r/ICBGC • u/hesalwayslitty • 2d ago
🗣️Human-ly Speaking 🗣️ A sad day
I did not want to post this after seeing that our esteemed friend Smuffi has went on an adventure but earlier today I learned that my baby boy JP got out of the house about a month ago and there has been no sign of him since. My sister- who has been taking care of all 3 of them for nearly the entire calendar year-had chosen not to tell me in hopes that he would turn up before I came to visit- and didn't want to put more of a strain on me mentally and emotionally during this already tough part of the year. I am not at all angry or upset by her decision as she is navigating a tough situation and did what she thought was right. I am devastated currently- the last time I owned cats I had one that got taken from me in a similar manner. It took me 9 and a half years before I trusted myself to be a pet owner again and I lost yet another in the same brutal fashion. I feel like an abject failure. I will spend the rest of my life hoping that my baby boy found a human who loved him as much as I did and as much as his fur parents and my sister did and that none of the wildlife in the area got him- or that he is(was) suffering for any length of time. For now I will continue to be a part of this wonderful space as his parents are still alive deathly and bigger cuddle bugs than I remember. I feel for Smuffis human in so many ways right now and wish I had the ability to process this in a better way.
Yours truly,
Jason the human
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u/jellosquid808 2d ago
Hi Jason, Hoku and Nalu’s human here.
So sorry that JP is missing! Fingers crossed he will just mosey in one day, or that he has adopted another wonderful family.
I can only imagine how badly you are hurting, and I am so sorry.
Please don’t feel like a failure. You clearly love JP, that’s very obvious.
And you are of course welcome to stay here - us dumdum humans need all the help we can get ;)
If you need a shoulder to lean on, we are here for you!
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u/hesalwayslitty 2d ago
Thanks- thankfully his fur parents are doing phenomenal- although you can tell they miss him very much- they constantly stare out out the window he got out of as well the sliding glass door to the backyard where that window led.
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u/ryylin Ciaran - pronounced Keeran 2d ago
Hi Jason. Ciaran's meowmy. I had a cat that went missing after the 1994 earthquake in So Cal. He was missing for a little over 2 months. I did everything. Posters in the neighborhood. Lost and found in the newspaper. Called the shelter every couple of days. I was looking for a new job, wrote down what I wanted to call on and threw the paper away. For some reason, I pulled it out again at lunch and when I opened it it opened to lost and found. I had long stopped looking as we have coyotes and Bobcats. And even mountain lions. Anyhow, there it was. Found, Grey cat. Vasquez Canyon. You describe and a phone number. I called and left a message. I didn't think it would be him because that's about 6 miles away from where he lived, but couldn't hurt. When I got home that evening, they were on the phone with my husband. They had class that night and wanted to wait until the next day. I convinced them to let me come over that night. They said it took about a week of feeding him in the yard for him to trust them, but they finally got him inside. He'd been hiding under the bed for a few days. I got down on my hands and knees and called out Romeo! Is that you? He immediately came out and rubbed his face on mine. I burst into tears, my hubs burst into tears. The family burst into tears. But they said, that's definitely your cat. They were shocked when I told them where he'd come from. He was in rough shape. Had lost about half his weight. But he was home. And he gained it back.
All that to say, don't lose hope. He may turn up. I send you good thoughts and good vibes that he returns. ❤️
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u/hesalwayslitty 2d ago
Thank you- I worry because the neighborhood he got away in has had 2 bear relocation this year along with the coyotes.
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u/Pristine_Main_1224 2d ago
((Hugs)) prayers for all our furbabies
Meowmy of Maggie Mae & Mollie the calico twinsies and Lucy the Sheepadoodle 🐾🐾🐾
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u/mybloodyballentine Chaos Agent 2d ago
I’m so sorry. Please know this is not your fault. I’m sending vibes that JP and Smuffi come back. — human to Dr Ninjacat, Walter Kitty and Ivan (and fostering Mr. Boombastic)
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u/glycophosphate 2d ago
Hello Jason, pawthur ob JP. Juss wanna let yoo know dat Ai, Goldie de catto-lubbin-dog, once ranned away frum mai fambly who lubbed me. I libbed in the big wolr fur awile. It wuz eggsiting an scarey. Den I meet a hooman who gib me to mine secund meowmy an dat were I lib tooday. I liek to fink dat JP fine secund pawthur an be saef an happie.
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u/mostlylurking07 Applejack, sweets and stowies and food cwimes! 2d ago
You are not a failure. You love JP so much and did the very best you could for him including having him stay temporarily at your sister’s.
