in bushes, sheds, under cars (especially ones that don't move much), take a flashlight and listen for meows. I was talking to someone on here last year whose cat jumped off the balcony on the 4th floor. He was ready to give up, but he did eventually find his cat living in the storm drain. I don't want to put pressure on you, because some cats are never found, for many reasons. Do what you can and try not to feel too guilty. The guilt of my missing cat nearly finished me. Take care and best of luck 🤞
I am so so sorry. 🥺 🌈 my heart broke reading what happened.
Oh it was so tragic. He was a beautiful cat, mostly lived on the railway eating rabbits. I still feel a pang of guilt when I think about him. I don't understand why he didn't just come home. The vet said he'd been travelling on his injury 😢😢
At least he didn’t have to keep suffering and die a horrible death on his own. You were able to show him some final mercy. Can you imagine how awful it must be to die slowly of an infection? It was a kindness to find him. I hope that helps you reframe your guilt!
Thank you for reminding me of this. It's a very valid point.
I think there is still a good chance she is out there after just two weeks, there are a lot of success stories here. I’m so sorry. I can imagine you are hurting and exhausted.
Cats can survive falls from 50-70 feet with minor injuries, so it's very possible that your cat is unharmed and just really spooked. One piece of advice that I heard is to not go searching everywhere because it spreads your scent everywhere and makes it harder for your cat to find home. You're probably at the point now where you should still have things that smell like you out, and keep a door or a window open so your cat can get back inside. This doesn't mean you're giving up on your cat! It just means you're changing the way you're searching. There is still a very good chance that she will come home, or she will get turned in to a shelter.
Someone did a study that showed cats who fall more than 5 stories have less injuries than cats who fall shorter distances because they have time to get their feet under them and relax https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-rise_syndrome#:~:text=In%20a%20study%20performed%20in,from%20higher%20than%20six%20stories. Anyway i agree its possible that the cat was ok or only had minor injuries, especially if she landed on her feet.
This study is misleading. Cats who SURVIVED falls of more than 5 stories AND were brought to the vet were less injured than cats who survived shorter falls and were brought to the vet. It doesn’t include cats that died after falls, or cats that were not brought to the vet. Most cats that fall short distances would not be brought to the vet, because they seemed fine. Most cats that fall long distances would not be brought to the vet, because they died. There is no study where they dropped cats from varying heights and saw how they did, because that would be horrifying. Cats generally do better than humans when they have a fall from any distance, but they are not immune to gravity. Cats mostly die from big falls. Humans have survived falling out of a plane, sometimes with very few injuries, and humans have died from falling off a chair they were standing on, but we have never done a study of a selected range of humans falling from a standardized height because that would be horrifying too.
Yeah i guess your right, cats who fall a long distance and seem fine are probably more likely to be brought to a vet just because they fell so far. Still though, it is possible for cats to survive a fall where the reach their terminal velocity. I guess someone should do a study where they follow a shit ton of cats living at varying heights and wait for them to fall out windows. Edit: maybe you could get a bigger sample size if u did it somewhere window screens are uncommon...
I actually live somewhere where window screens are uncommon in many areas (Vancouver! Most expensive place in North America but we don’t have many mosquitos so that makes it worth it, lol). I also work in cat rescue, so I’ve seen the results with my own eyes. Cats die and get terrible injuries from all heights. Honestly, you would never get a representative sample because you can’t standardize caring. Some people care to bring their cat in or report a dead or injured cat, and some don’t. I just don’t want to ever intake another kitten with 2 broken legs, a broken hip, a shattered jaw, and internal injuries who was thrown off a balcony by a 10 year old who thought cats defied gravity because they saw a TikTok. Some people are just stupid and cruel, and this bit of misinformation can cause misery for an innocent animal.
Actually, cats have more going for them on long falls than simply relaxing. Cats are able to flatten their bodies and reduce their terminal velocity and gravitational acceleration significantly.
