Cat missing for ten days after hiding in box spring now safe at home

Camo
Camo

All Hayley Crews wanted was to see a few dollars from the sale of a box spring (as in part of a mattress set) that she listed on Craigslist. She and her boyfriend were getting a place of their own, and the bedding was no longer needed. Instead of making some fast cash, Hayley’s been on a scavenger hunt trying to locate her cat Camo.

Camo has always enjoyed the box spring as a favorite hiding spot. Hayley knew this, and had taped the box spring up to prevent Camo from hiding there. Unfortunately, before selling the box spring, Hayley removed the tape. Her cat escaped when Hayley’s boyfriend, Roy Dufek, met with a Craigslist buyer at her Portland home while Hayley was at work. He didn’t think to check to make sure Camo wasn’t in hiding.

Camo
Camo

Roy searched the apartment after the box spring left the apartment. He knew Camo wasn’t the type of cat to run out the door, and knowing the cat would have to get past three sets of doors, he simply thought the cat had found a very good hiding spot. After tearing the apartment apart, Roy contacted Hayley at work with the bad news. Camo was gone, and Hayley was right in suspecting he was carried out inside the box spring.

A video clip of Camo’s adventure can be found here

The story went viral after Roy posted Camo on Reddit, where he explained what happened.

Hayley lives in the Rock Creek neighborhood, and the buyer lives near the Hillsboro Airport. That means it’s a four to five mile drive that crosses Highway 26. Camo may have jumped out of the box spring somewhere in between. Or he may be somewhere in the buyer’s neighborhood.

The Craigslist buyer allowed Hayley and Roy to search his property, but Camo was nowhere to be found. Tips continued to pour in, all leading to dead ends and different cats. Hayley set a trap using sardines in oil and clothing with her scent, which she placed near the buyer’s home. On Saturday, her plan worked. Camo was found.

By Sunday, Camo was back at home. Hayley described him as “scared and hissy.” and that he’d lost about two pounds and had a few bumps and bruises, included injured paws. His little white nose wasn’t even white anymore. It was black from dirt.

Camo was taken to his veterinarian just to be sure he was okay. He was given an antibiotic shot, and is recovering from his ordeal, which lasted ten days. Roy posted a thank you on Reddit for all of the people who helped search for Camo.

I chose this story to write on because it shows just how quickly things can go wrong when you have a cat who loves to hide. It also shows how animal lovers join together using social media anytime help is needed in locating a missing furbaby. I can relate to Hayley, because we have a few cats with very secretive hiding places. One of our cats has a spot we’ve never found, and just have to wait for her to come out on her own! I also had a cat who went missing for more than two weeks back in the late 1980’s. After calling for her throughout the neighborhood, she simply wandered back home one day.

Have any of the PoC readers had a cat with a secret hiding space or go missing for a few weeks before being found? Please leave a comment.

Sources: 1 and 2

9 thoughts on “Cat missing for ten days after hiding in box spring now safe at home”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. I have a cat that would always crawl into a tiny space at the bottom of my kitchen cabinets and nudge her way up between the wall and the back of the cabinets…now…she was not inside the cabinets…but behind them in a tiny gap between the cabinets and the wall. To prevent her from hiding here, I hired a contractor to cover the small opening. I told him to be sure she’s not in there before he seals it up…Well, there’s no way to see her behind there, because once she gets in…she climbs all the way up and she is not visible. So, sure enough, the contractor nails the wood while she is up there preventing her from getting back out…had to come back the same day and undo the job.

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  3. Our Mia pulled such a disappearing act one time that I called the 24PetWatch people and reported her missing. She turned up later that night. Don’t know what room she came out of because I’d torn the house apart looking for her. We never did find her hiding place. Our cat Midnight has one as well. I play hell when Laura goes to visit her dad’s family. I have to make sure I’ve seen all the cats and know where they are.

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  4. My 7 year old traditional Persian cat is infamous for hiding in my cupboard, drawer and bags in my house.On two occasions when she was much younger we searched the entire building compound thinking that she had slipped out of the door or fallen from the gallery window ledge.The first time on returning home after the search found her locked in my cupboard and the second time in my clothes drawer.As soon as a enclosed space is opened she loves sneaking in and sitting quietly.quietly. Doesn’t purr or scratch the enclosed chamber even with all the commotion around her created by our voices and our searching.Strangely, my other cat, her kitten “Matata:” who is now 5 years old never ever exhibited this character of hiding in enclosed spaces unlike his dam. Here is a candid photo of her totally concealed in a bag i left on the table.

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  5. Camo must not have been declawed, or I doubt he’d have stood much of a chance outdoors. Another reason not to declaw-Houdini cats. Cats need claws if they should ever find themselves outdoors.

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  6. It is amazing how successfully cats can hide in the home. Sometimes they can almost disappear. I guess caution and checking must be the byword but even the best cat caretakers can get it wrong sometimes. Social media as a tool for rescue has come on leaps and bounds.

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