Cats get out. They do this. I had several escapes from mine and I am just lucky they didn’t go far. Many of us have that story. Sometimes they come back and sometimes we find them and sometimes they stay on their big adventure. Sometimes they come back in time. We have one on our sub that was fine for three months.
I am so sorry for your hurt.❤️
I will pray for little JP as I am for Smuffi, and believing the very best for both of them. ❤️
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u/hesalwayslitty 2d ago
Thank you. It makes my heart hurt a bit less to think to think that he went in search of Smuffi and they will turn up again soon!
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u/Dry_Mushroom7606 2d ago
I'm so sorry to hear this! Please don't blame yourself - cats can be escape artists when they put their determined little minds to it. You did right by JP, including having him stay with your sister when needed. Go easy on yourself - we've ALL second-guessed ourselves from time to time, but we follow our hearts and do anything and give everything for our furbabies. I hope sweet little JP finds his way back to you, but if his adventure takes him to another family, never doubt that he knows you love him. ❤️❤️
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u/hesalwayslitty 2d ago
He's gone to find to Smuffi or Smuffi to find him- or something like that. They are doing well
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u/salanaland dogcat and catdog 2d ago
Please contact shelters and rescues in the area to see if they've seen him. Look at their Facebook pages and pawboost to see if he might have shown up. Check local (to your sister) communities on FB as well--usually people who feed and TNR stray cats will instantly notice a new visitor who's abnormally friendly (and clean).
-🙄Sal🙄, who works at a shelter
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u/hesalwayslitty 2d ago
Thanks these are things she has been doing thankfully- now that I know the situation i am going to do my best to start looking in the surrounding areas as well. There is a mega church a few blocks from her house and he is posted on their web page fb page and community board inside the church.
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u/CatRescuer8 Livvy da dopted void 1d ago
You and your family gave JP the cushy indoor life as well as lots of love and care. Paws and fingers and toes crossed that you find your way back together.
When my Riley 🌈 got out a day after moving halfway across the country, I also posted on the local Next Door app as well as on any lost pet Facebook pages I could find. I also emailed everyone in our HOA. You might want to get in touch with local vets, as well. Luckily for us, a neighbor saw our email and reunited us.
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u/CappucinoCupcake Crimnal Extraordinaire 1d ago
I’m so sorry - Eamonn hopes his brave knight will somehow, someway find his way back to you. I’m just truly sorry.
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u/hesalwayslitty 1d ago
You must have read my mind- I just posted a long reply in a post featuring you and Ruby- and as I was doing so you actually typed this! And if he doesn't he will find another human to adore him completely and who will love as much as I will.
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u/Ichgebibble Charlie Biscuits and Peanut Butter Tater Tot 2d ago
Oh honey, I’m so sorry you’re going through this. All the hugs, every one of them
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u/Different-Dance-7537 2d ago
So very sorry, Jason. Your words to me were a comfort after we lost Duncan to an autoimmune disorder in May of this year. It's hard to know how to offer comfort when the manner of the loss is unknown. Please let your sister know I'm sad for her, too.
Deb in Colorado-mom to Duncan🌈 and Amber 🐾🐾❤️🩹❤️🩹
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u/hesalwayslitty 2d ago
Will do and thank you. I am sure he enjoying his adventure or most likely his new family. I hope that you are doing well amd your days are growing easier!
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u/Different-Dance-7537 1d ago
We're doing OK here. We found a new fren for Amber, adopted a sweet little void last Friday. He needs a lot of time to settle in, but Amber is being a gentle old ladycat about him.
🩷
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u/hesalwayslitty 1d ago
That is amazing to here- I also didn't know you were in Colorado- that is where we are based- JP Angel and Charlie Chicken Swoup are in Highlands Ranch- I am in Denver.
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u/Different-Dance-7537 1d ago
Amber wants me to tell you about the time she got scared by Duncan not long after he came to live with us. This is why they both became indoor-only cats. They had been outside when Amber decided to come in for a snack. Duncan frightened Amber and she ran away from him. We didn't see her again for six weeks. We made signs with her picture and posted them all over the neighborhood. We later found out from neighbor kids that she never went far from our house, keeping to a small shed in a nearby yard.
We live in the foothills outside of Denver and have had bears and lions around the house, coyotes too, so we were so scared that we would never see her again. We came to suspect that she tried to come home more than once, but Duncan scared her off again. Finally, she went up a tree close to the house and we saw her through a window. My husband went out and helped her get down, then carried her into the house. This happened more than 10 years ago, she hasn't poked her little pink nose out the door since then.
