My beautiful girl Pebble has been missing since 6th April. She is vey shy and timid, barely ventures from the garden. My daughter heard a yowl half an hour after we let them out in the morning, I knew instantly when I called and she didn't come running, that something has happened. We have door knocked, flyered and done all the websites and FB we can think off. There was a possible sighting of her a quarter of mile from Here on 8th April. Her sister is pining and we are besides ourselves. My biggest fear is that she's been stolen because she's so pretty. Please can anyone in Brighton, East Sussex keep an eye out, thanks so much

Hi there. So sad this has happened to you. Please go on to missingpetpartnership.org click on lost pet help and then the cat section. This gives an amazing insight into the behaviour of a panicked cat and stresses that the cat could be right under your nose frozen with fear so look, look and look again! It sounds like Pebble may have been scared by something and bolted, subsequently finding herself lost. When Hendrix went missing (posts as Tabitha) Clare was told to put the contents of her hoover around her property as the scent can help a cat get home. Also hanging dirty socks and clothes on your line can help as the scent carries in the breeze. Pebble could be very close so take a bottle of wine round to each of the neighbours around you and ask nicely to do a fingertip search of their gardens. I really hope she gets home. Keep calling her and don't ever give up. There have been quite a few missing on this website recently that have had happy endings! There are so many things online you can do and your local cats protection will put a picture of their facebook page. Will be thinking of you x

_________________
Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

I am so sorry to hear about Pebble. The yowl may give you some idea of what happened. I don't know that she would yowl if someone picked her up. But, there are other perils out there -- dogs, other cats, etc. It's terrible when you let your babies out that you don't know if they will return. Handing out flyers, posting on FB pages, making sure the vets in the area know your kitty is missing (in case someone finds her injured and takes her to the vet). I've been where you are -- I had a cat vanish over 4 years ago. I'm still not over it! And I still don't know what happened to him. I know your heart is hurting. All you can do is keep searching for her. I hope you will post good news soon.

thanks for you tips ans support. I just wondered if there is evidence of Bengals being stolen and if so how they are passed on? She is nuetered and microchipped. But so scared of people that it's hard to imagine anyone being able to grab her!

I went through all the same thoughts when Hendrix went missing. Again, he wouldn't let anyone he didn't know anywhere near him though. As it happened, he'd got in the back of a van that had been on my neighbours drive and ended up 10 miles away where he jumped out. Miracle we got him home to be honest, we got lucky that he lost his collar and someone picked it up and called me.

From what you describe, it sounds like something frightened Pebble and she bolted. She is probably hunkered down somewhere if she's gone too far and not sure where she is. In which case she will only come out when she gets hungry, so keep calling and looking and don't lose hope. She's chipped so you would hear if something had happened to her. I did also call the council and gave them my details in case he was involved in a road accident - horrible call to make though.

Have you contacted all the local vets etc so they are on the look out for any Bengals that may be brought in? If someone has found her and wants to keep her, they might not mention she's not theirs. Vets don't automatically check the microchips. I discovered the information the microchip company send to vets etc is pretty vague - ie Bengal, area and date lost. So get her details and a picture to all the vets in the area so they are looking out for her.

If you haven't already it may also be worth using Animal Search UK for posters and flyers (I see you've registered Pebble with them) - they will help you put one together and if she is insured, it is likely the insurance company will cover the cost. Their posters are waterproof and they supply everything you could possibly need to put them up and advice as to where to put them too. Plus her details are emailed to local 'pet patrollers' (I'm one so am always looking out for lost pets!) and put on twitter and facebook etc. Just gets her details out even further and to more people.

Keep us informed and wishing you the very best of luck in getting her home. Thinking of you xx

_________________
Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Fenstar gave me this advice:

My friend rescues stray cats and posted this advice recently about lost cats:

HOW TO FIND YOUR LOST CAT

I wanted to share with you my sure fire way of FINDING YOUR LOST CAT. I say ‘sure fire’, because it has worked for me every time I have had one of my cats get out, or when I have helped a friend find their cat.

Most people are heart broken when they lose their pet. The good news is that most of the time, your cat is not lost at all, but hiding in a top secret hiding spot and waiting it out. Your cat has probably been spooked by something in the environment, OR your inside cat has gotten out, become overwhelmed, and found themselves a nice & dark hiding spot where they feel safe.

The mistake that 98% of people make when they lose their cat is that they wait to see if their cat will come back. Please do not delay, do not waste time, and DO NOT GIVE UP ON YOUR CAT. She is waiting for you to come and find her.

