A week ago today one of my cats (4.5 yr old) went out in the morning and never came back. I have been a basket case since. I have put many beloved pets down because of age, but I have NEVER lost one before. I can't seem to stop sitting and staring at the back door hoping she returns. But after a week I am pretty sure she is not.

My other cat (a 5 yr old male) also misses her. Now I am afraid to ever let the boy outside for fear of losing him. But I work all day and it seems wrong to leave him alone all day in the house. So, do I get another kitten or not. In the past I have always replaced the lost cat with a new one, but have had mixed results. One cat will take to a new kitten and one will not. I usually get my pets from the local Animal Control office.

I know I am setting myself up for about 3 months of pure hysteria and lack of sleep, but I miss her so much.

years ago our cat was gone for a week. She finally showed up one day very hungry. i figured she got into someone's garage who happened to go on vacation. i never found out but she was fine for years. we lost her to a bad driver. the next cat was an indoor one. had him for 17 years.

Well Sandy, if you did get another cat and yours shows up at the door, how would you feel about having three cats?

If we get cats again, it will definitely be two. They really need each other as companions since we humans can't spend every waking moment playing with them - as much as we might like to! :lol:

If you're OK with having three cats, then my two cents is to get another one. In the mean time, I hope your little girl does come home.

wait one more week. then get another kitty. can you take your guy with you to help choose a new one?

if/when your girl comes home she'll either be glad to have an addition to the family or feel displaced, so be prepared. our shuju was missing for almost three months, then climbed a tree in the middle of the night to bat on our window and cry to be let in.

All my cats live inside. But we always had at least 2. At one point, we had 4 (long story) but I would say get another. The more the merrier :)

You may want to rethink allowing your cats outside. The average life span of indoor cats is about 14 years – though this is reduced to 4 years in cats that are allowed to roam free. By allowing your cat to roam outside, you're risking them getting run over by cars, or attacked by other animals. I don't know what the coyote situation is near you, but I know many people that have lost their cats to coyotes near where I live.

Cats do fine indoors by themselves (although it's always preferable to get them a companion, if the cat gets along with other cats). Just make sure you have things to keep him interested -- I got a fish a couple of months ago, and my cat adores watching it all day :)

To answer your question, though -- I'd wait a couple more weeks. She may still come back.

I'd place an ad in the newspaper and but up "lost" signs before giving up on her coming back.....

But if you do decide to get another kitty, and since your boy cat is older, I'd get an adult female. That has always seemed to work best for me :D :D

Our cat is an indoor one and has the dog for a friend. They have a really good time playing and chasing each other.

So sorry to hear that your sweet kitty is missing. I will be thinking about you.

That happened to me two years ago. She walked into our lives on Nov 18th and left on Jan 24. I try to believe that she maybe went home.

When I was a teen we lost one for 3 weeks and then she came back. Give her a little more time.

Thanks everyone. My heart wants to believe she will come home, but my head really doesn't believe it. I put flyers on everyone's doors on my street and put up flyers on lamp posts on the streets on either side of mine. One of my neighbors also lost a cat the same way this year. And one of my other neighbors said they had seen coyotes at the end of our street. But I have lived in this house for 20 years and have never seen coyotes this close. We do live in the desert, so coyotes do roam close in, so it is possible.

Thank you again for your thoughtful responses.