Cat stolen from RV; I think maybe I was targeted?

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Cvj77z

New member
Joined
Jun 14, 2021
Posts
4
Location
Portland, OR
My husband & I live fulltime in our 1968 Travco, in and around Portland, Oregon. In mid April I adopted a sweet cat (I'd been without a pet for a few years at this point, and decided it was time!) who was a 2 year old Persian.. Like most Persians he wasn't the most energetic, fortunately he wasn't very skittish either, basically I'm trying to say that he seemed to adapt to the RV lifestyle quite well. In a SEVERE lapse of judgement, I left the RV (and cat) under the care of a "friend" for a part of one evening... Long story short, there was a dog involved, my kitty got out, and this wasn't noticed until I returned a couple of hours later. Of course we looked on foot in the area all night and the following day, with no luck...

Now a word about where we were parked: alongside a city park in an upper-middle class neighborhood in Portland. The park was right beside us (it takes up about 4 square city blocks), across the street was a section 8 apartment complex that probably has around 30 or 40 apartments, with 2 & 3 story Craftsman style homes on either side of it. I've seen RVs, skoolies and the like parked here fairly often, but never more than 2 or 3 at a time, and never for more than 5 or 6 days. I assume that unfortunately people do leave behind a mess some of the time... At the time when the cat got out we'd been there for about 4 days and were doing some rearranging in the RV... So there was some stuff outside on the sidewalk, definitely not blocking anything, nor was it a lot of stuff, but I definitely picked up on the way we were being looked at and treated. We did not leave behind any garbage (or anything at all) when we drove off, but sadly people jump to conclusions drawing from their past experiences... Normally I could care less about how some snooty middle aged women are staring at me, but unfortunately this time is different.

We weren't able to stay parked there for as long as I wanted to, to see if he would return, but were there for 2 more nights after he went missing. As I explained, I had just gotten him and hadn't had the chance yet to take him to the vet and have him microchipped. His previous owner hadn't had it done either. After that I posted flyers, put ads online, checked shelters, and returned to search the area. My husband asked around and said that out of 20 or so people there were two different parties who seemed a little suspicious; no big red flags though, they were likely just rude.

Now 5 weeks have passed, and I'm fairly sure that someone right in that area is keeping him. I also think there's a good chance that they knew he was mine & that he came from the RV, and they thought that they could give him a better life than me, that they were doing him a favor, and/or that I wouldn't care he was gone. That's the reason I mention feeling judged. The past few weeks I haven't been as aggressive about physically searching or posting flyers, though I've continued to search online & check shelters. Tomorrow though I'm going to return with a vengeance!! Lots and lots of flyers, and I'm going to zero in on vets and groomers in the area.

So, I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar? I hope I don't sound paranoid, but believe me, the judgement & condescension was undeniable. Whether that would make someone actually target my cat and i, I can't be sure... it makes sense that they might think I won't look very hard (ha sorely wrong), and that I'd be reluctant to file a police report (only because I have no concrete proof of ownership, like a chip). If I'm relentless about my flyers I'm hoping that they will realize they really made a mistake, or that a friend or neighbor will come forward motivated by guilt or greed (seeking the reward).

I apologize for the length of this message, I'm really giving Tolstoy a run for his money! Any advice would be much appreciated, especially if it pertains to a stolen pet, but really anything at all about what to do when your pet has gone missing from your RV. I'd love to hear your stories. And if anyone is in Portland, please let me know and I'll direct you to one of my ads. I'm not giving up. I just want my sweet boy home with me!
 
Sorry to hear that.

Did you adopt from a shelter that an confirm ownership?

Do you have photos that make it obvious the cat was yours?

I'm not sure how much the police can do without any proof or even if you did, particularly if it is being kept indoors.

Hope you find it.

And welcome to the forum.
 
Sorry about you losing your cat. I presume you have pictures of the cat and that is going to be on the flyer.

Cats (and people) are weird. Cats can be very nomadic and disloyal, especially if they have not fully bonded with an owner.

Many people tend to "adopt" cats by feeding them and welcoming them into their homes. There are probably 8 strays around my RV park that are being fed by a couple of residents - much to the consternation of many of us others.

My mom had a cat that would disappear for a couple days at a time and it turned out a family down the street was feeding it and thought they had "adopted" a stray.

I guess I am saying not to think the worst of people "targeting" you and your cat. Get your flyers up and hope for the best. If you do recover the cat make sure you get a collar with a phone number on it and please get the cat chipped and neutered.

I can attest that there are too many stray cats out in the world. It is a tragedy to me when one of these strays shows up with a litter of kittens.
 
She is also (obviously) quick to jump to conclusions, and as a one time poster will probably not return..>>>Dan ( But I know how she feels, as my wife is a big "cat" person.) ( You also never own a cat,, it's the other way around. And when a cat decides to "adios" it's just tough kitty.)
 
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Thank you so much.

Unfortunately I don't have much at all to confirm ownership, so I don't think I can go to the police. I have no idea who has him, and honestly I'm not even 100 percent sure he was taken... It just seems like by far the most likely scenario.