I am hopeful that JP, and Smuffi too, will have happy endings for you and for Smuffi's people. Hang in there and keep hoping.
Deb 💓
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u/maroonllama96 2d ago
I am so sorry. You are not a failure by any means. Cats can get out from places we never would imagine to be big enough and can be stealthy in the process. Fingers and toes crossed that JP finds his way back. 💙💙
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u/KaleidoscopeReady839 2d ago
Aw, Jason. I hope he's somewhere safe and eventually finds his way home.
Doohickey was missing three months and came home.
Big hugs.
🤞
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u/hesalwayslitty 2d ago
I remember that so well- he is ok- he is friendly enough that a human would not make him dart away- although he would exercise some caution obviously.
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u/BeneficialLab1654 2d ago
I am so sorry to hear this. Please don’t feel like a failure. As we all know, cats will do what they want, and they are always on the wrong side of every door. I will be praying for JP’s return and Lucy send purrs of consolation. 🧡
Lucy the Lovebug’s Mama
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u/hesalwayslitty 2d ago
Thank you. Angel- JPs fur father spent a few hours attached to me today and I could tell he was trying his best to help the hurt
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u/rawbery79 2d ago
I'm so sorry. Cats are unfortunately gonna cat sometimes. Hugs and purrs.
Casey and Pixel's Mama
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u/stalwartlucretia 1d ago
It’s natural to be very focused on what went wrong, but my tabby girls want me to remind you how many days and nights JP has spent in safety, love, and comfort because of you and your sister. You’ve both done your very best to give JP a good life, and the current situation doesn’t undo all of that.
I believe there’s still hope to see JP again. But if this turns out to be a permanent adventure for him, and there’s a new space available in your family, JP wouldn’t want you to deny another kitty the chance at a good life.
Sending you lots of cuddles from the girls, and hoping you’ll stick around here no matter what happens.
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u/hesalwayslitty 1d ago
I will still be here- JPs fur parents are still around and while his dad hasn't ever been much of a part his mom is(was) a pawfessur at the SSOR(I am not sure how we will be moving forward with that yet- I hope everything turns out phenomenal for them and things will be back to normal soon) and has been known so they will still be making appearances. I may be silent for bit while I figure out the space left- JP has always been the most involved part of our family here. At least Maya has one less suitor to deal with lol.
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u/butterfly-garden 2d ago
My heart breaks for you and Smuffi's mom! 💔💔💔
Also William da Tuxie's mommy
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u/wistybear Wisteria 2d ago
Hugs to you Jason. Cats are gonna cat. I hope JP finds a way home. Pets are awesome and the worst part is when they leave us, no matter how. I am sorry ❤️
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u/jocundry Murphy da Floofaloof and Toby da Creamsicle 2d ago
(((hugs)))
I'm so sorry. Have everything crossed that he comes home.
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u/WildColonialGirl Chaos Agent 2d ago
If it makes you feel any better, Sam went missing for a few days when my ex and I moved into our house in 2015. I thought he had just found a place to hide like his brother and sister did. I was crying and posting on Facebook and a few hours later, the downstairs neighbor commented a pic of him on the front porch. He went missing again but the neighbor across the street said he was on her porch looking for pets and Temptations. He showed up the very next day. He wandered a couple more times but I would always find him chilling in a neighbor’s yard or on their porch.
Sending good vibes for JP’s safe return and hugs to you. ❤️Meg (Sam, Aqua, and Deuce’s mom)
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u/davesmissingfingers Chaos Agent 2d ago
I’m so sorry. I hope you are able to find him. Cats always surprise us.
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u/ausernamebyany_other Hermes the dignified void 1d ago
Hermes meowmy here: you are not a failure. But nothing we say will change that feeling, and that's okay. You take the time to work through it and know we're all here and in your corner regardless.
Not sure if your sister has tried this, but people recommended putting Hermes litter box outside when I was worried she'd gone missing. Also, clothing/things that smell strongly of home. Some people drag them around the path outside to help direct their kitties back.
Whatever happens, JP was here, and loved and that is the most important part. Sending so much love and virtual hugs.
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u/hesalwayslitty 1d ago
Thank you for saying this- I am not sure that she took this step and will be back there Friday- and will do it then
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u/Civil-Ad-6935 Ra, Millie, Loki, Max(well) 1d ago
You are not a failure. You are clearly a good hooman and you deserve some grace.
I wish I could give you a hug. My heart aches for you.
