Please please PLEASE if anyone can offer me happy stories of cats trotting home after 3 nights away, I need to hear it. I found this site last year after losing my beloved Mink to a car. Slowly I've come to terms with that. Three months ago I lost my father. Coping with that. (He was very ready.) I inherited his wonderful cat, Twitchit. Gorgeous big Maine Coon, he and I have loved each other for years. My other three cats like him, and he likes them, and we've smoothly been easing into a blended household. He still spends a lot of time at Dad's next door, and I feed him both places; I'll be moving there once I remodel. He's been adjusting well to Dad being gone, and just Saturday afternoon we had a nice long belly-rubbing bonding moment on the lawn.

He's used to coming and going as he wants. He's a healthy, neutered six year old, and we live in a rural area. I'm trying to reassure myself that he's just out for summertime romping. In the past he's journeyed for up to two days that I know of. His biggest nighttime threat is raccoons, there are coyotes and even cougar rumors in the county, but no one has seen any within this area that I know of. He isn't on the road or in the ditches.

Please send him your thoughts to come home, or let me find him if he's injured. And if you have any positive stories to share, I REALLY need to hear them right now. If your story has a sad ending, please don't post.

I just can't take any more losses...
Kimberly

Dear Kimberly, I hope you have already found your Twitchit, there is lots of hope for you and I am sending you and Twitchit positive waves. A long time ago, a tom cat that had adopted us went missing for many months -usually it was normal that he go missing for a few days but there, after a few months, I thought he was gone forever... Then one night he scratched at our screen door! It was such a beautiful moment, hope you get yours too! We also have racoons and coyotes in our area. I have always let out my cats at night because they loved the nights out so much but they were never harmed by it; cats that have their claws can be quite a challenge so usually the racoons and coyotes go for smaller, easier prey. My cats went out most nights for 13 years, in the end, it was illness that got them. You know, when my tom cat would disappear for several days and sometimes come back in smelling of expensive perfume, I always wondered if he wasn't two timing us, oh well, at least he had good taste!
Hope all will be as you want it to be, like you said, and I agree you've had your share of losses, Twithcit, please hurry back!

Thank you for your reassurance. Nothing yet. I'm trying so hard not to fall apart. I'm making a flyer this morning to post around the neighborhood.

For those of you trying to connect with him and send him home, here he is:
I'll keep you posted.
Kimberly

another photo of him:

I've always kept my animals in at night. Dad's cats have always had an unrestricted kitty-door. I put a door in at my house that lets him in, but won't let anyone out without a special collar. My goal was to teach him that he could come in and out of my house at will, then acclimate him to staying in my house overnight (there's a manual lock on the door). I was trying to do this gradually, instead of forcing the issue and freaking out the entire household (4 cats). Oh Twitch, PLEASE come home soon!
Kimberly

Hello Kimberly.

I am new to this board and will be posting my story soon. I can tell you that cats can be gone for several days and that is NOT unusual. I understand how you feel as I am going through the same thing....please keep us posted.

i am bereft. i can'tr stop crying. oh please twitch come back. i can't breathe

I can hear my dad in my head saying over and over, "it's okay, it's okay, he's with me."
Dad died 3 months ago.
I can hear him trying to be reassuring, but I'm not ready to deal with yet another loss.

I was supposed to take care of Twitch. Dad entrusted me to take care of him...
kimberheartbreaking

how many months was he gone?

I haven't the exact amount of time where he was gone, but I figure anywhere between 5 and 9 months. It was hard to mark the date because he was often gone for one or two days. This cat was not neutered, I never knew where he came from either, only that one day he appeared as a young skinny yearling begging for food along with the other barn cats. He made his way into my heart, especially because the other barn cats were not very friendly with this stranger. So he was welcomed in my house to rest and eat, and soon he would come and scratch at my screen door in the middle of the night, people used to say I wouldn't put up with this for anyone else. So he went away for that long while. But he did come back and my message is to never give up hope, the idea of putting up flyers is a good one, letting your shelters know you have a cat missing. Sometimes these cats may have two families without the families realizing this. Maybe someone has decided enough wandering and is keeping him inside with them. But it's hard and I know how you are feeling. I send you positive waves both of you Mink & Willow's mom and Paris. I send you joy:I will never forget the feeling of joy when he came back, I wish you the same to both of you. Take care and keep me posted.


