Please help us find our cat!

Dear Neighbors,

We adopted our beautiful cat on Friday, August 26th and he went missing sometime on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, August 30th and 31st. His name is Pooh. He is extremely skittish and managed to push his way out through the accordion side of a window air conditioning unit. He was spotted at 488 South Ridgewood Road on Wednesday morning at 10am (we live in the Arcularius/Hoffman/Kendall area). All of our other leads have been false at this point, unfortunately, but we are grateful for everyone who has called us. We are heartbroken -- can you please keep an eye out for him? Pooh is a long and lean tabby and has not eaten for many days (he was terrified at our house and really didn’t each much at all). He turned one this past May, up to date on his vaccinations and microchipped. Thank you.

Usual advice is to do the following:

Ask neighbors to check sheds, garages, and any other spaces where the cat may have gotten locked in.

Notify vets offices, police in neighboring areas, and local shelters in case someone finds the cat and reports it. 

Put up flyers in the areas where the cat has been spotted.

The fact that the cat is so new to your household may make it less likely for the cat to be found near your home, though generally they don’t stray far.  It is also less likely that putting out an article of clothing containing a household member’s scent will help in this case.

Good luck.  Please post further sightings here and let us know when the cat is found.

POOH IS STILL MISSING

HE WAS SPOTTED ON A NEST CAMERA LAST NIGHT, SEPTEMBER 2ND, AT 11:21PM AT 35 CLAREMONT DRIVE IN MAPLEWOOD. We have set up four traps in that area and thank goodness to Marcia and Whitney for helping me get that taken care of today.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR SECURITY CAMERAS (RING DOORBELLS, ADT, NEST) TO SEE IF YOU HAVE SPOTTED HIM — if you have spotted him, please call me immediately, anytime of day, 516-459-1089

PLEASE CHECK YOUR GARAGES AND SHEDS FOR OUR CAT.

IF YOU FIND HIM, PLEASE GRAB HIM AND TRAP HIM IN A TINY SPACE, LIKE YOUR BATHROOM.

Pooh does not know the area. He joined our family on August 26th.

He escaped sometime on Tuesday, August 30th after 11pm.

He was raised in a tiny, NYC apartment and has no home base here.

He is not wearing a collar but he is microchipped with Home Again Pet Rescue.

He is extremely skittish and terrified.

Pooh has gotten much farther from our home than I could ever have imagined. I am living every cat owner’s nightmare — please make sure your cats do not escape.

I AM FOREVER GRATEFUL TO ALL OF THE WONDERFUL PEOPLE I HAVE MET IN OUR COMMUNITY OVER THE LAST FOUR DAYS; TO EVERYONE WHO HAS CALLED ME WITH POTENTIAL SIGHTINGS; TO EVERYONE WHO HAS COMMENTED ON MY POSTS. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

joan_crystal said:

Usual advice is to do the following:

Ask neighbors to check sheds, garages, and any other spaces where the cat may have gotten locked in.

Notify vets offices, police in neighboring areas, and local shelters in case someone finds the cat and reports it. 

Put up flyers in the areas where the cat has been spotted.

The fact that the cat is so new to your household may make it less likely for the cat to be found near your home, though generally they don’t stray far.  It is also less likely that putting out an article of clothing containing a household member’s scent will help in this case.

Good luck.  Please post further sightings here and let us know when the cat is found.

Thank you so much for these suggestions.

If he was up on Claremont last night, then he hasn’t traveled too far from home in a couple days. Cats have a sense of direction that we can’t relate with. Trying to grab him will spook him. Offering food might work better.
Joan’s advice is what most of us who have cats would tell you. Over the years we’ve had so many lost cats postings, and as far as I remember they all ended well. The cats are usually close by in someone’s garage or under a deck. I hope he doesn’t go up into the reservation, that’s a whole different experience. Good luck, and keep us posted.

You're doing all the right things - Pooh has a microchip so if someone finds him who hasn't seen your social media posts or one of the many "lost cat" signs you've posted, a vet will reunited you.

Agree with Jaytee that the odds of you being reunited with Pooh are good. There are lots of animal lovers around who will do their best to help.

Be patient - even our neighbors' cat took 2 weeks to return and he had lived in the house for years. 

Hey Jill

I was just getting ready to post here. Glad you started this thread.

Any news since we spoke this AM?

Good news. Pooh was found.

Best news all week!  Thanks, Morganna, and a big congratulations, Jill!!!!  Huge kudos to the wonderful women who worked hard to make this happen.  

It was quite a feat. I'm getting suggestions to add to a list of things to look for in a home before adding a new critter.

Hoping to give it to potential adopters and to post it on my FB page.