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Local Items: Lost Cat
Bonaire Talk: Local Items: Archives: Archives 2005 - 2006: Archives - 2005-06-01 to 2005-07-14: Lost Cat
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Paine (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #1) on Friday, July 8, 2005 - 11:02 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Our cat has gone missing in the Sabadeco Terrace area for the last day and a half now which is highly unusual for him.

He's a chocolate Siamese with black points, hence his name "Chocolate Thunder". He's wearing a leather collar with a little pink heart-shaped tag that says "Chocolate Thunder 1-714-408-7873" (a U.S. voice mail number). He's quite terrified of meeting strangers, but should he show up on your doorstep could you give Mark & Thip a call at 717-5394?

Thanks so much.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ann Phelan (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1857) on Friday, July 8, 2005 - 1:56 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Good luck Mark...this is heartbreaking isn't it..hopefully he is on holiday with a nice family in Terrace..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carl Pflanzer (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #218) on Friday, July 8, 2005 - 5:32 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark - from one cat lover to another - wish you lots of luck in finding your friend.

Carl

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tish (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #241) on Friday, July 8, 2005 - 5:44 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark, Two suggestions:
Call the Animal Shelter frequently to ask if anybody has brought in your cat.
And keep checking your US voice mail to see if anybody has phoned to report they have your cat.
But cats have a way of ditching their collars, so checking the shelter is also important.
Good luck!
Tish

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Paine (New BonaireTalk Poster - Post #2) on Friday, July 8, 2005 - 6:18 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Thanks for the support and suggestions everybody. We'll just keep our fingers crossed. Having just moved here from San Francisco, we appreciate the well-wishes.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Carole B. (Supreme BonaireTalker - Post #5087) on Friday, July 8, 2005 - 7:19 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

I hope he comes home soon, Mark. I know I'd go crazy if one of our kitties went missing.

Keep us posted, OK? Carole

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michelle_S (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #213) on Saturday, July 9, 2005 - 12:03 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark,
My cat went missing for a week in March. He went out one night and got so lost, he would not have found his way back home. I'm going to give you the tips I learned, and what it took for me to find him.

1) Indoor cats who get lost outside stay somewhere close to home, will find a hole and hide. Hunger forces them to venture out after a few days, and they do so mostly at night. Regularly canvas the neighborhood in the evening. My cat KNOWS the sound of his kitty treats rattling in their bag, so I walked the neighborhood rattling his bag of treats and calling his name. One cat I knew returned to its former home after the family moved a mile away.
2) Blanket your neighborhood with pictures and a description of him. Include your contact information. I found my cat only because other people were looking for him.
3) Post those pictures and the cat's information at local animal shelters as well. Visit those shelters every 2 days. Even though your information is posted there, someone else might not recognize your cat as well as you will.
4) Place the cat's food & some water outside your door. You'll probably attract more critters than your own lost cat, but available food might help him find his way home.

Here's how I found my cat:
He was missing for a week and in nine years had never been out of the house longer than a half hour. I was doing all the things listed above.

He was spotted by a neighbor in a grassy area (familiar to our former house) running away from a dumpster (looking for food), and disappearing into a storm drain (a hole to hide in). I went to the storm drain and spent the next 12 hours throwing sardines, kitty treats, heated salmon and talking into that hole. He was so scared, it took him until 11:00pm to finally come out of hiding, show his face and eat. It took another 30 minutes for me to coax him close enough to the opening, so I could reach down and grab the scruff of his neck to pull him out. (Yes he was PERFECTLY capable of jumping out of the hole, but he wouldn't do it.)

By the way, I've completely left out the fact that I borrowed a trap from the apartment complex, covered it with cardboard and newspaper to disguise it like the boxes he likes so much, caught and released 3 other neighborhood cats in the process.


Rewards:
I posted a reward for my kitty's return. A vet warned me about scams that some people will pull on a grieving pet owner. They will call the pet owner to announce they have found the animal. Ask the caller standard questions about the pet, like coat and eye color. On the other hand, also ask an erroneous question about the pet that you know is absolutely false, such as, "does he have a white patch on his right ear?" Make something up that would be plausible, but completely untrue. If the person agrees that he DOES see the imaginary mark, then you know he's lying. Tell the person clearly that you know he is lying, and that if he persists in calling your home again that you will have the line traced and will call the police. The vet had had one client get robbed when she went alone to meet the caller in a not-so-public place.

