Outdoor cats are routinely allowed outdoors, for any amount of time. They are territorial in nature and unlikely to stray just for a lark. Whether your cat is an indoor or outdoor cat affects how you should approach your search. The four factors discussed in previous segments come into play, with instinct and behavior of your outdoor cat. Those four factors are:
When an outdoor cat vanishes, it means that something has happened to disrupt his security and daily routine. Your cat may be afraid to return home, because of some intimidating factor. He may have been chased into unfamiliar territory nearby and is panicked, hiding in unfamiliar territory (just a few houses or blocks away). His disappearance could also mean that he is injured, trapped or even, I'm sad to say, deceased within his own territory.
Always ask: What happened to my cat? Is there a cranky neighbor or a new dog in the area that could have frightened him? Was my cat feeling ill? Did I hear any cat fights recently?
Cat personalities provide some good direction on how to structure your search. The following modules offer a quick refresher of the personality types.
Curious/Clown Cats: Put up posters in at least a 5-block radius, talk to neighbors and ask to search their yards. Search near the point of escape, including adjacent yards. These cats may not come when you call for them.
Careless Cats: Search nearby hiding places and canvas the neighborhood door to door, interviewing your neighbors and, if allowed, searching their yards.
Cautious Cats: These cats may return either in the first 2 days, or after 7 to 10 days when hunger or thirst drives them home. Food will play a role in luring such cats back, but you may still need to use a humane trap.
Catatonic/Fearful Cats: These cats tend to stay in one hiding spot, immobilized with fear. The primary strategy to recover fearful cats is to set a baited humane cat trap.
Cats are very territorial and when displaced into unfamiliar territory they will hide in silence. Searching during the day is a great idea, but also search at night. Your cat has many survival instincts and may feel more relaxed and prone to meow or come out of hiding under the cover of darkness. If you can, search your neighborhood at night as well, using a high power flashlight and an amplified listening device.
There are 8 different scenarios for what could happen to missing outdoor cats. Consider these and assess where you live and which is most likely to apply to your cat. Cats that are sick, injured, or panicked will hide in silence-a behavior we call "The Silence Factor." Consider all of the following situations when constructing your search methodology.
Probability of Theft - when someone intentionally takes your cat. A rare or pure breed or a "clown cat" living in an urban area is more likely to be grabbed than a fearful or cautious cat living in a rural area. While not the most likely scenario, consider the physical and circumstantial evidence:
Probability of Rescue - Has someone found your cat and assumed he was abandoned? Here rescuer behavior and good intentions lead to giving a cat to protective custody, a rescue group or "good home."
Probability of Intentional Transport - Someone wanted to move your cat out of the area. Are there neighbors angry towards your cat? While rare, your neighbors may be bird fanciers, animal haters, or just people who are cruel to animals.
Probability of Unintentional Transport - Someone accidentally moved your cat out of the area. "Curious cats" can climb into open car windows, open vans, or inside an object that could be moved, such as boxes or furniture. You need to consider how curious your cat is and how much traffic there was in your area/neighborhood the day he disappeared.
Probability of Injury, Illness or Death - During any one of these situations, outdoor cats will almost always seek shelter in their own established territory. Around 90 percent of injured/deceased cats that I have found were within a 1-house radius of their own home! Of those, 80 percent were hidden. These cats hide on purpose and do not meow when called. Search around your house as well as your neighbors', with permission, everywhere.
Probability of Wildlife Kill - The terrain and frequency of sightings of predators like coyotes, foxes and bobcats will dictate the level of risk. Obviously, if you live in a high-rise building in New York City, your cat is not likely to be under as many threats as those in rural areas or around more exposed terrain.
Probability of Being Trapped - Cats are nosy. This curious nature leads them into places that aren't the safest, especially those areas where there is a higher risk of becoming trapped. Consider your neighborhood and ask yourself:
You need to look up, down and all around to see all the possible places your cat could be.
Probability of Territorial Displacement - Cats are territorial. They won't run away from home under ordinary circumstances. But they can be driven to a foreign territory - by another, more dominant cat or a dog that chases them out of their comfort zone. Once there, cats typically hide in silence. When your outdoor cat is displaced out of his territory, the best methods for recovery are those discussed in the "Finding an Indoor Cat" module.
Try to avoid behaviors that will inhibit rather than help your search:
Don't feel intimidated about asking your neighbors for permission to search their yards. This is often the most likely place where your missing cat could be. You need to conduct an aggressive physical search for your missing cat. Don't narrow your search efforts by simply posting flyers or searching the cages at the local shelter, either. Though, you should definitely do these things, too.
The biggest thing to know about rescuers is that they are not looking for you. Rescuers typically assume that cats they find are "abandoned." People rarely check to see if a cat is missing or wanted before looking to place it in a new situation.
Microchipping is so important. I've even heard stories of cats reunited only after someone took the cat to a vet for a physical where the vet scanned it, detected a chip, and called HomeAgain.