Expert: Norman Auspitz - 2/6/2011

Question
Hi, it is 1 o'clock in the morning, and my cat is still out, he hasnt been home since 7 in the evening, and im worried that the worst may have happened, we found him abandoned on a country road in August when he was just a couple of month old, he is about 8 month old now. He has access constantly through the kitchen window. But he always comes back home at night, then he goes to sleep and we shut the window (he knows how to use a litter tray, he has his routine of going out at about 8 in the morning, coming in and out for food till about 3 in the afternoon when he sleeps till any time around 5 - 6 - 7 in the evening, and is usually back in the house for around 10 - 11 o clock at night. and he sticks to his routine, but tonight he hasnt come home, the window is still open, so he has access, I have been around the garden with a head lamp, in his usual spots and had no luck, he is a black cat and with the lamp not hard to spot. Ive also called for him and he never ignores me, untill tonight. Please get back to me as soon as possible.

Thanks.

Answer
Brian,

Cats are very good at hiding in plain sight when they want to, so he could still be lurking around close to home, but be very hard to spot. On the other hand, cats are very much creatures of habit, so it is unlikely he is hiding from you unless he encountered a problem (like a new cat in the neighborhood) and is holed up somewhere.  It is also possible a neighbor took him in on his travels. Cats are very territorial and tend to stay pretty close to their home territory.

If he is not yet home, I would post flyers in the neighborhood, check with the local animal shelters and RSPCA's, check with the local veterinary clinics, and check with your neighbors to see if anyone has seen your cat.

I have known cats to disappear for a number of weeks and then show up, OK, although a little worse for the wear.  If you do spot him and he will not come, you can try a live trap to capture him.

Hopefully, nothing untoward has happened and he just encountered a fright on his evening travels.

Please let me know what happens.

Concerned regards... Norm.