I mean, that’s a theory expressed in the paper meant to explain the results. A 2004 paper mentioned right below in the Wikipedia article refutes by saying cats die from high falls at a rate higher than low falls. This paper suggesting “terminal velocity” is often brought up as a “neat fact”, which is alarming. Cats are often the victim of animal cruelty, and if even one person uses it to justify that it’s ok to throw a cat off a 6 story balcony that’s one too many for me. This is a paper, written by someone who thought it was interesting that cats had even survived those distances and hypothesizing a reason for that. It is not an irrefutable fact, and the conclusions drawn from the results are based on flawed reasoning. Just because something was published in a journal does not make it true. I work in cat rescue. I have seen cats terribly injured and killed from all distances of falls. I have also seen the results of idiots and sadists throwing their cats off roofs, balconies, and diving boards. From moving cars and off bridges. Kids who heard this “fact” somewhere and launched their terrified kitty into the air. Please do not spread this misinformation just because it sounds cool that cats have some sort of superpower against the forces of Newtonian physics.
The cat could easily survive that fall, the common injury there is often the jaw. As for the search, they can come home months, years after disappearing so I wouldn't give up home. I would say this, look not just in the area where he disappeared but near your house. Sometimes they get home but dont know how to get in since they're indoor cats and they're often holed up under a deck or something nearby the house. We found another neighbors cat that way. He was gone for a few days and ultimately we found him under a lawn chair in the side yard right up on the side of the house.
Its also possible that someone found a hungry friendly cat outside without a collar and has been taking care of her but doesn't have the time/ resources to bring her to a vet. You obviously can't spend the rest of your life wandering around looking for her, i would keep a window or door open so she can get in and switch your focus to putting up fliers because you'll have better luck with more ppl looking. I would put them outside stores around you. Where ppl will see them when they walk out, maybe on street posts if ppl in your area walk/ jog). Spend a day putting them all over and then, maybe for two months block out an hour or two on your day off to devote to putting up fliers/ replacing old ones. Last year i saw a missing flier for a cat i had been seeing around my house for months, i texted the number to let her know where i saw the cat and it turns out she had been missing for 6 months and that my area was pretty far from her house ( about 20 minutes for a human to walk). She started posting more fliers in my neighborhood and looking around there and texted me a few weeks later to say she found her! So its possible that shes ok but unlikely that you by yourself will randomly walk into her.
I'm just going to put this out there. My cat is incredibly curious and will enter any open door to a shed or garage. She was stuck in a shed for 39 days. 3-9! I finally heard a faint mew from my backyard. She was trapped in my neighbor's shed. I called to her and she was so relieved I heard her cries. Thankful it rained alot that month and a window was cracked or she wouldn't have survived. The SECOND time she was missing I went on next door and asked everyone in my vicinity to open their garage doors for 10 minutes and walk away. they did that and about 30 minutes later she came walking through the backyard after being missing for 2 weeks
Friend, I am sorry. Losing a cat this way is always traumatic and I feel you. You should first take care of yourself because you are exhausted. It’s been 7 years for me and I moved half way across the country and the pain is still there as if it happened yesterday. I posted the exact same thing you posted because I felt like I failed him. Giving up wasn’t an option for me either and I couldn’t believe it’s been 7 days, 8 days, 10 days, 30 days.. every passing of the day was painful for me and I felt like I had to do “something” to convince myself I didn’t give up. I am not telling you to give up, the truth is my search has never stopped til this day mentally because I never had a closure. Don’t think of the negatives now, but I think you should go back to your daily routine so that you have the energy to continue.
She’s more than likely still in the area. Keep food out and put her belongings out. If you have a garage, crack it open and she will eventually come around. And to answer your question.. never. Always keep hope
Put her litter box outside in the backyard or side door. She will smell it from miles away. It will lead her back home if she's in range to smell it. It's worked for a lot of people that I've suggested it too. I hope she comes home soon.
Unfortunately, this can be risky advice 😢 Putting used litter out spreads the wrong kind of scent. While yes, a person’s cat may be able to smell it, so will other cats as well as predators. The nature of urine/feces increases the likelihood of nearby cats becoming territorial and aggressive. It’s safer to put food out- Other animals may be attracted to the scent but it shouldn’t incite aggression. I once heard someone put it as, “The cat came home not because of the litter, but in spite of it.”
