What a crying shame, you must be so upset. Been there myself and you may as well forget sleeping. Mine came back after five days, we both had bags under our eyes.
I had to go to work but she slept for the next two days, no fairsies. Keep the faith, she'll be back.

Oh no! I had a dream last night that our tabby Kitty Pop got out...I hope it wasn't Molly I dreamt about!

Sending you KittyHugs. I know just how devastating it is when your baby gets out. KittyPop has a history of escaping, and we try the tapping of a can with a spoon, calling his 'song', whistling, you name it. No luck, then one night we gave up...he could NOT be found. The next morning he was crying at the door to be let in.

Since Molly has some street skills, she's probably going to be OK. She might have unsown wild oats (despite being spayed) that she has to get out. I hope she comes home soon so you can get some sleep! Hugs to you.

(((Jen and husband)))

Sending cat return energies...

I'm hoping for a good outcome, I just read this whole thread just now and I'm happy there's a ray of hope for you.

Oh man, I hope you can catch her Jen, that is such a sick feeling.

I don't know what it is about our neighborhood, but there are a lot of strays. (We live at the end of town, with a large park/field and another field, so it's probably looks like a good spot to dump an animal. :/ ) Last winter at dusk I caught sight of the tiniest little thing, under our front evergreen. I set up one of the doghouses for shelter, and left food out every night, that cat was not coming near me. Long story short, one night I looked out to see 3 strays in our driveway. During the day time, you'd never know a stray cat existed. Once darkness comes, they start moving around looking for food. Long winter later, I ended up catching one of them (but not the original little one). It took a solid week till I figured out he was hiding in the crawl space of a house a couple doors down. (It must be in foreclosure, no one around.) It took several more days of coaxing and food, but I finally caught him. He's asleep upstairs as I type. ;)

My point is, it's become so common here I see a pattern. Cats outside just seem to disappear in the light of day. And like clockwork, about 45 min to an hour after sunset, they start moving around. I also noticed about dawn, when it's still not quite light out, they will be moving around again, maybe looking for one last snack before they go hide during the day. Maybe focusing on those times of day will help some? (And the flashlight for sure is an easy way to catch the glint of their eyes.)

It is a sickening feeling. We had one escape once too. We did eventually find him under the deck. Way back in the farthest corner of a big deck. It was gross but I crawled under there and pulled him out.

Hugs Aunt Jen. I hope you have Molly safe in your arms by now.

Auntjen--

A missing pet is so worrisome, especially with the winter storm approaching! Keep a bowl of food out there for her if you can, and know that our four-legged friends often fare bad weather better than we would, thanks to their warm fur coats and their instinct to curl up somewhere and wait it out. She may have been skittish because she sensed the storm's approach.

Anyway, sending best thoughts for your kitty's safety and prompt return.

Aww Jen, you just do not need this right now. I am so sorry. I was kind of hoping that by the time I scrolled down to the bottom of the post, there would be a happy update. Maybe today will bring Molly's return.

My big old boy did this to me on moving day back in 1999. Turns out he was under the house. I didn't know there was an under to get under. But, we had an overhang by the back door and there was this little recessed space up inside there and he'd stuffed all of his 18 furry pounds into that spot. Just wondering if there are any nooks and crannies you might search right there...?

Hang in...hoping for good news today. (((hugs)))

It makes your heart stop when a pet gets out. You are both definitely in my prayers.

Another one here sending along best thoughts, hopes and prayers for Molly's return!

Keep warm, stay safe -- and keep trying with the food!

Jan

We woke up to a "winter wonderland" - the snow began falling steadily about 5:00 a.m., and DH just noticed that there are cat paw prints leading from the house next door to the food dish on our front porch. Of course we have no way of knowing who those prints belong to, but I'm encouraged to know that cats can survive in this cold weather. I'm off work today (office closed) so will continue to wait and watch for her to come home. Your continued thoughts/prayers are so appreciated. I just really miss her ...

