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Re: 6 Month Old
Lost Chihuahua (Chaos) Puppy is now found
We are so appreciative of your
time and continued support throughout the ordeal of
trying to find our much loved puppy. Thanks for the
advice, it brought Chaos home to his family, the
reunion was such a happy time for everyone. Anyone
who has a lost animal and needs help needs to call
you first, to get the hunt for their beloved animal
underway properly and quickly. Thanks for
everything, weighing only 3 pounds his life would
not have been saved without your help. Our family is
now whole again.
Kind Regards,
The Purcell & McNeil Family
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Its Hard not to smile when you hear the term
"Pet Detective" with the memory of Jim Carey and
his movie antics in your mind. But when you lose a
pet who means so much to you, it's not funny at
all. It was 6am on Saturday morning when I got a
call from my dad saying that my kitten Denali had
escaped through the night. The front door had
blown open and Denali made a run for it. She is a
small cat, only 9 months old, de-clawed and never
set a foot outdoors in her life. I didn't know
what to do, my dad and brother had been out ALL
morning looking for her and asking neighbors if
they knew where
she was. I had to work all day and so couldn't
even go and help. Finally 5 o'clock came I rushed
home got into some rain gear, it was a rain storm
outside, and went looking. Earlier in the day,
while worried that I would never find my cat, I
searched on line under pet detectives and came
across Vikki and Dakotas web site. I thought "why
not". I called Vikki and left a message, she
returned my call right away wondering what she
could do to help. I told her about my situation
and she gave me some tips on what I could do and
what would be effective. Then she told me that if
nothing worked to call her back and she would
help.
I headed out to my Dad's with high hopes, but after two hours of
searching in the rain my hope faded. I decided to
call Vikki and see if
maybe she could come and help me a day or two
later, not knowing if she would even have time for
me. As soon as she heard that I had had no luck
she said she was on her way over, keep in mind
this is at 7:00 on a Friday night in the pouring
rain. I couldn't believe she would give up her
Friday night to come and help a complete stranger
find her lost kitten. I waited patiently by the
door, filled with anticipation that Denali was
just hanging out somewhere, waiting to be found.
That's when I saw Vikki's truck and out popped her
and her find dog Dakota (Cutest and most well
behaved dog in the world) We started the search.
High, low, near far we couldn't find Denali
anywhere. We asked
people, searched back yards, FOUND A CAT! But it
was not Denali! (Dakota was disappointed!) So we
kept trucking. We ended up at a vacant house in a
new neighborhood, Dakota was signaling that he
knew something was in there. So we called the real
estate agent and he came over to check out the
house. To our disappointment there was no kitty in
the vacant house, but it was worth a shot.
Just so you know, at this point it is almost 9:30pm, Vikki,
Dakota and my self are soaking wet and cold, and
they still didn't want to stop~ so we looked some
more. Finally we decided to call it a night. But
not before Vikki left me with some signs and a cat
trap and some words of faith to help me sleep
better.
The next morning I had to work all day for a seminar, feeling
like time was being wasted when I could be out
looking for Denali I was quite upset heading into
work. Around 10:00 we had a break and I saw I had
a missed call. I checked my messages and sure
enough it was Vikki letting me know her and Dakota
we heading out to my house to take another look
for Denali! An hour and a half later I got a
message from my Dad saying " The cat came back the
very next day, the cat came back we thought she
was a goner, but the cat came back the very next
day!" VIKKI AND DAKOTA FOUND DENALI! I literally
screamed out and jumped off my chair! Made a bit
of a fool of myself to anyone who didn't know what
was going on! But I didn't care! They had taken
the time out of their day AGAIN and took the
imitative to go and look and they were oh so
successful!
What can I say that would even touch upon how
happy this team
has made me! It was a miracle! If it hadn't been
for them, I am sad to say but honestly don't think
I ever would have found my furry partner in crime!
Thank you so much Vikki and Dakota FOR
EVERYTHING!
Sincerely
Laura
Penney and
Denali
Denali home with Laura!
----------------------------------
Thistle
Lost For 3 Weeks In Dreadfully Cold Weather
I promised Vicky I would write this even
before we recovered Thistle, in
desperate hope that I would get to write a
testimonial. For those of you
who are browsing this site thinking, "A pet
detective?! Are you serious?"
