kimh@tekig1.UUCP (Kim Hastings) (01/22/85)
> References: > > My one year old male cat disappeared a week ago. My family and I are very > grief stricken. I'd like to ask if it is normal for cats to do such things. > We usually let him out every day but this is the first time he hasn't > returned for a week. Is there any hope of his return? > > Mark Logan > topaz!logan Cats get chased off in my experience. When they don't come home, there's usually a reason, like somebody (dog, big mean cat, whatever) got them started running and when they quit they couldn't figure out where home was. In my case, they found friends who eventually heard my lost cat ad on the radio and called (sure miss helpful college radio stations out in the real world!). We had a tough tomcat who'd go out for almost a month at a time and then show up incredibly bloody and affectionate (ever had a much-loved, long-lost friend show up and rub open wounds all over you? Hard to contain your joy...). It seems like they come by this behavior gradually, if at all. My animals who stray seem to wait to return until after I've decided the situation is serious -- testing my faith, I guess. Don't give up hope. The Humane Society has endless stories of pets recovered after incredibly long times, like a year or more. Keep in touch with them. *** As for COONS, they make okay pets as youngsters but turn vicious on reaching maturity. It is considered acceptable to raise them until that point, but to turn them loose when the transition occurs. Unlike many hand-raised wild animals, they seem to make the transition without any trouble, and may even hang around to say hi now and then, but checking with your local zoo is advisable for the suitability of the local environment as a coon habitat. If you want an unusual pet, check out FERRETS. Unlike coons, they're domestic animals (make sure you get pet, and not hunting, stock), and they're definitely attention-catching. Great personality, trainable, affectionate and silent -- what more could you ask for? I'm told that SKUNKS (if from pet stock) make good, if sluggish, pets -- I'll report back when I've had a chance to test the theory. -- Kim, Official Gofer of the Timber Home for Wayward Animals
smb@ulysses.UUCP (Steven Bellovin) (01/23/85)
There are many stories about cats wandering away and returning. One woman I knew thought her cat was lost, but it had merely been adopted by a new neighbor who thought it was a starving stray. Another woman's cat wandered about 1.5 miles off, but was found by someone who'd seen some signs the owner had posted. My favorite story, though, happened to an aunt of mine. She was in a serious car wreck (the car was totalled), and her cat was thrown from the car and presumably killed. A search of the area, though, didn't turn up any corpse... Four months later, from 20 miles away, the cat showed up....