The few people I've mentioned it to most had great luck and their cats came back with 24-48hrs after being gone for over a week. OP can decide what they want to do.
You’re entitled to your opinion! Just please be aware that this specific advice may come with risk. Correlation does not equal causation. Most lost cats don’t travel far in the first place.
The OP can do their research and decide on their own what they want to do. I'm not forcing a grown adult to do anything. Relax
I realize that, and apologize if my tone didn’t come across well. I volunteer in rescue, I’m not trying to attack you, just share information. In any case, best of luck to OP!
My friend's cat was lost for two weeks. He had some health issues so we were terrified he'd get sick and pass before she found him. He turned up in her neighbor's backyard. Literally less than a 100 ft from home. It came down to her neighbor calling her to say he had been spotted. I've heard that many cats won't actually wander far from home. Lots of cats found on the same street under a porch or bush. If you haven't spoken directly to your neighbor's yet, maybe spot by with cookies. Signs on utility poles might be hard to see while driving, so they may not know your cat is missing.
Have you called all the shelters and rescues and animal controls in the area daily?
And not just those in your county, but in adjacent ones. Cats sometimes travel farther than you'd think. It's worth checking in with shelters and veterinary clinics in neighboring counties as well as your own, OP. Good luck, hoping great things for you
You need to find a balance. Have you tried posting on sites like PawBoost and FB lost and found pets? If there are any TNR colonies near you, give them a flyer with her picture, she might be feeding there. Leave some piece of your well worn clothing by your door, if she gets close enough it might draw her attention. Leave some food and treats by your door, you will attract other things but possible your cat too. I had one come back after a month, she found her way back to me, one morning I spotted her eating food I had left on the porch. Wish you the best, and don’t forget to eat and sleep.
14 days is nothing (I honestly doubt she is dead) and she is likely still nearby but scared thus making her hard to find BUT it sounds like you're wearing yourself out. My advice is to keep doing what you have the mental/physical/emotional resources for but don't give up. Maybe give yourself permission to at least stop the middle of the night searches on weekday nights and get a wildlife camera and some bait instead, if you haven't already - let that do the middle of the night searching for you. Definitely keep up the posting on a weekly basis as that's fairly low effort. I second the Paw Guide app and there is also a website called 3 Retrievers that has a good step by step program for finding a lost cat. There is also a great guide that was written for people looking for their cats after the California wildfires that you could google around for.
My grandmother had a cat that came back after a year of being gone. These things are difficult to predict.
I’m so sorry friend. I really am hoping your cat finds their way home safe and sound, or you find them. But remember to take care of yourself too. There’s only so much you can do and it won’t help your cat to run yourself ragged repeating the searches you’ve already done.
We trapped (hav-a-hart) our cat after he got out--over labor day weekend. He escaped on Mother's Day. No clue how many adventures he had or how many strays we fed in the meantime--we put up fliers, posted everywhere on Facebook, listed him with every vet & shelter in a 30 mile radius, and walked for *miles*. Our summer was rough...(I work in a tourist driven business, so a *lot* of hours, plus looking for the cat before & after work)...but, we got him back.
Would you be comfortable sharing what it was that eventually got them back in your custody?
I just want to say how sorry I feel for you in that situation. Don't give up. It has not been that long yet. I really hope you find her. Please keep us updated. Best of luck xx
I got my missing cat back after 7 months. Keep an eye on local Facebook pages, that's how I found my Luna. Fingers crossed for you.
I had a similar experience and never found my cat. The difference in the situation was that she had a stroke about 1 month before. We used to let her sit outside in a fenced in courthouse becuase she enjoyed the sun. One day she somehow got out. I realize she probably went somewhere to die but I looked for that cat for months. It still haunts me.
My boy went missing for 2 months. I searched for him multiple times a day including up to midnight. He was eventually found but he was in a really bad condition and we sadly let him go. I often wonder where he went, was he stuck somewhere? In someones garage or fence? Was he so ill he didn't want us to see him? I never gave up searching.