Hope the news is soon good! I remember those heart-sinking feelings when our former two would escape ...once on location at a land rig. I was a screaming maniac ... but all ended well. Hoping for the same with you and Molly!

Animals, esp. animals acquainted with the outdoors, have a way of finding warmth and safety when they need to. I bet Molly is very resourceful, given her past, and is trying to coordinate her return. Or maybe she just felt the call of the wild and will return when it ceases being interesting. Which should be soon, given the weather y'all are having. My first cat went missing for a *week*, but came back around 3 am. I thought it had been too long and I'd lost him. Keep hope alive!

Thanks ... I keep walking around the house, peering out doors and windows, opening the doors and doing the call/whistle that usually brings her running when she's indoors. A little while ago I received a call from the neighbor I spoke with last night, letting me know that he did bring his cat in last night but didn't see Molly. He said he saw the black & white tom that's a fixture on the block ... so now I just don't know to think about the cat I saw last night that I thought might be her. I am still definitely not giving up hope though. Have fired off an email to a neighbor who has an email distribution list and regularly sends out missing pet alerts.

In the meantime, I'm giving my remaining babies lots and lots of love. Tiger actually made a brief break for it last night when I opened the front door ... he ran out and made slinky movements around the porch until I could reach him and grab him up. All we need is another one going missing ... but it's like Molly leaving - and all these window-and-door-checking routines must have put thoughts in the minds of the others!

Singing today:

Good golly, Miss Molly. You sure like to roam.
Good golly, Miss Molly. You need to go home.

Don't give up hope. Cats are amazingly resourceful.

Jen, I rescued two feral cats a long time ago, and one got loose. Because she was feral, she wasn't at all inclined to come to me when called. My experience was that she went only maybe 50-ft away, and huddled against the neighbor's wood pile, and I got her safely home.

I read from a woman that volunteers finding lost pets, that they rarely go far. The best bet is to leave the light on at your back door, with stinky food and water there. Apparently, that works most of the time. I'll try to find a link. And best of luck!

Oh how heart-wrenching. Hang in there Jen, she'll turn up no worse for wear.

Hi Jen, I've been thinking of you and little Molly. You're doing all you can do right now. She's out there somewhere and probably close by.

I second the idea of keeping the garage open, if you can. It doesn't have to be wide open, just a few inches that she can squeeze under. If you have a door between the garage and your house, you'll want to keep that one locked. When our lost cat came back into the house it was only after everything was quiet and the place seemed "safe." I do hope she comes back soon.

If she's already been trapped she might be "cage-shy" but it's worth using every tool you can, if you can get your hands on a humane cage do!

On the topic of homeless animals, well volunteer w/animal rescue and there are parts of Philadelphia that are filled with so many stray cats. The people I know from our charity call them "Shake a Bag" streets, as in, there are so many hungry abandoned cats there that all you have to do to catch them is Shake A Bag -- of cat food.

Thinking of all the poor cats (and other abandoned pets) who don't have anyone who cares out looking for them really breaks my heart. Molly is a lucky girl to be so treasured, I hope it turns out okay and that those little pawprints you saw are indeed hers...

On the chance that the cat in the flower bed was not your Molly, I'd do a thorough inside the house search too. Once, one of my cats hopped into a drawer when I left it open. I closed the drawer without seeing her in there, and she stayed in there more than 24 hours, and never once meowed. In fact, when I found her, she seemed quite unperturbed by the whole thing that had me crazed.

a couple of weeks before christmas, our sweet little kitty (4 yo and strictly a housecat) got out when a basement door(which should have been locked!!) was closed, but not latched and blown open by the wind...she probably got out in the early morning hours and i was gone most of the day and didn't notice until that evening she was gone.
i was heartsick, because i know there are some feral cats around(her front paws are declawed) and there are lots of hawks circling around always. looked outside several times that evening, calling for her and searching nearby yards- nothing. then, late at night i went out, called her name and heard her meowing. she was huddled up against a neighbors house in their landscaping... i had to go and find her--she would not come to me, even though she follows me around constantly at home! she was very scared and cold.

also, don't give up hope...years ago we had a male cat who escaped one day and he was missing about 3 1/2 weeks... one day a neighbor called and said our cat was under their deck...sure enough, it was him...abit battered, but alive! it's sooo odd how a cat can be so nearby the home they love and yet still stay away!

i wonder if putting a blanket out that you like to wrap up in(that has lots of your scent on it) would be a good idea?? might attract her, on her terms...

