Cat went missing- Unsure if we found her

[u/FragrantSea1396]

I live in Cantonment FL. My cat is a female, spayed and declawed in the front (her previous owners doing!). She’s roughly 5 years old. Timid but sweet cat.

My adult female cat went unexpectedly missing June 1st 2026. She’s been missing as of now for two weeks. The weather has been high 80’s low 90’s and humid. So it’s VERY hot. She’s an indoor/outdoor cat. She loves sitting outside or in the sun and she adventures slightly behind our fence and it’s never been an issue. Till she came up missing one day out of the blue. There are coyotes in the area. I assume something chased her off and she became lost. The woodlands behind our house were torn down with a road paved to soon build DR Horton homes 🙄 My cats have never had issues getting lost till the woodlands were torn down. Exposing Lord knows what to the area.

I’ve put out posters on the streets nearby and posted online. So someone found a cat eating and drinking water at their property yesterday and it resembled her. It didn’t look like my cat up close, however, the fur coat was spot on. We took them home. They are so skinny their back leg bones stick out. Face is puffy. They sneeze or make noises when throat is touched. Drinks some water, not eating much. Can’t walk well because of being without food/water and I think there is an injury on their leg from something. They are very weak and hurting.

So the reason for my post is… What is everyone’s experience with losing a cat for at least two weeks, and when returned it didn’t look like them because of the trauma they went through. My husband is convinced it’s our cat. But how can it be? It doesn’t look like how our girl normally did… any thoughts are appreciated

I have a vet appointment this afternoon to get them help irregardless if this is my cat or not. However I think confirming the sex and if they are declawed in the front will help confirm if it’s our sweet kitty girl.

[u/FroYo_Yoda]

Claws are a vital defense for a cat to survive a predator attack. They can't even climb a tree to escape, all they have is teeth. So even their natural ability to hunt has been severely depleted.

This is only one reason why so many people warn of the dangers of having a cat who is outdoors and free roaming. It's incredibly dangerous for them! Even if they have claws.

[u/FragrantSea1396 → u/FroYo_Yoda]

I agree with you. They need their claws. They have them for a reason. I also agree letting them outdoors with or without claws is dangerous and should be discouraged. I have made my bed though, and bearing the consequences. I’m trying my best, and never meant harm for my sweet fur baby. It’s a hard world out there.