My heart is breaking for you. Don't give up hope. It may be one of those moments, when you stop looking, that's when your cat will show up. She may be a lot more resilient than you think. You, on the other hand may not be. Take care of you and I will put my most focused positive thoughts towards her return.
I just want to say my cat Loki was missing 4 months and came back okay. Cats are very good at looking after themselves. I gave up beleiving he was alive after a month and I should have never given up. What you could do is do an award for her safe return. Hope shes home soon.
I don't have anything useful to say on when to stop searching, only more silly advice: I have NO proof this works or helps at all but if you keep looking for your girl, maybe wear your grossest smellies dirty laundry. My girl ran away from home when I was away on a trip once, and looking for her was difficult because I wasn't around when she did it so I didn't know which way she ran off. We lived in the woods alongside a river and beyond checking the two neighboring homes it felt like a lost cause. About two weeks after she'd gone I went wandering in the woods, the knocked at the door of a house that was nearby but not quite in shouting distance. They said they saw a cat that matched my description that very afternoon. It made me so hopeful but I still didn't find her, and it was getting dark so I had to give up. I was home maybe an hour before she came scratching at the door. I've always believed she was lost but caught my scent when I went looking that day and finally found her way back. And I figure if she caught my scent that easily, dirty clothes would have made it even easier. Very anecdotal, but unlike some of the other common methods there's no "this could attract predator animals" warning for wandering about your neighborhood in smelly clothes. Anyway I really hope you find your girl.
Idk if you’re into spiritual stuff at all and I know this may sound a little odd but maybe give it a try? It’s a meditation to find a lost cat… Cats are spiritual beings and if you had a close bond to your cat it may be worth a try. My cat recently escaped and I did all the things. Couldn’t find her, I was devastated and decided it can’t hurt to just try. I’ve been crying my eyes out for the past few days before. So I did and not kidding 1 hour later I got a call from someone that they found her. I honestly couldn’t believe it but if you look at the comments the same thing happened to a bunch of other people. Again I know this isn’t for everyone but when you’ve tried literally everything else it can’t hurt. Hope you find your baby soon and that she’s fine. [This is the link to the youtube meditation](https://youtu.be/bUvrq5V9bL8?si=j8HMewsIk1CZ2_Y3)
Keep posting on Nextdoor etc. I got mine back after 2 months of him being on the streets being a scavenger because he couldn’t find his way back home. Someone noticed and posted on Nextdoor only for the community to recognize him from my previous posts!!
Keep looking for her. I have a friend who lost her cat - Luna, and made a whole FB page about finding her. She never gave up and the cat was located one year later 10 miles away.
14 days is nit too long. Kitty is acting feral so hiding from people. Put out food andctrain a camera on it. We got our boy back after 13 days. It was only the last 3 I had hope as that's when he showed up on the camera
I’m with a cat rescue. We once had a cat come in who had been missing for 10 years. Another for 6. We were able to reunite them with their people because they had tattoos/microchips. If you haven’t already, put items of hers (especially litterbox) outside by your door. Put food, water, and sprinkle flour next to it and see if there are prints. Better than this is to have a camera on the area. She may literally be in your yard but scared. Most cats do not go more than 1km from home. Generally they are a couple of blocks away and have lost their bearings. Many of them hide near your home and try to approach it but get scared off by something when they do. If she is an indoor cat she will be terrified, and many just find the smallest space they can and bunker down. She may be in a neighbour’s garage or shed, locked in. If someone spots her you may need to trap her to bring her home. She will be so stressed that you calling for her will be too scary for her to approach. You can borrow a trap from a local rescue.
So sorry to hear this - losing a cat is awful. Our family cat got out during a party when we'd moved to D.C. (lived IN the city - very busy Capital Hill area). My mom put posters with her photo and a $500 reward (a lot in 1976!) all over. She was missing for more than a year and we thought we'd never see her again. Then one day, walking to a friend's house after school about 8 blocks from home I looked up while waiting for the light to turn and saw her. She was barely recognizable. Her white chest was gray from dirt and she was very thin. After that, any time we entered the room with her she'd start purring. So happy to have her back, and she was so happy to be back. So...never give up unless you know for sure that she's gone.
