Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[Aunty e]

I went on a truly dreadful holiday for two weeks at the end of July, during which my cat Saffy took her six week old kitten on a jaunt to live with a crazy cat lady who then tried to refuse to give them back and it's taken me until now to get Saffy to stay at home for any length of time (I'm bribing her with Whiskas pouches essentially) rather than running off to crazy lady's house. Now Nero, our tom, was due to be castrated, but I'd decided to leave it until I got back. mistake. Nero wasn't there when I got home, and never came back again. He was always prone to staying away for up to a week at a time, but after leafleting and putting up posters, knocking on doors and wandering around calling for him (he normally comes to my voice) we gave him up for lost and claimed on his insurance. The cheque arrived on Saturday. I paid it in on Monday morning. On Monday night, OH called to say he'd just seen Nero a mile from our house and chased him, but hadn't caught him. Nero is a silver spotted Egyptian Mau, and pretty unmistakable, the only cat you'd mistake him for is another Mau and I was looking at our other silver when OH called. So I went and called that night for half an hour with no jy, then went back the next day during daylight and called and put leaflets through people's doors on the road where OH saw Nero. Two people called back within a couple of hours to say that they'd seen him in their back garden. One chap said that he spends a couple of hours a day living in his old car in the back of his house. So they're going to call next time they see him and I'll go round, but given he's been living wild for four months, I'm really worried I'm not going to be able to catch him. I'm going to take cat food and treats with me, but both people say they haven't been able to approach him, which surprises me as he was always such a tart. I guess maybe the next step if I can't catch him is to try to borrow a cat trap? Any tips? I really want him home. Once we get him back he's getting castrated and then kept in for a week and stuffd to the gills, but I'm just so worried we won't be able to get him in a cat box

Edited January 9, 2012 by Guest

[The Dogmother]

Try PMing Lesley - they used cat traps to catch the feral cats on their farm to get them neutered.

[ClaireG]

I know Cat's Protection sometimes loan out traps, maybe worth a phonecall.

[Aunty e]

Got him he's gone very feral mind you, clawed me and my favourite top to pieces locked in our attic now until castration can be arranged...

[Olly]

Oh, congratulations - he'll soon settle down, especially once he's had the op. So glad you managed to catch him, what a relief!

[Lewis]

Glad you managed to catch him, hope he starts behaving after his op!

 

Had to google photos ... very nice!

[Aunty e]

I'm employing shameless bribery and trying to get him done asap. The vets are fine to fit him in, it's more finding a day when I can take him in the morning and pick him up again in the evening. He's had his girlfriend in with him for a few hours - she was speyed a couple of months ago, so he keeps sniffing suspiciously at her shaved side.

[chickencam]

Glad to hear that you have got him back

[Aunty e]

ARRRRRGGGGHHHH.

 

Had him castrated, kept him in for a week, didn't bother putting a GPS collar on him, and he's gone again. OH spotted him near where we picked him up, in a patch of bramble covered waste ground. He still has a reflective collar with my number on it on. That was Wednesday. I've leafletted the original area again and "Ooops, word censored!"ody has called at all I'm so upset and hurt frankly. Does he really want to live feral?

[Aunty e]

And back again picked him up on my way home as he sprinted out of the bushes towards me mewing pathetically. Handily, I've been carrying cat treats in my handbag since he went again, so managed to lure him close enough to grab and haul home. About to order the GPS collar...

[The Dogmother]

Sounds like a confused teenager to me - wants to leave home but still misses Mum

[Aunty e]

He spent all of last night rolling ecstatically on the carpet while we tickled his tummy and purring on my lap with Saffy snuggled up to him. Even Cleo, the most bad-tempered cat in the world, seemed pleased to see him. I've ordered the locator and collar tag so he can go out again once that is on.

[CatieB]

ARRRRRGGGGHHHH.

