Harold is missing from Epsom (FOUND)

[Beanie]

Hi all,

I am in need of your help in trying to locate a missing cat.[/b]
If any reader lives in or works in or around the Epsom area, can they please
spread the word on Facebook &/or with their friends.
Could they also check their sheds, garages, etc. and be aware of any neighbours who are on holiday where he may have been accidentally shut in. Are you feeding a stray who has turned up within the timescale?

Date missing

Harold has been missing since Sunday 23rd August (about 6.30 pm) from Ashdown Road (Nr Epsom College).

His Particulars

Harold is a beautiful 4 year old DSH black and white cat. He is neutered and micro chipped. He does not have a collar. He is quite a large but gentle cat. His character means that he is likely to be scared; he adores his owner (and the feeling is mutual) and her grown up children but is a little wary of any small children or people he does not know. He has been with his owner since being a kitten. He is not thought to be curious, so unlikely to have jumped into a motor vehicle.

Distinguishing Marks

1. He is approximately 50% white and 50% black (picture to follow);
2. He has a moustache like that of Adolph Hitler and
3. He has a large circle of black fur on his left flank.

Circumstances

His owner, who I am trying to help, is from Purley, Surrey and went abroad on holiday. She entrusted her cat to a pet sitter who lives in Epsom. Harold was transferred to the Epsom address, so does not know the area. The owner and her daughters are frantic with worry. She phoned most of the rescues and vets from her holiday destination and continued to phone for updates. She has since returned home and spent an incredible amount of time with friends searching for Harold. He went missing from having jumped out of an open window and into the rear garden.

Approach to date

1. All rescues in area contacted.
2. All vets within a 3 mile radius have been contacted.
3. Tree and lamp posts have posters.
4. Door to door leaflet drops have been done in about a 1/4 to 1/2 mile circle of where he went missing. (NB: Approximately 1000 leaflets plus). still a few houses to go.
5. Sightings have been promptly followed up but in each case it has been a similar coloured cat but not Harold.
4. The Missing Pet Search website is aware and has provided posters.
5. Both the owner, her friends and I have put his details on Facebook.
6. There are no council reports from waste disposal of any RTAs.
7. A nearby local primary school has been contacted.
8. He will be appearing in the local Epsom Guardian newspaper.
9. The owner has been out early morning and in the evening rattling a bag of kibbles and calling his name.

Please help to be our eyes and ears.
Any other suggestions very welcome.

Thanks guys.

[Beanie]

PS:

10. Posters in local pet shops.
11. Will be contacting paper shops (paper boys), local milkmen and postmen.

[Beanie]

I am very pleased to say that Harold has been safely found and re-united with his owner. He is due a veterinary check today to ensure that he is well after his ordeal.

[algibra1]

How did you manage to find him, did he just turn up? I am interested because I have lost my cat and you did so much to find him I was wondering if your efforts paid off. Thanks. A worried cat owner

[Beanie]

In answer to your question -

Normally I start with immediately looking at about 10 houses each side of you; the corresponding 20 houses over the road and similarly 20 of the houses that back on to you. I normally ask the owner to ask these neighbours if they will allow the owner to conduct a full and detailed search in their sheds, garages. outhouses, etc. and gardens. Do not just peer in and assume that a cat is not there because you cannot hear anything. Gently move things around to detect hidey holes where a scared cat out of his comfort zone may be hiding. Not every house owner / tenant will, understandably, allow that, so you have to rely on trust.

I look at the area through the cat's eyes and it helps tremendously when an owner, such as this one, can be so exact, knowledgeable and detailed about her cat's temperament, so I can understand how and what the cat may be thinking. I have studied cats most of my life having loved them as a child. So many people just don't know their cats at all which makes it much more difficult.

This was a more difficult case as the cat had been missing for 2 weeks when I first heard about it. He did not know the area having been looked after by a cat sitter from another area. My gut instinct was that he had moved on when immediate local sightings proved not to be him. You have to respond extremely quickly to sightings before the trail goes cold.

I initially draw a circle around the area the cat was lost of up to 1/4 mile and advise saturating that area with door to door leaflets, giving the vets and rescues full and proper details. Always remember that a cat will travel as the crow flies when not impeded, so if humans have to drive the long way round, it can seem too far to some but this cat was found within 1/4 mile of where he was staying as the crow flies which would probably be nearer 3/4 - 1 mile by car / foot.

You simply have to be prepared to put in the hard yards (i.e. a lot of foot and ground work) and talking to local people; a door to door leaflet drop (over 1000 leaflets posted in this case which is more than I have ever known ); a truly devoted owner who went the distance and beyond. I Covered my local cat contacts in rescue and veterinary practices. He is chipped which should be compulsory in my view,

One last thing - be aware of the emotional roller-coaster spanning hope one minute and despair the next. It is normal if you are an animal lover but the most important thing is to take grip of the despair because if you allow it to take you over, it clouds your judgement and, whilst not intentional, will cloud your mind in looking for your cat.

It can be quite a detailed procedure so the above is a crude overview. I wish more people were as deeply caring and active as this owner. To see her huge smile makes it all worthwhile.

[Jacks]

Thank you so much Beanie for filling us in! Thank goodness Harold was found safely. Your guidance about looking comparatively close to home and doing the looking yourself is SO important. Cats who are scared and have been trapped in a shed or garage are just as likely to hide as to rush out when the door is opened, particularly by a stranger. How important it is too to know your own cat! And they are all different; some responses can be predictable because it's how cats are most likely to behave but equally some are predictable because of the foibles of your own cat. I have 5; they are all completely different and they all respond differently to stress, threats and intrigue.

I hope Harold passed his vet check with flying colours and is firmly back in his home territory now. You are right too that the grief and despair can make it difficult to focus on action when a pet goes missing, but action is exactly what is needed. One of mine went missing two days before I went away for a business weekend. I spent every moment leafleting and calling houses. After I left (oh the horror) my pet sitter and partner went out doing the same, also driving round the streets slowly within a mile of the property. They found her, and took 3 hours to coax her home and in the front door. It was the happiest phone call I have ever had. We think she had been trapped somewhere but had got disoriented once she was released, and couldn't find her way home.

Harold, you be a good lad now and don't give your wonderful owner such a fright again! x

[Beanie]

Thanks Jacks. Since his ordeal I have seen Harold back in his home and, after understandably being described by his owner as 'looking sad' he now fully realises he is home and safe so his regal manner has returned. The veterinary check showed him well and understandably thin but gradual feeding is getting him back slowly to his best fighting weight. Not surprisingly a couple of ticks had been attracted to him as he passed through long grass and undergrowth but they have now been safely and PROPERLY removed.

The owner is the type of lady that I wish I met all the time. Devoted to her cat and willing to listen and act accordingly. Harold even allowed me to stroke him twice - which I understand is a rare compliment not normally granted to strangers.

There are two other lovey benefits deriving from Harold's loss. Both the owner and cat sitter have offered their help to find any cats locally and the owner doubled the reward, which I refused to accept because that is not why I help where possible. However, she agreed for me to pass it to one of my favourite rescues - Cats In Crisis in Epsom - run 365/24/7 by my guiding light on all cat matters - the wonderful, modest and selfless Rosemary Cook. There are no overheads with this small rescue and I know that 100% of any donations goes into cat welfare.