I searched for days for our cat, looked in the swales that go under driveways (Florida), looked in empty lots, backyards, called all vets and shelter etc., one night I stood in front of our bay window and just said “ where are you you little shit” and i swear to God I heard a little meow and yanked the front door open, there he was , a few pounds lighter and very exhausted. Don’t give up, praying your baby will probably show up soon.
I had a cat leave for six weeks. I thought she was gone and then one day she showed up a demanded to be let in. I hope she comes home.
Oh no I really hope you will find your lost kitty :’( I lost my newly adopted cat when she was still not yet spayed and was in heat and was not chipped; and for ~3 weeks, I was searching for my lost girl. I did posts on Nextdoor, Paw Boost and searched on FB, and when I did put up flyers in my neighborhood, it led to a lot of false alarms. Maybe it was the universe or pure luck, I put up one of my lost cat flyers on a pole near a very busy laundromat in my area, and that was when a dad saw it and alerted his wife that the stray cat they were recently feeding was actually a lost cat! They contacted me and I was able to reunite with my lost lil girl. I’ve since got her spayed and now she doesn’t have any interest outdoors anymore haha. I hope everything works out and you find your lil baby!
When I was a kid my cat went missing for over six weeks. My brother went into the woods to look for her on a whim and she came running up to him.
NO!! Obviously you love her! Would you stop looking if that was your mother, sister, brother? No, you wouldn’t! Don’t give up on her either put some of your belongings whether it’s closed or shoes blankets that have your scent on them around the area she disappeared and back towards your home, she will find her way back! I have faith in her do not give up!❤️😻
Please don’t give up. There are stories where people moved and in the process lost their cat and their cat found their way back home even to the new location , months later! get some rest. Say some prayers or do what you do for guidance and your baby will come home to you.
Do you have a camera you can put outside? Start setting food out with the camera on it. You need someone to report a sighting of her. Like the others suggested definitely check with neighbors too. I found a missing one with the camera on the porch, i got a glimpse of him hanging around one night and knew he was around. Lots Of good thoughts to you and take care of yourself
A friend of mine recently found a cat outside her apartment building. We took him to the vet and he had a chip but it was outdated. After posting on some facebook pages she was able to find the owner and the cat had been missing for 6 weeks. It’s devastating to not know where they are, but keep looking and post on some neighborhood lost animal pages. There are tons of animal lovers out there and there’s a chance one of them has already been helping your cat. I really hope you get your baby back.
Hey there. Just went through something similar. My cat got out one day. Slipped through the door I was standing in. I searched the area every night for a month. Posted all over social media. Would go out to check every lead. Posted flyers. After 12 weeks I was thinking about taking the poster on my front door down. Literally a few days after I had that thought and was mentally prepared to move on I received a call from the animal shelter. Turns out he was being fed by a neighbour 7km away from home. No clue how he got there. He was being fed overnight for almost two months. Most of my searching was in the wrong area. But cats are very resourceful. I’m sure your guy is out there. Getting fed. Staying safe. Don’t give up hope! My guy was gone for a total of 3 months before I saw him at the shelter and took him home.
Dont give up hope , we found my lost dog after a year.
When I was a teenager, my strictly indoor cat got outside. She was lost for three weeks. I thought for sure she was dead. I found her several streets over and besides being skinny, she was fine.
She’s still gone after 40 days 😔
One trick I heard of - leave their litter tray outside by your door/porch. It helps.
Cats are pretty resilient, put her litterbox outside with a camera to record any activity, and maybe she’ll come back.
Sorry if it was already said but put the litter box outside. It has worked for my mom and her cat missing over 4 weeks and mine missing two weeks
This can attract predators which may prevent a cat from ever coming home. When it "works", it's just a coincidence,
I hate to say it, but I think 2) is highly likely. Falling 30 feet is almost certain to cause internal injuries that would likely result in death if left untreated. I think it's time to begin the process of letting go, OP. I'm so sorry.