Dear all

Unfortunately Maud, from whom I take my name, is missing. She disappeared in the early morning of Friday 13th May, and although it's not been long it's very out of character for her. She's normally asleep on the balcony or sitting on the patio, not vanishing without trace.

She's completely black with green eyes, small and slim, short haired and 12 years old. She's fairly shy but also friendly, so although she wouldn't run up to you if she's stuck in your cellar she'd probably come if you called her name. She's never been able to miaow - she's a rescue cat whom we think was a feral kitten - but she makes a high pitched 'yipp' noise in response to being called.

I've used the links in the very useful sticky to register her as missing everywhere possible, contacted local vets to alert them and stuck leaflets up/through letterboxes in the area. I know it's a long shot, but thought it worth posting on here too, just in case anyone in the Bruderholz area of Basel, around the Wasserturm (watertower) area may have seen her or know what happened to her. I'm guessing she's either stuck in a cellar/shed or has been killed by a car :-(

If you have any info, please PM me. She is loved and missed so, so much.

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Oftentimes cats get spooked by something like builders close by and go and hide locally - look under hedges and bushes. If she's scared she might stay there for ages. My cat gets spooked easily and is always found under the sofa or something. Good luck.

How awful for you - I do hope that you find lovely Maud safe and well soon. There is a history of happy endings for missing cats on EF, so I hope that yours is one too.

In the meantime, there are some very useful tips in one of the previous threads:

Missing Cat in Zurich - Help! [she's been found!]

Fingers crossed that Maud will return safe and sound and is currently simply keeping an old dear company or found something really fun to do.

I'm so sorry to hear this - all fingers and paws here crossed for Maud's safe return.

I hope she will be returned safely to you. Do not give up hope and keep up the search, calling out her name. A familiar sound may lure her out of of hiding or attract sufficient attention that others may also be on the lookout.

I have been in your shoes, not with a cat, (our parrot escaped once) but I have never forgotten how it felt. We were lucky, and I hope you will be too.

I've just cycled up and around the Wasserturm area to have a look for Maud. I didn't expect to find her, from my own experience of looking for my cat, who broke my heart each time he took unplanned "holidays" during the 17 years I had him - very infrequently I should say, probably half a dozen at most - then, after a couple of days of me trawling the neighbourhood calling, knocking on doors, leafleting, putting up posters, pitched up of his own accord yowling for his dinner. But it was worth a try. And it's very beautiful up there (first time I've been), lovely place for a cat to live, and with all those big gardens and allotments, it's my bet she's shut in a shed somewhere by accident. I was away from Basel this week, but think I heard it rained heavily on Thursday night? It's likely she's run for shelter somewhere, got shut in by accident, maybe by someone who's gone away for the weekend so not seen your note?

Sounds like you've done everything you can, it's so hard to know where to go to look. I feel for you, but don't lose hope, I'm sure she'll turn up, feeling sorry for herself maybe but otherwise fine. My old boy went missing for a month once, long story involving my idiot ex taking him away with him for a weekend, so it wasn't from his own home. But the reason I'm telling you this is that it was a lot longer than the usual couple of days, he was about the same age as Maud at the time, and he was found, someone recognised him from a poster in the vets, and he made a full recovery. So like I said, don't lose hope. Good luck.

Thanks everyone for your lovely messages. And thanks so much planetali for taking the trouble to do that for me. That's so kind of you to come and look for her.

I'm hoping too that she's gone and hidden in a shed/garage belonging to someone who's gone away for the weekend, and will emerge later on tonight/early tomorrow needing dinner and lots of love. I'll definitely update when I know something.

You're very welcome, I know how it feels. I'd offer to help more, as I'm only down the road, but not sure there's much more to be done. Take care

Hello all

Thought it might be useful to just end this story - unfortunately Maud never came home. Almost a month later we have to accept we'll most likely never know what happened. I choose to believe she went somewhere quietly and slipped away.

Thanks to everyone who sent public & private messages of support. I was touched by how many people cared about what happened.

If a good thing has come of this, it's that we've integrated into the local community much more than we had in almost 3 years of living here. Both of us have had people we don't know approaching us on trams and in the street with enquiries about whether Maud's been found - turns out everyone knows who the crazy English with 4 (3) cats are, but we didn't know them ;-) My German has improved no end.

So. She had 12 good years, and we still have 1 old and 2 boisterous boys. If there's a black cat shaped hole in my life (and heart) then time too will heal this.

Thanks again all. Hate not knowing the outcome of threads hence the update.

Oh I am so sorry! I know what you must feel lile *hugs*

I hope you'll find peace in your heart. It must be hard to accept to never know...

Bless the heart and soul of your dear friend.

Thank you so much for the update, heart-wrenching as the situation is for you. I trust that Maud is at peace, in the knowledge that she was greatly loved in her time with you.

Don't give up!! Jimmy disappeared for 8 months only to come sauntering back!! Some crazy woman had decided to adopt him and kept him closed up in an apartment block about 300 metres from mine. Not thinking for one moment the grief that I and his sister went through. I hope he scratched her walls to bits trying to get out. Which he did when she opened the window in the Summer.

She must have seen the flyers because we often say a polite bonjour to each other at my local Coop. Stupid cow!!

OMG Patsycat - that is amazing, in all respects. Why on earth did she think it was okay to just take him? You must have been so shocked to see him again! Has she ever explained what motivated her?

I'm glad there was a happy outcome for you, but it must have been a total surprise when Jimmy reappeared - how did his sister react?

I haven't check EF for a long time, so when I saw this thread updated I really hoped Maud had been found.

It's so sad that isn't true.

I hate to bring false hope, but I just wanted to drop a heads up: my Tramp was kittnapped one summer night. My parents had been complaining about the noise from a local bar, and the owners/guests decided to take revenge by kittnaping our cat.

We lost hope after 1 month of no news. My mother got really upset.

3 months later I was driving with a friend at night in the near of my home when I saw a cat looking like Tramp, walking like Tramp, really looking like Tramp. I scream to halt the car, got out, called her out and when she run to me I kinda broke into tears. She was dehidrated, completly wounded (probably walked kms back home) and starving, but she found her way back.

I really hope to hear similar news from you, maudthecat! I hate kitty stories with a bad end

I'm so sorry Maud hasn't turned up. I've checked back here from time to time, hoping I'd missed the subscription email and she had come back but realising in this case no news was bad news. I'm glad you can take some comfort from your other cats and thinking that wherever she is now, she's peaceful and happy, and was much loved while she was with you xx

PS I too am still hoping it's not the end of her story

Woke up with a sore head this am (too much party last night), heard a noise, made the usual 'Hello cat' noises. Maud jumped on the bed.

She's uber-thin, and has something like paint on her, so I'm guessing she's been living in a shed/garage for the last 5 weeks.

All you who said she could still come home, I apologise for doubting you. some stories do have happy endings.

(The kittens all have 'WTF?' faces. They'd got used to not being beaten. Maud has remembered though ;-)

So glad your cat returned!!! You may want to consider calling the vet for rehydration and dealing with the "paint" as she may have ingested some by trying to clean herself. You must feel a huge sense of relief!!

Oh, that is just the best news ever!!! You must be over the moon and, don't worry, Maud still has another 8 lives left