 

Had him castrated, kept him in for a week, didn't bother putting a GPS collar on him, and he's gone again. OH spotted him near where we picked him up, in a patch of bramble covered waste ground. He still has a reflective collar with my number on it on. That was Wednesday. I've leafletted the original area again and "Ooops, word censored!"ody has called at all I'm so upset and hurt frankly. Does he really want to live feral?

 

When we rehomed our Thomas from Battersea they were very adamant that you have to keep them in for 6 weeks so they can learn their place. Seemed awfully long to us but we did it with no problems afterwards.

 

A few years later we moved and didn't keep Thomas in for that long... he went off and lived feral in a ditch eating rabbits for two months .. we didn't know this and thought he was dead until a nighbour saw him in the ditch, it took a lot of effort to get him back and we did then keep him in for weeks. He has stayed ever since.

 

Could you try to keep him in for longer before you let him out again

[Chicken shack]

All cats are different when we moved in August Archie stayed in for a week and got so bad tempered and went for me when I prevented him from escaping. I relented and let him out and he loves it. Ellie still wont go out, I put her out the other day and she hid between two sheds and was so terriffied she wouldn't come out. DS had to grab her and bring her back in. I have given up now and if she wants to be a house cats so be it. It is such a shame as we now live in the country and we used to live on a busy road.I think you may need to keep this unruly teenager in for several weeks so he gets well and truly homed.

[CatieB]

Archie stayed in for a week and got so bad tempered and went for me when I prevented him from escaping. I relented and let him out and he loves it.

 

It was definately NOT the easy option keeping Thomas in, he would try to escape at every opportunity.

[Aunty e]

OH accidentally let him out on Tuesday took until last night to track him down and catch him. I'm going to put the GPS collar on in case of another accident, but I think he's going to have to stay in for a couple of months. It's not like he's a kitten, he's four for heaven's sake. When we moved here, we let him out after three days and he was fine. Rotter. Luckily we have a spare attic bedroom, which we've used as a kittening room before now, so I think he's going to have to mostly live in there. We do have a locking catflap but I'm not convinced that he won't be able to bash his way out.

[Aunty e]

Unbe-frickin-lievable. We kept him in until Boxing day (a month) let him out and he was all 'oh I'm too scared to go out, can I come to the bottom of the garden with you' and then we went out on New Years Eve, came back the next day and he was gone. Had a desultory look for him the last few nights and then went out with the Loc8tor in the daylight yesterday and tracked him down pretty easily to the car he was living in when we first found him, in NOVEMBER. ARGH. He's back in the attic now. Our temporary plan is to keep him in another month, but we need a better plan. I hate keeping him in, I hate not having a spare room because it has a cat in it and smells of cat poo, and I hate having to go and retrieve him every few days. I would be ok if he was living with somebody else, but he's just living wild. Someone might be feeding him, but I leafletted the entire area three times, so I hope they've got the message to stop if they were. I would be ok with keeping him in for a specific period of time if I knew it was going to work, it's just so frustrating not knowing.

 

We have pet remedy (which is a bit smelly BTW!) in his room in the attic, and I'm going to try feliway downstairs for a month or two, we've been bribing with wet food (which we never normally buy) and cat treats, and when he's around us he's so affectionate and cuddly. He just doesn't seem to want to stay

[The Dogmother]

What a shame. I take it that he's been de-nadded Eirean?

[Aunty e]

Oh yes - that was the first thing we did when we got him back originally!

[Alis girls]

i used to live in the East End of London - also had a mad cat lady neighbour - if shes the same as mine you'll never get your kitty back - totally bonkers she was. he sounds a confused young fella - brain in his trousers chap if you get my meaning. hope you find him and hold onto him

[Chicken shack]

We moved to a village last Aug 5 months ago with two cats. Archie insisted on going out after just one week. Ellie will not go out. She is petrified. We tried putting her out and she then refused to come in. My son had to recue her from the rain. I decidede that she would have to remain an indoor cat for now with the hope that when the weather get better and the doors are left open she will venture out on her own accord. I sometimes think they don't quite reconise the outside of a new home.