I'll tell you now: It's very serious. No, she
doesn't have a weird haircut and a Hawaiian shirt,
but Vicky Vaughan sure knows her stuff. This is for
real. And for those of you who are going through
the unthinkable and have lost a pet, I say it again,
this is for real, and you've come to the right place
for help.
I had cleaned the litterboxes one Monday night in
January, and no Thistle
came thundering down the basement stairs to have the
privilege of the first poop in the box. I didn't
think anything of it at the time, to my shame. The
next night, when I fed my two cats, he still didn't
try to trip me while I went down the stairs to their
food bowls. That's when I got a chill, and realized
he wasn't in the house. I was on my way to bed, but
I quickly did a search of the house (twice), then
started calling his name and walking around in the
dark outside. After midnight, I knew I had to get
to bed. I'm a married mother of two, and I have a
full-time job that gets us all up really early. But
I barely slept a wink.
The next day, I called the Bideawhile Animal Shelter
and the SPCA. The SPCA called back, with Vicky's
name and number. I put in the call, and this
wonderful, extremely caring-sounding woman came on
the line and my education started. A storm was
coming that night, one of many experienced in Nova
Scotia in January/February 2009, and she wanted to
get cracking right away. She and her husband Mario
came out with their scent dog Dakota and got right
to work. I tailed behind in desperate hope... and I
must admit, a bit of curiosity, too. Would she
really find him? Or had I just thrown away the
equivalent of a vet bill for nothing?
Well, we didn't find my cat Thistle that night, and
it was quite a storm.
But Vicky put out a humane trap on my front step,
and taught me about what
happens when an indoor cat gets out. She told me
repeatedly: He'll hunker down, probably for a
couple of weeks. He'll find somewhere warm, and he
won't go far. Even indoor cats are resourceful, but
it will take a while before he overcomes his fear
and breaks cover. Nothing made her nervous about my
neighbourhood - I live in suburbia, with many homes
close together with lots of sheds in backyards and
big front steps. She said it was a cat paradise.
But she had to repeat all of this many times,
because after he was gone a week, I began to lose
hope.
In the interim, she created posters for me and put
them all over the
neighbourhood, in churches, at bus stops, at the
vets, at the shelters and
popular pet food stores. She checked the shelter
websites. She set another humane trap in my
backyard. She knew I was a busy mom, so she stopped
by frequently to make sure the traps weren't frozen
open, or to check more around the neighbourhood, she
even talked to any of my neighbours who were out in
their yards. She came by on "good scent days" to
comb the neighbourhood more thoroughly, with me in
tow. She became a presence here, and everyone
around knew I was missing my cat, thanks to her.
In the end, three weeks had gone by. Three
horrible, agonizing weeks of at least three
snowstorms, deep freezes and thaws. The wind chills
were over -20C some days. I had trapped several
neighbourhood cats and let them go, one of them
could've been Thistle's littermate. People called
all the time, with reports of cats crying outside
their houses, every one a knife to my heart when it
wasn't him. Then one day, three weeks to the day
that I had changed the litterbox and he didn't come
running, I came home at the end of the day to find a
fire truck several doors down. Not wanting to
intrude, but curious, I sat in my car with a book
and glanced over. I saw one of my neighbours
pointing towards my house, and a fire fighter came
walking down the street. Now I had to get out. He
came up to me and said, "Someone around here lose a
cat?" "Yes, I did," I said, not daring to hope.
"Well, we have one over there. Was caught under the
front steps." My neighbours had heard him crying
for two days and couldn't get him out. So they
called the fire department!
Well, I went over, and had to go right up to the
fire fighter who was
holding Thistle to even recognize him. Was this my
spunky boy cat? He's
long haired, brownish-gray and white, and his hair
was so matted, his nose
was scraped, and he was so little! But it was him.
The fire fighter took
him right into my house. I was so flustered, I
couldn't remember where my
cat carrier was, so I borrowed Vicky's humane cat
trap! We put him in, then I flew to the daycare to
get my kids. My husband was away so my neighbours
kindly took them so I could get Thistle to a vet.
They took blood, gave him a sub-cutaneous hydration
(a needle of water under the skin) and saw if he
would eat. He was ravenous, and dug right in! Poor
fella, he was only 6 lbs, after being 12-14 before,
and when I held him on the floor of the examining
room, I cried and cried and cried. And he purred
and purred, rubbing his face against mine and crying
when I put him down. But his liver and kidney
numbers were normal, according to his blood tests,
and I was told he'd probably recover on his own,
though they want to see him when he gets some of his
own back.