YES!!! to checking around the house. We lost our 70 pound Aussie a few months ago, and spent hours driving around nearby neighborhoods, knocking on doors, calling his name, searching the house over and over. By the end, both DH and I were both in tears. We found him in the far end of the basement behind a shut door where he had followed me and I hadn't noticed. He also never made a sound, not a bark, not a whine. We still can't believe we lost him.
Dee

Dee; thats horrible that he didn't make a sound. I wonder if he was sick?

Jen; I haven't read all of the replies; so if it's been said.. I'm sorry..

Make sure your neighbors know your cat is missing. Someone I know on another forum had a neighbors cat climb into their motor & it was not a good outcome. Not sure how far the wife drove before the engine started on fire; they lost the cat & a car. Horrible story.

Roselvr: No. We got him at 4 years old as a companion to our other aussie puppy, and he's always acted like she lives here and he's just visiting. He does nothing he's not supposed to, and constantly watches us for clues, just like an abused child does, so as to not get in trouble. That's another reason we were in tears; we kept imagining him thinking we'd abandoned him.

Sorry for the OT, Jen. I keep checking her to see if Molly is home.
Dee

Not home yet. :-(

It's so frigid out though - the wind is blowing fiercely - I am just trying to have faith that she has found a warm, dry spot and has chosen to remain there for now.

I've gone through the house with a fine tooth comb more than once. Opened every possible drawer, cabinet, closet, looked in places such as the washer, dryer, freezer ... she's definitely not in the house. I'm certain it was her I saw in the flowerbed Sunday evening. And I know it was her who meowed at me from across the fence. Funny, though, how the mind will play these dirty tricks: Maybe you didn't REALLY see or hear what you think you did ... I keep having to remind myself that my recollections are very clear, and my baby girl is out there, somewhere. I hope and pray you are all right, and that she's very likely quite close by. I just stepped outside and whistled/called for the umpteenth time, to no avail. I'm just exhausted.

Here's a pic of my sweet girl.

Dee that's so sad.

Jen; hopefully she'll come home soon. I agree with everyone that she's probably fine. We had cats growing up; they always wanted to be out at night & now I understand why after reading. It's true that you see more at night then during the day.

I hope I didn't upset you with the car motor story. Wanted to make you aware that it does happen; especially in weather like this. I normally garage my car but when I leave it outside at night; I do check the motor before I leave; some days I tap on the hood & fenders a few times before I start it just to make sure. It makes a lot of sense that a warm car motor is a good place to sleep. Maybe you can ask the neighbors to tap on their hoods before starting the car while she's missing.

I hope that by tomorrow your Molly will be home.

~Hugs

AuntJen,

I hope she comes home soon. I know it's heart wrenching looking for a lost pet. This happened to us years ago with our Maine Coon. We had bought this cat from a breeder and paid more than one should pay for a cat! He was so predatory, he'd stalk my kids and attack them from behind - scaring the crap out of them. He wanted to go outside so bad, but I was afraid to let him out so I bought him a cat harness and a long lead so he could go out on the deck etc. One day, he was under the deck for a really long time, so I started pulling on the lead and sure enough out came the harness, but no cat! He was gone for 3 days. I posted signs everywhere and searched and searched. We put food on the front porch etc. One night at dinner, I heard this faint thumping sound and looked down the hall and there was Oliver beating on the sidelight glass with his paws! He came home! I was so relieved, but after that we decided he knew where his home was so he went out when he wanted. He had a set pattern when he went out - I'm sure he had a territory he patroled - even though he was fixed. My hubby used to say he wished we could put a little minicam on his head and see where he went. He's now 14 years old and still wants to go outside in the winter, but when I open the front door he does this little backward dance - I call it his trying to get under the cold air dance, but just can't go out anymore in the winter. I tell him "It's too cold for cats!" But honestly, until just a few years ago, he'd go out in crazy cold weather. I bet your cat has found a nice protected spot under your neighbor's house.

