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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

3782.0. "Please come home CAM!" by WILLEE::MERRITT () Tue Jul 10 1990 09:25

    My sisters 1 year old kitty (CAM, named after Cam Nealy) has 
    beem missing since Saturday.  The kitty is a grey tiger cat with
    a black stripe down his back and a racoon looking tail.  The
    kitty is a brother to my kitty (Tamba) and they live upstairs
    from us in Fitchburg. (Marshall St. Area)
    
    Every night we take a 3 mile hike around the neighbor looking
    for this baby.  He loves to go outside at night, but normally
    he stays close to the house.  We live on a dead-end road with
    lots of woods...so I don't beleive he got hit by a car. My
    fear is that he is either stuck somewhere, lost, or some
    bigger animal (racoons) have attacked him.
    
    Please say a pray for his save return! And if he does come
    home...I'm sure you'll hear the shouts of joy wherever you
    are.  He's missed terribly!
                                                           
    Sandy (Poco, Barkley and Tamba who misses is brother)
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3782.1NRADM::ROBINSONdid i tell you this already???Tue Jul 10 1990 09:3317
    
    
    	Sandy - Please check your neighbors' cellars, etc!!! About
    	two weeks ago, Squeeky didn't come home at her usual 7 pm. 
    	I was worried sick. My husband, mother and I spent all night
    	and the next day combing the neighborhood. My husband thought
    	he saw her downtown and tried to grab her (turned out to be
    	someone else's cat, tee-hee), we went EVERYwhere looking for
    	her. It turns out she was in my neighbor's cellar the whole 
    	time and they didn't know it. Well, their six year old son 
    	saw her and tried to tell his mom there was a cat in the cellar,
    	but he's prone ti fibbing, so she didn't believe him...So,
    	after 24 hours, she was home, safe and sound...Hope yours is too!
    
    
    	Sherry, Squeek and Sara
    
3782.2My experience...AIMHI::SJOHNSONTue Jul 10 1990 09:5313
    We had a similar situation.  Our cat climbed into our boat on the
    trailer which he loved to do.  My husband closed up the boat that night
    after checking for him and Kitty spent 2 days in there.  We looked
    everywhere & called everywhere.  It was very rainy those days so we
    couldn't hear him crying if he was, until the 3rd night I was outside
    on the deck calling him and I could hear a distant cry.  He was so
    happy to get out!  He didn't even go to the bathroom for 2 days! 
    What's strange is that we had opened the boat on a corner to call for
    him twice - to no avail!
    
    I hope you find your sister's baby!
    
    Sonia
3782.3Hope he comes home soon ..XNOGOV::LISATue Jul 10 1990 10:0710
    This morning I was out looking for a neighbours cat - she was shut in
    a garage! Smiles all round when she was found!!
    
    I hope he comes home soon! Keep on looking and don't forget to put up
    posters, hand out leaflets, ask the local children etc.
    
    Everything crossed for his safe return!!
    
    Lisa plus Pookie and Rolf.
    
3782.4CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren/Sweetie/Holly/Little Bit Ca.Tue Jul 10 1990 14:074
    a few days ago someone's child got accidentally shut in an ice
    chest out here.  This is one of the small portable ones people carry 
    to the beach.  
    
3782.5LUDWIG::MORRISSEYWed Jul 11 1990 00:225
                                                        
    
     Our thoughts are also with you for Cam's safe return ... 
    
     John~ (Zachary, Maui, & Tasha)
3782.6Come Home CAM!!WILLEE::MERRITTMon Jul 16 1990 09:2116
    Cam still has not returned...he has been gone since July 7th.  How
    frustrating...it makes me sick to my stomach to think he is out
    there alone.   I feel so bad for the baby!
    
    We have many lookouts in the neighborhood, we put an add in the
    paper, we walk/drive the neighborhood, and we have called Vets and
    shelters.
    
    It has been 9 days since he has been missing...is there any hope
    for his return?  
    
    Still praying...
    
