Missing Pet Partnership
Search Report
Case #08-012
DATE: 06/09/2008
PET NAME: Nacho
SPECIES: Feline
DESCRIPTION: 1-year-old orange & white, DSH, neutered male outdoor-access cat (microchipped, no collar)
LOCATION: NE 48th Street near Lake Washington Blvd NE, Renton, WA
DATE & TIME LAST SEEN: Wednesday 05/28/08 Midnight
DATE & TIME OF INVESTIGATION: Monday 06/09/2008, 1:00 p.m.
BACKGROUND:
NACHO was an outdoor-access cat that lived with his family in a 60-unit apartment complex. His GUARDIAN said he would frequently see NACHO hanging around his own apartment building, the two apartment buildings to the south, and a cluster of buildings just east of his building. The GUARDIAN let NACHO outside at midnight on May 28th as he usually did and NACHO never returned.
INVESTIGATION:
On 06/09/2008 I (KAT ALBRECHT) along with MPP Volunteer PAM O'BRIEN, and cat detection dog SADIE responded to the apartment complex on NE 48th Street. Upon profiling NACHO I learned that he was afraid of cars, his temperament is that of a "Cautious Cat," and the primary wildlife in the area is raccoons. Upon analyzing NACHO's temperament and habits within the context of the eight probability categories for outdoor-access cats, we were able to conduct an investigation and establish the following profile for what most likely happened to this cat:
Probability that NACHO was Trapped - This was not likely (5% chance). NACHO lived in an apartment complex where he disappeared at night. This complex had a limited number of sheds, out-buildings, and sources that he could enter but not exit. However, because of the sheer number of apartment doors present that NACHO could have entered (if one was standing open at midnight in cool weather), there is a slight chance NACHO could be trapped and unable to come home.
Probability that NACHO was Rescued - This was not likely (5% chance). NACHO, who was cautious and skittish of strangers, lived in this complex since he was a kitten, making it quite difficult to capture him. In addition, his GUARDIAN has plastered the complex with lost cat posters. If someone had rescued him thinking NACHO was a stray, they would have called already. But because NACHO lived in a 60-unit apartment complex with a high concentration of people and because he was not wearing a collar, someone rescuing NACHO was slightly possible.
Probability that NACHO was Stolen for Profit - This was highly unlikely (1% chance). NACHO did not fit the profile of a pet that would be stolen; he was not an exotic cat of value. NACHO was skittish and cautious of strangers; capturing him would require the use of a humane trap and/or net. There would be no profit gained from stealing a cat like NACHO, especially since there were other outdoor-access cats that lived in this complex that would be easier to catch due to friendly temperaments. In addition, because cats are plentiful, there is very little market for stealing cats (unless they are exotic or purebreds).
Probability that NACHO was Intentionally Transported out of the Area - This was highly unlikely (1% chance). In some cases, cats are removed from the area by neighbors or wildlife removal companies who capture and transport feral or unwanted cats because neighbors hate cats or someone was vindictive and had a reason to intentionally remove a cat from an area. This apartment complex allowed outdoor cats, the GUARDIAN and management had no complaints about NACHO, and the GUARDIAN was already checking all animal shelters but NACHO was not brought in by anyone.
Probability that NACHO was Unintentionally Transported out of the Area - This was a low probability (1% chance). In some cases cats accidentally crawl into open vehicles, moving vans, or furniture and are then removed or driven off from the area. NACHO did not fit this profile because he vanished at nighttime and was afraid of vehicles. (NACHO was never seen on or around a car and he ran from them when he heard engines start).
Probability that a predator killed NACHO - This was a strong possibility (25% chance). Although his GUARDIAN had never seen or heard coyotes or owls in the area, the forested areas of Renton are known to contain predators. NACHO disappeared in the spring when predation increases. During our search, a neighbor mentioned that a hawk lives in the area and has been a threat to her own cats. Although the hawk would be a threat to NACHO's safety, it was not likely responsible for his disappearance since NACHO vanished at night and hawks are not nocturnal hunters.
