Hi rac.. I'm new here but your thread caught my eye. I just wanted to say I know how scary this is to deal with, and to try (I know it's hard) not to think of the worst.
A friend of mine had the exact same thing happen, and her cat was gone for three weeks in a busy city. He is very shy and timid and indoor, but he survived and was found living with an elderly lady - no injury or harm.

Cats have natural instincts even if they haven't had to use them much that help them survive and stay out of harm's way in new territory. I'd recommend calling local shelters to see if any kitties have been brought in, and leave them with a picture/description of your cat. Is she collared or microchipped?

I don't know what your city is like, but postering can also be helpful, as well as lost ads on Facebook, Craigslist, etc.

I am so sorry that your cat got out.

I'm about 60, and have had cats pretty much all the time since I was 5 with a few years out for college and getting my life started. Cats pretty much know they are cats from the get-go. Give her some time before you give her up as totally lost.

Gentle hugs

I'll chime in to agree...I've had indoor cats get out and they returned a week or so later. The cat may find its way home again. Don't give up!

OK- deep breath. Your boyfriend saw the cat not long ago, so you know its still in the area. Our cat is an indoor cat (most times) but he likes to occsionally get out to hang around and always returns. If we get worried, we get a bag of his treats or even the dry cat food and start shaking the package so he can hear the sound. They know that sound and will come to get dinner. Try that around the area where you last saw your cat. It might work.

thanks guys. She is microchipped but the collar she has on doesn't say so (we are waiting for replacement tags in the mail, go figure) My biggest worry is she literally doesn't know anything about outside. Her eyes weren't fully opened when I got her. She's extremely social with dogs and we have a real bad loose dog problem which is my biggest worry. The fact that a bad car accident just happened outside my street and now there are people and police and just general loudness everywhere I'm worried she'll roam farther and possibly get lost. Best case scenario, the fact that the police are blocking off the roads means less cars so less chance for her to get hit trying to think good thoughts....

I agree with what others have said about her coming home. I know it's hard, my cats are my babies too and have had similar situations at different times and they always came home. Hang in there, sending prayers and good energy your way. ((hugs))

Take some of you dirty clothes (ie. that have your scent) and leave them in a pile on your back porch/patio or wherever you think she might be likely to come back to. You might find her curled upon them in a day or 2. Kudos to you for having her microchipped.

Good point about the clothing. Especially if it is something that she sleeps on often!

Even if her collar doesn't say she is chipped, any vet or shelter would check as standard procedure. So that's good - there's a way for people to know where she belongs.

I have some hope from you -- especially since she was seen. Sounds like she is very scared and hiding.

set some food out and keep calling out her name.

I have indoor cats too and sometimes they disappear indoors -- I find calling their name out loud helps me to hone in where they are and when they hear how distressed I am they ""sometimes'" re-appear.

Never EVER let a cat outdoors why cannot people learn this? I own a cat (shown on my profile) and as an owner I am EXTREMELY careful as to where he is at all times in the house because if he got out he'd be dead in 5 seconds. Shame on your dad for saying not to mention anything, IMO he's an A-Hole for doing so. But people need to learn which I doubt they ever will that cats just cannot survive in the modern world out of doors. You have raccoons, fox, other cats, dogs, cars, people haters everything. I used t go on my walks sometimes and it made me sick to see how many posters there were of lost cats. Made me mad. Cats are meant to be indoors unless of course you happen to live in a large country away from people and even then it's taking a chance. I will say this again..CATS BELONG INDOORS and if you cannot handle that you should not own a cat. Check out my poem on my profile called STRAY CAT and you will get the idea how a cat must feel being lost and all alone. With all do respect if I was face to face with your father I would certainly tell him what I think about making such a stupid ass comment. Why not let your dad live outside and let the cat live inside that might be a better idea.

I am not a cat owner but wanted you to know that I really really hope your kitty will make her way home. I can imagine how worried you are but don't give up hope, okay?

(((((((( COMFORTING HUGS )))))))))))))

LMT

I have had cats most of my life, and they have been given inside and outside access. As young cats, they loved the freedom to go out and do cat things. As they aged, they preferred to stay in where it was warm, and they had full food and water dishes 24/7!

They have lived long and healthy lives; the longest living one made it into his 20s, all the rest made it into their teens. (Except one who got a kidney infection.)

Please don't tell me that inside cats live 2 or 3 times longer than outside cats unless you can point to a lot of cats who live to be 40 or 50 years old.

I live in Los Angeles. My cats have all learned where the dogs are, and avoid them. They learn that cars = death and avoid cars and busy streets.

Cats are cautious by nature, so things like barking dogs and roaring cars will scare them and they will avoid them.

Hope all goes well!

I'm sorry about what happened. It will all work out. Have faith.

Some outdoor cats can possibly live longer but it isn't fair to put a cat in that kind of situation. Most of the time it's because people are just too damn lazy to want to care for indoor cats. Let me put it to you this way so you can understand. Putting a cat out of doors would be like me making you have to live out of doors in Iraq as an American. You would be exposed to all kinds of dangers and that would not be fair. You asking a cat basically to take care of itself while he/she is outside and if your cat is not "fixed" which most of the time people don't want to spend the money/and or time still your cat can be exposed to other cats that are not "fixed" and what do you get?

More cats, and worse yet being raised in the wild.

There is no excuse in modern day to have outdoor cats unless you are just too lazy to clean their litter box. You allow a cat outside you roll the dice so quit crying if it comes up missing or half it's head missing because it got into a fight. Microchip is fine but to me it is just an automatic excuse to let your cat out of doors. The world has changed when it comes to animals being pushed into the city by man and people wanting to protect their property at any cost so cat owners must change with it. Man this makes me mad.