There are the usual things that you can do to find kitty, like call all the shelters, use social media, look around your yard, etc.
This is my advice:

- The moment your kitty is out, the MOMENT you realize, you must get out there and start looking for your cat. Look around the immediate surroundings. Look inside your house. Look in your yard, in your neighbour's yard. Your cat is very probably either in your yard somewhere, or your neighbour’s. It is unlikely that it will wander far in those first critical moments. Get a torch and look at night. Ask your neighbours to keep an eye out, show them the picture of your cat.
- Leave food out for your cat at the exit point. Do this every night, no matter where you think your kitty is.
- Print posters of your cat. Do this immediately. Find a clear picture of your cat, with a large font saying “LOST CAT” - something that someone that is walking past, or a passing car, can notice. State description of cat and last sighting, and your details. Now this is the most critical point – PRINT 100 COPIES OF THIS POSTER AND SATURATE YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD WITH IT. Put it on every pole within a 200 meter radius of your house. The posters need to be up straight away, ie, the day that you lose your cat. Put them at the local supermarket, vets, bus stops, major intersections, schools, crossings, train stations…
- Get a humane cat trap. These can be bought for $30-$40 online, or you can hire one from Kennards. Watch some youtube clips on how to set it, practice setting it – then set it in your yard. Do this every night, and keep an eye on it. Apologise to any other cats you accidently trap.
- Do the usual stuff as well – calling shelters, vets. Call them every few days to see if they have picked up your cat. Don’t just call once. Keep calling them.
These things are essential for you to know:
- Your kitty might be able to hear you, but probably will not respond if it is scared. They are surprisingly silent when out in the unknown.
- Most cats break cover at the two week mark because of hunger and thirst, and will start to become more visible. This is when most sightings happen, and when you will start to get calls. You will not get calls if you have not put posters up in your neighbourhood.
- If you are not looking for your cat, and not leaving food out for it – it will start to wander further and further away from the exit point to look for a food source. This is why it is so important to start this process immediately.
- IF the reason for escape is a new pet, like a dog – you must contain that pet, or keep it under close supervision until your old cat is back.
- If you have moved house, or if your inside cat has escaped, it is probably still very close to the exit point. Do not be fooled by its silence and reluctance to respond to you.
- Do not give up on your cat. I have found cats 2 months after they have gone missing. It takes an average of 2-4 weeks to find them, and it all depends on your persistence. If you do nothing, the chances of you finding your cat are about 5%. They usually do not just walk back in the door themselves. Your cat is waiting for you to find it.
- People will tear down your posters. Cat haters, council workers, other posters, etc. Go for walks every few days, and replace your posters. Do this over and over. You will get news from someone, somewhere.
- Keep going, keep calling, keep putting those posters up… sometimes it takes months. Hopefully it will not, for you.

Good luck, I have my fingers crossed.

_________________
Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Thanks everyone for these really useful replies. Am happy to say we found Pebble on Good Friday, 9 days after she went missing. And the advice given here was spot on. She was 3 streets away, in a parallel house, hiding under a shed. She wouldn't have made it back by herself but covering the area in posters really worked. She's quite thin and traumatised but improving quickly. Really appreciate the advice! Amazing to hear that Hendrix was 10 miles away! (I know another cat this happened to).

Great news! It's a scary world out there for little kitties used to the comforts of home with loving parents.So glad you had a happy ending.

So pleased for you! Things will be difficult between the two sisters for a bit as pickle probably won't recognise pebbles as her scent will have changed. Get some feliway plug-ins and grooming wipes. Give them both a good clean with the grooming wipes and get their scent the same. We were lucky as Hendrix was so keen to be buddies with Jagger again, he wasn't having any of the grief jagger gave him. Persevere, they will get there!

_________________
Clare
Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013)
Hampshire, UK

Stoked to hear you have Pebbles back and thanks Clare for posting Fenstar's advice. Hopefully will never need it, but good stuff to know.

So happy for you and Pebble!

_________________
Melissa

UK
Oscar - Rescue (Rascal!!!) Bengal

We are so happy this forum helped you! I know how panicky you can get when a cat goes missing and the relief you feel when they return. Most do not wander too far away but somehow don't make it back home. I had a friend who moved and her cat escaped. Three weeks later, thankfully, someone had posted a picture of a cat hanging around her house. She lived a couple of blocks away and Stripe was hanging out under a shed, too. My friend went over and got him and now he is safe at home. They had put up the Purrfect fence only to have left an opening under the fence where their outdoor cats could escape. Four of them went out and only three returned, but they are all there now safe and sound.