It's now been just over 24 hours since I got him
back, and I sit here typing with a full heart.
Thistle is asleep at my feet on a pile of dirty
laundry. He still won't eat without me right there,
so I've moved his food and water upstairs. He has a
hard time with stairs, too, because his muscles are
weak and the pads of his paws are raw. But he's
HOME, he's alive, and he's going to recover
completely.
Now, you say, this pet detective didn't find
Thistle, a neighbour did. Do
you still give her the credit? You BET I do!
Without Vicky, I would've
totally lost hope. I wouldn't have covered the
ground she did, and I
wouldn't have known how cats behave outside when
they're afraid - because,
you know, she was RIGHT all the time, and Thistle
did just hunker down under a step, next to the
home's foundation, where it was warmer. I don't
know if he was there the whole time, but he never
went far, again, just like Vicky said. She kept my
community aware with her humongous signs and her
constant presence that I had lost my cat and we were
actively looking for him. And she gave me constant
support by phone and Email when I felt my spirits
flagging. If I had put the signs up myself, I'd
have taken them down by 2 weeks and would've mourned
Thistle as gone. But after all her trouble and
effort, I didn't want to disappoint her, so I kept
the traps maintained and my neighbours kept me
apprised of any cats on the move they didn't
recognize.
So, a very long, long story later, I have my cat at
home, safe and mostly
sound, and I give the credit entirely to Vicky. So
if you're like me, and
read every testimonial on her website (no matter how
long!) in the hopes of finding a reason to keep
believing, PLEASE, don't give up. Listen to Vicky.
Follow her suggestions. Walk your neighbourhood
with her. Keep hoping. Because cats are tough - I
think they really do have nine lives! - and it's
truly amazing what they'll survive. I'm eternally
grateful to Vicky, to my wonderful neighbours who
thought to call the fire department, and my AWESOME
fire department, who sent a whole truck and a half a
dozen guys to rescue a little cat. And God, too,
who answered my prayers for Thistle, after all. :)
Terri Lindsey
Cole Harbour, NS
Thistle
- Before His Adventure
Thistle - Home Safe and Warm!!!
-----------------------------------------
Lucy Lou
Hi Vicky,
I am the happiest person alive! At 11:30 last
evening, I was on the computer, crying, listening to
a song a friend sent to me, and reading stories of
cats being reunited with their moms and dads when a
knock came to my door. My neighbor had just came
home and thought she saw my cat run under her
neighbor's porch.
She kept saying, as I was running around grabbing my
spotlight, her treats, and my shoes, that she wasn't
sure but she was hoping...We both ran over to the
porch, I dived into the gravel beside it, shone my
light underneath and sure enough....there she was.
It took about 20 minutes, some oily tuna and lots of
coaxing to get her to come to me. Everything I read
about and been told about an indoor cat being lost
was true. She didn't cry out to me, she just stared
at me...but now she is home, and safe in my arms and
will be microchipped and wearing a collar from now
on.
She is grounded for the rest of her life!!!
Life can begin again....
Thank you Vicky, for the help and hope you offered
to me throughout this time. I will NEVER forget
your kindness and generosity you gave to me....THANK
YOU, from the BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!
Barb Guenther and LooLee (Lucy Lou)
Calgary
Finally home and happily snuggled in Mom's
housecoat :o)
--------------------------------------------
Tigger
To some non-pet owners, people like
us may seem slightly crazy. We have seven cats and love
them all, as they are members of our family to us. Each
has its own personality, provide comfort and
entertainment, require and give attention and love. And
when one went missing, we were devastated.
My wife and I left for a week’s
vacation, and family members were looking after the
critters for us while we were away. We returned to find
that one of our “kids”, Tigger, was lost and had been
outside for five days. My wife kicked it into high gear
and started calling the SPCA, vets, classifieds, Public
Works, and just about everyone else that might be able to
help. I, on the other hand, didn’t have such an
optimistic outlook and moped around the house – looking
for something (or someone) I thought I’d never see again.
On the sixth day, my wife called me
with an idea. We could hire a “pet detective”. “Yeah,
right…” I thought. “Some comedian in a loud Hawaiian
shirt sporting a badge.” But she showed me the website
and I agreed to give it a try after reading some of the
other testimonials.
