I’m sorry to hear that your cat is missing. Escaped indoor cats can be lost outside for weeks or even months so don’t give up. Check out the resources on how to find a lost cat in my online store (https://lostpetresearch.com/store/) or in the Lost Pet Resources pages.

Michelle, did you find your precious cat? It seems to me that you have done everything in your power to locate your cat. Sometimes they just come home, like mine has 2 or 3 times before. Well, I live in the woods with 40 acres, and my cat has been gone for a day and a half ?

Sorry for the late reply. I have been away on vacation. If you are interested in help finding your lost cat, I offer phone and email consultations. You can learn more or purchase one here: https://lostpetresearch.com/services/consultations/. Or if you are looking for lower cost help, check out the Search Plans and Lost Pet Recovery Instructions available in my Store.

PRIOR TO HER DISAPPEARANCE:
From 10:30-11 she was going in and out like she normally does. (Like 3-4 times) She was last seen near the greenbelt area of SE 8th and 240th way-where she always hangs out and is seemingly her ‘territory’.
At 11:15 my mom hears something outside (maybe two animals fighting? My mom said there was no hissing but couldn’t really describe the sound) anyway; my dad runs out and said whatever was outside ran away into the greenbelt. They tried getting her to come in by shaking her treat box but got no response. They send me a text saying get mana is still out, so as soon as I got home (at 1:30am) I tried to get her to come in, and again nothing.
Not knowing about the animal sounds and figuring she would be curled in our patio chair in the morning we went to bed. I was worried, but she had spent a few nights outside before. I woke up early (at 7am) and found she was still missing. I had work, so told my fiancé to keep calling for her and we’ve been anxiously waiting her return ever since.

THINGS IVE DONE SO FAR:
I have posted on over a dozen lost pet sites. Made sure her microchip was current and notified the chip company. I registered her lost with king county. I posted fliers around the neighborhood both hand delivered and posted in common areas. I put up posters at main intersection and neighborhood entrances. I have left food and water out. Kept the doors open all day long and hung out on the patio as much as possible. Shook her treat container at all hours of the day and night. Battled blackberry bushes and inches of dead leaves and spiderwebs trying to navigate the greenbelt. And sprinkled her soiled litter around the perimeter (I did this when feeling helpless and hopeful to try anything before I read about that tip being controversial- not sure I should/could undo that).

•Is there any other tips, tricks, insights on recovering lost/scared outdoor access cats?
•How wide should my search perimeter be?
•If she is likely in the woods, what’s the best way to draw her out?
***I plan to go out searching between 1-4am bringing a strong headlamp and her treat box, and a can of food. I will be calmly talking to myself (as per someone’s suggestion)

Sorry for the late reply. I’ve been so busy with lost pet cases that I haven’t been on my blog recently. I hope that you have found your missing cat by now, but if not, I truly hope that you are still looking. I just helped two people recover their indoor-only cats after they had been lost for over 50 days. If you are having sightings, then a search dog may not be particularly helpful. Since most cats are frightened by dogs, very few cats are actually found during the search. The main purpose of the search dog is to help you locate the area that your lost cat is hiding out in, and if you are already getting reliable sightings, then this isn’t necessary. However, if you do have a strong interest in a search dog, check out the National Pet Detective Directory on Missing Pet Partnership (www.lostapet.org). They also have good information on lost cat behavior and recovery as does http://www.catsinthebag.org.

I’m considering investigating how I might be able to hire someone to track her.

Any thoughts? Options I might consider.

Thank you.