Check every little place in your house where she could get to. She could have gotten up into the attic or somewhere in the basement, stuck behind something. Cats can get into small spaces. If all the doors and windows were closed, she must be in your house. Possibly shut in a closet that was open, she went in and went to sleep and you came along and shut the door. It happens.

Check not only closets but every drawer and cabinet.

Maybe she snuck out when someone walked out a door? Ours do that sometimes into the garage so they can snoop.

I would think if she was hiding in a closet, etc, she would be hungry/thirsty so meowing. They can hide in the tiniest places.

Go outside with a flashlight and check in all the bushes around your and your neighbors' houses, under decks, etc. Unlike dogs, cats usually stay pretty close to home. (We found our cat hidden deep in the next door neighbor's bushes.)

Behind or under kitchen appliances, the washer and dryer, furnace, etc.

INSIDE a sofa or upholstered chair...REALLY!

Inside boxes, bags, buckets, etc.

When cats get scared or feel threatened by a predator (fox, dog, coyote, hawk, human, etc.), they hide and they go into survival mode; they become "frozen." She could literally be hiding in a bush two feet away from you while you're calling her name--but she won't come out or make even the slightest noise.

I know how awful it feels when you can't find them. :(

Check under bed INSIDE boxspring. If you have a recliner, check up under that. Check all cabinets, closets, fireplace, any holes in walls like where a dryer vent would go. Dishwasher, trash bin (inside and outside of house.) Check bureau drawers and space behind drawer when you remove one. When opened, it leaves a space behind it.

If you think it's possibe the cat hot out, go out at night and call for her. Post fliers in neighborhood and on Craigslist lost and found. Contact local rescues and shelters.

Place small bowls of food & water in every room.

Do you have any other pets? If so, isolate them in the bedroom with you at night so the cat isn't afraid to come out and eat. Of course, that's after you've made sure she's not in your bedroom.

Cat's don't always meow when shut up in a closet. My mom's cat has occasionally gotten closed-in her closet and the cat has never meowed. She usually finds the cat the next day when she hears it climbing around.

Any luck, Nicole?

We set up a camera and put some food on our front door. She somehow got out of the house. From the camera view we saw her eating the food but was interfered with another cat (a neighborhood cat I think) and ran off. The other cat is preventing her from coming back. How do we catch her?

Buy, borrow, or rent a trap. Feral cat groups may be a good source, they use them for TNR.

If you can manage to always keep it inside in future you won't have problems with it disappearing (outside, anyway) or being attacked by other cats (or wild predators).

No exposure to outdoor diseases or parasites, either, including fleas on or worms inside of prey animals.

it's great that you know for sure she is still around! i second the live trap idea. you may get lucky and catch her first. if you catch the feral cat first, take it to the shelter and set the trap again. use something really stinky like canned sardines for bait. good luck!

Good work with the camera Nicole! I would ask around and try to find who owns the other cat - see if they can keep him indoors a few days while you work at recovering your cat.... without the threatening presence your cat may then willingly reveal herself. Be sure to NOT be tromping around yelling your cats name or kitty kitty... esp if there is tension and fear in your voice as that may scare her. Ask me how I know that! Imade that mistake myself and prolonged the recovery time for weeks.

Instead, sit very quietly near where your cat was seen - talk quietly on the phone or talk to her lovingly as you did when you were inside. Im thinking you probably had started to establish some sort of bond after 4 wks? Its very likely that as a shy, indoor cat she's hiding very close by and may be hearing/watching you.

Also at the same time do obtain the humane trap - a shy cat may be more hesitant about approaching a human, and as above posters have noted - if they are in feral mode, aka "survival mode" then they may not be making the connection that you are really you. Your local humane society may have one they can lend at no charge. Make sure any scent of other animals has been removed/neutralized -

missingpetpartnership.org, catsinthebag.org, and the three retreivers section on cats all have great trapping into - make sure you understand all the details about procedure before setting it for real. All the best to you NIcole! Wishing you a speedy recovery!

Everyone is giving you great advice!!! Do get the humane trap. Have-A-Heart trap is great and I used it to catch several ferals to spay them. If you need someone to walk you through trapping after reading what was provided, don't hesitate researching out to me.

A few cats are hard to catch and need a drop trap, but chances are you won't need it. I would also do it asap because this other cat could actually attack your cat and cause your cat to move on (ferals won't always let a new cat stay around).

As someone mentioned, don't be surprised if your cat acts like they don't know you. This is common when they escape. My sister had an affectionate lap cat for several years who got out.. the cat was terrified of her. My sister followed advice and laid on the ground with a can of tuna on her belly and then grabbed her cat when she came to eat it. Your cat is new enough that she may not even get that close to you.

If it's cold, maybe you can put out a heating pad or fleecy blankets by the food.

If you can, if not already, leave out wet stinky food.. she may not be getting enough to drink so the wet food will be good for her, in addition to being more enticing.

