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People who have had indoor cats run away

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Our indoor cats have gotten out a couple of times, but they know what the door is and don't bolt very far away. Our oldest girl once got out in December and started running around our house in the snow for the hell of it. Once she had enough, she walked up the front steps and sat in front of the door. I walked up and opened it, and that was that.

Cats.
 
Sometimes cats used to being let outside go wild and never come back. That happened to one of our cats growing up and is a big reason I will always keep my cats indoor.

Other reasons include -

outdoor cats shit on neighbors lawns

outdoor cats pick up diseases and fleas

outdoor cats can be killed by wild animals (happened to another of my mothers cats)

outdoor cats can get run over by cars in the suburbs

edit: he will likely come back. Cats know they have a good deal especially at his age.
 
All my outdoor cats return. Only cat ive ever had run away was an indoor cat.

Most of the indoor ones just had poor sense of direction. The outdoor ones we made sure knew their boundaries... and always stayed within block radius.

Don't give up hope, leave some food out, and call his name in evenings.
 
Switch Back 9 said:
Why do you force your cat to stay inside anyways? We always had outdoor cats growing up and never had an issue.
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At my parents house my cat was outdoors had a shit ton of land.

The house me and my gf live at? It's 50 yards to a very busy street. My cat would be dead in a week tops.
 
suzu said:
Leave food out and maybe a box or something for him to hide in (maybe with a shirt that smells like you/your house)?

I hope he comes back soon!
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This sounds like a really good idea. Hope to see a good ending to your story =(
 
This is gut wrenching. Especially since you're a responsible cat owner who keeps the cat indoors.

I hope the little fella makes it back home.
 
My cat got out. He was 12 years old. Got killed by a pack of dogs roaming the area. An old guy who lived near us witnessed it and was crying as he told us what happened. He was really fast despite being large so I'm thinking they cornered him in a yard somehow.

I used to let them out our back door since we had a covered area where their litter was. It was the cat bathroom area since it was outside, but dry and safe and fully secured from the street. He wanted out late one night and didn't come back from his bathroom break. They would scratch at the door like a dog would when it has to go and meow when wanting in again. Maybe he heard something that lured him out? Still wonder to this day how it all went down since he was a real survivor.

I found him on the side of a highway where he was living for two weeks when he was about 1 year old or so. My Mom was running a business nearby and people told us about this cat living by the highway for the past few weeks. Turns out he got fleas and was abandoned since that was the only thing wrong with him after a vet trip. His name was Buddha and he was a Maine Coon. This happened in the Marpole area in Vancouver.
 
One of my cats growing up was missing for 4 or 5 weeks. We had basically given up all hope when suddenly one day we saw her from the kitchen window. She had caught her front paw in her collar, and was dragging herself from the woods and down the hillside to home...like a warrior.
 
Several years ago, my indoor-only cat got out and was gone for three days. My dad found him in a building in construction nearby - he was hiding in there and super scared, but came out after hearing my dad calling for him. So... I'd recommend walking the neighborhood and calling for him as often as you can in case he's hiding somewhere and too scared to come out on his own.

Funnily enough, his name was the Italian word for Tiger, and he looked a lot like your kitty, too.
 
zsswimmer said:
Yeah I was really upset when I first noticed. It makes it worse that it's all my fault. The door was probably open for like 30-45 minutes so this fucking cat probably just casually strolled through the door, and I had no clue
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I did this last week. My parents cat just strolled out the door. Thankfully I noticed within about 20 and my dad and I went out with torches. Little shit was in the front yard happy as Larry. He scratched my dads hand to shreds when he caught him.

I hope you find your cat OP. I felt terrible even for those few minutes of losing mine
 
Switch Back 9 said:
Why do you force your cat to stay inside anyways? We always had outdoor cats growing up and never had an issue.
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The life expectancy of an outdoor cat is significantly lower. On average, they may only live 80% as long as an indoor cat. In particular, they tend to be hit by cars.
 
My cats started off indoors but love going out now, i understand the initial fear but i'm sure it'll come back if you leave food etc out.
 
Our cat has run away a couple of times, although usually only for a couple of days. One time he went roaming longer than a month and we thought he was gone for good. We even swore off getting a new cat because we didn't want to go through the anxiety again. But then one night my sister heard a faint meow in the front yard and found him. He was a bit feral at first but was domesticated again after a couple of hours. He hasn't run away in awhile now, touch wood.
 
I don't have any happy story about indoor cats going outside. I've had two killed by a car, in the same spot near my house. I feel terrible just thinking about it :\ But there wasn't much I could do, my stepfather wanted them outside to "get some fresh air" and I couldn't convince him otherwise.

I have a cat now too, and he'll come outside only over my dead body.
 
Interesting... My friends cat pretty much just comes and goes as he pleases. Hes usually laying on the couch, or hiding under the clothes hanger. (his den?) and just leaves the house through a window thats usually open. he doesn't really go much further than the front yard tho.

I live in NZ, so theres nothing really dangerous outside.

His other cat is an asshole and only comes inside for food.


I always envy their lives. Get fed, relax in a cosy home, wander outside and do whatever if you want fresh air. Totally free, living a perfect life.
 
I don't know if this works or not, but every time one of my cats doesn't come home after a few nights after my head count each night, I leave anything out that smells like me (used shirt, socks, the smellier, the better) and they tend to find thier way back home after a week or so. I usually put it in a really obvious area like high up on a fence so the smell spreads over a bigger area.
 
Switch Back 9 said:
Why do you force your cat to stay inside anyways? We always had outdoor cats growing up and never had an issue.
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The coyotes around here make short work of some cats. The other night I came home to one eating out of my trash in front of my house, shit was scary.

I've spotted foxes around here too.
 
