Having a pet "disappear" is hard to deal with. The "not knowing" can be worse than knowing what happened. You mentioned that you talked to your neighbors, but did you check with the local animal control agency or the shelters or the vets in your district to see if she was "turned in"? Did you place an add in the paper? You have to check with local animal shelters DAILY when you have a missing pet as they may end up there LONG after they have gone missing. Was she microchipped or wearing tags? Don't give up just yet. Check around. These places keep records even of "hit by cars" and "DOA's", as well as the living. So you may find her still alive, or at least find out what happened to her. Until then please know that we understand your torment of not knowing and can sympathize with you facing this. She sounds like a real sweetheart and I hope for a happy ending for you...and for her. Peace
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Not goodbye.....just until
Marmy always comes back for you
Leibchen March 12,1994 - November 15,2006

Living on a farm the way I do, I have faced this several times myself. And it DOES make it harder, as you imagine the worst. And Leileismom is right; don't give up; I once had a cat return after 2 years.

I was living right on the property of a farm in a woman's trailer who was out of state. It was her parents farm and it was gorgeous country they had horses and lots of dogs and I'm not even sure how far back their farm went. I had to leave in the summer and I had arranged to move out of state. Two weeks or so before the day I have to leave she went missing. I had to leave without her. Months later I hear thru people I knew who still lived in that area that she had showed up and that she was caught and taken to a local country discount vet hospital and I don't know what happens with that possibility. I actually only stayed away a year but when I came back it was to a town 3 hours away from where she'd went missing. I only just recently heard that she may still be roaming that farm and she's been seen in the last few months. It really sucks to hear different things. I hate to think of her homeless in the winter.

Thank you for your responses I really appreciate your support.
It is a great thought to think of a cat coming back even after so long!

And he remembered me, too. If she IS still roaming that farm, then she has learned how to take care of herself and survive. You can take comfort in knowing that, at any rate. It is sad that you and she were separated this way, though.

i found a stray cat starving to death and took her in... she was about 12 yrs old at the time... we had her for 10 years... she started to go blind and stopped going out, apart from in the garden... one morning she went out into the garden and i never saw her again...she was 22 years old... there is a small gap in the fence... did she leave to go and die... did she go out and someone took her... did she go out and get lost and died... it breaks my heart when i start thinking about how she ended her life or infact if she is still alive....So i think that she took herself out to die in peace rather than to put it upon me... i miss her, i wanted to say goodbye... its been about 18 months since she disappered and i'm crying as i type this... i just try and believe that she had a peacefull painless death.. i can't think any other way or i'll never stop crying... it hurts but i have to think of the happy times we were together.... god bless you Sally.

re my last post... we put posters up, checked everywhere,looked in bushes... asked neighbours... strangers walking near our home, phoned the vets, cat rescue organisation, the local council incase she had been run over and collected by the street waste team... she disapperared off the face of the earth... i sometimes wonder if she died and a fox took her body... i just hope a fox didn't take her whilst she was alive... i try to avoid these type of thoughts as they just bring me back to tears.... i have to think of the good times we had together.

thank you for sharing that, it makes me cry it's so sad. I know that they do that, they "go off to die" and I hate it. I am sorry you had to go thru that. She probably did go off lay down and go to sleep forever somewhere she was fond of. Some little spot in or next to a tree. That's what I would say to myself. Absolutely older cats are set in their ways and they don't like change she would not have gone off unless she knew it was the end. I am sorry you couldn't say goodbye.
I just pray that she's living a great life going between different peoples houses getting fed great stuff 'cause she's so cute and sweet and had such a high voice and a way with people.
I have to hold on to that. With white knuckles sometimes.

You are not alone...one time my boxer Billie Jean went missing, I put up lost fliers and some mean person pulled them down, I called the shelters , visited the shelters , I did everything. Finally after a month of not locating her I was devilstated I could not stop crying. I did'nt understand why she would just disappear. As time went by I went from daily checks at shelter to weekly . I was to a point of giving up. I cried daily and then one day I received a note from the local shelter volunteer ( I had left a picture and infor at shelter) well they said there was a pit bull that really looked like the picture and they recommend that I come in so I did sadly thinking how would I feel if it wasn't her BUT IT WAS!!! There was my beautiful Billie I cried she was jumping for joy when she saw me. Somebody found her on the other side of town which means somebody took her and thats why the fliers were missing. Don't give up hope until you have done everything possible. Hang in there. Cats are just as precious as dogs I have one of each and I would have a deep heartache in my heart if anything happened to either. Continue to pray for your peace in your heart. I pray that you will have a happy ending. You are not alone.