Hello there,
I really need some help and advice please about what to do about my missing cat? I'm sorry for the long story but I do really need to explain first…

My beloved cat Phoenix went missing on Boxing Day and we immediately handed out posters to our neighbours as it was so unlike him to not come home, especially since he hadn't had his breakfast. Unfortunately a few of our neighbours informed us that they had seen a "ginger and white cat with white feet" (like him) that morning who had sadly passed away on a nearby main road.

I know under usual circumstances that this would explain his disappearance, but there are a few things that do not add up. For instance, Phoenix had two white back feet but only the tips of his front feet were white and I'm not sure if you would be able to see these at a passing glance? He also had very distinctive "marble" markings and one of our neighbours even picked this cat up to kindly move it out of the road but he said the most prominent feature was its white feet.

Secondly, Phoenix had only been out for no more than half an hour before the earliest time we were told that this cat had passed away and by the time we had searched the main road, it had only been two hours at most since the earliest report of this cat and yet the council had already removed it. He also left our house that morning with a brand new quick-release collar on that he got for Christmas - but we were told that this cat definitely did not have a collar on and it was never found at the scene. Phoenix was such a nervous cat too, he was terrified of cars and he wouldn't even go onto our drive because of this.

I would just like an honest opinion on how likely this cat is to be Phoenix? And I know that some people must be wondering: "Was he micro-chipped?" and the answer is yes he was but Stockport council told us directly that they do not scan any animal for a microchip as it is "not their policy to do so."

We handed out hundreds of leaflets to people and put up many posters asking for any information but not one person who lives on either side of the main road contacted us. However, since then we have had about 12 calls telling us that a cat who is "the absolute spitting image" of Phoenix has been seen at a local Nursing Home that backs on to woodland behind our house. We are still hoping this is him, as like I say, he has very distinctive markings and this cat apparently also has the same white feet as him and he did have the same coloured collar on (although we have recently been informed that he has now lost this!)

However, we have been visiting this place for a month now, and we have never been able to even see this cat and it is becoming incredibly frustrating. We have tried calling him, making noises with his food bowl, and we have even tried a humane trap but to no avail. We know this cat is still around though because people are still ringing us about it. I know it sounds cruel, but we really can't waste any more time on this cat if it turns out not to be Phoenix but equally if it is him, we just want him home now...

Has anybody got any other ideas we could possibly try please? Any help will be much appreciated. We're desperate to get him home and we will try anything for our little man.

Thank you in advance and apologies again for the long story!
Helen

Hi, I was really sorry to read your post. We have lost a cat 5 weeks ago (missing) and I realize how painful and frustrating is to wait, look for him, receive calls and make assumptions without ever knowing with some degree of certainty if your pet is still alive and if he is, where he is and how he is. Said that, I only have a couple of things to share from this that could hopefully be somewhat helpful. We posted hundreds of b&w posters, however even when you provide a description people tend to call for any cat that pretty much resembles like the one in the pic (in good faith...). In case you used b&w posters/flyers I'd suggest to hand out coloured ones in the area where the cat you mentioned has been seen, possibly more than one picture so that people get a better idea of how he actually looks like, so at the very least they can confirm if the cat they see is "really" looking like the one in the picture. Just be aware that until you see him, you can't be sure though. We got called at least 5 times for a cat that had exact same pattern, colours and nuances. About the description of the cat sadly found dead, I'm afraid I can't really help, your reasoning makes sense, but it's difficult to say without being "there"... sorry.

Best of luck

Having you cat go missing is horrible! It's just happen to us so I understand what it feels like. I hope you find him soon! It sounds very unlikely that you cat was run over due to the short time frame for it to occurr and to remove a body! I was speaking to our postman the other day and he told me that he knew a couple who lived very close to us that had moved house, their cat went missing from their new house only to turn up three month later at their old house (they had moved about 5 miles away)! Cats do have very good homing instincts, so hopefullly he will find his way home eventually!