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[Image of two yellow-eyed tuxedo cats. The one on the left lying down is Telstar. The one looking at the camera on the right is Sputnik.]
Unfortunately it is not the joyous occasion it usually is, because Sputnik has gone missing.
We last saw him the evening of Wednesday 7 March, where he ate his gooshy food and a tiny bit of cantaloupe (he's mad for melon) with gusto. Our neighbour says she saw him playing with his brother - by which she probably means "fighting" - in our garden during the day on Thursday 8 March. No one saw him yesterday.
We questioned Telstar. He has been in the house a good deal, which is very unlike him.
Me: "Telstar, what did you do with your little brother?"
Telstar: "Mrow!"
Me: "Do you know where he is?"
Telstar: *purrrrrrr*
Me: "Is he trapped in a shed? Could you show us?"
Telstar: *winds around legs*
Me: "Did you do him in and bury his body in the woods so you could have all the goosh forever?"
Telstar: "Mrow?"
etc. So you can see how fruitful that line of enquiry was.
The bloke created a "Lost Cat" flyer and canvassed the neighbours last night. He also phoned the Blue Cross, who said any vet or facility that took him in would scan him for his microchip immediately and would contact us. One of our neighbours said her cat got locked in a shed in the allotments behind our house, so once it gets to be a reasonable hour of the morning, we'll go there and ask to walk around and call for him.
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A friend-of-a-friend's cat went missing for around three days recently and it turned out that he was trapped in a shed; he was fine when he showed up again (a little skinny and hungry but he bounced back quickly). I know the allotment search didn't locate Sputnik but hopefully he won't have gone far. Fingers crossed he'll turn up again soon none the worse for wear.
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The allotments are full of people at the moment and we put our flyers up on their notice board and the gates, so the odds are good that if he's trapped and mewing, he'll be heard.
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It does sound like you've done all the sensible things and at least if he's got a microchip that's one more thing that makes it easier for him to return home if someone else finds him.
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(or you may just get a lot of... well whatever the UK's equivalent of raccoons, skunks and opossums is. Hedgehogs? Do they eat tuna? I dunno. I keep my cat indoors so this has never happened to me, but I've heard of people using traps.)
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We'll keep walking around and shouting for him. Our signs are up and our neighbours are on alert. I think that's about all we can do.
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Trapping works, but it DOES take some patience, and you'll need to check it several times a day because you WILL be letting out other critters. Get a thick pair of leather work gloves and make sure you always open the trap pointing away from you (and anyone else), just release it and back-pedal quickly (I don't think the UK has a rabies problem but a spooked animal can be unpredictable.)
I don't know much about badgers, but I think they're larger than what those traps are usually designed for. I remember letting a lot of stray cats and opossums out when I was helping a neighbor trap their cat that got loose (it was a big fluffy, black indoor-only cat that slipped out when they had company over who weren't good about shutting the door all the way, it took about 4 days to get the beast back).
Also if your cat is scared it may not come out of hiding even when called, you really need to look up into trees and any place it may be trapped.
I know it's absolute torment, but persistence and patience are key for finding lost pets. I really hope you find your buddy. :\
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Really hope he turns up soon!!!
*fingers crossed and hugs sent*
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Walking around last night made me realise how many places there are that a cat can wriggle into, and how easy it is for them not to be seen by humans if they don't want to be. Human night vision is rubbish.
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Hopefully Sputnik will get hungry/done with his walkabout and show up on your doorstep.
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I do hope he wanders back looking perfectly well, and puzzled by the fuss.
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I hope he comes back soon too.