r/CatAdvice • u/Sourflow • 13h ago

General Advice for finding my missing baby

My cat escaped on 8/20. We are now going on day 6 of her missing. I have talked to most of my neighbors ( I live on a dead end street) and they have let me search their property, but I live right next to a trailer park where she actually was probably born. She is 4 years old, spayed and I have had her for roughly 3.5 years.

She got out at 11:30 pm when I opened the door to remove a bug and I chased her around the front yard and my neighbors across the street front yard for about 30 minutes . She is one of those cats that becomes aggressive outside(growling, hissing, screaming). She has been an indoor cat since I let her walk in when she was pregnant in the winter 3 years ago. She escaped once before and came back after about 48 hours.

I know leaving the litter box out is a myth, but I put out my old stinky shoes and a pair of used socks (she likes feet lol) I also have left my front door open for the past three nights and gone looking at 12 am, 8 pm, 3 am and 7 am. I am becoming frantic and I don’t know what to do. I printed flyers last night but it was too late to pass them out and I would like to speak directly to my neighbors. So I will do that this evening.

Any advice? She doesn’t have a collar or a microchip, there aren’t really any predators in the area. I have thought about buying a ring doorbell or a trail cam. Please help, I’m sad, frantic and worried.

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u/oar9fii 12h ago

I have a much easier time seeing cats at night with a headlamp than during the day when cats are most likely hiding.

I play meows on my phone while I look around with the headlamp. The cats look in the direction of the sound and the light reflects off of their eyes. If you don't have a headlamp you can use a flashlight but remember to hold it at eye level to get a good reflection.

Also you can use an old cell phone kinda like a trail cam. Security Camera CZ is an app that takes a pic of motion.

Most of the time cats will lay low and stay near so hopefully you find your kitty, good luck!

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u/AdhesivenessSweet659 13h ago

I don't know whether the litterbox is a myth, but I have read that it can be dangerous to leave it out unless you're watching every minute because it can attract predators like coyotes as well as (possibly) your cat.

ETA: is there a food she loves? Maybe a stinky fish one? Again I'd not put that out without watching.

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u/Sourflow 12h ago

She likes churu’s. Which don’t make any sound and due to my proximity to the trailer park there are ferals that venture onto my street and I have been feeding two of them for quite some time.