"Rene" wrote in message
...
From what I understand, cats who have escaped don't usually go very
far. He could be hiding under a shrub, in a garage or under a porch
nearby, and may not respond to you calls because he is petrified.

IDK how far you are from your mom, or if she is physically able, but
I'd suggest going door to door in your neighborhood with flyers. If
you make face contact people will be more likely to remember you and
call you if they see him.

Another thought is to rent or borrow a live trap and put it on the
porch. Wire it so it stays open and put the food bowl near it. Move
the bowl a little each day until he is eating in the trap (which is
still wired open). Skip a day and do not feed him, then set the trap
and put the stinkiest food you can find inside. With any luck you will
catch him. I would suggest that, right after trapping, taking him to
your local vet.

Also, please contact the local shelters and make them aware of the
missing cat. Check and post on craigslist too.

A note--you will need to re-introduce him to the household, slowly. He
will smell different and be like a "new" cat to any resident cats.

Keep the faith.



Thanks very much for your suggestions. I think they are practical, although
I may have to accelerate the timetable if I try the trap. Fred hasn't eaten
in over 4 days now! At least, he hasn't been given food by my mother in 4
days; he may have been fed by others or figured out how to hunt mice or
whatever else is around my mother's neighbourhood that a cat can eat.

You also raise a good point about re-introducing him to the household. The
only other cat regularly in the house is Barney, who we believe is his
brother, but I know that is no guarantee that he will be accepted. Friends
of mine recently had a problem with some kind of obstruction in one of their
three cats. Spooky was out of the house several times over the course of a
few days and had various tests performed. When he got back, one of the other
cats absolutely freaked at him although they had been devoted to one
another. I suppose he smelled different as a result of the tests. It took
four days but Renie FINALLY calmed down and accepted hm into the fold again
but my friends had a miserable several days with their apparently psycho
cat.
--
Rhino