[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

1125.0. "Update on Chauncey...Mom's lost Kitty" by FSHQOA::RWAXMAN () Thu Feb 18 1988 15:16

    Chauncey is still missing.  I spent all last night posting fliers
    on all six buildings in the apt. complex as well as putting a flier
    in each individual door in each building.  The maintenance people
    are still on the lookout, and the complex manager was even kind
    enough to check all of the vacant apartments and storage areas to
    ensure he wasn't locked in anywhere.  He wasn't.  The cleaning woman
    took me to the building he most often visits and introduced me to
    the people who used to feed him before I took him in (four different
    couples -- none saw him in the last few days).  But--I encountered
    another guy in that same building who DID see Chauncey Tuesday night
    and will contact me if he spots him again.  I also received a phone
    call from a man who says his cat (another male) and Chauncey have
    been cat-calling to each other through the door over the past few
    nights, so he must be around somewhere.  I walked through all of
    the wooded areas calling his name, looking up in the trees, etc.,
    and still nothing.  One thing I can say, though, there are a lot
    of very nice people in my apartment complex.  Even those who looked
    like they just crawled out from underneath a rock were very sympathetic
    and helpful.
    
    Pat Daley and I have been corresponding off-line, and she has been
    extremely helpful by contacting the local shelters, police stations,
    and animal shelters trying to obtain information, but nothing has
    turned up.  I guess no news is good news.  I was explaining to her
    that ever since Nikki was brought to the shelter (Nikki is the cat
    Chauncey was abandoned with), Chauncey has been very lonely, not
    to mention bratty, not having his outdoor kitty friend to play with.
    I am not allowed to get another cat until I move, so Chauncey is
    forced to be alone until then.  Before Chauncey wandered off, I
    would often see him sitting outside apartment doors in our building
    that had cats, scratching and crying to be let in.  Poor thing,
    I felt so bad for him and brought him over to my friend across the
    hall who has ferrets and that occupied his time for awhile (what
    a riot to watch a huge cat run from two little ferrets).  But I
    guess what he was really longing for was affection from another
    cat.  I'm visiting Nikki tonight - how can I tell him that his big
    buddy Chauncey has disappeared??
    
    Well, I just hope he does come home.  He is neutered so it puzzles
    me as to why he's straying so far and for so long.  I hope it is
    just kitty love at that and nothing worse.  What really worries
    me is where and WHAT is he eating?  He's such a little piglet, I
    can't imagine him out there starving if, in fact, he can come home.
    
    Sorry to ramble.  That's the scoop.  I guess now it is just a matter
    of waiting it out.
    
    /Roberta
    
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
1125.1CorrectionFSHQOA::RWAXMANThu Feb 18 1988 15:246
    Regarding my base note:
    
    I meant to say that Pat Daley checked all of the local shelters,
    police stations and animal hospitals, not animal shelters.  Sorry
    for the redundancy.
    
1125.2ITSBIG::VACCARIThu Feb 18 1988 15:426
    Roberta, sorry to hear about Chauncey... I know how you must feel.
    I'm sure he'll be back soon.  We'll be keeping our fingers and paws
    crossed for you :-)
    
    Erin, Rumtum & McCafferty
1125.3sounds hopefulBPOV09::GROSSEThu Feb 18 1988 15:4814
    The phone call you received from the man saying that he has heard
    Chauncy is very promising. I think yu are correct that Chauncy enjoys
    the company of cats. I have two cats that are very attatched to
    each other and love to rough-an-tumble. When one was at the vet
    for a short stay the other prowled around and around looking for
    the other and literaly sighed a lot until Mozie came home.
    Do you have a blanket or something that perhaps Nikki used? you
    could perhaps attatch this to your front door for the scent. When
    Mozie was in the hospital Jemma dragged Mozies blanket around and
    defended it.  It might work. It could be he is looking for Nikki.
    
    keep the faith
    Fran
    
1125.4CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren, Sweetie, Holly; in Calif.Thu Feb 18 1988 15:553
    Maybe tonight you could stake out the apartment where Chauncy has been
    heard?
    
1125.5FSHQOA::RWAXMANThu Feb 18 1988 16:1710
    Thanks for the encouraging thoughts!
    
    RE:  .4
    
    I thought of that too.  Last night I went over to that building
    twice and called and called.  Nothing inside either, and enough
    people in there are holding onto my fliers saying they will call
    if they see him lurking in the hallways.
    
