I think the neighbors stole my cat and ate him!

[RickJ]

I am serious so please no jokes or snarky remarks.   My cat, Tuqu (too-coo), who I dearly love is missing since last Saturday evening.

A year and a half ago I found a 3 week old kitten at my moms house.  He couldn't see because his eyes were full of crap and glued shut.  I think this was from fleas that were biting his face and the areas around his eyes.  I fed him milk from an eyedropper, traveled through airports with him, taught him to walk with a leash climb trees and chase birds (he picked up on the bird thing pretty quick).

I know that his not cowering under some bush and afraid to come home.  If he could come home he would.  He is a skilled climber and world class athlete.  He's smart enough to no get lost and brave enough not to have been frightened away.  One evening last summer while walking on a leash a neighbor's dog came to the other side of the fence and started barking.  I had expected that Tuqu would have frizzed out and run away pulling on and slipping out of the leash.   Instead he just sat down and started growling under his breath like he was really, really angry. 

The last time I saw him was 5:30 pm last Saturday when I let him go outside.   I took our other cat outside on a leash shortly after that for a short walk around the house.   I came back in the house and started working on the computer.   Around 7:30 I all of a sudden something inside told me to go look for Tuqu.  I asked my wife if he came back in yet and she ask me why I was asking (I'm usually the one who is absent minded about that).  We went out looking for him for the next three hours but hew was not to be found.   

Here are the possibilities I am fairly confident that can be eliminated:
=================================================
1. He was not hit by a car.  Check nearby streets and animal control about DOAs.

2. Has not killed by a dog.  There was no sign of blood, fur, or other indications of such a struggle.

3. He was not frightened away and too scared to come home.

4. He did not wander off and forget how to get back home.


Here are the possibilities that are still open:
=================================================
5. He got stuck in a garage or a shed.  We had a break in the weather and perhaps people took the opportunity to stow (or retrieve) stuff in a garage or shed.

6. Someone took him in as a stray.  His bones are almost full grown but he looks skinny and has always had a ravenous appetite.  So it wouldn't be that odd for someone to think he was a stray., in which case they would keep him in the house for awhile so they could  care for him and so that he wouldn't runaway and be "homeless" again.

7. He was killed by a gang for some kind of initiation ritual.  We have recently had gang graffiti appear in the neighborhood.   However, I am told that the gang it appears to be (Latino/Philipino) are sort of low key and that gangs don't typically hurt animals.  And if they did do something like that they wouldn't hide the remains but would want them to be found and to know who did it.

8.  He was killed an eaten. 

8a. A neighbor who lives about a block away who is from a country where cat eating is very prominent.   

8b. About 2 years ago there was an outbreak of rabbits (100+) on the same corner.  They were just running around in the street until  finally the city came and took them away.   Everyone thought they belonged to some old retired dude because they were always in his yard.  However, it turned out that they were not his at all and that the other neighbor had brought the original ones there and was eating them. 

8c. We lost another cat, Bandito, in similar circumstances around that time frame also.  A was a warm May morning and I saw our oldest cat Gordito, crossing the busy street he is not supposed to cross and going in the direction of the rabbits.   I left the house and went after him.  I was carrying him in my arms and was going to take him home.  We passed by Bandito who was playing in tall grass just across from our house.   I didn't want Gordito feel like he was being punished so I put him down next to Bandito so they could play together.   I did some yard work not more than 200 ft away.  I called them around lunch time but they never came back.   Yes, my cats are trained to come when I whistle and they always come (almost ).  Gordito finally got back at 5:30 but Bandito did not.

8d.  I was passing out "lost" poster the other night on the same block where this neighbor lives.  I was told that 4-5 cats have went missing on that one block since October.

8e.  I went to the copy shop to get more posters made yesterday.  The clerk told me that he lives in a nearby suburb and that a couple of years ago he had several cats go missing from his home and that other people nearby also had cats go missing.  When he went looking for the last cat he found his tale in a neighbor's back yard.   Apparently police came to ask questions etc and within a few days the neighbor moved away.  his neighbor came from the same country as my neighbor.

8f.  I asked him if they threw a sack or something over his cat and he said that his cat was friendly and probably just walked up to them to say high.  Both of my missing kitties would have done the same thing. 