I hope these suggestions help you find your lost baby and will keep you safe. We'll be keeping you in our thoughts. Some cats have returned on their own after being lost for a month. Others need your imagination and action. Please keep us informed.

Michelle

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeanine Clark (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #112) on Saturday, July 9, 2005 - 8:20 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Greetings Mark!

So sorry to hear about this. I volunteer with animals (for over 3 years) and agree that the information listed above is accurate. You are going to have to actively search for your cat and cats are dusk/early evening feeders when they go feral.

However, if your cat is a typical outside cat he may just be working out his new territory. I couldn't tell from your original post if you let him out regularly at your old house. If you have let him out regularly in the past, there is a very strong chance that Chocolate Thunder will reappear in the next day or two after he is done mapping his new territory (and eating the new local delicacies - lizards, bugs, etc).

For all who read this board I cannot stress how important the following statement is for people who own indoor/outdoor cats and relocate them. If you have a cat you regularly leave outside without supervision, you should confine it within the new house for at least a full month before you let it venture outside. That way it will have enough time to associate that the new house is home base.

My thoughts are with Chocolate Thunder for a quick return. Please post a follow up when the roaming feline comes home.

Good luck!

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ann Phelan (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #1858) on Saturday, July 9, 2005 - 8:56 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Jeanine,

Jan, the local vet here told me the same..to keep my cats inside for at least 3 weeks. Fat chance.

The biggest stress of my move July 1 was the cats. I have 3 siblings and their semi ferile Mom (she had kittens in my house when I was in the US last Nov.) and a newly adopted kitten. The movers were in and out all day so the cats were scarce. One by one they came in to eat and I would snag them (had two carriers for 5)..I finally got them ALL to the new house and tucked them into my bedroom which is designated the storage room. They hid for 12 hours. One by one they ventured into the house. Now mind you I am still building so there are anywhere from 2-8 men working inside from 7-7. It's very noisey with drilling and hammering...the cats were NOT happy. The cries for hours was making me mental. It was nearly impossible to keep them in with doors wide open and workers in and out.. After 24 hours they went out...Naturally I was scared to death. The baby,Bonita Boo (Boni) was the most resilient taking the whole situation in stride. Mama, the ferile cat hid for a long time in the bush. Her three kids were in an out...

Did I mention my two dogs?? Luci has never been tied while Confienza had been in her previous home (I adopted her). Since my fence is not completed, I had no choice but to tie them..they were NOT happy..there have been a few break outs..I even got a call that they were sited trotting down the Donkey Sanctuary Road...I freaked as I was afraid if they hit Tera Cora (Gabrito territory) they would be shot...they always come home but I am trying my best to keep them here tied until my fence is complete (that is another story in itself)...

If the house were more tranquil, maybe I could have kept them in for a few days..but a month, never..not these restless ones..and as for the hunt, as we speak there are two lizard carcasses in the living room ...haa...It's a trip, I tell u...pets and the Caribbean..

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jeanine Clark (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #114) on Saturday, July 9, 2005 - 9:57 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

Hello Ann!

I know, the animals are so miserable when you try to confine them, but the longer the better. The wildlife sanctuary I volunteer at has 4 outside cats and one of them just caught a serious upper respiratory infection. So...we had to "catch" Angelica and put her inside so that we could medicate her on a regular basis. The poor dear is stuck in a 6 foot high by 4 wide and about 2 1/2 feet deep ferret cage. Thankfully she is a sweetie, but she is so miserable.

I am still hoping that Chocolate Thunder is out enjoying the new tastie treats of the island and will come home soon.

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Brittany Barrett (Experienced BonaireTalker - Post #354) on Saturday, July 9, 2005 - 10:45 am:     Edit PostPrint Post

I hope you find him. I know that I'd go crazy with out my Mel. Have you tried putting up fliers with pictures? I hope he is just off eating lizards

Britt

 

Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Cousino (Extraordinary BonaireTalker - Post #2039) on Saturday, July 9, 2005 - 5:45 pm:     Edit PostPrint Post

Mark, I hope Chocolate Thunder is home soon.

 


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