Probability that NACHO was Sick, Injured, or Deceased - This was quite possible since NACHO was allowed access outdoors. Cats allowed access outside always run the risk of injury or death. However, we took into consideration that NACHO was a healthy, young cat with no known medical issues. Although this category was the initial focus of our investigation, the probability of this category plummeted to a lower level (15% chance) once we conducted our investigation. Our aggressive area search revealed that NACHO was not within his territory, and leads developed during the search bumped up the likelihood that he was most probably displaced into unfamiliar territory.
Probability that NACHO was Displaced into Unfamiliar Territory - This category eventually became the focus of our investigation (47% chance). The first thing we did upon arrival was to conduct an aggressive, detailed area search of NACHO's territory, which included his apartment building and the buildings to the south and east - the areas where his GUARDIAN had seen NACHO in the past. Using a 3-million candlepower spotlight and SADIE the cat detection dog, Pet Detective O'Brien and I looked under and in every conceivable hiding place. The primary sources of hiding places were in bushes since there were no porches, decks, sheds, or access points under buildings. We successfully searched all of the potential hiding places and did not find NACHO. We also did not locate any tufts of fur or bones, and SADIE did not give any decomposition alerts or indications there was any animal blood present. Not finding NACHO or evidence of NACHO in his own territory was useful information. It dropped the probability that he was sick, injured, or deceased (since the majority of cats in this category remain inside their territories but hide in silence) and bumped up the probability that something else happened to him.
We then began to search the north areas of the complex in the event that NACHO was chased out of areas that were familiar to him and he could be hiding in silence nearby. However, we completed a search of the entire complex and did not find signs of NACHO. We ruled out that he was inside the apartment complex. We began to look at the possibility that NACHO was chased and then displaced into unfamiliar territory outside of his apartment complex.
Because he had a rather large territory (covering several buildings in the complex), we knew that NACHO was not a kitty who was fearful of roaming. It was very possible that something had chased NACHO (a stray dog, a predator, or another cat) and that he ended up in the woods or on a distant property and could not find his way back home. We know that while many cats can use the "homing instinct" and work their way back home, some cats do not have this ability and instead they travel after displacement. Many "lost" cats have been located several months later living just a few blocks from the home they were chased away from. This is ultimately what we suspected happened to NACHO based on a witness statement that was confirmed during our investigation.
Prior to our arrival on this search, the GUARDIAN heard from a woman ¼ of a mile away up the hill (near 113 Ave SE and NE 48th Street) who said that several days ago she saw a cat that looked just like NACHO in her yard. We responded to that neighborhood and interviewed the elderly woman. We showed her a color photograph of NACHO, who is a very distinctive looking cat.
The woman insisted this was the cat that she had seen. She said it did not have a collar on and that when she tried to approach the kitty to offer it food, it darted off in fear. She said the cat came back the next day but was still afraid of her. This description fits NACHO's profile. This woman owned her own cats. Upon interviewing her, it was clear that she was credible, she knew cats, she knew all of the cats in her area, and that she was positive that the kitty she saw was NACHO.
We conducted a search of this woman's property (and the property next door) that consisted of steep terrain and many hiding places. At this point, we realized that NACHO was not likely hiding but that he was likely traveling in search of food and a place where he could establish a new territory. This sighting had taken place several days ago and NACHO was likely not still in this immediate area. We believed that NACHO probably traveled and that he would likely approach potential food sources and would make himself visible to people in the area.
We instructed the GUARDIAN to switch his search tactics to using an aggressive marketing campaign to find his cat. We supplied him with giant, bright, fluorescent REWARD LOST CAT posters and instructed him to post these in this general neighborhood and at the intersections in the area that people use when leaving residential areas to reach the freeway. We advised him to use a lost pet recovery service of mailing post cards to all of the residents within a ½ mile to 1-mile radius so they would receive a post card with a picture of NACHO in their mailbox.
We believe that the GUARDIAN has a chance of getting his cat back if he remains diligent and does not give up hope. Physically, NACHO is somewhere and while it is possible that he will fall victim to predation, it is equally possible that he will wander up to a family who assumes he is an unwanted "stray" and who just will not realize that he is microchipped, he is loved, and he is lost.
STATUS:
Open - NACHO is still missing. If found, please call Missing Pet Partnership at (253) 529-3999 and refer to case number 08-012.
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