8g.  I knocked on the neighbor's door last night, gave hime a "lost' poster and gave my little speech.  I swear I could see in his eyes that he was laughing at me inside, like I was an idiot for looking for a cat that was Sunday dinner the week before.

So now I am wondering if 2 years ago Bandito and Gordito when back across the street to check out the rabbits and wandered into this guy's yard where they caught Bandito and ate him.  Gordito got back 5 hours later than usual so maybe he was also trapped and managed to escape or he hung out hoping to bring Bandito back home and maybe left after he realized they killed him and he wouldn't be coming back?  Now two years later the same thing happens to my Tuqu and the other neighborhood cats.

I have to tell you that I am horrified at the thought and I don't want it to be true.  But as time passes the other possibilities become less and less likely.  I would like to figure out for certain if my dark suspicions are true or not and if they are I would like to send those SOBs to prison for a long time or as long as the law permits.

Next week I plan on canvasing the  neighborhood and documenting all the missing cats and the relevant details to see if there is a pattern.  I am also thinking about slipping the garbage men a 20 spot every week to check their garbage for cat remains over the next several months.   I am going to talk with the copy clerk today to get more details of his experience.  I think I can get adjacent neighbors to keep an eye out but I'm not sure that will be effective.

Do you know of any instances of people stealing and eating their neighbor's pets?   Do you have any other ideas of how I might catch these fiends?

I any of you are religious at all please say a little prayer for Tuqu.  Ask to keep him safe and from suffering and to help him find his way home if he is still alive.  And if not perhaps you could ask Tuqu to forgive me for not being smart enough to keep him safe.

Thanks for listening my friends.
Rick

[Dualnames]

I hope he returns alive and well home. He could easily be stuck somewhere that there's no escape. Can I ask this: If you wanted to trap him in a box, how would you do that?

[RickJ]

You could just throw in a toy, a ball of paper, or just push a stick in from the other side and get hi to play with it.  He is just 1.5 years old and so is like a little kid.  For him the world is a fun and happy place full of wonderment and love ...     

[Snake]

That's horrible, Rick

I hope your neighbor hasn't eaten him and he comes back. At least I hope he is with somebody who thought he was a stray.

Best of luck to you and most of all, Tuqu...

This may be a lame attempt at lightening the subject a little but, I am actually serious: Maybe now is the time adventure game skills can come in handy in keeping an eye on that bastard yourself

[Darth Mandarb]

Hey Rick,

There is some compelling evidence that I think warrants a little investigation (do some adventure game stuff as Snake suggested) on this neighbor.  While it might be okay in his original land to eat cats he doesn't live there anymore and needs to curtail such activities.  Even if it was okay to eat cats here you still don't cat-nap your neighbor's cat.  It'd be like takin' a cow from your neighbor's herd and making some cheeseburgers.  Sure we eat cow here but that doesn't make cow-napping proper.

However ... I want to pass along some positivity here.

Years ago a friend of mine's cat wandered off.  THREE MONTHS passed and they had moved on convinced AJ (the cat) had died and/or wasn't coming back.  They came home from school one day and AJ was chillin' on the front porch.  Came right in the house like nothing had happened and never wandered off like that again.  Also; just a few weeks back my sister's cat wandered off and was gone more than a week before coming home.

My point is that cats wander off.  They aren't "domesticated" in the strictest sense of the word.  They choose to cohabit with us measly humans.  So, it's only been [less than] a week.  I wouldn't give up hope just yet!  Tuqu might be having the cat version of Rumspringa and will find his way back home when he's sewed his oats and appeased his wander-lust!

I'm not a prayin' man but I'll send some positivity out into the 'verse for little Tuqu's safe return!

Hang in there man

[LimpingFish]

I am speechless.

That is an amazingly strange and disturbing story, Rick.

While I don't want to get into a larger animal rights debate, eating cats (or dogs, for that matter) just isn't acceptable. Especially when the person in question is a guest, permanent or otherwise, in a society where such behavior is considered pretty abhorrent.

But trapping and eating somebody's pets?! I'm nauseous just considering the possibility.

You and your family have all my support, Rick. I'm hoping real hard for a happy ending.

