Who knows where she was. She is definitely thinner, but does not look otherwise the worse for wear. (Fred's demise does put things into some perspective.) Her return was cunningly planned on my part; today is the first sunny day since her disappearance, and I made sure that I would be in the front garden doing late fall leaf cleaning all afternoon -- because she has always liked to keep us company when we're working outside. And before that, I walked around the neighborhood, up and down every street in a 3 block radius (they say cats will tend only to go about 2 blocks, but I figured that she might have stayed away because she got chased out of her familiar area). I called for her and shook a treat bag, and as a result got to know all the other cats in the neighborhood (and a couple of dogs).
At one point, I could swear I heard her meow, but I couldn't see her -- and another cat came up for a treat, so it might have been him meowing. And moments after I returned home from my walkabout, someone called to say he had seen a cat fitting her description -- about half a block further than my furthest meander. By the time I got there, no cats were visible any more -- but she showed up at home only about 30 minutes later, so it's possible she followed me home from there.
Anyway, she is home now. Maybe we can keep her here for a bit.
(Uncharacteristically solemn, for Tasha. She's drooping with sleep in this photo.)
3 comments:
What a relief to have her home! It sounds like she might be glad to be home, too. You just wonder where she was.
Our Natasha was once trapped in a neighbor's garage for nearly a week, in freezing weather, poor thing.
Relief!
I once had a kitten who disappeared when he was about 6 months old. I had adored him and searched and searched for him. A year later he turned up again - with a gash on his head, probably hit by a car. The neighbor kids came to get me as he was just in front of our house. He wouldn't let anyone touch him - snarled and scratched, but he let me pick him up and treat his head. He stuck very close to me for about a week - purring and sleeping on my lap. Then he disappeared again. Maybe he went back to his other family, or maybe he went feral.
Cats are the only 'domesticated' animal that can survive on their own in the wild - sheep, cows, dogs can't. They have never been fully domesticated and I think that's what we love about them.
Oh that is good news! Glad she is back and none the worse for wear.
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