    Sandy (Tamba, Poco, and Barkley)
                                    
3782.7JJLIET::JUDYNo room for the innocentMon Jul 16 1990 10:5014
    
    	Sandy,
    
    	Yes there is hope.  Our oldest cat Brandi loves to take off for
    	days at a time.  She's been gone as long as 10 days at a time.
    	We get worried and just when we're about to start posting flyers
    	etc, she comes home.  We don't know where she goes but when
    	she gets back she's very hungry.  We figure she must get shut
    	in someone's cellar, outdoor shed etc. or something.
    
    	I hope Cam returns home safely very soon!
    
    	JJ
    
3782.8CIRCUS::KOLLINGKaren/Sweetie/Holly/Little Bit Ca.Mon Jul 16 1990 16:027
    Yes, there is still hope.  Sometimes cats
    return after weeks of being away.  Sometimes not-too-bright people
    take them in, and then discover they can't cope, and so release them
    again, for example.
    
    Our fingers are crossed.
    
3782.9Still missingWILLEE::MERRITTMon Jul 23 1990 13:5317
    Well it has been over two weeks since Cam has been missing and we
    still have not heard a thing.  We have put ads in the paper for
    both weeks..it is amazing how many calls we receive about a stray
    tiger cat, but after investigating we find out that it is not CAM.
    
    I'm not sure if this has happened to any of you, but not knowing
    what happened to him is so scary...I think about it constantly,
    a kitty cries outside and we run to the window, when it rains I
    pray he has protection, if he is still alive I pray that some nice
    person is taking care of him somewhere and he will return soon.
                                    
    We have called dog officers, vets, shelters and I won't give up until 
    we hear something! Please keep your prayers comming.
    
    Sandy (Tamba, Poco, and Barkley_
    
                                                
3782.10CRUISE::NDCPutiput Scottish Folds - DTN: 297-2313Tue Jul 24 1990 09:054
    Sandy -
      You should probably visit the shelters.  Its hard to identify
    a cat just from description.
      Nancy DC
3782.11Wow..a look alike catWILLEE::MERRITTTue Jul 31 1990 09:5542
    Boy...I need your help on this one.  For those that don't remember...
    Cam has been missing for approximately one month and we have searched
    everywhere.  Cam is a tiger cat with a white bib...he is a very
    friendly cat who loves people and other cats.
    
    My sister received a call from one of the ADS she put in the paper.
    This little old lady said she has been feeding this stray tiger
    cat for the past few three weeks but she said this kitty is not 
    very friendly and won't even come near people.   Well we went and
    saw the kitty and of course it wouldn't come near us.  From far
    away the cat does look like CAM but does not appear to recognized
    my sister nor her voice.  This kitty looks so frightened and much
    thinner then CAM. He has a real petrified look on his face.
                     
      o  Is it possible that CAM could be so scared he lost all 
         recognition of my sister?
                                                              
      o  I know I read somewhere in here that a cat has a very small
          memory.  How small...are we talking weeks, months, years.
                              
      o  Do cats look-alike?  It appears this one has very similar
         marking has CAM.
    
      o  Is it possible for a cat to travel over 5 miles? This little
         old lady lives approximately 5 miles away and if it is CAM
         it took him about one week to get there.
                                                   
    How can we get closer to the kitty to see if it is CAM.  Cam has
    had an operation on both feet (double pawed and a toe was removed)
    so I'm sure we could tell.  
    
    If it is CAM and we can get him to come home...would he ever be
    the same!  He looks so wild!  If it isn't CAM don't worry...this
    little old lady has falling in love with him and promised to take
    good care of him.  She even leaves her door open to see if it will
    stroll in.
    
    Maybe there's hope for CAM!
    
    Sandy
    
                                                 
3782.12Please don't give up just yet!HSOMAI::CREBERTue Jul 31 1990 18:2552
    My heart goes out to you Sandy and Cam!!!
    
    I recently suffered an experience with my Telly, (now home and safe)
    that I will never forget as long as I live.  This is going to be long.
    
