If you love cats, this will be a tough but very necessary blog for you to read. It involves the recent death of a beloved cat named Monet. Please don’t avoid reading this blog because you don’t want to read a sad story. Read this blog because Monet’s family needs for her death to help save the life of other cats.
Monet
On September 18th a woman named Roseanne from Seattle called Missing Pet Partnership and reported that her indoor-only gray pastel Tortie named ”Monet” had escaped outside. Although MPP had a cat detection dog trained to find lost pets, none of our volunteers (including myself) were available that day to respond. This is one of the most difficult aspects that we deal with right now at MPP: the requests for assistance to help families search for lost pets far exceeds our ability to respond on all cases. At this time, Missing Pet Partnership just doesn’t have the resources (or the funding) that we need.
Instead I E-mailed Roseanne and gave her all the standard instructions on how to search for and humanely trap an escaped indoor-only cat–the use of digital wildlife cameras, feeding stations, and baited humane traps. I also referred Roseanne to an independent pet detective who could come out and search around outside Roseanne’s house and see if they could find Monet hiding nearby.
But when I contacted Roseanne a few days later I learned the devastating news: she had found Monet deceased. The worst part was that Monet was found inside of her home, concealed under a staircase. Monet had never even escaped outside as Roseanne had thought. Instead, something (sudden illness, infection, or injury–the vet who examined her could not determine just how she died) happened that caused her to exhibit a pattern of behavior that kills so many cats: “The Silence Factor.”
When I first discovered this pattern of behavior in cats back in 1997, I called it “The Silence Factor” because I didn’t know what else to call it. My book The Lost Pet Chronicles shares more details of the early cases I worked and how I discovered this behavior (HOLY COW! Is my book really only $4.25? I’ll never get rich as an author at this pace!). I just knew that many of the “lost” cats that my search dog (Rachel) and I found were concealed and deceased within their own territory (oftentimes deceased but laying in their outdoor litter box) and within calling distance of their own home. Ninety percent were either on the owners property or on the property of the house next door. The cat owners on these cases simply could not believe that their beloved cat was so close to home (sometimes even AT home) and had not responded when called. Here’s more info about The Silence Factor that I blogged for HomeAgain a few years ago.
Most vet’s know that sick cats tend to hide in silence and yet that info, for some reason, has not been passed onto cat owners. Just look at the nine responses on this vet’s blog and tell me what you think happened to these sick, hiding cats? Why don’t animal shelter staff instruct owners of ”lost” cats of this behavior? Instead of being told to search under and in every conceivable hiding space within a cat’s own territory, cat owners are told to post fliers, to post their cats on-line, and to keep checking the shelter for their cat. Look at what information the Los Angeles Animal Services provides to the public in how to find a lost pet. Sorry, but their solution to finding lost pets is pathetic. This is why I refuse to give up on the development of Missing Pet Partnership. This is why I know that so many dog and cat lives could be saved if MPP can train resources and develop lost pet services in communities across the USA. But before we can save animals in Los Angeles or elsewhere, MPP needs to succeed here in my own backyard (Seattle). And the fact that we failed Roseanne and Monet still weighs heavy on my mind.
A thousand LOST CAT fliers wouldn’t have helped find Monet. A pet detective with a tracking dog (working outside of the house) wouldn’t have helped find Monet. The only thing that could have saved her was if Roseanne had been told immediately–by her vet, by the animal shelter, or even by myself, that SICK AND INJURED CATS HIDE IN SILENCE, MOST OFTEN WITHIN THEIR OWN TERRITORY and that she needed to search under and in every conceivable hiding space, especially inside of her own home.
But the sad fact is that since Roseanne told me that Monet had “escaped outside” I immediately assumed that was the case and proceeded to give instructions in humane trapping. I took it hard and blamed myself for failing Roseanne and Monet. However, Roseanne did let me off of the hook. She acknowledged that “The Silence Factor” information is posted on Missing Pet Partnership’s web site. That helped a little, but why is it that the most memorable lessons that we learn in life have to be so painful? From now on, I won’t just leap into humane trapping advice for “escaped” indoor-only cat cases without first insisting that the owner completely search the interior of their house.
Roseanne sent a nice note that I thought I would share in this blog:
“Thank you for your kind thoughts, and for telling Monet’s story on your blog. I hope the story of this tragedy helps to save other sick kitties. Just need to clear one thing up: the front door actually had been open for 15-20 minutes Monday evening when she went missing. That’s why I was so sure she had gotten out. I did check around the house a few times – very close in fact, to where she was hiding. My mistake was in failing to use a flashlight to look into dark corners inside the house. I just looked in places inside where I know she had hidden before, all the while thinking it was futile because she must have escaped outside. I just couldn’t fathom her hiding silently in the house. If only I knew then what I know now.”
Let’s use Monet’s life and her death to educate others. Tell your vet and your local animal shelter about this blog and ask them to link to Missing Pet Partnership’s web site at www.missingpetpartnership.org. Post a link to this blog on Facebook and Tweet about it. Everyone who is owned by a cat needs to know this information. Please, in honor of Monet, help me to spread the word. I can’t do this alone.