Not that it matters much in the story but this cat gone for 5 to 9 months happened
a long while ago in 1984...But about a year ago a friend of mine lost her cat for about that same amount of time(5 or 9 months?) and her cat returned, she meowed in the middle of the night one night, the cries bolted my friend out of her sleep,she teared across the stairs knowing it was her cat's voice, and lo! it was. That cat came back and was trying to tell them all about it, meowing away at them, they will never know the story except that it is one that shows happy stuff happens, Please keep hoping.

Dear (((((((Kimberly))))))

My thoughts and prayers go out to you in hopes that your precious Twitch comes right home to you...... I copied/pasted a post that I wrote to a member on May 8th, 2007 whose furkitty was missing:

Here it is:

I can remember back 32 years ago (I was 14), when my precious furcat Sandy (my name for him was Irving ), didn't come home one night. I counted on my mom to watch out for him during the day when I was at school, and as soon as I came home, I walked around my neighborhood & called his name hundreds of times, posted signs. We also put an ad in the local newspaper. My friend and I would knock on doors and see if anyone had seen him or heard of a new kitty in the area.

I prayed to God, St. Francis & St. Anthony that we would find him and/or that he was safe and in the care of someone who was feeding and giving him water.

Losing a pet, a beloved best friend is devastating. I remember having a constant sickening feeling in my stomach -- Day after day, night after night, not knowing his whereabouts..... I desperately wanted/needed him back -- my heart was shattered without him !

That, to me, is the difference between a pet who is lost from home and a pet who was died. With the latter, at least you know where your furbaby is.
When one is lost....you just don't know where they are, or if they're okay. What if they're hurt and can't get home? Were they hit by a car and on the side of a road??

It's the NOT KNOWING that can make one insane. I just could not rest.


QUOTE
I am kindly suggesting that the missing and lost board be encouraged and active.



I've been a very grateful member here at Lightning-Strike after we had our sweet girl, Ernestine put to sleep in February 7, 2004. I didn't know that Lightning-Strike (or, any type of group) existed until the early hours of February 8th, after my husband went to sleep for the night. I needed to 'talk' with others who understood what I was going through, so I did a computer search for "Pet Loss Support.

I think the only way the "Lost or Missing Pet Support" forum could become more active is by word of mouth and/or if someone is looking for support and did a computer search.

I have put up a sign in our veterinarian's office letting people know about LS. Whenever I hear ("overhear" ) someone talking about an issue that I feel LS can be beneficial, I write out the Lightning-Strike link for them.

With regard to our furkitty Sandy (Irving ) so many years ago, it was just about 2 & 1/2 weeks when our waiting came to an end. I was very blessed that our story had a very happy ending. (Thank You God!!)
Not even 1/8th mile away (a couple of blocks), as I was sitting on the steps in front of my girlfriend's house, sitting on the porch windowsill of the house to my left was my sweet boy !
I confronted the people who took him and they wouldn't give him to me - saying that they really wanted him - they'd "buy him" from me .

Being a kid, I was scared, so I ran home and got my mother. Thankfully everything worked out well and we took him home, where he was supposed to be !

I know that our Lost and Missing Pet Support board is not that active. I just did a Google search for "Lost and Missing Pet Support" and here is the result:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=lost+...ing+pet+support

There is a support group on Yahoo:

http://groups.yahoo.com/search?query=pet+loss+support

And, I thought I'd check on Care2 for pet loss support groups, (which I've found to be a very supportive community for various interests), and found this:

http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/CircleofLife

Miracles can happen -- I will pray that a miracle happens and that Twitch finds his way home, or that you find your way to him...... I'd love for you to feel that same type of elation that I felt so many years ago!