He's back!!! Some awesome ass neighbor posted up signs saying "We have Tiger!!" along with a picture of em. Apparently on my flyers, either the weather or some assholes removed my contact numbers from it, so that's why that guy didn't call.

r9L9N78.jpg


Just gave him a bath. Guess you could say he's one wet pussy ;)

Gonna take him to the vet tomorrow to get him checked. He actually lost his little bit of belly fat so he almost looks better haha.

Reading stories on this thread about cats coming back after awhile gave me some hope, so thanks GAF
 
before I moved into my apartment, my cat was an outdoor cat. He did not like being indoors, but, now I take my cat out for walks. I trained him to be on a leash.
 
I had a cat that slowly went feral on us.

Chloe was always a step above other cats when it came to hunting.

She would wait, in the baking desert sun, for a hummingbird to dart in front of her, with her lightning reflexes, she'd catch those poor little birds mid-flight.

Pretty soon, Hummingbird's learned to build there nests in different neighborhoods.

Then she moved onto larger prey. One morning she brought a dove that was almost as big as her into my mom's bathroom. This cat could hunt.

Once she got that taste of the wild, she was impossible to keep inside. We would coax her inside with food and whatnot, but then when we closed the door she would make the most awful noises to be let out.

Eventually a neighbor started feeding her too and took her when she moved. Never found out what happened to her after that.
 
congrats!

my cat manages to sneak out once in a while and even though i know hell be back in a few hours, its the worst thing ever. im going to worry myself to death when i have children lol
 
Awesome! Now go get the scat mat. I got one when I noticed my cats would try and run out the door sometimes. Now they dont even bother.
 
I let both my indoor cats out regularly during the summer and keep an eye on them. If they wander to far I usher them back in. Eventually they learn how far they should roam, which is good if they ever sneak out one day.

Here they are today, enjoying one of the first real days of spring here.
FIUJaPm.jpg
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When I was a kid we had a cat that was an indoor/outdoor cat. We moved to a new house, and when he went out.. he went missing. 3 months passed, and I happened upon him a block away hiding out. Someone obviously had been feeding him.. but it was our cat. So after much calling I was able to get him to come close and carry him home. I had so many scratches since he never liked being picked up.. and everytime a car passed he'd freak.
 
Very happy you found your cat OP :)

I find that tales of cats going missing usually ends way better than when dogs go missing.

I've had a number of cats go missing for a week or more always make their way back, yet the one dog I had went missing once and I never saw her again.
 
Switch Back 9 said:
Why do you force your cat to stay inside anyways? We always had outdoor cats growing up and never had an issue.
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I lived in our centretown as a kid. We had four cats growing up - all outdoor cats. Three of them were killed by cars. Feels bad man. So I understand why people keep their cats indoors.
 
Great news....

We have two indoor cats (both declawed), well three now that my son brought a stray home about a year ago (she has her claws). The two indoor cats have got out a couple of times, we searched the neighborhood each time and found them together, hiding under a car in about an hour or two a few blocks away. One of them still tries to get out all the time, he thinks he's a dog, when I let my dogs out he runs across the room and tries to go out with them. He usually just runs in the back yard and just checks things out and I have to run out and grab him. He got out a couple of weeks ago, I turned my back for a second, and he was gone and just disappeared for a day. Then he just showed up on the back porch, I think he knows he has got it real easy.

I always had indoor/outdoor cats growing up, and eventually, one day they just never came home..... ;^(
 
See You Next Wednesday said:
Lesson learned, never leave just one flyer.
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Nah man I printed out 20 of em and posted it on the bottom of every stop sign, welcome sign, etc all over our neighborhood. It must've been seen because on the very night we lost him we got a call from someone who saw the signs, but it ended up being a stray cat that looked like mine.
 
Ive always had outdoor cats >.< they always come back.

Spend most of their days indoor sleeping really, but when they want adventure I let them out.

Also, no kitty litter crap to deal with!
 
My cat got out once. He was gone all day and showed up at like 4 in the morning with a big old gash on his nose. He was a scrapper who attacked anything that moved so it was to be expected. I was terrified while he was missing though. I had just moved to TX and he was the only friend I had at the time.
 
I've got an indoor cream scottish fold who sometimes gets out, he's always come back though.

Glad to hear he got back all safe'n'sound :)
 
shinobi602 said:
My first cat when I was about 8-9 years old ran away. Had him for years. He was incredibly sweet, just a gorgeous cat. He got out somehow when we weren't paying attention and never saw him until about a year later right by our dumpster.

I called his name out and he looked at me and made a little chirping sound when I was slowly walking to him. I could tell he remembered me because I was always the kindest to him in our house. Then he ran behind the dumpster and I never saw him again :(
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Maybe he was saying something like "I miss you too bro, but my people need me!"
 
VanillaCakeIsBurning said:
Yeah, they're missing out on the experience of getting killed by cars or random animals or fending for themselves everyday.
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... Or of being animals, having adventures, rolling around in the grass, exploring other yards, meeting other cats, toying with dogs, hunting... etc...

Its not normal to keep a cat indoors all the time. Its not normal to do that to any animal, even humans!
 
markot said:
... Or of being animals, having adventures, rolling around in the grass, exploring other yards, meeting other cats, toying with dogs, hunting... etc...

Its not normal to keep a cat indoors all the time. Its not normal to do that to any animal, even humans!
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I don't see any issue with taking your cat out for walks. Seems like you get the best of both worlds that way without the negatives.

Personally I think having all of your needs catered to while living in safe shelter is infinitely preferable then having to struggle to survive everyday.

That's just me I guess.

EDIT: I just realized I was comparing indoor cats to strays. Some parts of my post still apply though.
 
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