That same evening, Vicky and Mario
showed up at the house with Dakota. Perception started to
change, as right away Vicky was compassionate and
understanding of our loss and of the importance to us to
get Tigger back home. Her success rate at that time was
25 for 25 in finding lost pets, and she was confident that
she could keep her perfect record. Their appearance and
demeanor were professional and efficient, and gave us hope
that - yeah, this might work!
Vicky not only listened and
sympathized, but she also educated us into the habits and
characteristics of house pets that find themselves in the
“wild.” She told us of “cat highways”, and of the range
and habitat that cats seek out. Shortly after a brief
interview, Vicky, Mario and Dakota went on the hunt for
Tigger with posters and photos, confident that he was all
right and nearby.
Within an hour, Dakota found where
Tigger could be hiding. The entire neighborhood was
canvassed and put on the lookout, and huge signs were
posted in the area. Mario taught me not only how to set
and retrieve a humane trap in our backyard, but why the
location of placement was important, and how to release
any other stray animals that may find their way inside,
and set me on a vigil – my hope restored in recovering my
lost little guy.
Two hours after that, I heard a
familiar meowing from the yard.
Their record is now 26 for 26.
Tigger is home safe and sound, and now all the neighbors
know his face if he should pull this stunt again. Even
after his recovery, we were getting phone calls from
neighbors that have found other stray cats thinking they
might be ours. The signs and door-to-door canvassing
really caught people's attention.
Thank you so much, Vicky and Mario
(and Dakota)! You helped us bring one of our children
home. We'll definitely recommend your service to anyone
who needs it.
Joe & Nikki Richards
Halifax
---------------------------------------------------------------
Tucker out in the cold
I
wanted to write this for everyone who has lost their
pet... our cats are part of the family :)
Tucker is a special kitty who gives paw, fetches and
wakes me every morning licking my face. When he
went missing last Friday February 27th my heart
broke into pieces. We had no idea how he had got
out...but assumed he got past someone at the door.
I had no idea what to do so we searched the
neighbourhood that night and found nothing. We
waited a day or so thinking he would come back but
he didn't.
I had already filed a lost pet report with the city,
SPCA and who ever else would take my information. I
remembered hearing about a woman who was called the
pet detective....I contacted her because I really
had no clue what to do next...but I was willing to
try anything to get Tucker back!
I emailed her and she called me that night offering
information on what to do. She also came over right
away with a humane trap that we could set just in
case he came back to the house. Could not believe
how quick she was at my house! I was so thankful
that someone cared because after talking to people I
felt that there was no hope. I thought Tucker would
just be another stray because cats are not
registered.
The weather that week was horrible! Snow, freezing
rain, rain and awful wind and cold! I would stare
out the window and just wonder ... where is he?? It
broke my heart to know that he was out there. As
the days went by we were getting tips from people
because we has placed at least 100 flyers in
mailboxes around our area and posted them in stores
and anywhere that would allow us. We trapped a few
cats humanely (and let them go) that weren't
Tucker. I was starting to give up hope. I emailed
Vicky and she told me that it was still early and to
not give up as is it is very normal to have cats go
missing for a couple of weeks and still make it
home.
Then Friday, March 6th I received a call from a man
a street over saying he was pretty sure he saw
Tucker on his deck. I ran right over...it was
snowing that day and I am thankful for that because
we were able to follow the paw prints to a shed in
the next yard over. No paw prints came out from
under the shed. Was this Tucker? I held my breathe
as we got down in the snow with our flashlights. I
can't explain the happiness that came over me when I
saw his face! He was scared to death. I talked to
him and once everyone left he crawled to me and I
got him out from under shed and got him home :)
He was a little leaner and had a few scratches on
him...but besides that he was in great condition.
That night he slept on his favorite soft blanket by
our feet. He really hasn't moved from that
blanket! I don't think he enjoyed his journey
outside.
To all people who love their cats...don't stop
looking for them! Mine was so close to home but we
just couldn't see him. You just never know. All I
know is I am the happiest cat owner in the world
right now :) Thank you Vicky for not letting me
give up!!!!!
Sincerely,
Stacey
Woodlawn / Dartmouth NS
Tucker after his adventure home safe and
warm!!!!
--------------------------------------------------
GUSSIE
Dear Vicky & Mario!
Words cannot express the gratitude for your help in
finding our French
Mastif Gussie. She had wandered off on her own,
which is totally
uncharacteristic of her to do, and we got very
panicky after not being able to find her for over 6
hours.
Thank God for Pet Detective! I was truly
impressed with your Web site
already, as it is very informative & helps to
understand how pets behave when
they are lost or in a strange place.
