CALLI IS HOME!!! NEW PICS, per multiple requests.......

I'm thinking that there is some do-gooder who is feeding your cat, maybe even housing it.

Well, I'm sure she is finding food somewhere other than just my house or else I would have spotted her. And you'd be surprised how many people leave their garages open so I guess she is finding shelter. She is too shy to go to anyone willingly, but she does seems to be on a great adventure....one that is killing her "mommy"!

"Caley's Big Adventure," costarring the roving tom (the one she chased) with the "I know you are, but what am I" cattitude.  The advice from the Missing Cat Partnership is that you may need to use a humane trap, but I'm not sure how you manage to keep from catching raccoons and other wildlife in such a trap.  https://www.branford-ct.gov/filestorage/3494/6363/How_to_Recover_a_Displaced_Cat.pdf It's going to be warm Friday and Saturday, so maybe you can just camp out in your backyard with a tin of sardines and see if that does it.  Here's a thought:   what if you recorded her indoor cat pal meowing and tried playing it sporadically on a speaker outside. 

Well, I took the 2 other cats out separately in a carrier on the deck with me last week. I think I will do that again. They meowed up a storm! I've left my garage propped open with her bed/pillow in there but I don't think she's been in. I will distribute more flyers & keep hoping for another sighting....   

Well, she was spotted yesterday evening around 6pm on Suffolk running from Midland towards Parker. She's going even further away! I will be dropping off more flyers & posting on poles but please alert any neighbors/friends that live in the vicinity - it will be much appreciated.  

BTW, my cell is 862-262-8231 in case you spot her - THANK YOU!

You didn’t recently move to your home, did you? Just wondering if she’s trying to get back to somewhere.

Nope - have been here since '98. I (now) think she took off to have an adventure - the other kitties are much older than her.   But from what I've learned from the sightings of her, she seems hungry & has lost weight...

I'm so worried!

Hopefully she will be making her way back home soon then.

From your lips to God's ear.....

Please plan on getting her to the Vet as soon as you find her. It is not good for heavy cats to lose weight quickly for any reason - there can be liver complications. Hoping for her safe return soon!

Yes Hauscat, I am most concerned about hypoglycemia.... I learned that from my vet many years ago. The heavier the cat, the more dangerous it is for them to stop eating suddenly.   I can only pray that she is finding sustenance somewhere!

we just saw a cat at the corner of Elmwood and Lancaster, but she ran away when we approached - not sure if it is yours but may be worth a try... good luck!

Thank you - will check!

Well, a neighbor spotted her on HER neighbor's doorstep - she is literally looking for help. I pray someone feeds her & I will try to get more flyers out there to make even more people aware of her being a very lost kitty. Lancaster....geez, this girl has been moving further & further away instead to making her way back. It's really breaking my heart.

OK - something woke me up before 5am this morning & I looked out my bathroom window and SAW CALLI running across my backyard!!! I open window & called her name & she stopped & I continued to talk to her while trying to get downstairs. I ran down in my bathrobe, grabbed a flashlight & some food & out to the deck. Nothing - walked around house & back to deck. Flashed the light into some bushes and there was her SWEET LITTLE FACE staring back at me!!! I can't describe the joy of seeing her again after 3 weeks - simply overwhelming. But.....I put down food for her & sat on steps of deck away from her & stayed quietly talking to her for 30 minutes or so. When I checked on the food, it hadn't been eaten & she was nowhere to be found. So little missy is proving to be adept at getaways. Since I FINALLY spotted her in my backyard again, I think it's time to try the humane trap in the bushes where I saw her. Just have to be prepared for whatever end up in there if it's not her.....  

Im so excited that she was in your yard!!! Maybe she is realizing that the freedom of living on the streets isn't all what it's cracked up to be.

Oh, I can only hope so blianderson! And I have to state that this horrible experience has shown me the KINDNESS & selflessness of my fellow Maplewoodians who have called & spoken to me on the street & who have reached out to THEIR friends & neighbors getting the word out. It really does take a village & I feel so blessed to live among such lovely, truly lovely people!  

Getting closer.  .  .  .   This is good!  Here's a pretty thorough set of instructions on setting a trap:

http://communitycatcoalitionwa...

You might try calling People for Animals and asking for Valerie Wilson.  She's in charge of helping with ferals in SOMA.  I've alerted her to your lost Caley (sp?), and she may have some good tips on how to go about trapping her.  

