lost cat - please help

[Dan G]

Hello,

I have lost my cat - please help! She escaped out the front door this morning as I was taking my boy to school.

Her name is Holly, she is a one year old tabby and white cat, she doesn't have a collar yet as we only just got her, and I didn't mean for her to get out of the house just yet. We have only had her for a week and I'm worried she won't return as she was still settling in. She is a quite nervous and shy cat and until this point hasn't left the house, so I'm nervous she won't come back because she isn't yet familiar with the surrounding area.

Please get in touch if you see her. I live on Friern Road, the Peckham Rye end, and my number is 07966464379.

I have two children who are devastated and desperate to get their new feline friend home. Please get in touch if you see her.

Many thanks,

Dan

[Dan G]

Here she is

[Dan G]

Another pic

[Dan G]

Final photo

[singalto]

Call her early evening and shake some treats or biscuits. Hopefully she?ll be hungry and will comeback. Fingers crossed.

[michelle7984]

Leave her litter box outside the smell will attract her

[Dan G]

Yes, I have done that. I left her blanket, carry case and toys, which have her scent on them, and her food bowl to try and tempt her. The food we left out was eaten by some animal, or other.

I had a call from someone who saw her up by Belvoir Road, quite a walk from our end of Friern, so I drove up there and talked to some people who live around there but couldn't find her. It's like looking for a needle in haystack.

She is chipped so I guess I'm relying on someone finding her and taking her to the vet too - she doesn't have a collar so I presume people might think she is a stray.

[IlonaM]

Hi Dan,

You have probably done this, but if not contact local vets, Celia Hammond, RSPCA, Battersea etc.

Also are you registered on Next Door East Dulwich etc.to expand coverage?

Cats Protection has useful advice on finding lost cats: https://www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/lost-found-and-feral-cats/lost-a-cat

If she has been seen as far as Belvoir Rd I'll keep an eye out further down Underhill.

I hope you find her soon.

Ilona

[singalto]

Have our put posters up around where you live and where she was last seen?

[Dan G]

yes, cat posters up, vets, shelters and chip company informed.

i think i saw her on our road last night. i tracked her for an hour or so in the dark, offering her treats until she came to me and let me pet her. then i tried to pick her up and carry her home so i could check in the light that it was definitely holly but it did not go down well. she scratched me so i let her go and she bolted again.

so i have a problem: even if i find her, getting her to come back to my house, which she still doesn't identify as home, or to come to me, who she still doesn't fully trust, will be tough. we have been leaving cat treats and our holly's litter tray outside our home. both of which are being used, though not necessarily both by our cat!

[CarolineDL]

Have you thought of traps? It might be a good idea considering she is scared.

[Dan G]

CarolineDL Wrote:

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> Have you thought of traps? It might be a good idea

> considering she is scared.

it's a good idea. i have thought about it, my main concern is catching someone else's poor cat, or worse a fox!

i am going to try bringing a towel out with me later to wrap her up in, if i'm lucky enough to find her again, so at least i won't feel her scratches

[d walker]

Towel is good idea, also do you have thick gardening gloves? Also I know you have her litter tray outside, is it worth sprinkling some of her used litter at edge of your garden by pavement so that her scent is on your boundary? You might also find it easier if you do grab her to have second person with her cat basket at the ready so that you don't have to carry her any distance as if she's scared she'll struggle and she'll be difficult to hold. Also tempt her with smelly food? Sardines, tuna? Good luck.

[CarolineDL]

Let me know if you need any help one day! I'd be happy to help.

[Dan G]

I saw her again last night in a neighbour's garden - she was mewing loudly from the bushes - but she wouldn't come close enough to take a treat let alone allow me to try to coax her home. I think I'm going to have to try a trap, or call Battersea for advice.

[Dan G]

CarolineDL Wrote:

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> Let me know if you need any help one day! I'd be

> happy to help.

That is so nice of you to offer. An extra pair of hands would certainly help. My wife can't help me look int he evening because she has to stay in with the children. I might take you up on the offer if I can't entice her in this week.

[kiera]

Enticing her is the right approach - not trying to grab her. It's very difficult to grab a cat that doesn't want to be picked up when it's free to run away - if you're unsuccessful, you'll only succeed in making her more wary. Just put food down, talk to her and encourage her to regard you as a friend. See how that goes, let us know how you get on and those of who've been through this before can advise you what to do next - you're doing fine, it just takes time and patience.

[Broadbean]

Would you be able to put a cat trap in the neighbours garden where she has been seen as you may be able to catch her quicker seeing as she is not very used to you . Good luck at getting her back home.

[Dan G]

It was slow and torturous progress at times but I Finally managed to lure holly home with food. She must have been hungry! We?re thrilled to have her back but not sure how happy she is about the new arrangement - she hid under the sofa straight away. Thanks all for the support no

[kiera]

That's a relief - very good news - thanks for letting us know.

[Mystic Mog]

I am so glad Holly is safe. I wonder if she came from a very quiet home with no children and finds it all too much. Maybe she should go back to rescue and be rehomed to somewhere more suited to her needs. Well done for getting her back though.

[Broadbean]

You could try keeping her in just one room for a few days so she can adjust to her new environment and let her explore the rest of the house gradually so she doesn't feel to scared and give her plenty of places she can hide in like cardboard boxes so she feels safe and can get used to you in her own time . Good luck , she will get used to everything in her own time .

[singalto]

I agree with Broadbean... I had to do that with my cat after she?d gone missing for 5 days.

[Pugwash]

We had a very nervous cat (rehomed as previous owner had to go into sheltered accommodation) and she stayed in the spare room for several weeks with family members visiting her on a regular basis during the day plus feeding her. When she began to respond to us, we used a wire cat basket and placed her for short time in the various rooms so that she could smell her 'location' and this progressed to the basket being taken out into the garden. We also had 2 other cats at the time and she was able to get used to them. With the exception of our first cat (way back in the 1970s) the other cats have been 'rehomed' and the above method was used with all of them.

We also encouraged the children not to keep picking the cats up as most cats are nervous of kids initially.

[hpsaucey]

Also did the same as broadbean, singalto and pugwash...

Took in a street cat and had to get them used to two other resident cats and (and kids).

Slowly slowly and plenty of hidey holes worked.

HP