I LOVE all animals -- I just want to tell you that your beautiful Twitch is a gorgeous Maine Coon. I believe that there is a huge liklihood that perhaps your Twitchit wandered away and someone could be keeping him....

I know you said that you live in a rural area --- I live in a big, busy City - but, have you put up signs that he's missing, contacted ALL of the veterinarian's in your area, put an advertisement in the newspaper, etc....??? All of these things will help, in addition to prayer, which I firmly believe in.

I will most definitely keep your beautiful guy in my prayers that he find his way home, or that you find your way to him.....

Sending you much comfort,

Denise

Mink & Willows Mom

Oh I'm so sorry to hear your Twitchit is missing! I'll do my best to help him come home. He is so beautiful! He, and you are in my thoughts.

No matter what remember, you did take care of him the very best you could.

Love

a lovely cooncat, reminds me of tribble. he looks like he can take care of himself pretty well. hopefully he is just on an outing and is sharing some space with a friend for a bit. the flyers are a good idea, i wish you both the best.

It's now been 5 days. Last night I broke down in a torrent of grief, sobbing wildly. I'd been hearing my dad reassuring me, "he's okay, he's fine." But I didn't know which side of the veil he was okay on. Then yesterday afternoon it changed: I could hear my dad telling me, "it's okay, he's with me." I don't know whether it's just a thought banging around in my head, or some cross-frequency truth my intuitive soul can hear. The dull ache of grief is almost easier to bear, I'm afraid of hope rising again, because the crashing down again hurts so much.

My nephew searched the woods and found nothing. I'll print up more flyers and deliver them door to door. I hadn't thought about contacting the vets. I spoke with the Sheriff's office and the road dept today, neither of them picks up domestic animal bodies, (only deer) knowing that families need to find their babies. Twitchit won't let anyone else get near him, so I can't imagine someone would have taken him in. He has a collar and ID tag, so he's clearly not a stray. He's a strong boy of 15 pounds, and holds his own in cat fights. I'd noticed in the last couple of weeks that he's become more fiercely protective of my property, so maybe he's renegotiating his territory.

If another animal had attacked him, I think I would have heard. I wake out of a dead sleep to ANY kind of cat yowling, especially when it's one of my kids. I can hear the dog bark that lives 1/4 mile away, and the roosters that live farther than that.

He's healthy, he loves me, he likes my other kitties -- I can't envision him choosing to run away. He's been dealing with Dad's death pretty well, I think. The most logical solution is that he's on a vacation romp. Oh I hope so....
Kimbersad

Hi Kimberly.

I understand your pain 100%. I am going though the same thing now and the worst part is not knowing. One moment I feel assured that my cat (Bennett) will come back, the next moment I have a horrible realization that I will never see him again. I keep having dreams about him.

I still think five days is not very long for a cat like Twitchett to be gone. I hope so much that he shows up soon.

Oh, my gosh, I've been going through this too! Shadow has been gone since 5 June, and every day, and every night I'm outside calling her, walking around my neighborhood, I contacted my neighbors personally, put flyers personally in every mailbox in about a 3-block radius, and have plans for many more, and then I'll start all over again. I put in the lost report at the shelter, and when I go there every other day (a heart-wrenching experience), I check all 3 rooms, including the isolation room (the only rule is that you can't go back in the other rooms afterward), and then I have them check their DOA books, and their "found but keeping at home" books, because people do find cats but keep them in their homes maybe hoping that their owners will never report them. I also listed on craigslist, and the people were very sympathetic but haven't found my cat. I believe Shadow is in the woods behind my house, where they're doing construction on a school, but there is a remnant of woods there, and there are coons and possums and foxes and deer back there. I'm mostly frieghtened that Shadow has been surprised by a coon, cause they're vicious to feed their litters this time of year, so I make regular trips through there.

I've been wanting to hear stories of cats coming back after months and months - I need to hear that, to keep hope. The hardest thing to deal with here is hope - how long do you hold on - I feel unfaithful if I don't do the utmost, and I have several medical conditions which wear me out physically when I make my searches. I literally cry at night not just from the discouragement but the exhaustion. Last night, and at various times during this ordeal, I have seen gray cat-like shapes racing through my yard, and they are so Shadow-like, I have to believe they are. I just need to hear those miracle stories, that hope. Cats have such senses of where they belong that I have to believe Shadow knows where she lives.