You were so nice on the phone, and I knew you
understood perfectly how I
felt & you could relate. In a manner of minutes, you
& your team were at our
place!
When you arrived, you immediately made us feel that
we were in good hands
and that you knew what you were doing. It helped to
calm me down right away
and focus more rationally on the problem at hand &
how to deal with it!
We are so grateful to having our Gussie back safe &
sound.
Thank you so much! Your kindness & professionalism
has profoundly touched us
and I will recommend you & your services to everyone
we know! It's so
comforting to know that caring people with such a
great idea exist in our
community!
Doris-Ann Allain
Cole Harbour NS
Gussie home and playing with Milou
-----------------------------------------------------------
Moonlight
Thanks,
we hunted the backyard again...and thanks to info on
sites like yours we found him. We really didn't
expect him to be so nearby and not show his face at
all or respond to our callings. He was crouched
under a tarp beside some planks that we were
using to build a deck, definitely in complete cover
mode. There was a collection of rainwater there so
that is probably why he picked that place. He
was utterly terrified, but after about 15
minutes of coaxing we got him to come to us and
brought him back inside. I cannot express how
greatly I appreciate your site, as it completely
changed how we were looking for him, I don't know
that we would have found him without the
information on your site and links. Thank you sooooo
much!
Angela Stephenson
Saskatoon
-------------------------------------------------------
Petie
Hey Vicky,
GREAT NEWS
–someone found “Petie” and, thanks to our posters, called
to say he thought he had the cat. Petie had traveled
quite a distance and was coming to their door for food.
Fortunately the man thought he recognized him from the
posters and called. He’s now back in his new home, and I
can salvage what’s left of my sanity. The timing couldn’t
be better, as we had our first snowfall and it was a wet,
chillingly cold day.
As you
said, he must have been hiding about a week before he came
out looking for food. I want to thank you again for
caring and for taking the time to talk to you. Putting
someone’s mind at ease when they’ve lost a pet is perhaps
as important as the search, and you were amazing. I have
no doubt you’ll be a great pet detective, and I wish you
every success.
Thanks so much,
Christine
Bazarin
------------------------------
Four year old timid cat missing for
ten days with no sightings
If there is anything you learn from
my story it is to please never, ever give up hope
for finding your beloved pet. I woke up one morning
to find my kitty not at my feet, as is her usual
routine as soon as I get up every morning. I called
her, put some food out and there was still no sign
of her. I started to worry, remembering I had felt
something brush by me as stuck my head out to get a
breath of fresh air at ten o’clock the previous
evening. I had thought nothing of it at the time,
but fear started rising in me as maybe it was my
kitty that had snuck out and I hadn’t noticed. She
is a four year old indoor kitty who never goes
outside. I searched that morning until I had no
choice but to head to work crying. My fiancé has a
more flexible work schedule so he was able to stay
home for the day and continue searching. I started
to panic when she was not found that evening so I
made small flyers and put them around the
neighbourhood. I continued searching fruitlessly
for four more days until I found a note on my door.
The note was from my neighbour telling me about a
pet detective who had successfully found her kitty
within fifteen minutes. I called Vicky immediately
and we scheduled a search for the following day. I
had a renewed sense of hope after talking to Vicky.
I still searched for my kitty every chance I got but
I was convinced that Dakota and Vicky would find
her.
Vicky and Dakota arrived the next day
ready to search. We searched for almost two hours.
Dakota was successful in finding a kitty under a
shed, but it wasn’t my kitty. I was devastated to
say the least, but Vicky would not let me give up
hope. She gave me some large orange posters to put
around the neighbourhood, informing that they are
much more successful then the little flyers I was
putting on mailboxes. But after five days of
searching, there was still no sign of my beloved
kitty.
With Vicky’s encouragement I
continued to leave food out at night. Every morning
I got up I noticed that the food was gone “who was
eating the food” I wondered. I talked to Vicky
about this and within a couple of hours her and her
husband were at our house with an infrared light so
that we could use the camera to tape at night and
see who was coming around. We also set up a trap to
see if we could catch my kitty if indeed it was her
coming around at night. I woke up every morning and
ran downstairs to view the tape. What I saw on the
tape was devastating to say the least, no sign of my
kitty, but other cats were coming along and eating
the food I left out.
