Persistence pays off

How the power of community helped me find Stormy

Yes. He’s home!

This is me the moment I got in the car holding Stormy. Photo by Eve Boe

It started as a text message from an unknown number: “Hi. I saw a cat yesterday that might fit Stormy’s description. . . “ My heart skipped a beat. “. . .There was a collar and a red hanging tag.” I replied immediately.

It turned out the texter was an acquaintance I knew who lived on Valentine Road, up on Pleasant Ridge. I might have been skeptical, given how far that is from my home in town (almost 4 miles!), if I hadn’t talked to a neighbor on my street whose own cat had gone missing and had been found on Pleasant Ridge three weeks later.

The road where he was found is almost 4 miles from home.

When we talked I was pretty sure the cat they saw was Stormy. They graciously agreed to let me put out a live trap and even helped me set it up.

This is the location where I set the live trap.

This is the direction they told me Stormy went. As you can see, it’s dense woods. I felt lost.

I put his favorite dry and wet food in, laid one of my recently worn shirts on it, which would have my scent, and waited. It was hard not to check in, but I knew they would call me if anything happened. Twenty-four hours passed.

Silence.

Two agonizing days after that text message a friend offered to walk Valentine Road with me and help me hang more posters. We got up early and walked the road, shaking a container of treats and talking loud enough that if he were around, he could hear me. We stopped by and checked the trap – the food was gone. Significantly, to me, the dry food was completely gone. That’s Stormy’s favorite. The trap had not tripped, though, because the bowls were too close to the plate that would trip it, so we refilled the bowls and reset the trap. We finished our walk and set about putting up more posters in the vicinity.

This is the terrain we were looking at. How could I possibly find Stormy in acres of dense woods?

.As we circled back after hanging posters I saw a guy working to remove some debris from the end of his driveway. He was next door to the house where I set the trap, so I stopped and got out to show him a flyer with a picture of Stormy. He took one look and casually said “Oh yeah, he’s been hanging around my bbq for the past couple of days.”

To say I was excited would be an understatement. I asked if he was sure. “Yes, yes, that’s him. He looks interested but wouldn’t let me pet him.” I started to give him some treats to lure him then he said, “You can go up there and look.”

This is the long driveway, surrounded by woods, we drove up to find Stormy.

We drove up the long driveway through dense woods and parked by the BBQ he had mentioned. For about 10 minutes we called and rattled treats. Then we waited. In moments, my friend Eve spotted a little gray tabby come out from a barn and walk toward the driveway. He sat down and howled. I knew immediately it was Stormy.

My first sighting of Stormy since I left town on March 28. He sat down in the driveway and started howling.

Eve got in the car to wait so nothing would distract him. He talked and I talked, but he was scared and skittish. It took a lot of coaxing and a lot of treats to lure him close enough for me to get him. I touched him once and he leapt away. I stayed put and kept at it.

Eve waited in the car as I inched closer to Stormy and he inched closer to me. He kept howling at me and I kept talking to him. He ran over to the edge of the woods, but then felt safer walking closer to me. I sat on the ground by the edge of the woods and threw him treats, eventually luring him close enough to grab him.

Some forty-five minutes later I had Stormy in my arms and was headed home. He is skinny but otherwise uninjured. Once I brought him into the house he was all purrs and cuddles. He hasn’t left my side. And I’m not letting him out of my sight for the time being. As my friend said, I found him on the bridge on a stormy night, and we were reunited on Valentine Road. What could be sweeter?

SIDEBAR: How to look for a lost cat

I followed the advice of professional pet rescuers in my search for Stormy. Here’s what they say.

First, understand that only 3% of lost cats are killed by predators, so don’t let people scare you into thinking your pet has been killed by a coyote or owl. Unless there’s proof, assume the cat is alive.

Some 75-85% of lost cats are found, usually within 21 days.

Most cats are within five to seven houses of home and often they are hiding. If they are in hiding, they will be quiet. Despite what seems logical, if a cat is in hiding it is unlikely to come to you if you call its name. Due to the fear factor, pros say it’s much more effective to simply walk around your neighborhood talking in your normal voice because calling their name might make them feel like they are targeted and cause them to hunker down and hide more. Dusk and dawn are good times because that’s when cats tend to be out.

I posted loads of laminated signs everywhere.

Post signs everywhere. Knock on doors and hand out flyers. Pros say many people may see your pet but may not call even if they see a sign. It’s much better to talk to people in person.

I wore this sign on my back during the tulip parade while I was working. People were moved by it, but also thought it was a lost cause. It generated one tip that was not Stormy. Photo by Gary Brown

Ask people to let you look in outbuildings or other hiding places.

Post in all social media lost pet communities.

Do not give up!

Stormy enjoying the outdoors from my office window. He has a new GPS collar in case he gets out, but he won’t be getting out anytime soon. We both have some healing to do.

That last point is really important. I refused to quit looking for Stormy and this entire town helped me. I was excessively vocal about his loss. I posted signs everywhere. I knocked on dozens of doors. I even wore a sign on my back during the tulip parade. I reposted to lost pets social media groups routinely. I walked the streets of town late at night and early in the morning.

So many people who don’t know me have let me know on social media that they were looking everywhere. I got many, many tips. People were gracious and sympathetic when I knocked on their doors. And honestly, I felt the support. I can’t thank everyone enough for their encouragement.