We ordered a trap but it arrives on Thursday. In the mean time we set out some more food, and it only attracted more animals. Two cats now, raccoons and a skunk. Wow. All except the little one we actually want to come.

oh my. i would stop putting anything out until you get the trap. if the other critters go a couple of days without finding food, they may move on to better pickings and then hopefully, your kitty won't have so much competition when you finally get the trap set.

wishing you luck! i know how nerve wracking it can be. i had a new dog disappear for just a couple of hours and i was frantic till i saw her trotting up the lane as if it was entirely normal to take a jaunt before breakfast!

I would keep the food out only so she doesn't give up coming because she was new you and your home. Maybe, if you don't want to leave it out at night, at least keep it out during the day. I'd tell your neighbors you will be trapping so if those cats are theirs, to let you know or keep them in for a few days.

If you have a garage with a roll-top door leave it cracked enough for her to get in and leave the food out during the day since Raccoons and Skunks will feed at night and the other cats may be hesitant to enter the garage during the day. If you can, set up a camera in the garage too.

If you need a second trap, call any cat rescue groups and they usually rent, or loan, traps. They will ask for a deposit and I think I paid $3/day for the last one I rented. If she's a big cat try to get the large size cat traps. Some traps are so small that cats are hesitant to enter.

Great advise about leaving the garage open. Shelter would be great considering the weather.

Oh also call the shelters in town to make sure no one drops her off. Some places will only keep cats for three days, depending where you live. Even if she is chipped, I wouldn't count on everyone being competent enough to check (sorry to say)

Put her dirty litter box out (make sure it is under cover to keep rain out). She will find her way back by the smell.

Any update?

The way I got 1 of my cats (who was a kitten at the time) to come in (he was a stray) is with food that I gradually moved closer and closer to the back door. Eventually I put the food inside the open door and chased him inside when he went to eat and closed the door behind him. It worked. Took about 2 days but the kitten stayed within 10 feet of the door the whole time.

We set up the trap in the back and she walks into it but she isn't setting the trap off. How do we get her to set it off?

is it the kind of trap where she has to step on a plate near the back to trip the door mechanism? if so, make sure the bait you are using is as far back as possible. if that still doesn't work, get some yarn or fishing line and tie a chicken wing to the top back edge of the trap. if she has to struggle to try to get it off, she will HAVE to step on the plate!

I'm so glad to hear you're at least getting closer!!

Ninapearl and cooper: Good thinking!

I'm thrilled to hear you are at least seeing her!!!! I assume you don't see her when it's happening. If so, you could always switch to a drop trap ( think of a laundry basket propped up by a stick and then you pull the cord when she goes in ). I'm hopeful you'll get her w your current trap though! I love the idea of putting her litter box outside (unless the other cats start using it of course).

We set up the camera and food in the backyard which is how we know she is there. I put food in the front so the other cats won't come to the back haha. I think I will try the chicken wing trick and also put her litter box outside tonight as well. How do i adjust the sensitivity of the trap? Hopefully it works with this smart kitty. Thank you guys for the helpful tips I appreciate it all.

I just thought of something very important!!!!!

(I used to trap ferals to spay and release them).. if you set the trap, you should set your alarm and check the trap every so often.. the reason is that a trapped animal isn't safe with raccoons around.. sorry to spring this on you. When I trapped, I'd constantly check the traps and would disarm them when I went to bed.

PS, clever to feed the other animals in the front!!!!

Omg this is like a suspenseful novel! I have no advice but am hoping this kitty is found very soon! Hope you have a great New Years gift in a "found kitty".

any luck yet?

She's so smart she wouldn't fall for the trap no matter what we tried because she just wouldn't walk into it. I think we're just going to put food in our sunroom and have to chase her into the house when she goes for the food. Yikes this could actually take a while

That's exactly how I got my William into the house cause he was so scared as a baby (even though he knew he wanted a home since he cried at the door to come in at 10pm one night which was how he knew he existed). Though for us it was the kitchen.

I'll share with you what the local feral coalition suggests using to catch a stray/feral cat....who is now living in our garage and follows my DH around as he feeds the wild birds. Use the skin from a piece of Kentucky Fried Chicken (Original flavor). You can also use a chicken wing tied to the back of the trap. Something about it draws them like flies. : )

Usually cats won't immediately walk into a trap and start eating. You have to spend a few days feeding them in the trap with both ends of the trap open so they know they can exit easily. I used zip ties to secure the doors in open position so they wouldn't accidentally close and scare the cat. Once the cat is going into the trap to eat without hesitation, then you can close the end of the trap and set the trap door.

The stray I caught would let me stay near her while she ate, but she would only go about 3/4's of the way in the trap. The day I used the chicken skin she went in a little further so I gave her rear end a little shove and I sprung the trap manually. Throw a cloth/towel over the trap once they're caught.....it helps prevent a lot of stress.

I'm not sure on how, but my husband did something to the rod connected to the plate to make it spring more easily. He doesn't remember what he did either! I'm sure we looked something up on Youtube as that is our default. Also, we used sardines as that was what the people at the feral cat program recommended. Good luck!

Tuna might be good too. Anything stinky.

So, it sounds like she is trap shy and won't go in. We had one like this. That is what the drop trap is for. It caught a cat on the first try that we couldn't get any other way for a year. Its a great sign she's eating in your sunroom !!!

If she is eating in the sunroom, can someone sneak around and close the door while she is in there eating?