They (cats, if you couldn't figure) really do have nine lives.

Some of you know I had to lay my cat of 15 some odd years down a little over two years ago, I think. Always been a cat person, I found one at the pound that whispered in my ear "take me home" the end of January. His name is Ninja, but it wasn't a factor

First week he was restricted to the upstairs. Second week he was allowed into the basement. I built a kennel outside the cat door in the basement, and let him into that about the third week.

A nice sunny day in early March, I opened up the kennel so he could explore the whole world, and boy did he. I watched him run (yes, run) with his tail fully erect (cat owners know the meaning) to every house, porch, and cubby within my eyesight. He finally accepted that he was a free man, err... cat, and came back home in 30 minutes

Next few weeks he expanded his territory a few hundred feet at a time, always home within a 2-3 hour window from going out the cat door. His arrival back home was typically a light 'mew', then off to the feed bowl. If at night, he'd jump up on the bed after vittles and see if I'd poofed the pillow up for him. Else it was the cat bed on the dresser. Life is good in the mountains.

I live in the country, along with fox, coyote, and an errant mountain lion or two. A collar on a cat is sometimes warranted. Like in the city where a rabies/license tag needs to be displayed. In the country, a jingling tag is a homing beacon for the foxes, coyote... Ninja has a chip though, but he has to be found and scanned to find his owner.

Ninja went out last Tues PM (the 28th), he didn't come back. Temps dropped below freezing on the 1st, it snowed a wee bit on the 1st, and more on the 2rd. I accepted the fact that Ninja became food for something else.  On my birthday I washed up the cat dishes and put them away until that time another cat walked into my life. Been depressed for several days, forum lightens my mood a bit. Not knowing the outcome is worse than knowing. I think it's called closure.

Friend of a neighbor called a friend who then called me this evening. Something about how to get a cat out of a tree. She said 'it' was 40' up in a toothpick limb-less pine, been up there at least two days, meowing on occasion. Black cat, white patch on its chest. Just like Ninja...

Rick

Any coyote hunters in the area?  Check for bits of burlap in the claws.  Happy Ninja is back to ya

Glad you got him back.  My two cats drive me nuts occasionally, but I still love them.  As I was typing this, they were going at each other again outside. (I left the sliding screen door open and they flew the coop.)

Great story Rick! Ninja should be more of a homebody for awhile, at least. Just today my 6 month old climbed his first tree, needless to say, I had the 20' ladder out an hour later rescuing a screaming cat..

Hate to bust a bubble...

Never said I got him, or that he came down. And there's a reason it was a friend of a friend of a friend that called me, instead of the person who actually saw Ninja in the tree out their back door. Someone around here is a french fry short of a Happy Meal, and has 911 on speed dial. Shouldn't be too hard to do the math.

Until tonight I never knew cops were experts on pole climbing, lumber jacking, small animal science, proper placement of a ladder (and climbing of same), what a property boundary/corner stake looks like, and why it means nothing. They know everything, and have weapons and radios if you disagree. I just left, you can't argue with pro's.

And it became dark to boot.

Rick

This is unrelated, and not meant as a hijak, but I am very concerned about my Shakespeae. I love this cat more than myself. The poor little guy has lost about 40% of his body weight over the last month or two. He was 13lbs 7 oz, and now he is 7lbs 14 oz. I've had him to the vet for complete bloodwork, the vet says he's not only good, but the results are "perfect." Took him back tuesday, he lost 6 more oz in 2 weeks, and took a poop sample with me. Tested negative for parasites also. I have an ultrasound scheduled for this weekend at a facility about an hour away(  Malvern, PA), not looking forward to this, esp. when it comes time to write the check. If the ultrasound doesn't show anything, Shakespeare might be in serious trouble, and I will be devistated. We just lost our dog at the end of January, and that was horrible. I truly can't imagine losing my best friend, especially since he's not yet 5 years old.

If anyone has any experience with an issue like this and can offer any input it will be sincerely appreciated.

Ninja is back home Hydrated and fed, and fairly ratty looking for some reason

Rick

Ninja is back home Hydrated and fed, and fairly ratty looking for some reason

Rick

Great.... Let's all celebrate by having a drink and toast to Ninja the cat!

Great.... Let's all celebrate by having a drink and toast to Ninja the cat!

 

Thank god Rick, I was worried.
Any thought about keeping Ninja an inside cat?
He'll live much longer.

This is unrelated, and not meant as a hijak, but I am very concerned about my Shakespeae. ...

Any changes to his environment? New animal in the neighborhood?
Is he still getting food from the same bag as two weeks ago? Try a fresh bag, maybe a bag from a different store.
I had a cat that loved cottage cheese, not the diet/low-fat crap. Worth a try.
Is he eating at all!?

Rick

Glad to hear Ninja lives on Rick! 
 
Cat's are funny indeed, a couple years ago our cat "Gixxer" went missing for like 2 weeks, we had given up looking at that point, then all of the sudden she was at the back door! 
 
Long story short, turns out she somehow got trapped in one of the neighbors garage and they went on vaca for like 2 weeks... They said that to their suprise they got home and open up the garage door and saw this black streak dart out (that would be Gixxer)...   
 