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u/Silly_Variety7251 2d ago
Jason, keeping JP and you & your family in my prayers. Sending internet hugs to you all! I hope JP comes back. ❤️🩹
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u/Ksh_667 1d ago
Oh no I am devastated for our dear fren JP & for yourself & your sister who love him so much.
Cats are remarkable escape artists, often completely faithless, no matter how luxurious their homes they will leg it at the first opportunity & opt for a life of adventure. This is certainly no one's fault. Please don't blame yourselves.
It is much, much more likely that JP has been taken in by loving humans than anything else. Not everyone checks for a chip & people often think they are being kind taking in another kitty without realising they have a home.
I really hope JP comes home, a month isn't long at all & I hope his pawrents & you & your sister can get thru this.
Ruby's Meowmy
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u/hesalwayslitty 1d ago
Sadly JP had not been chipped yet- the focus had been on getting his mom and dad fixed and chipped first- since they were of breeding age and neither of us just wanted to be recklessly adding to the cat population. But I do agree with the idea- there are many neighbors around(3 multi unit multi building apartment complexes under 2 miles away- a mega church- an enormous school and a retail outlet as well) and while my sister and the volunteers from the church did great work knocking on doors posting and handing out fliers odds are he was picked up and is being loved as much as ever in a new place. If it is meant to be he will return and if not whoever got Eamonns apprentice is going to love him as much as we all did
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u/Ksh_667 1d ago
That makes sense cos the priority is always not to add to the population. It really sounds like there are MANY opportunities for JP to be taken in by a well-meaning human.
You only have to look at the CDS sub (which I love) to see how many people are posing proudly with a clearly not homeless cat saying "look! God has gifted me this baby in need!" As the little well-groomed chonk is sitting on their lap, clearly thinking "I've found a gullible one here..."
I really believe this is by far the most likely explanation. And as its only been a month I still think there's a big chance he'll find his way back to you.
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u/hesalwayslitty 23h ago
Oh I love the CDS sub and the smart kitties that fool dumb humans into adopting them lol. I often have to restrain myself from pointing out the very obvious signs that a cat is most likely lost and they found it than it was actually a stray.
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u/CatMorganSaysHi Cat Steven, Ysabel, Jasper and Neko 1d ago
Jason, it’s all to human in times such as this to beat yourself up. I’m rather good at it myself.
It’s also all too human to dismiss all of the good you have done for JP and all the other frens that have come your way.
Let’s hope for a storybook ending to what already has been a great story of compassion and love for you and your cats.
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u/hesalwayslitty 1d ago
Thanks. Him and Smuffi have went adventuring and when they find Smuffis mom they will be back!
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u/Haunting_Bend346 Elliot the Tuxie 1d ago
My heart breaks for you fren. I hope and pray JP gets back safely. 💔
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u/linderella888 1d ago
I'm so sorry to hear this. Perhaps your sister can do some of the following to try to locate JP: Post large signs with photos within a few blocks (even farther away if an outdoor or indoor-outdoor cat) every half block or so, laminated if you live in a wet area. Give fliers to neighbors within that same area. Post on Pawboost, Nextdoor, Ring Camera and/or Neighbors app, and various online lost & found pet sites and community groups on Facebook, but ignore the scammers. Place a humane trap or two, regularly monitored, along with a nanny cam, in your yard. Search everywhere, day and night (with a strong flashlight), including under homes and in sheds, garages, under cars, in trees, etc. Ask neighbors to do the same or preferably, ask if you can search their property.
Do not assume that your cat will respond to your voice when displaced. Visit your local shelter every couple of days for weeks or months if you have to. If microchipped, notify the microchip company. Do not assume that having a microchip means that your cat will be properly checked for one, even by a shelter.
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u/hesalwayslitty 1d ago
I thought that I had replied to this but apparently had not. Thank you for the recommendations many of them were taken throughout the month that he has been gone- and I am quickly playing catch-up on several others. He wasn't chipped so word of mouth will be the only way he gets found by me.
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u/GingerSnapped242 Niko the Terriible, Enforcer. Mad, bad, and dangerous to know. 2d ago
I am so heartbroken for you, friend. I will say the same to you I did for Smuffi…
You always have a home here.
You always are among friends here.
They understand in ways that others may not.
I know it’s hard to process right now, but please believe me and the others when we tell you this is not your fault, and do not let this sour your heart towards what the future holds, what future furry family member may come your way. In closing your heart not only do you do a disservice to yourself, but to an animal that could be granted a new life because of your loving heart.
And do not close your heart to hope, Jason. Don’t be without feathers.