what incredible info in this post!
the only other things that i have learned, painfully, are to NOT
underestimate the sound/power of a bowl full of kibble being
shaken--that has brought more scared house cats out from their hiding
places than anything else i know of. a couple of times, i forgot about
that, and left it to the last attempt--worked each damned time! now
it's my first line of defense.
the other thing that has worked for me has been to wait until
it's dark, and as quiet as possible (living in a city means 4 or 5
am!)--i go outside, i call their name, and i sit quietly and LISTEN.
for rustling in bushes, for clanking or something if tux is in one of
the vehicles, any sound that might indicate a kitty too afraid to come
out, but still responding to mom's voice. also, for the faintest meow,
no matter how far away it might seem, or how much one might think
they're just imagining it because they WANT to hear it.
when FirstCat got out, some 26 years ago when i knew nothing
about cats, i heard one of those meows at 5 in the morning. very faint,
very far away--i meowed back, and called her name..... over a period of
about 10 minutes, the meows kept coming, a little louder and closer
each time--i kept meowing back to her, and guided her home..... had to
help her over a fence, but it worked....
only once have i had a cat go missing (again, having been let
out by someone careflessly) for a long time--well, it was just over a
week, but that was way long for me!--i had just begun to accept that
she was probably not gonna make it home. i was sitting in the house at
night, and suddenly got a powerful sense that i needed to go out into
the yard THEN. again, i just sat down, and called her name--after about
five minutes with no response, suddenly, there she was, three feet
away from me.... she never did tell me where she'd been, or why she'd
stayed away....
that it's coyote country adds a layer of terror to the
situation--for tux, and for the humans involved--that i have thankfully
never had to deal with.....
GLOWing that tux finds his way....
--
MaryChristine
AIM / YAHOO: TenHouseCats
MSN:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 289856892
