Missing cat

Imagine

Project QL Intern
Mar 31, 2009
183
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Germany
Good Morning,

I just feel very sad. My cat Findus is gone since thursday evening. It had never been away for longer than one day. I always watch out of the window and hope Findus will come along the way. I always think about what has happened to it. Had it an accident? Is it ill? Has someone taken it with him or is it only straying around? I can't believe that perhaps I'll see it never again. I must tell that to you because I'm so sad and it helps a little bit to write it down. I hoped so much to see Findus at the kitchen door this morning, but it wasn't there... :cry
 
Good Morning,

I just feel very sad. My cat Findus is gone since thursday evening. It had never been away for longer than one day. I always watch out of the window and hope Findus will come along the way. I always think about what has happened to it. Had it an accident? Is it ill? Has someone taken it with him or is it only straying around? I can't believe that perhaps I'll see it never again. I must tell that to you because I'm so sad and it helps a little bit to write it down. I hoped so much to see Findus at the kitchen door this morning, but it wasn't there... :cry

I know exactly how you feel. We had a cat, Mischief, who went out one night and never came home. We are pretty sure the local travelers stole her for her fur since she was a beautiful tortoiseshell and they prize it highly. We believe this is what happened to her - but we don't KNOW. It is sad to lose a cat, we have lost a couple who have died, but at least if you know their fate you can grieve and move on.

On a more positive note, Mischief's daughter Sasha used to disappear for a week at a time. She would get locked in a neighbor's garage and live on spiders until they came back and let her out. She'd come home skinny as a rake, but totally unfazed. A few weeks later, the same would happen again.
The first couple of times, my son was distraught that she was gone for ever like her mom, but eventually we just said 'she's booked into the diet clinic again, she'll be home soon!'

So don't give up hope yet.
Have you tried neighbors to see if anyone has seen or heard anything?
Get them to check their garages and sheds.

I hope your cat finds its way home. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
 
Thank you so much for your prayers, leaper1. But now we have sad certainty. My husband went to the neighbours and one of them had seen Findus lying dead on the side of the street. He didn't know that it's our cat. Findus must have been knocked down by a car. Outward he had no damages, but I think inside. We live at a street with much traffic. We just buried him in the garden. Tomorrow I'll buy some flowers and plant them on his grave.

My husband and me are very sad. It hurts so much. Findus was like a child for us. We can't believe that he'll never come back. Today it's a grey day, it's raining and the weather suits perfectly to the feelings we just have.

We had some rabbits, rats and hamsters the last years. But that's not the same. It never felt so bitter like to loose Findus. He strayed to us 3 years ago, one day he simply was there and he stayed. We never thought about having a cat before, but we loved him so much.

Now we have come to rest and then think about perhaps having a new cat. But it won't be the same... :(
 
I really hope that you do find your cat. I own a cat, and the cat has given a scare at times (luckily, he just turns out to be in the neighbor's yard), but I know the worry about losing (or thinking that one lost) a cat. Neighbors are the best people to ask. Good luck, and I really do hope that your cat comes back! :)
 
I'm sorry for your loss.

I know from personal experience how hard it is to lose a pet. My family had a German Shepherd/Collie mix dog named Taffy for 16 years. I grew up with that dog, and even my younger sister who's almost 11 years younger than I am grew attached to her for the last few years of Taffy's life. We eventually had to put her to sleep because she suffered from arthritis and was constantly in pain. I had a good cry that night. We even have her ashes. A few months or so after she died, we eventually got another dog, a Jack Russell Terrier/Beagle named Pepper who's now about 10 years old. Of course, she's not the same, but she did help fill the gap in Taffy's loss. She does a lot of things differently than Taffy did, her mannerisms, the way she shows affection, etc.

Like all loved ones, the pain will eventually pass, or at the very least, be manageable. You may even decide to get a new cat to help fill the hole in your heart.

Damon
 
I am truly sorry for your loss. :cry

Sasha's fate was very similar in the end. She did one of her vanishing acts, but before we got really concerned by her absence, a neighbor came round.
Sasha was lying in her back garden stiff as a board in the pouring rain without a mark on her.
The vet agreed with us that she had probably caught a mouse that had eaten rat poison.
She is buried in our garden, and Robert planted a small bush to mark the spot.

I'm actually amazed none of our cats have been hit by cars [so far] as we live very close to a busy road, and none of them are particularly savvy when it comes to traffic.
We have three at the moment. Tasha, who is Sasha's sister; Max who is Sasha's son, and Henry, who we rescued last summer as a scrawny half starved six week old kitten who was wandering down the middle of the road.

We love them all, but we still miss the ones we've lost. People who haven't owned pets mean well, but suggesting you get a replacement to ease the loss is insensitive. Would they tell a parent whose child had died that they could always have another?

Maybe in the future you will open your hearts and home to another cat that you'll love. But it will never replace Findus, nor should it.

My condolences to you.
 
