I haven’t poked my head underneath the car if the cat was taken but I’m suspect that something is amiss. See photo as the panel around the muffler was almost removed.
wrong end of the car for a cat attack. They don't need to touch anything back there if they want your cat.
Those panels can make weird noises when they are not fully clipped in. Different panel locations and missing pin arrangements can make different sounds that come and go at differing speeds. What alerted you to the missing pins?