[Chicky]

This is so fucked up, i feel for you Rick. I love my cat, i trust him for comfort more than anyone.

Recently a friends kitten went missing, after 6 months of owning her. Months pass and no return so they adopted another kitten, three months later that one goes missing D:

It's been a further two months now and no return of either kitten, silver lining is that some local kids have spotted the first kitten a number of occasions and attempted to catch her. No luck so far but it really does show that they can fend for themselves, if they find somewhere warm where a rubbish bin can be accessed it is often a no brainer for the cat. 24/7 food supply appeals to their natural instinct.

I'm not religious but your cat will definitely be in my thoughts, i hope things get better for you Rick.

[Domino]

Sorry to hear about that Rick. I am a cat lover and an owner of a 17 year old feline.

I hope your kitty comes back to you. Best wishes to you sir.

Shawn

[Snarky]

I think nothing you've told us is particularly suspicious. Cats disappear for any number of reasons, the vast majority of which have nothing to do with being eaten by scary foreigners. Sometimes they run off for their own mysterious feline purposes. (Even when in a happy home; BTW, is your cat spayed?)

Is it possible that someone (NOT necessarily the neighbor you have focused on) deliberately killed Tuqu? Sadly, yes, but the motive is much more likely to be a dislike of cats, or simple pleasure in killing, than dinner. I'm willing to bet that people from cat-eating countries understand as well as we do that it's not OK to capture and kill your neighbors' pets, no matter how succulent.

Even if the person is guilty (and I would like to emphasize: national origin and perceived lack of sympathy is not good grounds for suspicion), I can't imagine they'd go to jail for it. They would have to have shown some serious cruelty to animals (beyond just killing) before that would be a possibility. However, some of the steps you are contemplating sound like they could constitute harassment and invasion of privacy. Stay clear of that!

Finally, I'd like to say that sentimental feeling aside, there's nothing wrong or barbaric about eating cats (or dogs); or at least it's no worse than eating pig, cow, or lamb. And I say that as someone who is fond of cats and have had several; the same way I know someone who has a pet pig, but that doesn't mean everyone else is required to stop eating bacon.

I hope Tuqu has made it OK and returns. Meanwhile, don't freak out.

[LimpingFish]

Disgust subsided, I'd second what Snarky has said about lack of proof and presumption of guilt.

I don't buy Dog/Cat = Cow/Pig, though. We have evolved past the need to eat certain animals, and in most cases the consumption of these animals is based in tradition and superstition. Even in countries such as China, were cat meat would be available in certain provinces, there is growing support for a end to the practice.

And don't get me started on the Swiss.

[Snarky]

Though I think it's a worthwhile debate, maybe we should split this off into a separate thread in case Rick finds it upsetting...

I live in Switzerland, and I'll second that sentiment about the Swiss. Dog-eating is the least of their exasperating traits, though (literally the least: it's not like they serve it at McDonald's here--I actually don't think I've ever seen it).

There's no need to eat any animal. People do it because they like the taste. Which is completely natural, and I'm sure cats and dogs would understand. Ultimately I don't think the morality/barbarity of carnivorism differs depending on whether people (usually other people) also keep the same type of animal as pets. And anyway, people have pet lambs, pet pigs, pet goats, pet rabbits, pet guinea pigs (a delicacy in Peru), etc.

I could be persuaded by an argument based on intelligence (no chimp steaks, no dolphin burgers), but pigs are apparently pretty damn smart, and octopuses are so scarily clever that I almost think we should eat more calamari just to be on the safe side. No, the only reason we accept that and not the other is sentimentality and cultural prejudice. Seen dispassionately, a Swiss hot dog with real dog, slaughtered at home, is arguably less ethically problematic than a piece of pork from an overcrowded factory farm.

I speak as a lapsed vegetarian: I think the inhumane treatment of livestock at many modern farms is indefensible and immoral, but meat is just too tempting, and vegetarianism too much of a hassle (here in Switzerland; in the US there were usually veggie options available).

[Stupot]

Hey Rick. Don't give up hope.  My cat once went missing for nearly a month, and then just strolled back in one day without a slightest explanation. That was when we first got a new dog, so I'm almost certain that's why she ran away.

But whatever the reason, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that she'll come strolling in again.

