Cat returned after 3 weeks

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Heston4
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Cat returned after 3 weeks

Post by Heston4 »

Hi, Our cat Heston disappeared 3 weeks ago but very happily returned late on Wednesday night. Does anyone have any tips or advice for us now? He normally has freedom to go out and in when he pleases (microchip linked to cat flat) although he has been shut in since his return. He has been fed well and taken to the vets. It us more about GPS devices on collars? And how long we should keep him in house arrest mode before allowing him to go out again? We were told to keep him in for at least a week?!

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

Chris
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lilynmitz
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Re: Cat returned after 3 weeks

Post by lilynmitz »

Hi Chris, congratulations on the wanderer's return! I'd keep him in for at least a week or two, so that he can re-bond with you and with your home as his safe place, his territory. If he was in good condition when he came back it suggests that someone else may have been feeding him, so perhaps get him a safety collar with your phone number on, so that people know he has a home, and not to try to adopt him themselves. The kitty collars (below) are very good: please don't use a collar without a safety release, they can cause terrible injury, or if he gets snagged on something, he may not be able to get away.

http://www.kittycollars.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I looked into GPS etc and the thing I found was mainly that the range is limited, and if you lose them, they're expensive, so eventually I didn't bother.

It's also worth saying that you should make sure there isn't anything going on in your home that might cause him to vote with his feet and wander again. Look at the world from his view point, and see if anything needs to change to make him feel more comfortable in your home.
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meriad
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Re: Cat returned after 3 weeks

Post by meriad »

Excellent news - if only they could talk.

I agree with everything recommended by lilynmitz. If he doesn't already wear a collar then definitely get one of the ones recommended with your number on it.

As a matter of interest, did he come back in via the cat flap or did you happen to have the door open. Regardless I'd get him to a vet for a once quick over but mainly also for a chip check / scan to make sure the chip is still in place and reading right

As for keeping him in - I'd give it the two weeks as well; mainly because it's bonfire season and quite a few places (and people) are still having firework displays etc and you don't want to risk him been frightened off by something like that.

Regarding the GPS, I don't think there is one out on the market yet that's small enough for cats. A colleague at work has for his dogs and they're actually quite large. What I have bought in the past is a GPaws https://www.g-paws.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (can get from Amazon) which tracks where you pet goes but you have to download the data onto a computer to access it; it's not a live transmission. Unfortunately one of my cats lost the collar which had the gpaws and a loc8tor on it (my own fault for overloading the poor girl) so there went a quick £70 in one go but the Gpaws did make for interesting reading.

And talking loc8tor - that may be another thing to consider http://www.loc8tor.com/uk/pets/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Crewella
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Re: Cat returned after 3 weeks

Post by Crewella »

You must be so pleased to have him home safe! I agree with the others, keep him in for a couple of weeks to re-establish his connection to 'home'.
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