Mink and Willows Mom, it's one of the hardest things, I know from experience, but keep your hope. Twitchit may be enjoying that weather and the different experiences. He has a lot in his favor. He's a big cat, very intimidating, and at this time of year, most raccoons are small, I've noticed. Unfortunately Shadow is a small cat and in summer we have her shaved cause her fur is so fine it gets matted too easy, so that's a point against her. However, cats are smart, I think they burrow if they can and keep quiet during the day.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't lose hope. It's so easy to give up and give in, but we have to help each other. We're all we have. Sometimes (most times) the family doesn't understand. The ironic and eerie thing is that Shadow is my son Kevin's cat, and Kevin is leaving for college at the end of the month, and now Shadow leaves. I try not to find parallels, but it's hard. I don't know if you're religious at all - some folks aren't and that's okay with me - but I find comfort in prayer and I'm trying to do what I can as a human with medical issues, and with the help of my kids, but I'm also trying to leave the ultimate control up to God. But that's just my way of dealing. And believe me, I don't know if I'm doing very well at that.

Well, I hope and pray that Twitchit finds his way home. If it's any consolation, most cats do have an ingrained sense of where they belong, but I kow that words won't bring him into your arms again. Whatever the outcome, please know we are here for you, and will support and cry or rejoice with you. Please take care - Barb

Kim and Barb,

I am with you. I am waiting now five weeks for Bennett to come home. I agree that cats are very smart, and that they do not get lost. They are independent and do go off on their own. Bennett always comes and goes, but this time is the longest. Cats are survivors, moreso than dogs.

I feel guilty because I stopped putting collars/id tags on Bennett, because he kept coming home without them on.

I am also trying to turn to God to deal with whatever happens. Whatever happens is God's Will. It makes you appreciate things, doesn't it?

I am reluctant to post, because this news is so very sad. Because you all have been following this thread, I will go ahead and post this here, but will then take my comments to Death and Dying Pet Support. Those of you who wish to keep supporting me, please follow me there.

Paris, I understand your reservations, but I hired the Animal Communicator psychic to help. I have had way too many experiences after Mink passed, and just before and after my dad passed, to question whether the spirit world and the physical world are fully interwoven. I am not religious, and I have been trained as a scientist, but there is far more of the mystic than we know, unless we tap in and listen.

She had quite tried to discourage me from purchasing her service after looking at the sketched map I sent her. There are so many woods, she was concerned that if the message was "I see trees and brush" it would be next to useless. But I hired her anyway.

She said:
Twitch believes he has crossed over to the spirit world because his body is not moving and he is not hungry

he remembers seeing a hole that is near the ground
he had to jump up a slight bit then had to jump down to get into the hole
(over a lip or something to get in)
(doesn’t feel like a house or shed)
man-made hole
may be pump house or well or some kind of man-made hole
even be a hole of a foundation of a house
a place to gain access to plumbing, pumphouse, wiring


Twitchit remembers that Dad had a man come out who was wearing a plaid shirt
and the man had to lay down on the ground and then on his side to get access to the hole

the hole is near your father’s home

unfortunately some animal came out of the hole
and then Twitchit saw nothing

this happened at dusk or around dusk

my sense of is that Twitchit went toward the light rather quickly
and that his spirit did not linger

now he seems to be part of a greater white light or the greater good

he has not heard me calling, and yet he is very close to your father’s home

He has a real sense of freedom and not dependent on the body
A peaceful, wonderful feeling

I was wracking my brain to figure out what she meant, and then the part about a man laying on the ground, then on his side rang a bell. "Are you sure it was a man?" "Well no, maybe I'm being [gender]ist, it could have been a woman. Do you have short hair?" (I do.)

