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My sweet girl, Elvira, went missing 3 weeks ago. I have hoped for her return but I know that I will never see her again. I wake up every day and she is my first thought. I am still calling for her, knowing that it is in vain, but compelled by hope and love to search for her.
I will never know what happened to her and I suppose that I will always hope for her return, so I wonder how we grieve these pets for whom we can never really get closure?
Please don't give up so soon. Does she have a microchip? Have you posted "missing cat" flyers around your neighborhood, gone on Facebook, etc? If she has a microchip, have you notified the company? Have you knocked on doors? Have you placed things with your scent outside, along with perhaps food?
I was once without Seteria for two weeks and went so far as to contact her microchip company - which sends out "Pet Rescuer" alerts to their e-mail list and faxes vets/shelters in the area. Lo and behold, she was safe and sound in a yard two doors away and came home readily.
Sadly, I once had a cat who went outside just ahead of a snowstorm and disappeared forever. I will always mourn him, but trust me, it gets easier over time. That's the key, you just have to give it time and eventually things will get better - IF Elvira doesn't reappear.
Ever since October, a cat named Errol has been missing from my area. I still talk to and "pet" his lost-cat flyer lol...and there are plenty of stories of felines who have come home after a very long time. So there's still hope for Errol's return, just as there is for Elvira.
Take care.
I am really, really trying NOT to be judgmental here, so I apologize in advance if this post comes out that way ... but all my kitties have been and always will be INDOOR-ONLY so I do not have to go through the agony of them going missing and me never knowing what happened.
OP, I am so, so, so sorry about Elvira, and I hope that she comes back home soon.
Thanks so much for your posts. We did end up finding her in a neighbor’s garage.
Karen, the indoor-only debate will always continue. My cats are indoor-outdoor but, as I have said numerous times, it is not by my choice that they live their lives thus. Sylvester goes out because he has FLUTD; he will actually become sick/flare if I try to keep him in. When I first got Elvira, she was indoor-only. The result was a ton of conflict between her and Sylvester; it was so bad that the next step was going to be to drug her. So, as a last resort, I let her outside and I then saw a huge improvement in her demeanor and their relationship.
I am not saying this ^^^ to promote cats going outside. This is the second cat that I have had go missing for an extended period of time and IT SUCKS. But I think that it’s important to remember that a one-size-fits-all approach to anything is always inadequate. Each situation is different and we just have to trust that people are making good choices.
Fortunately, I have learned a lot from the experience, namely that there are so many people out there who are still looking for pets who are lost. I don’t know how they do it. It is a very difficult emotional state to maintain, especially for an extended period of time. So, I really do hope to hear from people who are still looking, who haven’t given up hope, to hear how they do it.
Happy Easter, all. Glad she’s back, Starla Jane!
I just wanted to pop in and say how refreshing it is to read a thread with a bit of controversial content that concludes without ugliness.
I have my tale about this situation. A puppy we adopted in 1970 (our first family pet), was lost. My late Dad was gardening in our backyard one afternoon and inattentively left the yard gate open. On the other side of the gate was a vast open field, overgrown with weeds, etc.
Our dog (close to losing her sight now, as she was frail, near the end of her life and 16 years old at the time) wandered out into the field and we never saw her again. As soon as we were aware of what happened (maybe 20 minutes elapsed), we all went out into the field and searched for her, to no avail.
When morning came the following day, we resumed the search all morning and afternoon, but could never locate her.
We grew up with her as children, as teenagers and as college students. Many precious memories with her over those years.
We grieved for years after that. We still look at photos of her and relive those memories of times past.
YESSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Was she in that garage for 3+ whole weeks??? If so, consider yourself lucky that she held on for so long!
Not sure where she was. Unfortunately, she is the only one who knows what she was doing for 3 1/2 weeks But I took her to the vet a couple of days ago and, although Elvira lost 2 pounds, the vet said she is otherwise healthy.
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But I took her to the vet a couple of days ago and, although Elvira lost 2 pounds, the vet said she is otherwise healthy.