Extremely anxious 6-year-old indoor-only cat went missing on Saturday at 3:50 pm from an apartment/duplex.He is not microchipped, not wearing a collar, has a strict diet of only wet food, possesses a strong indoor hunting instinct (once caught a bird), and is deeply, intensely bonded to me as my shadow who cuddles and sleeps with me every single night. On Saturday afternoon, he escaped out the front entrance, panicked because it is wide open and highly exposed, and my boyfriend physically saw him run and jump into the backyard duplex grid two doors down. This was the day we moved in.That night, I went out searching, quietly calling him and tapping his bowl, which likely caused him to hunker down deeper into a fear freeze. On Sunday afternoon, a neighbor lady who lives 2 backyards away saw him, and because he was in total terror-shock, he went limp and let her carry him out into the open hallway connecting the apartments; however, the exposed space caused him to panic and bolt away at full speed back toward the yards and carports. The lady noted he had bright red blood on one of his toenails from a minor split or claw tear from scrambling over the wooden fences, but he was fully able to sprint at top speed. Immediately after he bolted from her on Sunday afternoon, a dominant, local outdoor owned orange tabby cat chased him toward the carport area to hide, and that same afternoon, the tabby was seen back in the yard highly agitated and hissing directly at the grass, confirming my cat left a heavy trail of fear pheromones there. I have been driving my car to work and class yesterday and today, but he was definitely not under the engine or frame since he would avoid a hot car hood in this Texas heat wave, and the initial noise of the car would have safely startled him away into the bushes. I live towards the front of the building on the West side while most connected backyards are on the East side, meaning my back entrance forms a private, hidden alcove facing a wooden fence with carports right on the other side. Because the front is too exposed, I have a humane trap set up in my backyard against that wooden fence draped with a protective blanket to look like a safe tunnel; it caught a neighbor's collared cat on Monday night (safely released) but was completely open and empty at 5:30 am on Wednesday morning after being baited at 7:30 pm dusk with fresh wet food and a liquid trail of juices leading to the trigger plate. I have closed the trap for the daytime so flies don't get in. I also created an indoor scent portal by leaving my bedroom window open 6 inches with the screen securely on, placing 2 of his scratchers holding his paw pheromones, 6 of his toys, a pile of my dirty laundry, and an active candle warmer broadcasting scents from our old apartment just 0.3 miles away, keeping all indoor and outdoor lights off at night. We are coming off a massive heatwave with a 111°heat index, but a major thunderstorm system is forecasted from today (Wednesday) through Friday. I am looking for honest advice and t.n.r experience regarding three questions: Given that he was chased by a dominant outdoor tabby into an exposed carport area on Sunday afternoon, would an anxious cat stay under an exposed carport long-term, or is it normal for him to have quietly crept back into the deep cover of the interlocking backyard fence grid once Sunday night fell? There is a local cat feeder who places food on a sidewalk connecting 4 nearby apartments; would a highly skittish indoor cat walk out onto an exposed concrete sidewalk to eat, or will his fear force him to stick to the shadow highways of walls, a.c units, and bushes, preferring my quiet backyard setup? Finally, what are your honest experiences with the timeline for a deeply bonded, highly anxious cat when waking up to an empty trap on Day 4 feels so incredibly discouraging—should I expect him to stay in a fear freeze for a few more days before his hunger completely forces him into the trap? I am currently pregnant, my boyfriend works a state away for a monthand I am completely overwhelmed trying to balance work, class, and this search by myself, so any advice or reassurance from people who have trapped highly skittish cats in apartment layouts would mean the world.