Keep an eye out for more clues regarding your neighbour, but be careful not to jump to any conclusions.  It could end up messy.

As for eating cats and dogs... to be perfectly honest, if I was in a country where eating dogs was legal, I'd probably have a taste out of interest. I really don't see the difference (I think I'd pass on the cat-meat, though - I can imagine it to taste horrible).  We view dogs as pets in most country's, but that's just a fact that has come about almost arbitrarily... in an alternate timeline, we might be feasting on poodles and persecuting those who choose to eat cute cows.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

I have to agree with Snarky in that there is no preponderance of evidence against your neighbor that would make strongly suspecting him go beyond the paranoia stage.  Cats take off all the time; they are, at heart, independent creatures, and many studies will bear this as evidence.  It is true that some become fiercely loyal and refuse to wander, but many many others do so simply because it is in their nature to be less dependent than dogs tend to be, ie, we haven't completely bred out their 'wild' nature. 

I strongly suspect that your cat caught the scent of a female or something interesting and wandered off, perhaps got lost (or not) and simply hasn't returned home.  A more likely outcome is that someone in your neighborhood is sick and tired of cats wandering onto their property, setup some cat traps, and either brought the animal to a humane society location or drove somewhere outside the neighborhood and let it go, something I've seen done many times and don't see a problem with.  If you want your animals safe, keep them under control and on your property.


Finally, suspecting your neighbor because they come from a 'cat eating country' is more than a little petty in my opinion.  It's one thing if he's been convicted of it in America or professed a preference for dog/cat meat publicly, but it seems you're just drawing on racial stereotypes here to try and find a target for your frustration, and you're better than that.

[Squinky]

That sucks Rick.

I had a cat disappear once, and about 6 months later I went to do some repair work on a house about a mile from mine, and there he was, just hanging out

Good luck man.

[nihilyst]

Years ago a friend of mine's cat wandered off.  THREE MONTHS passed and they had moved on convinced AJ (the cat) had died and/or wasn't coming back.  They came home from school one day and AJ was chillin' on the front porch.  Came right in the house like nothing had happened and never wandered off like that again.

Yeah, like ten years ago, my family's cat disappeared from one day to the other. 10 months later he suddenly appeared on the balcony as if nothing had happened.

I hope you cat is alright and that he comes back.

[Ryan Timothy B]

This definitely reminds me of The 'burbs.

[kconan]

I hope you get him back soon.  I can't imagine a gang bothering with a cat.

If you are good at reading people, talk to your neighbor again and try to feel him out.  Back when I was in college, a guy I knew messed with my car when I wasn't around.  I questioned him, he denied it, and then I took the route of "what kind of cowardly pansy messes with someone's ride behind their back" and his pride gave him away.  So maybe make some comments to the effect of "what kind of sick, weirdo would steal a cat?".

[Tabata]

If you are good at reading people, talk to your neighbor again and try to feel him out.  Back when I was in college, a guy I knew messed with my car when I wasn't around.  I questioned him, he denied it, and then I took the route of "what kind of cowardly pansy messes with someone's ride behind their back" and his pride gave him away.  So maybe make some comments to the effect of "what kind of sick, weirdo would steal a cat?".

I like this idea. 
(... and sometimes you can find support from unexpected side.)

Hopefully there will be a happy-end for you and Tuqu and ... (all) ~ sending my best wishes for this to become true!

[kaputtnik]

Hm, a cat went missing. Paranoia ensues. I hope I am not offending any cat lovers here, but isn't it a bit too much to consider "locking that bastard away" or "showing that S.O.B." (misquoted, I know) or whatever revenge fantasies there are, when there isn't any evidence but gossip? That's cat vs. human, am I too much of a humanist here to find that kind of off-putting?

Cats run off all the time, and they return just like that all the time, or don't, whatever fantasies of a special relation and love and affection the former owner might have had. I hope that particular cat returns soon to prove me wrong, but I just don't believe that cats seek anything more but food, shelter and comfort while they are staying with people.

Oh, well. I hope you don't feel like I've hijacked the thread for a general rambling about cats and humans, and again, I hope your cat returns soon.

[WHAM]

1. Find evidence
2. Prepare a fork and a knife
3. Enter your neighbour's house while they sleep
4. ??
5. Profit!