I
started to give up hope after seven days when Vicky
sent me an email telling me that she had reviewed my
case and she
convinced me that
because my kitty is a timid indoor
cat, she might start showing herself soon and that
we should keep the camera and the trap outside.
Amazingly around 4:00 pm on the
tenth day of my kitty being missing a neighbour five
houses down rang my bell and told me that my cat was
under her deck. I ran down and looked under her
deck and started crying- it was indeed my kitty. My
neighbour saw the big orange poster and knew right
away where to come when she saw my cat.
I will be forever grateful to
Vicky. She did not let me give up hope and did
everything in her power to help bring my kitty back
home. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Sincerely,
Cheryl Moore
----------------------------------------------
Bailey
"Thanks again for the
motivation to keep on going...I hope this leads to
many other people getting reunited with their pets".
Jason Disapio
-------------------------------------------
Ginger’s
Nine-Day Adventure
If
you are reading this website, chances are you are
going through the heartache of a missing or lost
cat. There is no greater gift anyone could give you
right now than to bring back your missing little
buddy.
I can’t do
that for you, but I can tell you a story about my
cat Ginger -- and how much I learned about lost cat
behaviour from his misadventure. And I know this
story will help you find your cat too. Ginger was
gone for nine whole days, but he was holed up just a
few steps from the house all that time -- just like
the experts tell you on this website and others.
I
searched and called for him for hours on end. I
stood at the very spot where I eventually found him
and must have called him there a hundred times --
without a single peep in response. But this is what
cats do -- and it is almost certain that your cat is
very close by and is doing the same thing that
Ginger did for nine days: hiding and keeping quiet,
because that is their very logical instinct for
self-preservation.
Here
is the whole story. On a fine July day here in rural
central Ontario, I noticed, from the kitchen window,
one of my cats, Chopi, walking around casually on
the back porch. This was cause for alarm because the
cats aren’t allowed outside, so I knew she must have
opened a window. I quickly found the small bathroom
window in the basement that she had managed to slide
open. I went outside and retrieved her and then did
a headcount to make sure no one else had followed
her outside.
Only
problem was, I forgot about Ginger! I didn’t realize
it at the time of course, but I had somehow
overlooked my beautiful orange tabby. Considering we
have 12 cats here at the farm -- all of them indoor
cats now because the coyotes have multiplied and
become brazen enough to come right up to the
barnyard in broad daylight -- I guess it was only a
matter of time that I commit such a mental mistake.
I only
became aware of Ginger’s absence the next day, a
Saturday, when I noticed that he didn’t show up for
breakfast. I felt that sinking feeling in the pit of
my stomach that I always feel when one of my cats
has gone missing. But I was sure he was in the house
-- after all I had done a headcount. I couldn’t
possibly have overlooked him, I thought.
It was
only after three or four days and several thorough
searches of the basement, attic and all the little
nooks and crannies where they sometimes hole up,
that I began to consider the possibility that he had
somehow got out through that window after all. As
that realization sank in I was engulfed by despair.
There are many predators here, even though it is
just an hour’s drive north of Toronto. Lots of
coyotes and fishers -- which are vicious little
killers related to wolverines and weasels -- and
even cougars are spotted in the area occasionally.
What
chance would a neutered little 15 month-old indoor
cat possibly stand out there, I thought? Why didn’t
he come to the back porch when he got hungry a few
hours later? Surely by the next morning he would
have been at the door, begging to come in? And if he
was hiding nearby in panic, why wouldn’t he come
when I call him? What if the neighbour’s tomcat had
chased him away and he was long gone from the area?
Every
morning just after sunrise I would go out and search
for Ginger. Along the stone fence that starts from
out behind the barn, runs down beside the house and
then up toward the road. All the trees and bushes
along the fences, the driveway and in the yard. I
looked everywhere, calling Ginger all the time. I
would repeat this whole search at dusk and again
after complete darkness fell, using my flashlight to
search for the telltale glowing green lights of a
cat’s eyes at night.
But
there was no sign of Ginger. After a week missing it
was difficult not fall into complete despair. I
found a lot of great info on the internet, including
this website, and it encouraged me. But most of the
stories were about city cats, while I was out here
in the country, on a farm. It just wasn’t the same I
thought -- there are few predators in the city.
Still I made up posters and put them up at pet
stores in town, the SPCA, supermarkets -- and handed
a couple to my neighbours and asked them to search
their yards and barns.
