Expert: Ali - 9/19/2009

Question
My 12 year old un neutered tabby Rusty escaped through an open door about 2 weeks ago. For the nine months we have been living here he has been a strictly indoor cat.However, in the previous house we lived in, he did manage to escape on 3 different occasions , but for no longer than 3 or 4 days(i had to lure him in on 2 of these times)but this is going back at least 6 to 7 years ago.what i need to know is, would his previous outdoor experience make him less afraid of being outdoors? or, due to the fact that the area we lives in now,  is totally unfamiliar to him.im worried sick at the length of time he has  gone missing.is it more or less likely he stayed near to my home?would he still be too frightened to come out of hiding? we do leave food and water near where he escaped(foods been eaten. hopefully by him) I would greatly appreciate your professional opinion regarding my very loved cat asap. Thank you. Marie

Answer
Marie,

Rusty's previous outdoor excursions may have helped him get more comfortable with being outside, unfortunately since he's not neutered according to the information you've provided it's possible that he's roamed quite a ways away from home in search of intact queens who are receptive to mating. I'm not familiar with Rusty's usual personality, but generally a more timid cat will do one of two things when s/he escapes; they will run blindly until their adrenaline runs out and have a difficult time finding their way home again OR they will stay close to home generally within the local area spending much of their time hidden away under porches, garages and other such areas. I can't guarantee that the food/water you're leaving out is only being consumed by Rusty, most neighborhoods seem to have a fair number of stray and feral cats and these guys are often badly in need of a meal so when they come across a free meal they don't pass it up.

Ultimately Rusty hasn't been gone that long, especially for an intact male cat - he may just be off spending time with one or more girlfriends. There are many myths out there about spaying and neutering pets, the majority of these myths are completely false, in fact spaying and neutering our pets has significant health and behavioral benefits. Cats who haven't been spayed or neutered are more likely to develop problem behaviors such as house soiling, aggression towards people or pets, wandering, fighting with other intact cats in the area (territorial disputes are very common with cats, especially when they're intact since cats are so territorial by nature# and disappearing for extended periods of time. Spaying or neutering helps to prevent potentially lethal health problems in male and female cats. For female cats being spayed decreases their chance of developing tumors in their mammary glands and completely prevents reproductive cancers #ovarian, uterine, etc#. Spaying a female cat also prevents a dangerous and sometimes fatal uterine infection called pyometra, this infection causes the queen's uterus to fill with infected material, sometimes foul smelling discharge is evident, other times the infection is contained within the cat's body. If the infection isn't discovered and treated in time there's a good possibility that the uterus will rupture sending infected material throughout the cat's abdominal organs which is likely to be fatal.

For male cats being neutered reduces the likelihood that they'll mark their territory by spraying pungent smelling urine onto walls, cupboards, furniture and other vertical surfaces. Toms who aren't neutered and are allowed outside #or they escape as in this situation# will often get into fights with each other over territorial disputes and mating rights, these fights can result in injuries that if left untreated can be very serious. Bite wounds inflicted during these disputes generally lead to abscesses which are painful pockets of infection that need to be treated by a vet who will drain the infected material and prescribe antibiotics to fight the infection. Neutered toms have smaller home ranges when allowed outside since they don't have the urge to mate, in some cases indoor/outdoor toms that have been neutered will stay within the neighborhood when they're outside. Toms that aren't neutered are at serious risk of developing testicular and prostate cancers as well as infections spread through sexual contact with unspayed female cats. Overall for the future physical and psychological health of your cats I'd highly recommend having them spayed and neutered because these surgeries aren't just about population control #although that's another serious reason for the surgery since so many unwanted pets are euthanized in shelters each year, this doesn't take into account the abandoned pets that make up the stray population in our neighborhoods).

At this point my recommendation would be to check with your neighbors to see if anyone has seen Rusty - a current photo would be best if you have one. I would suggest that you consider making up Lost Cat posters featuring a recent picture of Rusty, when you last saw him, where you last saw him and in my experience offering a reward often helps increase the chances that someone will come forward if they've found Rusty. Putting up posters in your immediate area, pet stores, animal shelters, animal rescue groups and veterinary clinics would be a good start. You may also want to place ads in your local newspapers and free daily publications. The more people you reach the more likely you'll be to find Rusty quickly.

As difficult and awful as this thought is I'd also suggest asking local vets and animal shelters if any of their DOA records match Rusty's description. DOA lists are kept in many shelters and vet clinics to document any animal that comes in either deceased as a result of traumatic injuries such as those caused by being hit by a car OR pets who are seriously injured or ill to the point where euthanasia was the most humane option for a pet without a guardian to cover medical expenses. Most animal shelters run on a limited budget so as much as the staff would like to treat and save every single injured animal that comes into their care there are times when it's just not financially possible. Since it's been two weeks it's likely Rusty's stray time has run out in a shelter if he's been admitted to a local shelter, a sad fact about shelters is that they simply don't have room to keep every pet that comes into their facility in most cases, I don't expect that this is the case but it's important to look at the situation objectively - an animal Rusty's age may be considered less adoptable than younger animals checking out euthanasia records at your local shelter would be a good idea to be on the safe side. I wouldn't waste any time getting the word out, it's also possible that someone in your neighborhood has taken Rusty in as a stray believing that he was homeless since he's been gone for two weeks.

Since Rusty has a history of Houdini like escapes I'd strongly suggest that you consider providing him with some form of identification. A harness or collar with tags is the cheapest way to go, but if your cat hasn't been trained to accept a harness or collar it may be difficult to convince him that wearing ID in this form is necessary. I can help you to work at getting Rusty accustomed to wearing a collar or harness of your choice if you'd like. You may also want to consider microchipping Rusty since this is a permanent form of ID, the only disadvantage to this is the fact that there is some question about these chips migrating throughout the pet's body, sometimes with dangerous consequences. From what I understand this isn't very common, but it's certainly something to be aware of. You could also opt to have your veterinarian tattoo Rusty with a unique set of numbers, letters, symbols or a combination of these characters. Tattoos are a permanent form of ID, that is to say that they can't be taken off or destroyed entirely. If you have any further questions, concerns or you'd like me to clarify anything in this answer I'd be happy to help you to the best of my ability. In the meantime please know that you and Rusty are in our thoughts, we're really hoping for his safe return. I'm more than willing to offer support if you'd like to ask more questions or pick my brain for more suggestions that might get Rusty home to you sooner.