Last winter, in all the storms, I had to crawl under my brother's porch, first on my belly, then had to lay on my side to get at a pipe that had burst. My plaid flannel shirts are the ones I wear when I'm going to get grubby but want to stay warm. It was Dad's house then, and he came over in his scooter while I did the repair. Twitch wouldn't have known the legal aspect of Dad's ownership, but would have sensed Dad regarding it as his responsibility. Under the house there is a hole with a lip that Twitch would have to step over to go in. There is a lot of cat pee smell under there, so many cats and probably other critters get under there. Immediately visible inside the hole are wires and pipes. I've seen Twitch go under there, and he does it by getting up onto Scott's porch, then jumping down off the side where there's a gap in the skirting.

After I got off the phone with her, I donned coveralls and grabbed a flashlight, and crawled under Scott's house. Found nothing, no body, no collar, but prey animals move their kill away from the kill site to keep the smell of death and blood away from hunting grounds where they might be able to go back and hunt again. I will probably go search around in the woods (just feet away) to see if I can at least find a collar.

After Twitch first disappeared, I heard Dad saying, "it's okay, he's fine."
Then a couple days later it changed to him saying, "he's fine, he's with me."
I didn't want to believe it, but it was ringing deep.
With Hilary's feedback now too, I think I have to let go of hope.
Hilary said she hopes hopes hopes she's wrong, and I do too.

I have loved Twitch since the day I brought him home for my dad. I was sooooo looking forward to him being a part of my family, and I am crushed to lose him.

When is the Universe going to stop taking precious things away from me?
kimbergrief

Dear M&W's Mom,

I was reading your post and looking at that pretty boy's picture (and sending you both love and strength - holding you all in the light as the Quakers say). I thought, he's lovely, and has a strong and fine character. Then I read your last post. I'm sorry.

I was touched by your father's messages to you and I believe he was definitely saying, it's o.k., he's o.k. He is o.k. The changing tone of what you heard your father say would make me wonder too, though. My mother is pretty clear with me like that also. Unfortunately, I sometimes misconstrue the nuances of her messages. That's what might be happening here, missing the subtleties.

I think he might still be o.k. Even the best communicator can only work with the input she's getting, but none would say definitively, in good conscience. Like she said, she hopes to be wrong. An animal's spirit is very much like our's, as unique as the indivudual. He well may have had a harrowing experience that did not end in the ultimate tragedy.

Your little friend has been through a rough time, as you have. (An understatement). He may be off contemplating as a cat might do, especially one who so enjoyed his freedom. He may still be about.

Finally, let me say, how lovely that you do this for your father. It is my sincerest wish that if I should go, the people that I love will look after my amazing animal companions and love them for me when I'm gone. Not just love them but afford them the depth of love and respect for them that you show here. You did a wonderful thing for your Dad, for his memory and for his beloved cat. You should be very proud.

I hope you have your answers soon and that Twitchit heard me when I told him to go home!

Zookeeper, thank you for your incredibly kind thoughts. Dad knew that I cherished Twitch. He said that Twitch had been the best cat he ever had. A couple of months before he died, he saw Twitch drooling happy on my lap (see photo) and told me "You bring out the very best in him." (My connection with cats has always been inexplicably deep -- far beyond the pale. Cats have always been "we", not "they.")

I've been feeling some guilt that I didn't take better care of Twitchit -- in the end I didn't keep him safe. I could have been more aggressive about locking him in at night. (Even though I know that would have turned my house into howling bedlam.) I KNOW my Dad wouldn't agree with this -- he has never agreed with my decision to keep my two youngest indoors-only -- but still, I only kept him alive for what, 3 months after Dad died??? (Yes, I know this doesn't make sense. But it FEELS like it does.)

I know that outdoor animals have shorter lifespans, but after Dad left, I asked Twitch if he could give me 5 years. "Yes," he said. So maybe, maybe, maybe he's still going to be able to honor that....?