    Until then...
1125.6Best of luck!FIDDLE::HTAYLORCat lovers are a special breedThu Feb 18 1988 16:4012
    Roberta,
    
    I'm keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that you find chauncy tonight.
    About the man who says that his cat and chauncy "converse" through
    the door, is there a chance that if he hears it again that he will
    bring chauncy into the house until you get there?  good luck.
    
    I'll tell Tabby and Silver to keep chauncy in their prayers.
    
    Holly, Tabbatha, and Sterling Silver.
    
    
1125.7us too.. meowrAIMHI::MCCURDYThu Feb 18 1988 17:255
    Pookie and I will say our prayers for Chauncy tonite.. keep your
    chin up.. 
    regards
    kate and pookie
    
1125.9Still, nothingFSHQOA::RWAXMANFri Feb 19 1988 09:4438
    Well, nothing turned up last nite either.  Or this morning.  The
    only logical explanation I can come up with is that Chauncey found
    a new cat to play with when he was out last Sunday, probably followed
    it home, and the owners are feeding him thinking he's a stray. 
    This used to happen often when I lived at home with my parents.
    Their cats would bring home playmates, none of whom belonged to anyone
    in the neighborhood, and we would end up keeping them.
    
    You know, this might sound a bit unfeeling on my part, but if the
    above did happen and I knew that Chauncey was in a nice home in
    a safe neighborhood with other cats he could play with, I would
    let the people keep him.  Now this is only because he is much more
    an outdoor cat than indoor and the townhouse development I am moving
    into has some rules regarding cats.  They would prefer the cats
    be kept indoors, because if they do go out and bother other people
    by digging up yards, etc., I could be fined $500.  Also, they are
    still in construction mode, and Lord knows what would happen if
    he did go out and wandered into the construction site.  My mind
    would never rest wondering where he is and what he's doing.  And
    with Nikki being a strictly indoor cat, this could lead to problems
    as well.  If Nikki ever followed Chancey outside, he is not as sociable
    and could easily revert back to feral or semi-feral.  You should
    have seen Nikki when I visited him yesterday at the shelter.  He
    is now the most loveable kitty; climbed all over me, purred up a
    storm, kissed my face, even came out of his pen for the the first
    time and followed me around!  He really did fill the cat void I
    have been feeling over the last week.  So if I knew that Chauncey
    was being taken care of by a nice family with all of his needs tended
    to, it would be easier for me to adopt another indoor cat to keep
    Nikki company and my mind would be at rest.  I hope this doesn't
    sound cruel; like I am taking the easy way out - I only want to
    do what's best for Chauncey.
    
    But I still do miss him terribly, walk around the complex every
    night and call his name (some insensitive clod told me to "shut-up"
    last night), cry when I look at his empty bed, and cannot stop
    wondering where he might be.
    
1125.10what a jerk!BAGELS::ALLENFri Feb 19 1988 11:349
    
    Tell the insensitive clod to go jump in the lake, if I ever heard
    someone calling for a lost animal, I'd probably go out and help
    them look!  I know what it feels like.
    
    Keep the faith, maybe this weekend you'll find him since you'll
    be around all day and can monitor the area more closely.
    
    Amy
1125.11CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren, Sweetie, Holly; in Calif.Fri Feb 19 1988 13:534
    I read once that the best time to look for a "stray" cat was at
    dusk and the similar time in the morning, when things are getting
    quiet.  No idea if this is true or what the exact reasoning is.
    
1125.12Makes sense to emSALES::RFI86You are the eyes of the worldFri Feb 19 1988 16:408
    That would make sense because dusk is when alot of the food that
    cats would hunt for start to come out. Mice, rabbits and other small
    rodents are generally night time creatures. One would expect a cat
    after fasting all day to be out and around looking for any food
    that might come scurrying along.
    
    
    						Geoff
1125.13AIMHI::OFFENFri Feb 19 1988 17:118
    Good luck in your search this weekend.  I really hope you find
    Chauncey.
    
    I will jump right into the Feline Notes on Monday to hopefully read
    the good news that you found him.
    
    Sandi (Lightning's & DejaVu's Mom)
    
1125.14FSHQOA::RWAXMANMon Feb 22 1988 10:2133
    Well, I regret to say that Chauncey is still not home yet.  I spent
    part of Saturday distributing fliers in mailboxes on the streets
    behind my apartment complex and even had the opportunity to speak
    to a few nice people.  One woman called and said she saw a cat who
    fit Chauncey's description (last Thursday) and if she sees him again,
    will take him in and call.
    
