Posted on 07/22/2013 9:06:25 PM PDT by cradle of freedom
Not true...they can starve to death, but usually end up getting hit by cars trying to find some food. Just like a dog. Dogs are actually better at surviving since they are bigger and can catch squirrels and rats easier.
I had a tiny (runt) polydactyl gray with white paws and a white blaze on her chest. I named her Mittens. She took to sleeping in a sock drawer in the base of my armories wardrobe with the drawer slightly open. When I noticed the drawer sticking out slightly, I pushed it closed. It slowly opened back up to its previous extension. I repeated this several times with the same result. Upon investigation, the mystery drawer contained only socks. Looking further there was enough clearance over the back end of the drawer for the tiny cat to climb over the back into the space behind it. When I pushed the drawer closed it intruded into her comfy space and she pushed back with all four feet. Mystery solved.
When she was in her "comfy" spot and decided it was time for a bite to eat, she would leave and the drawer stayed slightly open, making it easier to get back in on the return trip. Like most cats, she was fastidious and never fouled her nest.
Regards,
GtG
PS There are no ordinary cats
No we looked in every nook and cranny in the house especially the basement which has many years of accumulated junk. But she was not there. There were no sounds at all from indoors. She wasn’t eating for several days and I did notice that she was sitting with her back to the kitchen which is where most of the action took place. She seemed a bit withdrawn. In the routine of everyday life you sometimes do not notice small hints which is what happened.
My husband used to feed her in the morning and I used to feed her at midday and in the late afternoon. I noticed that there was food in her dish when I went to feed her but I figured that maybe my husband had fed her a second time. I wish I had paid more attention.
Wow, you must have been hearing her meow in your sleep thinking that you were dreaming.
I know that I was not dreaming when I heard her meowing outside becuase I was in a light sleep and when I heard the meows I jumped right out of bed. I was on my feet and wide awake when I heard the last couple of meows. I ran right to the open window and called her name a couple of times.
Best of luck! I hope she comes home to you. She may have been adopted by a neighbor who feeds her but lets her out at night. Just a thought.
Good luck!
DO you go out and call her every evening? I do that all the time with my ferals....they come running from all directions....
Even unpracticed, her hunting instinct would have kept her fed.
She was spayed so she couldn’t be in heat beside she was 12 years old which I think would be beyone the mating stage.
What are some of the symptoms of renal failure in cats? Our cat used to use the litter box but for some reason started going outside her box. Her litter box was in the basement so the mess was on the cement floor. My husband brought home some white absorbant mats and would spread them on the floor which she would use.
She went to the vet for the problem and he gave her some medicine for an infection but her avoiding the litter box continued. This was the only bad habit that she had.
Had a male that was all beat up in a fight that did the same. Went off to live in the woods. Since then, I’ll see him about twice a year sneaking up on the porch.
Oh....did I mention it was a cat?
:>)
For one thing with renal failure (kidneys) they can’t hold their water very long. The kitty will drink lots of water but pass the water very quickly. My cat box seemed to really get full faster towards the end of her life. My cat was also missing the box but I don’t think she did it on purpose just couldn’t manage it all too well. I finally knew my cat was in trouble when she stopped eating because this cat always had a big appetite.
I’m certainly no feline expert or a vet but I believe passing lots of water is one of the main symptoms.
Also, in your case your cat may just hate the smell of the litter box and doesn’t want to go near it. You could try switching the litter to something it likes better. You could also try to keep the box very clean for it. Cats are very, very sensitive to smells and they like to try to keep everything clean, What other animal buries it’s own waste? One thing for certain your cat does not like to leave a mess, but my guess is it has given up on using a smelly cat box.
Go outside with a can of tuna and a can opener. Make noise with the can opener and the tuna can together. If it doesn’t work, open the tuna and call her. It works everytime whenever my indoor Kitty gets out
Our cat, Jamie, lived to be 21. At 12, she was still a kitteh... :-)
Our 14yo cat is still very bright-eyed and bushy tailed. She can still best our 3yo cat when he gets too big for his britches. Also, thanks to pull-tab cans, our cats respond better to the sound of banging a spoon on the can than to a can opener sound.
Great post.
Thank all of you for your kind and helpful replies. I have come to the conclusion that my cat has died in the woods across the street from my house. As I told you I heard her meowing near the street on July 15 early in the morning. I had not heard her since then but upon reading many articles about missing cats I thought it wouldn’t hurt to put out some food for her.
I put out some food out on the evening of Tuesday July 23 on the edge of the woods across the street from us. The next day it was gone. Then I put out more food Wednesday. The food was gone again the next day -Thursday.
Thusday rained most of the day so I could not put more food out for her. Friday July 26 I put out the third plate with food and I checked on it on Saturday July 27. The food wasn’t touched. I went out just a little while ago -July 28 Sunday and the food was still there. This time I know that she has passed.
I figure that she passed away either Thursday or Friday. She could have easily crossed the street and come back home anytime she wanted but I guess she knew how she really felt so she chose to die out in the woods. It was not the worst place for a cat to die. It is fairly safe with lots of trees to climb if she had to get away from a predator and a brook of clean water to drink from and she knew that she was close to home. I would go out every day and call to her so she must have heard me and I know that was a comfort to her too.
Once again, thank all of you for your kind thoughts.
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