    Last February, on Valentines day, Telly wanted out so out he was let. 
    We usually had no problem with him returning for Dinner as I always
    left his dry food out and gave him half a can of wet at night.  He
    looks forward to his wet food, so he always came home.  And if he
    didn't come when called, I just took the can outside and let the wind
    do the rest.  He would come running every time.  Well this one
    particular evening we had a severe thunder storm.  Telly didn't come
    home.  I was awake all night.  Went to call him several times to no
    avail.  Days passed and I became more heartsick than ever,  I never
    stopped looking out the back window thinking he would come running
    home.  Well, days turned into weeks and I was becoming severely
    depressed.  I asked my husband to help me post flyers in our
    neighborhood.  We told all the kids to be on the lookout for him. 
    Well, that was on Sunday March 4th, day after my Husbands birthday. 
    That night my daughter and I were talking about Telly and before she
    was tucked in, She wanted to say her prayers and she included Telly in
    this one.  Well needless to say I was shocked the next day when she
    called me at work to tell me that someone had called about our signs in
    the neighborhood.  That was on Monday.  Monday evening, when I returned
    from work, I called the number and spoke to a woman who said she had
    found a kitten about a month ago.  Well the description kinda fit but
    not quite, and the timing was not right.  Anyway, she gave me her phone
    number and also the number of someone else in our subdivision whom was
    also missing a grey tiger kitten.  I called the other woman to see if
    she had gotten any leads that didn't match her kitten as hers was the
    same color just a lot older.  And hers was short haired and mine was
    longhaired.  So, she gave me another phone number, which I called and
    didn't have any luck.  Well something bugged me about the original
    call, so I called the woman back and asked if I could possibly look at
    the cat that she had found.  She became very hesitant at first, but
    then agreed,  seems she was embarrassed at having had this cat neutered
    and boarded at a kennel while trying to find either its owner or a new
    home.  We agreed that I would pick her up and then we would go to the
    kennel.  Well to make a long story short, He was my Kitten, skinny,
    dirty, and very nervous.  At first he did't recognize me, but I picked
    him up anyway and broke down crying imediately.  He started to purr and
    he seemed to relax a little.  Anyway, What I'm trying to say is don't
    give up, try everything, even call back all the vets.  This woman
    waited three weeks to have him neutered.  And if you get any vague
    leads, by all means check them out.  This woman was convinced that this
    was not my cat.  She wasn't trying to be cruel, she just didn't think
    he fit my description.  She was right though, he looked awful.  
    
    All my prayers are for you and Cam,
    
    Lynne C. and Telly
    
3782.13CRUISE::NDCPutiput Scottish Folds - DTN: 297-2313Wed Aug 01 1990 08:294
    Rent a have-a-heart trap and put it out where the woman is feeding
    your Cam look-a-like.  If you need instructions on how to set it
    give me a call.  297-2313
      Nancy DC
3782.14Yes!....BOOVX1::MANDILEWed Aug 01 1990 11:4718
    YES      YES      YES!!!!!!!
    
    Your cat could be so frightened & confused (& hungry and dirty) 
    that it WOULD NOT recognize, remember or respond to someone it knew,
    even if having been owned for a long time.
    This happens often....it even happened to a child lost for a
    length of time in the Austrailian outback.  He became a "wild animal",
    due to fear, and ran away from those looking for him.
    Also, your cat may not look like it did because of hunger and dirty
    fur.  Cats can wander for miles.  My mom rec'd a call from 10 miles
    away about her siamese cat that had been found. 
    
    Re .13 - try the trap idea.  You probably won't be able to get
    close enough to tell without trapping the cat.
        
    Good luck...
    
    L-
3782.15Could be...!WLDWST::K_GARRISONVox populiWed Aug 01 1990 19:1119
    Yes, my William disappeared once for less time than one month.  He had
    been an indoor kitty for three years until I happened to make the wrong
    choice in a roommate.  I have no idea what happened to him during his 
    adventure, but he let very few people near him after that, except for me, 
    and even that took some time and a few nasty scratches.  He was fine with
    me and never wandered far, I could look out any window and find him. 
    Don't let this worry you into thinking if you get Cam back that he'll
    be a permanent nut-case, he won't.  At worse he'll be more cautious and
    that really isn't bad.
    
    Should you decide to go along with the trap idea, and even if it isn't 
    your Cam, you might think about having the stranger spay/nueter if it 
    isn't already.  Just a thought...  It sounds like the woman that's feeding
    him would give him a good home.
    
    Best wishes!
    
    - karen