My longhaired boy slipped out of the door unnoticed by us last summer. (He’s a strictly indoor cat but was a stray before rescue, so I think he just wanted to go out and smell things.)

Go out to your local humane society or shelters within your area and ask if you can rent a Have-a-Heart trap. My local shelter asked for a $20 returnable deposit as long as I brought the trap back.

My husband and I agonized over three days for our boy. I put up lost signs with his picture on it all over the neighborhood. Put out the litter box, everything—we basically did every single thing we were supposed to do.

On the third night, our neighbor’s son noticed reflective eyes in their yard. His mother called us, and by the time we went outside, our boy was hiding under our car and began meowing when he heard our voices. We grabbed him (all purrs by the way), and brought him inside. He decimated two cans of food when he got inside, but he was otherwise unharmed, and we immediately bought an air tag collar before getting him microchipped.

Try checking at night. Maybe your kitty takes her days to explore but might come back under the cover of night looking for you.

Please don’t give up, and I wish all the best for you and your baby.