** UPDATE ** After I posted this blog I learned that Amy Adams, the pet detective that we referred Roseanne to, DID consult with Roseanne on the phone, explained The Silence Factor, and instructed Roseanne to search INSIDE of her home using a flashlight. I had not realized this (due to a lack of communications on my part) and simply thought Roseanne had not called Amy and had just found Monet on her own. I’m a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due, so THANK YOU AMY ADAMS for the work you and Harley are doing on lost pet investigations!
Such a sad story. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Mugsy. I’m sure if there was some recent news you would put it on here. Is the family still even looking? Such a great job you do, Kat.
Wow-this is very sad but it brought back a memory I have that I must share. I did lose a cat and he was never found-there were many “sightings” and I even spoke with an animal communicator. She described the house he was in, that it was within a mile of my home and that a little girl somehow ended up with Jasper. And that Jasper never heard me call him. He is microchipped and had a break away collar-he was also adorable and my mom said he may be stolen because he had just gotten a lioncut-and he looked like a bear-he had no tail-just a fluffy orange head and feet-wow he was soooo cute but I digress from the story. I lived on a bluff in Mukilteo at the time. I searched neighbors, had them search their garages, put fliers up -ads in the newspaper-but never found him. Its been four years. BUT….about one year before Jasper disappeared or got displaced,stolen, whatever happened to him-he went missing. I searched the neighborhood (At the time i was renting a home in Edmonds) I asked neighbors, searched every street calling for him, shaking his food bag-but no sign of him anywhere. He was accidentally discovered curled up in a tight ball, very ill, and in the back of our garage behind boxes and washing machines….he was taken to vet, put on antibiotics, fluids, and made a full recovery. Mystery illness, no clue what happened but had I not accidentally found him….who knows…I never thought he would be in our house! I have a co-worker as well as my boyfriend-who both had cats that just wandered off when they were old and outdoor kitties. I’ve heard they do that when they are dying….hopefully the owner can take comfort in knowing that perhaps Monet was to the point of an illness that she would have died from anyways and theres nothing the owner could really could have done-I dont want the owner to feel g uilt. But what about a cat that is young, injured…or just somehow displaced-they do hide and they are silent-I would have never looked in my own garage-never in a million years- not after I had repeatedly called for him. My sisters dog is an older mini italian greyhound-one morning he was gone! vanished from the house-people began pointing fingers, did her son accidentally let him out-did her husband-he wasn’t upstairs on the bed, what had happened to him? I was living with her at the time-at 3:30 am we all searched the house, the deck, everywhere-I went back on the deck, turned on the light-there he was curled up in a ball on the chair-and it was COLD-he had slipped out on the deck sometime between 9pm and 10pm. My co worker just said cat of the day has a similar story-it was snowing, and the kitty was injured, hiding outside under a drift of snow-I will tell everyone I know that animals hide in silence-thank you Kat-even without realizing it you are saving lives by spreading this information-believe in what you do, keep moving forward and things will work out because what you are doing is very good!!!! The world is a better place because of people like you
Thank you so much. The family and two volunteers are still trying. They have traps and cameras out and posted flyers and have still been working to develop a sighting. It is very tough, but thankfully they have not given up.
Thank you both for this important reminder. It wouldn’t occur to me to look in our house or garage but I will now. It reminds me that a few years ago my kitty Rock didn’t feel well and he was curled up in a ball in the far corner of a closet. Completely silent. Fantastic reminder! I’m also glad to hear someone is still looking for Mugsy. I sure haven’t forgotten about her either. Keep up the great work Kat!
I’m worried because it is supposed to snow a lot up there this weekend. Do you think she is still alive? Have they seen her on camera again at all since that one time? Poor Mugsy.
I’m very sorry to hear about Monet. This silence factor is sooo incredibly terrifying!
I fear that my indoor/outdoor cat Skye is missing as a result of the silence factor. She disappeared 2 weeks ago. The fence around our property came down and I think she wandered out on an adventure at night to explore. The next day, workers came to replace the fence, and Skye probably stayed away because of the noise. But she never came home. Although she seemed fine at the time, she may have gotten sick while being outside and has since curled up somewhere. I’ve done posters, searches, everything, and I cannot locate her. I’ve looked for her everywhere, and there has only been one sighting. I hired a sniffing dog – MAR trained, and the dog found absolutely nothing, which I thought was bizarre, and disappointing. I spoke with 2 animal communicators, both of whom gave me different descriptions of where Skye might be.
Skye had been battling small cell lymphoma, and her last visit to the vet was the day before the night she disappeared. I called the vet and asked her if she had been feeling okay, and the vet said she was just on the verge of calling me to tell me that she is on her way to remission and that she had never seen her doing better!! I must say, she has come a long way, she’s been deathly ill and by no means was she in that condition 2 weeks ago when she disappeared. Skye was only 11.
At this point, I’m still trying to remain hopeful that I find her, deceased or alive.
Please keep Skye in your thoughts, everyone. Kat, I’ve tried everything on the MPP site (except for the baited trap, because I don’t know where to set it up), and I’m out of ideas. All suggestions are welcome.
**After this was posted, I (Kat) contacted Skye’s Mommy who then posted giant, neon, REWARD LOST CAT posters and expanded her search area. Skye was found 3 weeks after her disappearance! She was 3 blocks from home but is home now and doing well!!