I'll still check back here, but I've also started a topic on the Death and Dying forum, so anyone can talk to me there too. I do SOOO appreciate your thoughts. When Mink died, I was so grateful I had his body to bury. No sense of wondering, a clear sense of closure. I sure wish I had that now. This not-knowing limbo is ... the self-doubt and second-guessing it creates is unbearable.
Kimberly

He is the most beautiful cat. Dont give up hope. My beautiful boy Nelson disappeared when he was five years old for about 5 days - the longest five days of my life. He is a cat that never goes anywhere so it was completely out of character. I was beside myself - I ate a banana in that five days - I thought I was going to have a break down. Anyway one afternoon I was sitting out the back (crying) and I heard his voice and thought I really was going insane and there he was. I swear to god I still wonder where he went and why. This cat sleeps in my bed everynight and only goes out to the toilet reluctantly so the whole thing was very strange. Anyway my point is dont give up because I never would have thought I would have got back my boy. Good luck and I 'll keep checking for good news.

Hope is such a funny thing. Today is Day 8. I believe Twitch has died. You can see why from my posts above, but another reason is that as soon as I arrived at that point, my dad quieted in my head. Haven't heard him needing to tell me anymore, "he's okay, he's with me." Maybe it's my own intuitive knowing, I don't know what it is, but I'm not hearing it like a gong anymore.

And yet, I am not able to turn off the back porch light at night yet. (Which had become my signal to him I was still awake and would let him in if he wanted.) I am not able to take down his food dish at his house. I am not able to take down the flyers I posted. Just on the chance....

But then, I've also not yet been able to erase my dad's final voicemail off my answering machine either. Even though I have it on a CD and on a .wav file (courtesy of a very gracious local radio station). It just seems so ... final.

Not yet.

HOPE BEATS! A neighbor called, to say her neighbor had seen a fluffy gray cat in her back yard today, and gave me her address. I went over and turned out it was not the same cat she'd seen, that one had been pale, nearly white. "But..." she said, yesterday or the day before she saw a tabby in the street when she was at the corner. At first she thought it was her cat (who is indeed a brown tabby stripe), then realized it was too big and had white feet. It dashed into the woods, "in that clearing spot, over near Scott's house." That's only two lots over!!!!!

I just walked through the woods, gently calling, and heard nothing, but.... Is it possible he's just taking some time to think things through? So as I walked, I talked to him, told him how much I want him to come live with me, or he can stay in his house, and I'll come over every day and spend time with him there.

Tomorrow I'll be spending some serious time in the woods (about 6 acres' worth). Please let it be him! And if so, please let him decide to come home...

Keep your fingers crossed for us --- AND be prepared to catch me if my hopes come crashing down again....
Kimberly

Hi Kimberly and 5catsmom.

It's funny, all three of us are going through the same thing (although you, Kimberly, have more to deal with). I wake up each morning and look out the window, and brace myself to see the deck empty. It's a moment I dread. Next thing I do is check here hoping that either Twitchet or Shadow has returned. All three of us are on a roller coaster ride between hope and despair.

I think a cat's sense of time is different from ours, and I do believe most cats can survive out there, and many choose to be out there. I don't blame myself for letting Bennett be an outdoor cat, but why wasn't I more careful and keep putting a collar/id tag on him? (They used to come off, but still....) I also feel guilty for not micro-chipping Bennett (a small procedure.) How stupid of me.

I got a few calls from the ads I had in the paper. I spoke to two people who had a cat hanging around their home. They seemed conscientious enough to feed the cat and call me. But when I suggested to them they put a FREE classified ad in the local paper (takes 2 minutes to do) they listened to me but never placed the ad. My point.....these people at least took the time to read the "Lost/Found" ads but didn't take the extra step to place their own ads for other people to read. So I'm wondering if there are people out there that may see or be feeding our cats but they aren't even thinking to look at the Lost/Found ads. For all I know, someone has Bennett visiting them in their yard and just thinks it's some friendly neighborhood cat.

Did Twitchet and did Shadow have id tags or microchips?

Twitch has both.

That's great.

I don't quite know what to do with these feelings....

I have come to accept that Twitch is dead. It's been 12 days.

But three times now people have said they might have seen him. Twice, "I saw a big fluffy tabby with white feet dash into the woods," and then a woman at a nearby garden store (well, 5 miles away) said they had a huge Maine coon move in under their building.

