A great lesson in why cookie-cutter lost cat advice is dangerous.

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Emily is a female tortoiseshell Siamese who is nearly 6 years old. 

 

Warren adopted this pretty Siamese/ tortie Emily from a foster care program. After two weeks in her new home, she was still hiding under the bed, only coming out at night to eat and use the litter box.

 

Warren's wife could reach under the bed and pet her, but that was about it. On Friday they noticed Emily had not come out to eat, and Warren remembered he had recently  left the kitchen door leading to the garage door open for two hours.

 

For days they searched, put up flyers, and set up traps and left the garage and kitchen door open to lure her back with food.

For days they searched, put up flyers, and set up traps and left the garage and kitchen door open to lure her back with food.

 

About a week later, they had a second problem: something had gotten in as a result — some kind of critter. They could hear faint scritching noises in the kitchen. When they also noticed food was disappearing, they knew a varmint had come in through the door to the garage and was hiding in or under their cabinets.

 

That night, Warren set up a plan with his ring camera and phone on vibrate. At 4:20, he got the alarm and puled the string.

 

The varmint was caught. The varmint was Emily.

 

A trip to the vet revealed two molars ad abscessed. Emily had been pain hiding for days, abandoning her previous known hiding place for one of total peace and darkness.

 

Without knowing all the minute details of the case, it could have been disastrous if she HAD left her hiding place and gone out as she may have suffered for months, not only with excruciating pain in her mouth, but also starving and unable to eat.

 

So when someone loses a cat, please think twice before giving advice.

 

Every case is different, just as every cat is different.

 

Emily is now home from the vet and has become a different cat. She has warmed up and even sleeps ON the bed now, instead of under it.

 

 

Happy ending! (that could have gone the other way).