Panicking - my new kitten is lost in my house

[Anonymous]

Also, it's daytime=sleeptime. Dusk is a better time to look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If it's inside the house - shell show up eventually. Just keep it quiet and listen. I would actually keep doors closed so it's not running from one place to another, and put food out in most likely space.

And "funny"story from me - our cat somehow got into the AC vent on the floor and was stuck there. We discovered her almost 24 hrs later because kids heard her meowing under the floor in their bedroom. We had to cut through ceiling and vents themselves in the middle of the night to get her out.

Getting stuck in the vent this time of the year will be the worst case possible. If cat can't turn around and hot air blowing in his face will certainly kill the cat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's inside the house - shell show up eventually. Just keep it quiet and listen. I would actually keep doors closed so it's not running from one place to another, and put food out in most likely space.

And "funny"story from me - our cat somehow got into the AC vent on the floor and was stuck there. We discovered her almost 24 hrs later because kids heard her meowing under the floor in their bedroom. We had to cut through ceiling and vents themselves in the middle of the night to get her out.

Getting stuck in the vent this time of the year will be the worst case possible. If cat can't turn around and hot air blowing in his face will certainly kill the cat.

More likely is that the car is under a sofa or somewhere in the closet.

[Anonymous]

Shake a food container. They will usually come out for it, even when kittens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's inside the house - shell show up eventually. Just keep it quiet and listen. I would actually keep doors closed so it's not running from one place to another, and put food out in most likely space.

And "funny"story from me - our cat somehow got into the AC vent on the floor and was stuck there. We discovered her almost 24 hrs later because kids heard her meowing under the floor in their bedroom. We had to cut through ceiling and vents themselves in the middle of the night to get her out.

Getting stuck in the vent this time of the year will be the worst case possible. If cat can't turn around and hot air blowing in his face will certainly kill the cat.

More likely is that the car is under a sofa or somewhere in the closet.

if you can park your car under your sofa, you must have a house sized sofa. But seriously, I certainly hope so. I don't know why people think stuck in the vent is funny.

[Anonymous]

When we first brought our kittens home, they loved to hide inside the sofa. Not under the sofa ... inside. They'd crawl underneath and find (or create) a hole in the lining material, then climb up inside the frame.

They always came out eventually. They want to feel safe, and enclosed spaces like that feel safe to them. Chasing them was counterproductive, just made them climb deeper into the frame. They came out when they were darned well ready to come out, and not a moment before.

[Anonymous]

This happened to me with a new rescue kitten as well. We checked *everywhere*. Turns out that the kitten was hiding somewhere in the basement that I checked multiple times - yet somehow missed her.

It took about 12 hours for her to show herself. I was walking around the house waving a cat wand/ribbon, and it caught her interest. She ran out to chase it and then remembered - oops, I'm hiding! So she went back to her spot. But at least I knew she was safe!

She eventually came out, and I kept many doors closed after that. She slowly became acclimated to our house, and we increased her territory over time (a couple of weeks, IIRC).

She was the sweetest, most gentle cat, who has since crossed the rainbow bridge. I miss her so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When we first brought our kittens home, they loved to hide inside the sofa. Not under the sofa ... inside. They'd crawl underneath and find (or create) a hole in the lining material, then climb up inside the frame.

They always came out eventually. They want to feel safe, and enclosed spaces like that feel safe to them. Chasing them was counterproductive, just made them climb deeper into the frame. They came out when they were darned well ready to come out, and not a moment before.

Yep, cats like quite enclosed places - my vent cat loves sleeping in various drawers, especially in kids closets since they tend to leave them open. Though I once found her in my bathroom vanity, sleeping on the pile of washcloths. Took me a minute to figure out how she got there.

[Anonymous]

Our new cat hid behind our washer and dryer for days. Only coming out at night when we were asleep. We were finally able to coax her out during the day with food and catnip toys. Your pet just needs time to adjust to a new environment. Make sure it has access to food and water and it will come out eventually.

[Anonymous]

Once you find her, I suggest adding an Airtag (if you use apple devices) to her collar. I have a cat who likes to hide and burrow and the tag will track him down to the exact spot.

[Anonymous]

This happened to me once. I was worried that my kitten had crawled under a cabinet or the sofa. After searching for it for 20 or so minutes, I found it under my blanket on my bed.

[Anonymous]

Keep us updated, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Similar situation also happened to my friend while she was traveling - their cat didn't show up for meal time twice in the row, and there was no way he could escape outside. I searched that house top to bottom. Nada. Cat showed up in unfinished basement of the neighbors two doors down - imagine neighbors surprise when they saw a kitten walking up the stairs from the basement.

That is wild! How did she get to their basement?? Is it a connected townhouse?

[Anonymous]

Unless you are 100% certain he is not in the vent, I'd shut the system down ASAP until he shows up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar situation also happened to my friend while she was traveling - their cat didn't show up for meal time twice in the row, and there was no way he could escape outside. I searched that house top to bottom. Nada. Cat showed up in unfinished basement of the neighbors two doors down - imagine neighbors surprise when they saw a kitten walking up the stairs from the basement.

That is wild! How did she get to their basement?? Is it a connected townhouse?

Yes, townhouses. And my friend's basement is finished except for utility room. Somehow that crazy young cat found a pass-through. Probably out of boredom, everyone was out of town 😜