Let me OUT! (as soon as I finish this can...)
It is with great relief and a sense of determined accomplishment that I bring to friends and readers the news that Radar, aka basement cat, has been caught! In the wild! With SARDINES!
For all of you who read, rec'd or responded to my original posting last Saturday, WYFP? Basement Cat has left the building..., and my subsequent mewling in comments, thank you for your support. Many of you were adamant that I not lose hope or give up and for that encouragement I thank you specifically. Clearly we did not give up in our efforts to recover Radar but we were losing hope and it's hard not to. Radar was gone for 12 days in an area that's an active feeding ground for coyotes. Cats regularly disappear in this part of Austin and in the evenings that weren't raining and cold while he was missing (poor kitty!) those coyotes loped and laughed at the edge of the neighborhood in good numbers. Yet, here we are with him in the house, bathed and fed and purring himself to sleep. I will now reiterate the advice and support offered to me on this site and from many others I researched dedicated to finding lost cats, for anyone now of in the future whose beloved disappears:
DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR SEARCH!
Details under the fold.
Following the best advice I could find and my own best instincts, over the course of the last 12 days we did the following to recover Radar:
- posted photo posters with all relevant details around the immediate area
- directly contacted neighbors, especially those with kids, to make sure they knew
- actively looked for him and signs of cats DAILY, multiple times per day and night
- daily checked local pet recovery websites
- researched lost cat behaviors by personality
- researched lost cat recovery methods and suggestions
- actively worked to remain hopeful and determined and supported one another in that effort
And while some sites I read actually
discouraged lost pet posters (I still can't understand their reasoning) it was through the poster that we ultimately recovered him. A neighbor up the next street, near the poster farthest from home, called us to say he had four live traps to lend us. Beyond the traps our new friend Adolph had a host of advice as well. He has seven rescued cats at his home and has spent years trapping, neutering and releasing feral cats back into the community. Having this wealth of experience as well as having lived in the area for many years, Adolph was able to school me on a range of tricks, tips and strategies for recovery. So, to all those websites who think putting up Lost Cat posters is a waste of time and energy I call bullshit. Without that effort we would still be waiting around feeling helpless.
So, what about those traps? They are Have a Heart cage traps and can be purchased (if you don't have an Adolph) at your local hardware store or pet store for around $50-$75 depending. That's a lot of money and I actually bought one the day he disappeared but it was too small and I never actually used it, and that was $35. Then Adolph came along and saved the day.
As to bait, I used canned food at first with no luck except for an opossum, who was mighty pissed (and literally pissed, stinky!). Trapping at night you are bound to catch any nocturnal scavenger around and I was lucky to have caught only one such creature. Be sure to wear gloves and open the trap carefully and away from you if you encounter this situation. The good news is they want to get away from you more than you want them to get away, so chances are it will be uneventful but that's no guarantee. Trapping wild animals is dangerous. Be smart if you need to do this!
Ultimately it was the cheapest sardines in oil that did the trick. Based on the characteristics of Radar's skittish personality all of the advice I read proved true about where we would find him. He was four houses away (nearby) in the green belt behind our neighborhood, probably having hid in fear most of the time. The stinky smell of the oily sardines drew him out at night because he was hungry. Really hungry. I suspect he lost almost two pounds of weight and he's not a big cat to begin with.
And what about my having seen him down the end of the greenbelt, far from the house, one of the first nights he was gone? Turns out it probably wasn't him. The fact the suspected Radar approached me before he ran away in panic when I moved is likely due to the nature of the IMPOSTOR basement cat!
Please don't see my eyes with your eyes, I'm shy and stuff.
That's right, the first trap I checked this morning, placed in the location of the impostor's retreat, held not the actual basement cat but a sweet, shy "community cat" which is Austin rescue speak for city policy on healthy ferals wo get released back into the area because they have a right to be there. While I was disappointed when I got close enough to see his clipped ear, the boy was sweet and took lots of love and a can of quality food before we let him go (after bringing him to the city for a check up). From a distance he sure did look like Radar. What a sight it was for the kids when I came home with TWO black cats this morning!
Anyway, Radar is now bathed, fed, had a check up and a tag scan just to be 100% sure of his identity. The traps have been washed and returned to Adolph (thanks Adolph!!!) and everyone in the Bastrop household is happy as can be. I'll be taking the signs down later this evening (I got a call while I was buying flea shampoo from a neighbor who had seen the TNR I released in the greenbelt) and tonight we'll be snuggling in bed with a basement cat who is very, very pleased to be home.
Thanks again for all of your love and support. Please consider donating to animal shelters and rescues in your area. Here on Daily Kos one of our newest members Catranchrescue had their first diary up yesterday, A Puddy Tat's Paradise. You might give them a look-see. For anyone here in Austin, please give some love to the following:
- bastrop
What took you so long!
And now, he's home.
I stole this chair from Sirius. You may pet me now.