Thank you very much! We really had a hard day and are very tired. I hope that I can sleep. I think some people wouldn't understand it, especially if they have no pets. But it's really awful. We were just standing in the garden and crying. The house feels so empty. Findus is missing. I hope it'll be a bit better tomorrow. It feels so unreal at the moment. In the afternoon we visited my aunt and uncle. They had to put their dog to sleep some weeks ago and they know how we're feeling, that was good. Tomorrow I'll buy some flowers and a lantern for his grave, that gives me a good feeling now. And then we have to accept the thought that he's gone.

I wish you a good night! I'm happy that here are nice people who understand me. Thanks!
 
For Imagine:
We lost a cat as well, also walked out on us. It was about two years ago and I still expect her to appear again any moment. I didn't know her for long but I still miss her.
Although, the other cat (who goes for a one week hunt at times) and two dogs are a very good distraction.

He could still come back. It's a silly question, you've probably tried lost - pet articles in newspapers and internet, have you? Does he have a microchip? Don't forget to check at the pound anyway, they may just not have checked.
 
I am so sorry to hear about Findus, you have my sympathy. When my cat passed away I was so devasted but fortunate to have had her for nearly 20 years. I couldn't bring myself to replace her with another cat so now I have 3 dogs! I still miss Scruffy and its been 10 years since she left me. Remember the good times with Findus.
 
ooooh, I'm so sorry to hear about Findus. I have taken in 3 strays over the years. Only one still likes to go outside. I get worried everytime I let him out that he won't come back. My prayers are with you during this sad time. Pets are like family to us. We mourn their loss.
 
Thank you all! The night is over, I could get some sleep. I was awake at 6 am and it felt as awful as yesterday. After that I slept again and now it feels a bit better. But I always look outside if he comes home. :( I'll think it will take some time until it becomes better. Now I'll call my best friend and later I'll go to town to buy the things for the grave.

May your pets all live a long, happy life! And to those pets who are gone - we'll never forget you!
 
A funeral of sorts is a good idea, I think. It provides closure, and yet is allows you to relive some of those good memories of the time you spent with your cat. Thank you, though, for your thoughts on our pets. :)
 
Thanks, Oh boy. Now after making a real grave it feels better. I can go there if I want. And it's really an ending. Now we have our memories and have to look forwards.

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Thank you! I like this picture very much, too. He was really cute. Now it's one week ago that we missed him the first time. I'm glad I feel better now. We are thinking about a new cat, but we feel that we need some time.
 
What a beautiful cat Findus was, I'm so sorry he's crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

I am glad that you found him and were able to put him to rest in peace properly. It probably gave you some closure. Plant a little catnip over the grave and you'll make some new kitty friends.

BTW, thanks to leaper1 for the tip about asking neighbors to check garages and crawl spaces. I would never have thought to ask.

One year, we noticed a terrible stench in our detached garage when we returned from vacation. My husband found a dead raccoon. It must have snuck in to snoop while we were packing and died while we were away for three weeks. Poor thing. Now we check to see if we have visitors before locking up.
 
Thank you for the link to rainbow bridge. It's wonderful. On sunday my best friend will visit me, we'll paint together. I wanted to paint a picture of our cat and some footsteps. Now I'll put a rainbow on the picture, too.

The idea with the catnip ist good, thanks. I'll put something there. Perhaps it helps to see other cats near his grave.

I think animals like to go into garages. We had to look in our garage when we went away. There was a chance that Findus was in there.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about Findus. :( He was really cute!

My family has had cats in the past that weren't very friendly and I never got too attached, so when they died it wasn't that big of a deal. The one cat that we have now though is extremely cuddly, affectionate, and adorable. He is truly a member of the family, and when he dies we will all be heartbroken. I definitely understand how much a pet can mean to you.

The most important thing is that you still have all the good memories of him.
 
I don't know if it's too early, but something ist missing in our home. We browsed the internet sides of the animal shelters in the proximity and we found Fridolin, a black cat. He looks a little bit like Findus. It sounds that he would consort with us. Today a woman from the animal protection was here to see where we live and she said that it would be okay to get the cat to us. On friday we'll go to the animal shelter and see if we like him and if he likes us. Perhaps we will take him home with us. I'm very nervous. I hope I'll know if it's right when I'll see him on friday.
 
I hope you and Fridolin hit it off and he can fill a bit of the empty spot. It's very good of you to take someone from a shelter. :)
 
I'm so sorry for you. :( However, that is one excellent picture.

Some friends of the family are staying with us at the moment, and we were talking about cats going missing only today. They live in an area with a lot of traffic where a lot of cats go missing, so they keep the cat inside. Maybe that is something to think about if you get a new cat in future.
 
On friday we were at the shelter. There were many cats. We watched Fridolin but we didn't like him and I think he didn't like us. There was another cat named Pikus. We liked him very much and he came to us and we should ruffle his fur. :) So we'll go to the shelter in one hour and take him home to us. I'm so excited, I hope everything gets alright and he likes it with us.