Mr D - D'boat #19 - HOME AGAIN!
Yikes!
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 | | Purred: Wed Sep 24, '08 2:07pm PST |  | |  | | Here's a story from Milena, she is on the missing cat assistance website and she found Toshka a couple of days ago. I have invited her and Toshka to join Catster and the group, but at the moment she is very busy. We hope to see them when things settle down Here's her story..
> Subject: [MissingCatAssistan ce] Toshka found
> To: MissingCatAssistanc e@yahoogroups. com
> Date: Sunday, September 21, 2008, 6:12 PM
Dear all,
I am so happy, we found our Toshka on Friday!!!
I apologize for writing to all of you only now, I was
removing the posters (as people kept calling and looking for
Toshka after we found him) and visiting the vet. Toshka had
something going on with his stomach and needed detailed
examination. It turned out he has infection, which affected
his bowel seriously enough. Let me tell you the whole story
now.
But before I start, I would like to express my deepest
gratitude to all of you for support I received from this
group in the most difficult moments. You always were here
for me able to find the words which gave me more strength,
hope and encouraged me to further search for Toshka.
Here is the story.
Toshka ran away from our friend’s house, 20 miles away
from our house, on August 1st. Our friends thought he would
return and did not start to search for him at once. We
returned from our travel 2 days later, immediately
distributed the fliers in 1 mile radius in the neighborhood
and activated FindToto.com on the 4th day. Within one week,
we received 2 phone calls from different places. We searched
both, but did not find anything confirming Toshka was there.
Judy, after you shared detective Laura Totis’ contact
information with me, I immediately contacted her; Laura and
her wonderful dog Chewy came on the 7-th day, and the dog
showed activity in the area between the house Toshka was
lost and one the places we received phone calls from, and no
activity in the other “phone call” place . Now, I can
tell, that we found Toshka exactly in the direction Chewy
showed maximum activity. So, I think that the dogs can take
the trace.
We set up feeding places and camera we received from Laura
close to the house Toshka was seen and dog Chewy was active,
and for 3 weeks had all possible animals on the pictures,
but no Toshka. We continued to receive rare phone calls from
different places (3 miles one from the another). The people
reported they saw similar cat the day before or on the
weekend…. We went to each place and called Toshka,
searched the woods, distributed fliers again, but nothing
worked.
Finally, two weeks ago, we ordered 20 big laminated posters
“house for sale” type with Toshka’s picture and 250$
reward, and placed them on major crossways.
On Tuesday this week, a gentleman called and said that his
team was doing construction work in the area of John Hopkins
Institute, and within last few days, a cat kept meeting them
in the morning when they go to work. They tried to catch the
cat but although the cat was not afraid of the people, he
did not let anyone come close, and ran into the woods. My
husband was beginning to become skeptical about the phone
calls, and he asked the man for details…. And it was
unbelievable that the man described the cat very clearly,
and even mentioned something green on the cat’s neck
(Toshka was wearing green collar and green bell). He also
mentioned that they had doubts themselves and brought one of
our posters and compared with the cat. The gentleman was
strongly positive that was our cat. He wanted the trap
immediately.
We ran to the area, called Toshka, searched the woods, and
although we did not find him, we were able to talk to the
other people who confirmed that they saw this cat few times.
We arranged a feeding place and put the camera, and started
to go to the area every day in the evening after work. The
area belongs to John Hopkins Institute, and we did not
search it earlier (just put one flier) because there was
only one small office type house there, few people, no other
cats, no dogs…. It is a quiet area on the edge of the
woods, with picnic tables, small warehouse, tennis courts,
and baseball field not often used… Later, we found out
that we were not supposed to trespass the area as it was a
part of the Institute, and they even had a warning poster in
the bushes, but we did not see it, until the security
officer spotted my husband at the feeding place on Thursday
and asked him to leave the area and not to return, did not
want to hear about any cat, took
my husband’s contact information and reported to the
security office….. After this happened, next morning, on
Friday, I (furious and ready for serious actions) went to
the place, searched the area, and as soon as I saw security
car, I stopped it, and asked the officer how can I get
permission to come to the area as I was definitely intending
to stay there. To my surprise, he responded that no
permission was needed. He was more interested in receiving
the flyer with Toshka’s picture than moving me from the
territory. I gave him the picture, and he assured me that
all security officers will be looking for my cat. I thanked
him, went to the feeding place, and was sitting there
quietly, thinking what else could be done as I finished my
search for this morning. And, here I saw the security car
coming back to me. I thought the officer would also ask me
to leave, but he said he just saw a cat close to the trash
cans. I ran there, and the officer drove
there as well (he blocked cat’s way from one side, so
the cat moved in my direction), and ….. I saw the cat
40-50 feet away…. He was slowly walking from the cans to
the office house direction…. He looked wild and angry
because we were annoying him with our presence and
disturbing his breakfast.… I was not sure if this was
Toshka (he looked differently) , but spontaneously called
him… he did not pay attention…. I called again…. and
he stopped and sat down ….. if you could see his face! He
was so surprised to see me! Here, I had no doubts: that was
my Toshka! I ran to him, and he ran to me, and I took him on
my arms, and he started complaining and we both could not
believe that was happening…. Well, when we came home,
Toshka was behaving as he was not missing for 7 weeks but
just steped out for few minutes. He did not loose any weigh
or change his behavior, except he shows more interest to the
kitchen table. He became more confident and
more attached to us.
Toshka had health problems though: he could not urinate,
had no bowel movements for 20 hours although he tried many
times and his belly was very hard. It seemed strange to me
and I took him to the vet immediately. It turned out he had
rare infection, but not contagious for humans and hopefully
treatable with antibiotics. We started treatment and already
microchiped him.
Summarizing Toshka’s story, I can say that it confirmed
that cats do not go far away from the place they were lost
unless they jump into the car. Toshka was found 0.5 miles
away from the house he was lost, and about 0.25 miles from
the place Chewy showed activity. Toshka probably did not
reach his final home at the time Chewy was looking for him,
and was in the middle of his way.
Fliers and posters and TotoLoto work. All people we talked
to mentioned that they received a phone call and a flyer.
Search dogs do take the track of the cat, and if Laura Totis
and her dog Chewy are not on the detective list yet, I would
recommend adding them.
We were able to catch Toshka without feeding places and
camera, but I am sure sooner or later he would have found
the feeder and the camera would have taken his picture as he
was found only about 120 feet away from the feeder. I am not
sure if he would have entered the trap though….
In our case, what worked the best were bigger posters on
the roads with the reward sum mentioned on them. Of course,
we rewarded the gentlemen who called us and the officer who
helped me, although the officer did not even want to hear
about this (he has cat at home) – we found the way to
thank him avoiding money question.
Although I found Toshka, I would like to stay with our
wonderful group.
I will not promise to write often as English is not my
native language, but I want to be available for those in my
area who need help with printing and distributing fliers,
setting up and supporting feeding places and camera,
visiting shelters. I live in Rockville, MD, and if you find
out somebody needs help in this area, please do not hesitate
and refer them to me.
Judy, I would like to mention here that the quote from
Edmund Burke you have in your e-mails kept me moving and
became my mojo in the search: "Nobody made a greater
mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a
little". It is so true.
Thank you all once again,
Milena
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I think persistance pays off, Oh... and Milena is happy to have her story told here, especially if it will help another kitty find their way home. |  |  | |  |
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around the streets with the most around the closest homes, as she read that indoor cats are displaced and usually hide very close to home.
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