It's so unlikely, I don't want to raise my hopes. But WHAT is THAT?!? WHY am I not wanting to dance on my tippy-toes that he might be alive? Rationally, I know I'm weighing the likelihood (miniscule) against the pain of crashing down again (enormous), but I feel like I'm betraying him by not being more excited.

It feels so weird to feel this way. Has anybody else gone through this?
Kimberly

Hi Kimberly.

I was just going to post to see how you and Barb (5catsmom) were doing!!

Yes, I am going through the same thing. I am still waiting for Bennett to come back or for someone to contact me, something. I have not given up hope and it has been over a month.

I wanted to share a story with you. I have met (via internet) someone who lost a beautiful tiger cat, 10 months old. We have been corresponding and helping each other, as we live near each other. Her cat went missing on June 30. She lives near woods, and the cat was not that used to being outdoors. She was told by her vet that the cat was killed by an animal......she was heartbroken.

Last evening, I checked my email and guess what? She found her cat!! The cat had wandered about 6 miles and ended up at some good person's home. Through the lost/found ads, they contacted each other, and the cat is happy, healthy and back home.

I am waiting to hear that Twitch is back. I don't know what happened to Twitch or Bennett, but I do believe it is at least a good possibility that either/both of them are still around. I can understand that you don't want to get your hopes up, but don't give up yet.

Thanks Paris. The hope rollercoaster is a rough ride. Up, down, up, down. The Garden Center caught the cat they were seeing, and I raced up there. Not Twitch, though she does look *remarkably* like him. She's beautiful and loving, I hope she finds her way back home. I think I am going to start distributing flyers in a wider reach.

A friend of mine lost her malamute last year, somebody had picked him up. She posted flyers everywhere. Nothing. She gave up hope. Then on a whim, her friend posted a flyer at the grocery store 9 miles away. The FedEx lady saw it, and remembered a gent on her route another 20 miles away had found such a dog. Lo and behold, same dog, so my friend got her dog back.

I'm still leaving the porch light on for him, still leaving his cat door panel in the sliding glass door at his house, still leaving food in the dish in case he makes it home.

*sigh*

Dear M and W'sMom,

I was so happy to read your post that folks have seen your Twichit. I understand completely when you say that you can't let yourself get too hopeful. I'm like that too. I'm the furthest thing from a fatalist but I do kind of wait for the other shoe to drop more often than not.

It's rather sad but sometimes I feel like if you expect nothing, you can really be over the moon when good things happen. (As they so often do, don't forget)

You've suffered incredible loss and are protecting yourself, surely on an unconcious level, from yet another staggering blow. It's okay, you're human.

I'm looking forward to your post to tell us that he has come home.

Sharon

me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too me too

I walked a path through the woods where two people have seen a white-footed tabby, calling and calling and calling. I was surprised to find it connects to a road with several houses. I hadn't realized they were so close, since I only knew the paved route. Tomorrow I'll knock on their doors with flyers.

I've learned there is a white-footed tabby that lives right near where others have seen it dash into the woods. At this point I just don't think there's anything else I can do except work on accepting the loss. One upside: I have decided I'll install cat-fencing at the house I'm remodeling (Twitch's /my father's house). Costly, but a drop in the bucket compared to heartbreak.

For good news, go check out 5catsmom's "do you always feel like..." post.

They say 'never two without three'--I hope you will be delighted with a suprise comeback, I hope you get to do the 'Moose Mom Cat Came Back Dance' . Hugs and much love.Take care and know that wherever they are, they're also here with us,
seeing us through, heart and soul.

I did learn the white footed tabby seen up the street is another cat who lives there. *sigh*

But yes, I love the "it comes in threes" idea!!!! Please please please let me be the third with a happy ending!!!!

To Barb and Paris, do you feel that your babies came home as a direct result of continued effort on your part, or just the groundwork you laid out? Barb, how many times did you contact the shelter? Do you feel like you had to keep calling and reminding them, keeping it fresh in their minds, or were they acting on information they'd simply held onto? Paris, had you still been calling and calling in the neighborhood, do you think hearing you led him home, or did he just come home when he was darn well ready?