Dee, we had the same panic thinking our dog had run off too. Our dog has an electric fence and never goes through it, but one day we realized he wasn't in the house and called and called for him - no Rudy. He is so attached to us, he follows someone all over the house, so being off alone is just not in his nature. I'm yelling and yelling for him - no answer. Finally for some reason I open the door to the garage and there he is patiently waiting in the pitch dark - never barked, whined nothing the whole time we were yelling for him outside and inside. I decided that day that he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but had a heart and soul of gold!

I am so hoping that she comes back to you safe and sound

Sorry I've been so slow in adding my hopes and prayers that Molly comes back to you safe and sound. Maybe tomorrow will be the day she decides to return...let's pray she does.

Carole: Our situation was exactly the same - electric fence, velcro dog. Hopefully, Jen will be as lucky as us and she'll be reunited quickly.
Dee

Another "cat hiding in the house" story...

After our cat (named, not very creatively, Little Cat) ran off that first time we had MORE contractors in the house and once again, the door was left open. I walked outside and our cat Mitty was sitting on the sidewalk with a "I can't believe I've finally broken free" look. I scooped him straight up and put him behind a locked door but Little Cat was gone. I thought "OMG, I just lost that cat and got her back and how stupid can I be?" and started the whole walking the neighborhood doing the rounds, knocking on my little can of cat food and calling her name. I was frantic. Didn't think we'd be able to count on her walking in the door again. Miraculous enough that it happened once. Realize this is a cat that is petrified all the time and barely allows herself to be petted.

Anyway, I figured I'd look around the house ONE MORE TIME. Of course I was pretty sure I checked EVERY nook and hiding place. Well, duh. I didn't even see a lump at the bottom of my drapes but when I lifted up the mounds of fabric puddled there, there was a something -- certainly Calico Corner doesn't use weights THIS big.

It was Little Cat, she was so afraid of the contractors she was curled up like an armadillo, a hard little ball, and still as stone. The relief, as you might imagine, was huge.

More cats run off when contractors or strangers are in the house than at any other time and even if they cry and fuss it's super important to lock them up with food and their litter box in a safe place while strangers are working in your home!

Auntjen, I keep checking in hopes there is a happy ending posted--I surely do pray your baby shows up safe and sound!

I'm supposedly the anti-cat resident in our house, but those little suckers just worm into your heart. Lately one of ours has been climbing up onto my lap to purr, knead then curl up and sleep. Darned if it isn't the most relaxing feeling. Stupid cat :).

Anyway I hope your stupid cat (you know what I mean) gets back very soon.

Ann

I'm so sorry, Jen. I went through that with a dog as a kid. It's just terrible. As for cats, they're strange. We combed the neighborhood for a friend's cat. That stinker didn't come back for MONTHS, but he did come back. He was thin and scraggly by then, but he survived a MN winter.

With cats that were less adventurous and more scared, I've had good luck with cans of tuna or sardines in water. A cat fell from the 3rd floor window of a nearby apartment. She was probably sore, but mainly terrified. Tuna got her out where we could catch her. Perhaps a visit to your neighbor's crawl space with tuna will lure a kitty out. I'd leave some in sheltered areas near your house, too. If you have a crawl space, you might put some old towels in a likely spot along with some water and some tuna. You'll risk attracting other critters but you might catch a cat!

Checking in for the latest Molly Alert. Hope you're reunited soon. Poor thing...