On the
eighth day missing, a Saturday, I decided to bring
in professional help. I found the website of Kat
Albrecht, a woman who has greatly advanced the
science of locating missing pets. Her website led me
to Vicky, who was similarly trained and certified --
so I sent Vicky an email. She quickly wrote back and
offered to help me over the phone. I cannot express
how valuable this conversation was. Vicky’s calm and
confident professionalism had a soothing effect on
me that brought me back from the brink of
hopelessness. Earlier in the day I had talked to my
vet and he was no help at all. He shrugged and said
that Ginger was probably nabbed by coyotes. I went
home with my spirits sagging and my heart aching for
my little buddy.
Hearing
and feeling Vicky’s calm confidence over the phone
literally lifted my spirits and instilled new hope.
I told her I had been setting a trap for the past
several nights, but had come up empty. The previous
night, I had apparently caught a racoon but he
managed to twist open the door and escape. I
described the farm setting for Vicky and we talked
about places to set traps. That phone conversation
brought me back to life.
By the
time I got off the phone with Vicky it was dark and
time to shut the henhouse. I went outside with my
flashlight and started calling Ginger. To my
amazement I heard a faint cry from the bushes out
behind the barn. In fact, the previous night I
thought I had heard a single faint little meow from
that same direction, but as I continued calling I
noticed my neighbour’s tomcat, Hobo, his eyes
illuminated by my flashlight, coming right across
the hayfield towards me. He sometimes comes to our
porch for supper -- and he used to hang around a lot
in the days when the cats were still allowed
outside. While calling for Ginger, I had managed to
roust up Hobo instead. Oh well, I gave Hobo a good
supper and went to bed pining for my little Ginger.
But
tonight there was no mistaking the meowing voice. It
was my Ginger! I headed straight toward the stone
fence and bushes out behind the barn. Ginger
continued to talk to me. It started to rain and
thunder, and lightning flashed very close by. The
rain was coming down in sheets, but I didn’t care. I
had on a coat and hat and I wasn’t about to leave my
poor little guy until I got him home. I clutched the
big flashlight wondering if its metal case might
attract lightning. I turned it off and set it down
on a cedar fence rail, and sat myself down on a
large stone under the protective cover of tree
branches. I waited like that for about an hour,
talking to Ginger all the time. I wanted so much to
coax him out, but he wasn’t about to emerge from his
protective cover.
I thought
to bring him some food. Maybe he would work up the
courage to come out if he got a good meal in him. I
went to the house and came back with a bowl of
kibble and a bowl of tuna. I set both down in the
thick underbrush where Ginger’s voice was coming
from and headed for the barn to sit and wait. After
about an hour I came back and noticed that the
kibble, which had quickly turned to mush in the
rain, had been eaten, and most of the tuna as well.
I also noticed several small leaches inside the food
bowls. They came out with the rain and would be a
good source of food for a scared cat hiding in the
bushes. There are lots of insects to eat too, and I
realized a cat could survive for many days like
this.
It all
started making sense -- all that stuff I read about
lost cat behaviour on the internet. Yes, a cat will
go into “complete cover” mode if it is displaced
from its territory. For an indoor cat that means it
will go into this protective mode very close to
home. But even an outdoor cat that is driven from
its territory -- by a predator, a neighbourhood dog,
or even another cat -- will find a place to hide and
stay there. In this case, you simply have to go a
little farther afield and search just outside the
radius of your cat’s normal territory. But the key
is to not give up. A cat can survive for weeks very
close to home, before it is eventually forced to go
farther.
Thoroughly
soaked and somewhat exhausted, and with Ginger
showing no sign of emerging, I decided that I had
done as much as I could for the night. I got the
trap from the barn and set it up at the same spot
where I had put the food earlier. Incredibly, the
previous night I had placed the trap at this very
spot -- before I knew Ginger was here. I refilled
the food bowls and set them inside the trap. It had
been a long night, but I knew now that Ginger was
alive. That’s all I needed for a good night’s sleep.
The next
morning, I went out to the trap right away and
noticed that it had sprung, but the door had caught
on a vine in the thick underbrush and stuck half
open. The food was eaten, but I didn’t know by whom.
I had made a rookie mistake with the trap -- failing
to check its action before leaving it. I was a
little worried about Ginger, but he started
answering me right away. I had still not actually
seen him to this point.
