Sunday, July 3, 2022

Not Even His White Tuft

I peruse the internet’s sites that feature ads for cats and dogs lost and found in my town. Sometimes I find a cat who has been found or seen who also matches a picture or a description of one who has been lost; I alert the searching owner to this. I am rarely alone in doing this, as other animal-lovers are doing the same thing. I have been able to return two missing cats to their owners after I saw them coming, separately, to my outside food-bowl, and then matched them to images in ads on the internet.

But many cats are not found. I especially dislike seeing notices for missing all-black cats. These are very difficult to differentiate from one another. A domestic short-haired black cat looks very much like another of its sort. There is often a white tuft on his chest or throat; too many have it for it to be a distinguishing mark. My foster-cat, Hector, is an example. It is impossible, seeing a black cat outside, to determine if he is one who is missing, unless he wears a distinctive collar, or has some other, often unnatural mark, such as a scar or tipped ear.

All-grey cats provide a similar predicament, as do brown-and-black tabbies, though the latter frequently have a pattern that is unique. Even so, capturing a cat just to hold it for the owners to come and examine is impractical, as is collecting every outside cat one sees and taking it to a veterinary hospital to scan for a micro-chip.

Thus, even when one is vigilant, even if one is conscientious, retrieving a lost cat is not as simple as it may seem, regardless of how many felines one observes who might be the animal in question. And one can’t simply shelter every cat one finds outside, whether he’s known to be lost or a stray. It’s a frustrating and sad business, watching cats who may be lost or may not be – especially when one knows one is looking at a lost cat for whom so little can be done.

16 comments:

  1. The lost cats who have worried humans on the search are lucky just to have humans on the search. I see too many cats loose here at home and on the bike rides, and I don't believe they have or had a loving home and just got lost. Wonderful you try to see and watch for signs of missing cats, but not an easy job to sign up for.

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  2. It's heart breaking to see them out, and especially when they look unwell or if they are very hungry. You were right in all you stated. I will mention that it is a nightmare for me thinking that mine could slip out through a carelessly held door. I actually did had a nightmare about it. That Admiral walked out onto the deck as I held the door open a bit for whatever reason in the dream. That though I tried to capture her..lift her up...she went to the deck rails and jumped all 10 feet to the ground, and then- into the forested area that is my "back yard". Once there she would never be found AND I didn't have my glasses on. I was too afraid to run in and get them for fear I wouldn't see where she went. That dream is 20 years old, and I still remember every detail.

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  3. You're right - It's sad that so many lost cats are never reunited with their owners. Even if the cat has a microchip or a collar and an ID tag, it's impossible to catch every cat you see and have his microchip checked at the vet or shelter. The best you can do is make your cat an indoor only cat. But you have been able to return two stray cats to their owners, and God bless you for that!!

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  4. Yes, it really is sad. We do the search thing too especially when a newbie shows up in our back yard.

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  5. Yes it is hard when a cat goes missing. You don't know what happened and it just tears at you. I wanted to let you know in response to a comment you made on my blog : the replies are sent to my spam account for some reason. It's not all of them just some. I have to go in and make them publish. I don't know why blogger is doing this all of a sudden, but I wanted to give you an explanation.

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    1. Yours isn't the only blog which is sending comments to the spam folder these days. No one else knows why that is happening either. It is frustrating many people.

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  6. At least there are good people like you who are making the effort. Even helping one cat is a success. ❤️

    BTW, Blogger is sending comments to spam limbo here too, as I only recently realized. Way to go, Blogger. 🙄

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    1. I get random comments go to spam jail too. I try to remember to check every day, but with my memory sometimes it takes a couple of days for their release!

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  7. So nice people like you are watching out for cats. They do tend to be fast when a door is open.
    .Purrs, Julie

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  8. I'm not surprised to learn that you are doing your utmost to ensure lost cats find their way to back home. I've been fortunate here, while I've had a couple of cats make their way into my yard, both were soon returned to their homes - one next door and the other three doors down. I so wish people wouldn't allow the cats to roam outdoors, it just isn't safe for them.

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  9. That is nice that you have helped get some cats back home.

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  10. And with all of the fireworks going off, lots of pets are running away in fright.
    Use your noggins, people, and take care to have your cat or dog safely secured, then John won't have to post about your lost babies.

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  11. The cats and their owners should be grateful to you for looking out for them. As Vicky said a lot of cats will run off in fright with all the fireworks.

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  12. Not long ago, the all-black cat of a neighbor of mine went missing. The owner put up "lost pet" flyers, but she was having a really hard time finding her cat, because there happen to be several other black cats in the neighborhood that look just like him! Thankfully, after a few days the cat returned, none the worse for wear.

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    1. That’s the exact problem: is a cat a missing cat, and if so, is it the one in question? Black ones are so hard to differentiate. I’m glad this case had a happy ending.

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  13. I know you do your best but to already have reunited two cats with their owners is amazing.

    Blogger sends lot of my comments on my blog to the spam folder too...and sometimes I have to jump through hoops to sigh in, when I am already signed in...and then it will not allow any commenting, even anonymously.
    Phooey on Blogger. there are gremlins in there I think, LOL!

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