Advice on our lost cat

[andyroo1985]

Hello, 9 days ago our cat went out for her nightly stroll and hasn't been back since, she never goes far from the house and is usually waiting to come back in within the hour, the question I'm wondering if anyone knows the answer to is she is pregnant and we think she was in the last week or so of the pregnancy, is it common for cats to have their kittens while out and not come home because they wouldn't want to leave the kittens? It's the only thing we can think of why she wouldn't come back so we didn't know if this was a common thing with cats or not? We have looked around as much as we can with no sign of her, asked neighbours to check their gardens and no sign of her and she isn't in any local vets, any info on a cats behavior in a situation like this will be very helpful, thank you.

[booktigger]

Yes, that is possible, and why pregnant cats shouldn't be allowed out to roam. It may be hard to find her, as she has probably found a hidden place for safety and wont want to leave them. I do hope you get her back safely

[Ruth B]

While i have no real experience of pregnant cats I have heard that they will look for a place to have their kittens in the last few days of pregnancy, my guess would be that she found what she thought was a safe place and has ended up shut in someones shed or garage, if your area is anything like mine, there is a lot of gardening and lawn mowing going on at the moment, which gives plenty of opportunity to get trapped somewhere.

She would need food, particularly if she is nursing, so if she was able, I would have thought she would have returned to you at meal times, unless she is getting fed else where. When I was a child a stray adopted us, looking rather pudgy, my parents were just about to go away for a week leaving my Sister and me along with our grandmother looking after the house (we were both in our teens by then), it was decided we would get her checked at the vets if she was still around when they returned. A couple of days later she came back looking very skinny, and returned for food every day afterwards, but it wasn't until 4 weeks later did she decide it was safe to bring her kittens in. We hunted everywhere for those kittens, in all the neighbours gardens, in sheds and outbuildings but never found any sign of them.

I can only suggest the standard options, put up posters, leaflet the area, ask people to check their sheds and garages, if she is microchipped contact them and make sure all your details are up to date, keep checking with vets and any charities in the area. Hang some of your dirty washing on the line to act as a scent trail she can follow, I'm guessing after 9 days you have already cleaned the litter tray otherwise that can be a good scent trail if emptied on the garden. There is always the possibility that someone has seen her pregnant and thought she was a stray and taken her in so she wouldn't have her kittens outside. Also remember that cats can travel quite a distance, so you really need to spread the posters over quite a number of streets.

I really hope you can get her back soon, it is a worry when they disappear.