We were all very happy! 
 
She's pretty old for a cat, about 10 human years now and is definately a member of our family. 
 

Sounds like Gixxer used up at least 7 of those nine lives going without food and water that long J. Come to think of it, there must have been at least some water to be had. I wouldn't think that a cat could go two weeks without. 

Sounds like Gixxer used up at least 7 of those nine lives going without food and water that long J. Come to think of it, there must have been at least some water to be had. I wouldn't think that a cat could go two weeks without.

We've always wondered the same C, we have no clue though, but she had definately dropped some weight...

Any changes to his environment? New animal in the neighborhood?
Is he still getting food from the same bag as two weeks ago? Try a fresh bag, maybe a bag from a different store.
I had a cat that loved cottage cheese, not the diet/low-fat crap. Worth a try.
Is he eating at all!?

Rick

I'm very happy Ninja made it home safe!!

Shakespeare does eat. We have been trying to find a food he will eat consistently though, it has not been easy. He will go crazy over a certain food for a day or two, then turn his nose up to it. No real changes to his environment that I can think of. My wife and I decided we have to do the ultrasound tomorrow, even though it is bad timing from a finances point of view.

He pukes often, always has, and if he hadn't been a 13+lb cat at one point we wouldn't be concerned. My wife and I both seem to think this is a food problem, maybe a food allergy problem, but the ultrasound tomorrow will completely eliminate all the really bad stuff (hopefully). If so, I am probably going to try him on kitten food for a while to hopefully build his weight back up.

Thank you for your reply ! ! I'm vey happy ninja is back khome where he belongs .

Hairball?

Shakespeare does eat. We have been trying to find a food he will eat consistently though, it has not been easy. He will go crazy over a certain food for a day or two, then turn his nose up to it.
...
He pukes often, always has, and if he hadn't been a 13+lb cat at one point we wouldn't be concerned.

Couple of things come to mind, don't forget I'm not a rocket surgeon.
Mum had a lap dog (Westie) that couldn't eat prepared dawg food. He lived on white rice and ground burger per the Vet's instructions.
Sis had a couple of cats. Both would eat anything, but one would puke if she ate dry. She had to feed the cats individually when she got home. One wet, the other dry. Her new cat has issues too, has to eat some special crap from the Vet else she pees on the pillow/floor/sofa/toilet seat/rug...

Prepared food (wet or dry) is a mix of Pink Slime, Corn or Rice, other bits scraped off the floor, some vitamins and minerals, and a coating/additive to make it 'desirable' to the cat. Have you tried feeding Shakespeare a slab of beef? Or chicken thighs (trimmed of all the bone)? Cooked or uncooked, Shakespeare will let you know. If you have to mix your own home made  recipe (there are many on the interweb), it's not that much more expensive than the bagged/canned stuff. Except for the time to make it...

I'm leery of having an ultrasound done, WTF do the expect to find?

Thank you for your reply ! ! I'm vey happy ninja is back khome where he belongs .

So am I, sort of. He's been kneading a ton of bread on my neck when I'm on the couch, more than he used to anyway. Same at night when I turn in. I can't sleep, my neck is red/scratched, and I can't explain the condition it to the neighbors. You know why though

Ninja knows he did something stupid, but probably saved him from a coyote, and that I probably bailed him out. Remains to be seen if he does it again. I'll open up the cat door in a few days and see.

Rick

RTick, I'm glad Ninja got back OK.  WHenever a cat is "stuck" up in a tree or other high place, always ask yourself, "Have you ever seen a cat skeleton up in a tree?"  No, you haven't.  They always get down somehow.  I lost my first cat Stonhenge when he went out one day and never came home. Around here our big predators are raccoons, coyoptes, and bald eagles.  The two cats I have now are inside-only, except they can go out onto the screen porch which is enclosed so they can't get out and others can't get in.

For those with food problems, check to see if the stuff you are feeding them has wheat gluten or corn meal in it.  Neither is appropriate for cats OR dogs, yet most commercial foods contain those things.  They are used as cheap protein fillers and carnivorous animals did not evolve to be able to digest that crap.  Actually neither did us humans.  Eliminating cornmeal and wheat gluten from OUR diets would solve a lot of problems.

Couple of things come to mind, don't forget I'm not a rocket surgeon.
Mum had a lap dog (Westie) that couldn't eat prepared dawg food. He lived on white rice and ground burger per the Vet's instructions.
Sis had a couple of cats. Both would eat anything, but one would puke if she ate dry. She had to feed the cats individually when she got home. One wet, the other dry. Her new cat has issues too, has to eat some special crap from the Vet else she pees on the pillow/floor/sofa/toilet seat/rug...



Rick

Ah, there it is. Thanks for reminding me why we don't have cats any longer Rick.   

I'm tending do suspect the gluten connection also.  Feeding real food (not processed) would surely be worth a try. 
We had friends who would feed their cats beef or pork liver (whichever was the cheapest).  I thought it was excessive at the time
but the cats lived to be 14 and 15 so you really can't argue with success.
Hope you find something that works.