The cat I’ve been babysitting got loose!
What do I do?!?
I’ve been out calling her name and making noises she knows. But it’s dark out and she’s a dark grey cat.
She came back to the patio, but ran off again when I came up to her!
What else do I do?!?
This is not a joke - serious cat emergency!!! Her owner is coming for her tomorrow!!!
Get her food bag and rustle it outside, or shake the can of treats, or run the can opener–whatever she associates with food. Don’t try to grab her until she approaches you and gets close enough that she’s a sure catch. Or if she’s following the food readily see if she’ll go back in the house.
Does the owner live near by? If so check around the owners house,and of course, as Gaudere suggested, bring treats. I would also leave the door to your house open and put out a can of tuna or salmon inside the doorway.Look under nearby cars as well.
How much time do you have to wait? If you can wait then wait. She’ll come back when she’s hungry.
If you need her back now, then do what Gaudere said. My can opener can magically bring my cat to the kitchen from almost anywhere. Catnip works well too.
When you are trying to grab the cat, walk slowly and don’t make eye contact.
Oh, and it would really help if you told us if you are babysitting in the owners home or your own home.
My own home.
This is an indoor cat, and she’s in unfamiliar territory to boot.
I am so dead when her owner finds out.
I’m staying up until she comes back. I’ve got food out by the door where she departed. But she’s a free-feed cat, so opening up cans does nothing for her. And I have no treats for her.
I’m so dead.
Cats like tuna, and don’t care whether it’s marketed for human or feline consumption. If you have a can of tuna around, you might be able to lure her with it. I hope for everyone’s safety, and your sanity, that she appears very soon.
Are you close enough to the cat owners house to see if it made it home?
OK, the cat’s still out. But she’s staying close by. In fact, she’s just on the other side of my kitchen wall. I got a cop to come help me, and we spent 90 minutes maneuvering her around the side of the house to no avail.
At one point I got close enough to pet her, and she let me. But she was whining and scared. She hissed when I tried to pick her up and ran away again.
I’m now thinking I’ll wait until it’s light out. Which is about two hours away. Any other suggestions?
Does the cat respond to the “kitty kitty” song? If so, sing it periodically, using the cat’s name. And many cats come to box-shaking and can-opening noises, even if they feed on demand.
Remember all the good advice about leaving the cat in her own environment…?
So - how long has the cat been in your house - has she been there long enough to associate your place with warmth and food? If so, it’s probably a question of patience.
If not, get some food that’s completely irresistible to kitties - tuna has been mentioned, but canned crabmeat is even more attractive IME. Don’t put the food on the porch - put it just inside the door (so you can slam it).
How far is the cat from its own house - it will probably try to get back there. Cats can travel a long way, especially in the dark. If there’s no sign of her, you should probably scoot round to the owner’s place in a while.
That said, if she’s an indoor cat, she’s probably hiding somewhere near the house - dark and cosy. Look in nooks and crannies with a flashlight in one hand and tasty food in another.
When you’ve got in a position to grab the cat, don’t let go. Be cruel to be kind - if you can get the scruff of the neck, that’s great; one or two limbs will also do, as long as you don’t let her twist it too much. Wear gloves and expect to get scratched.
Good luck!
There’s no… OK, little chance of the cat going home. The owner lives three thousand miles away.
Question: How do you pick up a cat by the nape of the neck? I’ve never done it. Will she be able to bite the hand I’m using to grab her in that position?
The scruff is not directly on the neck - it’s the slightly floppy skin between the shoulder blades. Push the cat down firmly there to get a grip - the cat should be immobilised when you do this. Get a good handful of skin and lift - the cat will probably thrash and twist, but the claws will not reach the arm that’s holding the cat. If you’ve never done it before, you might think it’s damaging to the cat, but it’s reasonably safe and relatively painless for them (depending on the cat’s weight). If you’re really lucky, the cat might be OK with a scruff hold - it’s how they were carried about by their moms, so they go docile when you do it.
If the cat was immobilized I’d just throw a blanket over her - end of story! The trick is getting her immobile in the first place!!!
Kitty is back inside. Doors & windows are locked and barricaded. Mission accomplished.
I had started some coffee to settle in for the wait when I heard some meowing by the patio. I looked out there and saw her - she stared for a moment, and then darted away. A few minutes later more meowing, and this time she came up to the screen door she had escaped from.
Not wanting to spook her, I hung back. But then I saw she couldn’t figure out how to get back in, apparently not realizing she could have come through the same hole she departed from. So I slowly went over and opened the door, whereupon she lunged in with no delay.
Door was slammed shut. I quickly went around and made the rest of the house air tight. Then I flopped on the floor and began to breathe again.
She quickly went back to her old self. Hard to believe she was hissing and threatening to bite two hours ago. I sat down and had a beer, and we talked about it. She had an adventure, but I don’t think she liked it very much. Seems glad to be back inside.
Now folks, I pride myself on working well under pressure. And I’ve handled a number of human emergencies pretty darn well in the past. But I have to say, I completely lost my shit over this. Just plain panicked. Might have been different if it wasn’t someone else’s cat, but still…
Thanks to everyone for their help. We have a happy ending!
But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn’t stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea
Whew! 
Good kitty!
I’t’s my understanding that grabbing an adult cat’s cruff can be helpful for making it chill out, but that it may harm the cat to lift it just by the scruff.
whew!!
happy ending!
i’m glad kitty stayed close. when they are stressed and scared even the most passive cat will strike out.
For future reference, there are humane cat traps available. Basically just spring loaded cages that will shut behind them. Maybe a little bit humiliating for kitty, but not harmful.
Of course, you might end up catching the wrong cat!
I am so glad to hear kitty is OK. 
Mine got out while I was traveling, and I was a complete wreck. Hope your heart has settle back into your chest now that the little miscreate is safe.
Awww. She was just scared out of her wits. I’m glad you took some time to talk things over with her. Hopefully she won’t be so quick to bolt if you take care of her again.