Karla S.
6 months ago
Indoor only cats do not go far. Most are hiding within 160 feet of your house. They go into survival mode which is why they often will hide and not respond to you. This is normal. Your cat is not outside having fun exploring. 2-3AM is the best time to go outside your house, sit down, and start talking to your cat to see if he will respond to you. Stay low to the ground because the smaller you appear, the less intimidating you are. Indoor only cats usually try to get back inside your house the exact way they exited it, so if you are able to secure any other pets and try leaving the point of exit open during the night, he may come back in the same way. Place some dirty socks, t-shirts and pillow cases outside the exit point for scent. If you have a garage, you can place some additional worn clothing inside and outside of it and leave the garage door open enough that he could come back in that way. Your scent will attract your kitty. Do NOT put the litter box outside as it will attract other male cats in your neighborhood who will prevent your cat from returning or fight your cat and push your cat off the premises. Your worn clothing that only your cat recognizes the scent is best. Survival mode can last 5-14 days but can last longer. Once your cat's hunger gets to be too strong, they will move from their hiding place. In addition to posted flyers, make up hand flyers and put one in the front door of your neighbors within a 2 block radius. Give one to your mail carrier. It is very important that you look for your cat as late at night as you can. Wildlife and motion activated cameras can be very helpful. Include a request on your flyers that your neighbors check their nighttime security camera footage for sightings. If you have a video doorbell, check the nighttime footage. A humane trap is ultimately how I caught my indoor cat who escaped through a second story window. He did not respond to me when I went outside and I never found his hiding place. I placed a humane trap under the window he escaped through and had it ready at dark. I caught him by the next morning. You'll want to keep outside lights OFF and keep the house quiet. You can buy a humane trap at Tractor Supply or sporting goods stores. If you decide to set a humane trap, you must watch it closely from either inside your house or by using a camera pointing towards it. Once you set a humane trap outside the exit point, DO NOT go outside. Most importantly, if you see your cat, DO NOT CHASE IT. Sit down on the ground, bring a cat carrier, put it upright with the door open facing up and wait for the cat to come to you. You can have some treats or open tuna to entice them to come to you, but please do not chase them because you will not catch them and you risk pushing them further away from your home.
