My cat Emma was last seen by me early Saturday afternoon as she sauntered past me and into the house. Then the dogs showed up and by evening when they were ensconced in the garage, I knew the cat would not come in for the night that night. She's particular like that. Doesn't like strange dogs in her space. But I expected she would be waiting by the back door to the Little Backyard in the morning. She wasn't.
By
1 PM Sunday, the puppies were gone and I spent the rest of the day
calling and looking for the cat. Sunday night when I was ready to
close up she was still a no show so I left the garage door open and
went to bed. Monday morning, still no cat.
Monday,
I spent the morning calling for her and looking for her. Went over
to my neighbor's house and asked Robert if they had seen Emma. Nope,
but one of their cats had been mauled by a dog Sunday and was at the
vet and the neighbor on the other side of Robert had one of their
cats killed recently.
I
spent the rest of Monday crying and looking for her body. Marc and I
were both convinced that she had met a bad end. She's gone missing
for a day or so before but by now it had been over 48 hours. I was
imagining all sorts of terrible fates...caught and dragged off by a
dog, laying somewhere suffering, trapped somewhere and couldn't get
out. Was she thirsty, hungry, in pain? I looked for buzzards
circling to give me a clue. Still, I left the back door open just in
case.
Sad
and resigned I was sitting on the couch Monday night, Minnie curled up
against me, when I hear Marc, who was in the kitchen, say 'well, look
who's here' I jumped up off the couch and ran into the kitchen and
there was Emma finally come home. She was hungry but other than that
she was none the worse for wear. She wasn't even dirty, not even any
leaves caught in her fur. Cat, where the hell have you been!
Apparently
she found a safe hidey hole somewhere close by. I'm thinking it must
be over in my other neighbor's yard, the absent neighbor. She had to
have heard me calling for her ever more frantically and she just
ignored me.
Damn
cat.
Oh Ellen, so glad she came back none worse for the wear. Emma's big adventure.
ReplyDeleteCats. We can only love and accept them as they are because they surely aren't going to conform to our ideas about what constitutes being a family member.
ReplyDeleteI'm SO glad she came home.
They do take years off our lives don't they? I am so relieved for you and I empathize completely with your worry and fears.
ReplyDeleteWe have our Bella who we took in from the outside. Naturally she still likes to be out a lot ,weather permitting, but I know that anxiety every time I can't find her.
So glad she is okay and home safe.
ReplyDeleteWhat a relief! I'm so glad she's okay... she's a beautiful girl. Cats have an obnoxious way of taking pleasure in watching you look for them. Little shits!
ReplyDeleteSo glad there was a happy ending here. And practically miraculous considering the dog issues in your neighborhood. I've lived days and nights like that and it's no fun at all.
ReplyDeleteMy heart was breaking while reading your story....and then, thank goodness. Years ago, when we had outdoor cats, one of ours did that too. Damn cat. xoxo Oma Linda
ReplyDeleteAgain, I feared for the ending of this story. I am so glad everthing turned out well. Emma looks just like my Daisy.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Glad it's happy ending!!!! Just like a cat to ignore you!!!
ReplyDeleteCats are like that! My Martha stays out every night and I look for him every morning. He usually comes in when I let the dogs out, but some days he will toy with me and make me worry.
ReplyDeleteEmma looks just like Charley, son CJ's late kitty who got him through some rough times.
ReplyDeleteWonderful. Welcome home Emma
ReplyDeletePuppies in the garage indeed! She showed you.
ReplyDeletethat she did
DeleteI am thinking she was hiding somewhere from some predator and not you. She would not go days without food to just be ornery. Glad she is safe and sound, though.
ReplyDeleteThank God! Good story with the right ending.
ReplyDeleteOh, I nearly died. Thank goodness she's safe. My silly kitty doesn't even go outdoors, and there have been a couple of times she so successfully hid from me in the house I couldn't find her, and nearly had a heart attack.
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ReplyDeleteThank goodness she's home safe, imagining the worst, is the worst - you'll feel like you've been through the wringer, and she's probably nonchalant as you like!
DeleteWell, thank goodness THAT's over! I'm sure she was just freaked out by the presence of the dogs. Cats are notorious for ignoring people calling them by name!
ReplyDeleteI was afraid to read to the end but I'm glad I did. Sorry she gave you such a scare. I have been through that and it's not fun. She's a beauty;)
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