I just don't know what to do... How long to actively search, and when to just leave it in Twitch's hands to come home when he wants to, if he's able...
Kimberlimbo

Wow, I thought this was just a French expression ("Jamais deux sans trois"). I was actually going to quote that but I thought it would be foreign to Americans, but let's count. Altogether now:

1. Shadow.
2. Bennett.
3. Twitchet!!

Hi Kim.

Barb and I had different resolutions. Mine was, as I expected, that Bennett came home when ready. Having said that, I felt it necessary to continue to have feelers out. I continued to renew several classified ads (including Craigslist). I also was told to stop by the shelter once a week, but I was pretty reassured that they were on top of things as I questioned them several times. They promised me that anyone who calls in or brings in a stray, they match it up with their records in their "lost cat" book. I asked a few different people to make sure. This shelter is pretty well-run and I don't know the policies of yours. So renewing ads in the classified and periodically visiting or emailing the shelter to let them know that the lost cat report is still active (they said they keep in for four months) I feel would be a good safety net, and not be too draining on your time and emotions.

I'm sorry, but I posted some questions on my own thread for you, as all our stories have become a bit intertwined. How much of an outdoor cat is Twitchet? Is the cat-door at your dad's place still open, and can it be set to close on one side?

That's resonating so strongly with me tonight. Both that you expected it, and that it had to do with him being ready to come back. (For others, please note that part of this conversation is on Bennett's Back! thread.) I'm clinging to the idea he's on a Walkabout, sorting through things. He and I have such a connection, please come home honey....

Kim,
I feel certain that Shadow came home mostly because I and my son were at the shelter every other day, without fail. It got to where the guy who mops the floor in the cat room knew us by sight and would say that she was there or not. Even so, we always checked, even the isolation rooms (those were last so we didn't carry germs to the healthy cats. When it got too sad and frustrating for me, my son went to the shelter, so he was the one they called when she came in. I believe that's why we got her back, diligence in working the shelter system. Even so, we told all our neighbors, we searched everywhere - ironically in the wrong direction of where she was - and put flyers inside people's mailboxes. We listed on craigslist and posted a flyer at the neighborhood's busiest coffee shop. I went out every night and walked up and down the street. We told all the mailmen in the area to watch out, and gave them flyers to put in their trucks.

I honestly can't tell you how long to search, I guess that's the hardest decision to make. There were days when I'd lie in bed and think that I couldn't do this anymore, go looking, and then go looking anyway, or maybe take the day off. I think at one point I in my postings I mentioned a woman featured in the Washington Post who'd searched for 4 years to no avail, with all kinds of gadgetry. I know there are tracking dogs - at least in this area, but how good a job they'd do, I don't know. Hon, I just can't give you any consistent answers. I wish I could. If you have a shelter, all I can say is haunt it, and get to know the folks there. Twitch is such an amazing looking cat that he'd be hard to miss, but one of his defenses is the color of his coat, he'd blend in very well to his surroundings. When the weather closes in he may very well give up his walkabout or be found and brought somewhere. Post flyers everywhere and visit the shelter as often as you can.

I wish I could give you more advice than that. You both remain in my thoughts and prayers, and I wish you both peace and a joyful reunion. Do take care - Barb

Agreed, Barb. This is absolutely the hardest part, and you can't just say "ok, today I give up and stop looking" because the mind will not let you do that. You are in a grey zone. You also said you were looking in the wrong direction. My friend, whose 9 month old cat went missing, also was not looking in the right direction (she kept to her neighborhood basically.)

Kim, what I think is important is to have a wide radius of search. I don't mean by foot, but by at least registering a lost-cat report at shelters within a 30 mile radius. I would email or mail a photograph of Twitchet. In addition, I would also place "lost cat" in classified papers in that radius also. I find that this is not that draining to do, but it widens your reach. The most important thing when someone finds a stray cat is that they are able to contact you. Most people who find a stray would probably only look in their local district's paper.