I got an
idea. Why not bring out a cat that he knows and
trusts? Mali, a big black and white former tom has
been like a surrogate mother to several generations
of young ones here on the farm. Ginger and his
brothers and sisters have cuddled with Mali and
sought comfort in his big furry embrace since they
were weaned from their mother. Whenever they are
upset or scared, they run right to Mali -- even now,
as they are nearing adulthood. I took Mali out to
the spot and he immediately started sniffing around
a tree. Something told me to look up -- and there
was Ginger, high up in the branches, sleeping
peacefully as the sun shone down upon him.
I
cannot describe what a wonderful feeling it was to
lay eyes upon him for the first time in nine days. I
went to fetch a long extension ladder, but I knew I
had to be careful. I had read in some of the rescue
stories how, after finally being found, a cat can be
easily scared away, only to disappear all over
again. That would be awful -- so close and yet so
far away.
I
had the foresight to put on a pair of heavy work
gloves and that saved the day. When I got up the
ladder and picked Ginger up, he didn’t want to come
down. He was fighting and clawing all the way down
the ladder. Even with the heavy gloves, I was barely
able to hold on to him, but I knew that letting go
would be disastrous. I had a fistful of skin in each
hand and as soon as I got down the ladder I started
for home, mindful not to lose my footing on some
stone or branch in the grass. In hindsight, I wished
I had planned it out better and maybe called the
SPCA for help – It would have been short work for
one of their pros with their animal-catcher poles.
With
Ginger still clawing and fighting, it seemed to take
forever to get to the back porch -- but finally,
here is the door, I’m opening it, and in you go
buddy. We were home free and my little guy was back
where he belongs. As I’m writing this at the
computer, he stops by from time to time to say,
“Meow.” He’s glad to be back home, and I’m glad he’s
back where he belongs too.
I learned
a very valuable lesson from this -- never give up
hope and don’t stop searching. It is crucial to
learn as much as possible about lost cat psychology.
After just a few days missing I was totally
convinced that Ginger had come to grief. Yet he was
here under my nose for nine whole days. What if I
had given up, which would have been so easy to do?
Would he have eventually come home? Maybe. But maybe
he would have been driven farther away before he
could come home. Eventually he could have become
weakened enough from starvation that he might have
fallen prey to a predator.
A city cat
might be close by for weeks, long after their owner
had given up. I wonder how many cats are never
reunited with their owners because they have given
up too soon. So close and yet so far away…
Postscript: Vicky
is truly an everyday hero to our furry friends and
their distraught owners. Even though she is 1000
miles away, she was the biggest help I could have
hoped for. In lieu of Vicky’s fee, I have made a
donation to a local non-profit, no-kill animal
shelter.
Gordon
Arnaut
Oro-Medonte Township, Ontario.
------------------------------------------
PAZ Slipped out of her harness
"Most
of all, I think of the quiet professionalism
of people like Vicky . I now know how
satisfying it must be for them to see joyful
owners reunited with their lost pets. It's sweet
to get a second chance- to be able to overcome
your own fears and doubts, focus on the mission,
and get it right when it counts the most. When
CAT-astrophe strikes, you must know exactly what
to do (or know someone who does). Time is critical
and this is when your best friend, your pet, needs
you the most. Who ya gonna call ? Pet
Detectives"
------------------------------------------
Harley
Hi Vicky, we spoke the
other night on the telephone and I wanted to say
THANK YOU for all the wonderful information and
support! Harley has found his way home and is safe
with us now.
I finally got 10 LARGE poster boards put out into
the neighbourhood and within 1 hour, I had 4 calls.
One lady said she had Harley locked into her garage
for 2 days! She said she thought it was another
neighbour's cat which is allowed to run free so she
opened the garage door and let him run free. Then
she saw the posters later that evening and contacted
us. We searched, but couldn't find him. My idea of
putting the cat door into the sliding door came in
handy because at 1:00 AM this morning I heard some
noise downstairs and my other cat running, when I
went to investigate (and prayed it wasn't a skunk),
he came running to me! WOW what a great feeling!
The only thing I would have done differently is
to get those LARGE poster boards out into the
neighbourhood earlier. I was feeling really bad
that the lady didn't see the poster boards until
after the garage incident. Making them was a slow
process because I was the only one working on them -
I should have finished one, put it out, then do
another one. Oh well, it all turned out fine. Just
something you could suggest to the next person and
maybe have added to the www.lostapet.org
website (Found
under Links on this site)
(which is a wonderful site).
Thank you once again for everything!
I've attached a photo of Harley so you can see how
beautiful he is.
Sandra Williston
Ottawa
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