    I don't know why, but I have a feeling that someone who works in
    my apartment complex is responsible for his disappearance.  The
    last definite reported sighting was last Monday by those two little
    girls who said he was in my building (probably looking for me).
   (I still don't know if the guy who saw him Tuesday night in his building
    is telling the truth because other people I questioned in that same
    building did not remember seeing him that night).  I went to the
    management office and questioned the girl about their maintenance
    workers, and she assured me that they have been around every since
    Chauncey was abandoned last summer, have never hurt him, and never
    would.  Maybe I am jumping to conclusions by pointing fingers at
    what could be innocent people, but the maintenance guys were in
    my building last Monday doing work.  And that was the last time
    Chauncey was seen.
    
    I also posted a flier on the bulletin board of the local (and only!)
    supermarket in Ashland.
    
    Last Friday, I read some of the old notes in this file, and found
    one at the very beginning regarding a girl who's cat disappeared
    for over a week and came home.  There were several replies of people
    telling similiar stories about their cats leaving home - one woman's
    was gone for 5 weeks!
    
    Maybe there is hope for Chauncey too.
                              
1125.15PBA::DALEYMon Feb 22 1988 12:0547
     Roberta - you have done everything possible to find Chauncey, and
    more than alot of people would do; you have talked to the people
    in the neighborhood; put out fliers; shelters, local vets and other
    authorities have been notified; you've scoured the woods; what
    more is there to do. Chauncey may yet come home - but I don't
    know what else you can do that you haven't already done. 
    Cats do disappear and reappear and we never know what happens 
    in the meantime. 
    
    You know everyone is watching for him, and you've met alot of
    nice, caring people, anyone of whom will try to get him for
    you. Please try to relax before you go nuts. I know that is
    easy for me to say because I would be exactly like you if
    my cats got out. Probably even WORSE. [ Once when I lived in
    another house on a much busier road than where I now live, my
    daughter's boyfriend accidentally let Murphy out. Well I went 
    beserk! Ran outside in my gross shorts/shirt, ran through poison 
    ivy, climbed over a neighbors rail fence - breaking a rail-
    crying all the while, and calling for the cat. The boyfriend
    felt terrible and my daughter tried to maintain the family
    dignity since her mother was outside looking like an escapee
    from a hospital. She just stood at the backdoor calling him and 
    Murphy, when he decided it wasn't fun anymore, ran right inside
    again]. So I really do know how you feel. The frustration is
    awful!!                    
    
    I know you will be keeping your eyes and ears open for Chauncey 
    and you know that you have done EVERYTHING for him. And you should
    take solice in that fact.
    
    But, you do have a life to lead.
                        
    Pat
    
    P.S.  Coming back from Glean Maura Stables on Olive Street 
    I took a ride down Chestnut Street looking for C.. And you know 
    other people are looking as well. We all want the best for 
    you and Chauncey.
    
    Also - I was at the shelter Sunday and saw Nikki. What a life!!
    He was stretched out in front of the window - taking up most of
    the bench of course - soaking up that sunshine. Nikki's really very
    beautiful  - I couldn't see the color of his eyes though since he
    was in a very sound sleep. I believe that Nikki will be one terrific pet.
     
                                                                            
    
1125.16CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren, Sweetie, Holly; in Calif.Mon Feb 22 1988 13:2718
    Cats do come back after quite surprising lengths of time. My neighbors
    "new" cat wandered away shortly after one of her kittens died.  She took
    up residence (we later found out) in the yard of some people a
    few blocks away.  They realized after a while that she was a stray
    and managed to catch her after a couple of weeks and took her to
    the shelter, when she was found.  (She had a collar but no id tag
    -- now she has both.)
    
    I have also heard that sometimes people take in a cat, even one
    with a tag (ararrrgh), and then after awhile they change their minds
    or the cat gets out accidentally, and it shows up at its old home.
    
    Could Chaunce have gotten into the maintenance workers truck?  Or
    maybe the commotion of cleaning caused him to wander.
    
    Thank God I've never had one vanish like this on me;  it's my worst
    nightmare.
    
1125.17Wanderers do come back.POET::BURLEWPurr is my favorite sound!Mon Mar 14 1988 16:155
    Don't give up on Chauncy.  I once had a cat (Fonzie by name) who
    disappeared without a trace.  One day, six months later, I was sitting
    in the living room when I heard a cat crying in my chimney!  I ran
    outside and looked up and there was Fonzie standing on top of the
    chimney meowing down into the fireplace to let us know he was home.
1125.18CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren, Sweetie, Holly; in Calif.Mon Mar 14 1988 16:314
    Re: .17
    
    Chauncy is back.  His return was announced in another note.
    
1125.19Like to knowWELKIN::STRONACHTue Mar 15 1988 09:153
>    Chauncy is back.  His return was announced in another note.
    
		Where??