I got the cat from a private owner on Craigslist. Honestly I hadn't had him long at all, and I've been embarrassed and ashamed to tell her what happened. If I actually ended up locating him and needed her help to prove ownership, I would definitely reach out though. I've got a couple of photos that I've used on the flyers, but not many...

I'm hoping that I can get the person to crack if I'm aggressive and persistent enough about flyers and asking around. You're right, it's particularly hard since he's indoors, but there must be family/friends/neighbors/acquaintances who will recognize the cat on the flyer.. That's what I'm banking on!
Sorry to hear that.

Did you adopt from a shelter that an confirm ownership?

Do you have photos that make it obvious the cat was yours?

I'm not sure how much the police can do without any proof or even if you did, particularly if it is being kept indoors.

Hope you find it.

And welcome to the forum.
 
Thanks for your reply. I realize the term "targeting" sounds a little bit extreme, although if you were able to get through my long posting you probably understand what I mean.

One thing I left out was that this cat had never been outside before. He was a 2 year old purebred Persian. He's pretty friendly though had to have been frightened. He would definitely allow someone to scoop him right up.. And they would immediately recognize that he wasn't meant to be outdoors, since his eyes and fur both require daily grooming. At that point I would expect and hope that whoever found him would report it to shelters, post locally and on Craigslist, but as far as I can tell none of that's been done.
Sorry about you losing your cat. I presume you have pictures of the cat and that is going to be on the flyer.

Cats (and people) are weird. Cats can be very nomadic and disloyal, especially if they have not fully bonded with an owner.

Many people tend to "adopt" cats by feeding them and welcoming them into their homes. There are probably 8 strays around my RV park that are being fed by a couple of residents - much to the consternation of many of us others.

My mom had a cat that would disappear for a couple days at a time and it turned out a family down the street was feeding it and thought they had "adopted" a stray.

I guess I am saying not to think the worst of people "targeting" you and your cat. Get your flyers up and hope for the best. If you do recover the cat make sure you get a collar with a phone number on it and please get the cat chipped and neutered.

I can attest that there are too many stray cats out in the world. It is a tragedy to me when one of these strays shows up with a litter of kittens.
T
 
She is also (obviously) quick to jump to conclusions, and as a one time poster will probably not return..>>>Dan ( But I know how she feels, as my wife is a big "cat" person.) ( You also never own a cat,, it's the other way around. And when a cat decides to "adios" it's just tough kitty.)
I've actually really tried NOT to jump to conclusions, but realize that 5 weeks have passed. I've vigilantely checked all shelters in the area, and surrounding counties. I've put up flyers. I've posted far & wide online. I do understand that it's possible that he was hit by a car or something... But even so someone would have had to find him, and I don't see this as likely.

I think someone probably wants to keep him because he's sweet and adorable... Though I can't ignore the fact that he's purebred, not fixed and only 2 years old, either.

I mean, what would you think if you were me?
 
I don't hate cats, but not a cat freak either, they have ruined too much furniture. Now dogs are a different thing and have always loved dogs of all stripes.. You can train a dog.. Cats train the owners.>>>Dan
 
Years ago I had an awesome cat that while I was moving I left at a friends house for safe keeping but he got out. I worked between his house and where I used to live, a straight shot really you could almost draw a line. Around 12 miles. Unfortunately, he didn't make it back to my old house but he tried. I sadly found him on my way to work on the hiway. Animals have a great sense of direction. Yours may have tried to find his old home. I'd put notices/flyers between where you are and where you got him. Maybe he will show up at old owners. I would definitely notify them to keep an eye out for him.
 
The doubters won't believe this but when we were moving in to our new home 180 miles away the movers accidently let our cat out. That was in July and in December a very skinny stray cat started hanging around our previous house. My BIL and SIL lived next door and the cat would only come to them. This cat had identical markings and a very unique voice where she always made a "ka" noise followed by a normal meow. When we got there the cat immediately jumped in our car and started loving on my wife. Each cat has its own personality and mannerisms and we knew it was her.
 
..You can train a dog.. Cats train the owners.>>>Dan
I don't want to hijack the thread, but....

Nonsense. Cats are very trainable, if you know how. Our cats sit out with us at a campsite. They very quickly learn the boundaries of each new site, for the most part, respect them. When told to "Go Home," they will go up the steps, and wait at the door.

I'll admit that they do train us a little too. We have to provide her own camp chair for one of them.

Joel
 
No one who lets their cat outside to roam the neighborhood like a feral/stray can expect it back.
 
Our son has two cats that roam our property with the chickens and the ducks. They all come home every evening.
When I was a kid we had an outside cat that a friend who lived 90 miles away wanted. We took the cat to him and left it. 8 weeks later the cat was back at our house. He had found his way back.
 
No one who lets their cat outside to roam the neighborhood like a feral/stray can expect it back.
My family always had inside/outside cats. They all stuck around until they died of old age which was 15-18 years old.
 
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