I hope Molly comes back soon. I keep checking back too.
We lost a cat once. It was winter, I was very preggers and upset, so my DH went out in the middle of the night- prowling around the bushes up and down the street. Without a flashlight- bad batteries.
He did grab a cat, but let it go when it clawed him- it wasn't ours. And he scared some neighbors- he came back in saying he couldnt look anymore he was afraid he would get arrested!
Rowdy the cat started meowing and I heard him and followed the sounds upstairs to the attic. He was a bit miffed it took me so long to open the dresser drawer so he could get out and stretch after his wonderful nap. Earlier in the day, I had been up on the third floor looking through the dresser . I must have closed it on his highness as he was sleeping.
I hope my little story raised your spirits a bit. Cats are their own people.

I keep checking in to hear good news too. Come on, Molly! Your mama is worried about you!

Come home Molly! I keep checking too.

So sorry your baby cat is still missing! Little Molly is my prayers, and so are you. Sending you a hug!

Just checking in for an update. I was so hoping to read that Molly was home safe and sound with you. Keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers.

I keep checking for updates as well, hoping and hoping she returns sooner than soon!

Okay, I know there are a zillion of us reading this, and hoping and praying for Molly... so here's what I'm going to propose... At precisely noon central time, which I think would be 1pm EST and 10 a.m. PST, let's put all of our energy together and throw it out to the universe...PLEASE help Molly find her way home where she will be safe, warm and loved....

Oh bestyears, thank you so very much. Still no sign of her, but the temperature may be keeping her wherever she is now. Even so, I have shed many tears this morning. I keep envisioning her sweet little face and her goldy-green eyes, and I want her home more than I can even express.

Molly ... please come home soon, sweetheart ...

Hang in there, auntjen, I'm hoping with all my heart that she returns to you !!

Jen - I've been thinking of you and Molly every day since seeing this post. I "lost" one of my dogs for several hours at a dogs show years ago after giving him to friend to walk back to my van. To this day I don't know what really happened, but somehow he got spooked and was missing in wooded parkland for several hours. I'll never forget the generosity of strangers with scent hounds who left immediately to track him. He followed a stream and was tracked into a sewer ditch. I'll never, ever forget that feeling of anxiety, so I understand what you're going through.

I have faith that Molly will be back because she escaped from your home, not some unfamiliar area. I'm hoping she's right under your nose.

Maybe Molly is just hold up somewhere waiting out the storm. She ran back for that meal but retreated to her snuggly place rather than wait for you to let her in. She will have some explainin' to do when she returns.

I know this might sound odd, but maybe not so much given all our recent threads: have you considered consulting a pet psychic? They do exist, and I've heard of some amazing things they've called...I *might* be able to get a name of a good person from a list I'm on if you're interested.

Interesting thought, fly! I spent a good deal of time on the website linked below - but this woman isn't a pet psychic, I get the feeling she's more of a hand-holder. I wonder if she would give any better advice than what I've received from you all here? (I'm doubtful. Still, I'm somewhat intrigued!)

In all honesty, I don't know if I could fully put my trust in a psychic. I guess my biggest issue would be that I'd worry I was simply handing over $ to someone who was taking advantage ... I don't know. I really know nothing about such things.

I've just returned from yet another neighborhood scouting mission, and just about gave my stupid self frostbite in the process. DH is certain that Molly is not going to venture out any, if at all, in this cold. But I do see numerous cat prints in the snow, and somebody is coming back repeatedly to eat from the dish on the front porch. Could just be that big tom though ... ::sigh::

Here is a link that might be useful: Cat Profiler

I keep checking back, waiting to read the good news that she home safely.

I am sending out positive energy that she is getting fed to eat from the dish. Can you set up a little camera?

auntjen,
A camera is a great idea -it might give you some piece of mind. Years ago we had a critter in our attic, but didn't know what exactly. So we set up some food, placed our camcorder nearby, turned it on, and then waited downstairs. I think it ran two hours or something like that, whatever the battery life is. When we played it, ta-da, there it was, nearly immediately, a big, fat Norwegian Roof Rat.

Since it's outside you'd have to insulate the camera somehow to protect it from the elements, but it might be a great idea. If she is eating the food, it might be worth it to try a hav-a-heart trap next, well disguised, maybe inside a cardboard box with a blanket covering all but the open side or something.

Still praying mightily....