You can also call St. Hubert's helpline https://www.sthuberts.org/peth...

I believe you're in SO, but even though St. Hubert's doesn't have an animal control contract with SO, they help out with pets all over NJ.  

Hi Elle_Cee, I'm actually in Maplewood on Elmwood Ave. Thank you so much for your support and contact info. I have been rescuing animals for 25 years, so I am familiar with a trap. I just never thought I would be the one looking for MY kitty! (But thanks for all the info anyway - there was some helpful tips!)   

I just haven't had a sighting in the same place twice since she escaped. She seemed to be everywhere BUT my property! Now that I saw her in the early morning creeping around, I will set it & hope for the best. BUT that means I have to be prepared for catching another cat who may need to be spayed/neutered. And then I need a place to store him/her - it's a complicated endeavor...

But I SAW HER & that is what is making my heart happy today!!! 

I hope this doesn't upset you but...

I had a neighbor growing up on Parris Island whose house cat of many years one day decided she wanted to "be free" and run with the other wild cats on the island (there was a little pack of them that lived in the woods).  Periodically over the next year or so they lived there, they'd see her out in the woods when they'd drive through, but she never did come back to their home.  Could that be the case here?

oh I really hope you get her back, she must be cold and hungry the poor thing, promising that she came to the house.

Thanks so much, lainie65 - I SO wish I could have seen her eat! Lanky, gotta say that yesterday (the 3-week mark) I was really getting depressed & wondering the same thing - not that she wanted to be "wild" exactly, but maybe she wanted to be with someone else (or live somewhere else). BUT, Calli being in my yard this morning & stopping when she heard my voice (even tho she ran afterwards) renewed my faith that she DOES remember me & her home and that there is every chance we can be reunited.    

Has she been spayed? I thought springtime was when cats were most likely to go wandering off.... so glad to hear that she was close to home so recently! I have always had dogs, never cats, but would leaving something with your scent on it be likely to get her closer to your door? Maybe a t-shirt, or pair of unwashed socks....anything with your scent, if you are the person she's most attached to... I hope she is back inside very soon!

Cody, yes she is spayed but good idea about the socks. Somebody had told me to leave some poo (!) from her litter mates around - I'll try ANYthing at this point! Last night I set the trap (covered in 2 flannel pillowcases with our/her scent on them) and ended up catching a rather destructive, terrified raccoon. He shredded everything in there, turned the cage upside down & tore the pillowcases to bits. So much for that.... 

Of course, I will try again tonight and use another cover (towel?) with all our smells. The 2 flannel king pillowcases worked well 'cause I could drape both over the sides & they covered the whole trap. I hope a wild beastie doesn't go in there EVERY night or I will run out of materials to cover it with. And I want to have something that adds a bit of warmth since it's gets cold overnight.

Going to print up more flyers (sigh) since she is now gone 3+ weeks.....

It sounds like you are leaving the trap set up overnight. Leaving a trap unattended is not a good idea, as a trapped animal could fall prey to predators and/or injure itself. You could trap dusk to bedtime and at dawn when you are home and can check the trap. Good luck - so close!

Thanks, hauscat - I thought the animal would be safe inside the cage. I have a feeling the time frames mentioned won't work for Calli but I'll try. She was spotted at 4:50am by myself & almost midnight by my husband the next evening. On work days, my husband goes to bed early & gets up early - but not early enough to set a trap. I really don't want to disturb his sleep as his job is very physical & he has apnea as it is. 

Nothing was in the trap this morning - I think the terrified raccoon spread the word & the backyard was quiet last night. Will try again at dusk, although that is when the fox, raccoons & opossums are running around - kitties not so much. Not having a good feeling about catching her......

When my indoor kitty went missing for a weekend, she ended up staying under the deck of a neighbor.  Have you checked under there?

Yes Twinsplus1, I've checked all around my neighbors' yards/decks. Calli did NOT follow the usual routine & stay close by but was spotted running BLOCKS away & was seen several times a good distance away. She has since "come back" so to speak as I saw her myself early in the am on 4/20 running through my backyard. The garage is left open nightly with her bed/pillow/carrier with all of her family's scents on them & I even left a pair of unwashed socks on deck, per cody's suggestion.