You all have met my kitties here:
My darling, my cherished Evangeline, and
our precious LITTLE kitty, Lilliane.
They're INDOOR cats. Evangeline came from our excellent Shelter; she had come in as a foundling with her sister and some kittens, but she was only about a year old; since coming home to her Forever Home she has NEVER been outside, other than in the carrier to go visit the Kind and Friendly Dr. Smith. (Her terminology for her varies....she is, after all, the vet.)
Lilliane was born to a foundling kitty in Dr. Smith's office. She came home to her Forever Home in a carrier and has never experienced Life Outdoors.
New Scene :
Mr. Dearling and I left home this morning at 7:30 AM, clad in our 18th c. clothing and with a carful of furs and trade goods. We went downtown and presented a History of the Fur Trade for a group of Senior Citizens at the Senior Summer School. After finishing and repacking the car, it was 11:00 AM. Mr. Dearling had to be at a meeting at the Arboretum at 1:00 -- so we stopped at a Senior Center Ginormous Resale and poked around some. We did find wine glasses ($2 for 4) but not really anything else, so we left and I dropped him off at the Arboretum and came home to change into normal human clothes.
WARNING: Graphic description of Sad and Fear ahead.
I parked in the drive, as always, and gathered the bag with the glasses, my purse and Mr Dearling's muzzleloader trade gun, (rather than leave it in the car).
When I opened the door - the usual Welcoming Committee did not appear. I put the gun away, -- and started looking for the girls. Lilli was not sleeping on the bed; Evangeline was not sleeping in the cat tree. I was puzzled....but it's quite warm, so I thought perhaps they had gone down the basement where it's cooler.
I went down there, turning on all the lights and calling - and then I heard Evangeline miaowing...I couldn't see her, and couldn't figure out where she was, but she sounded distressed. I thought she might have gotten caught somewhere in the basement behind some shelving........
....and then I saw -- her silhouette against the window.
OUTSIDE.
NOTE: I can now report: all's well that ends well.
I took a bowl of food out - Evangeline was along the side of the house, in the foliage. I tried to reach her but she danced away from me, and she was miaowing and miaowing. I just sat down with the bowl of food and waited and talked to her -- and eventually, she let me come a little closer and put the bowl down and she did come to eat, then allowed me to pick her up. I managed to get her and the bowl into the house. I gave her a little more food and some treats - then put her in the basement (with a bowl of water, her bowl of dry food and some more treats), then went out to find Lilliane.
I called and called, went around the house a few times (I'd seen her nearby when I was trying to get Evangeline). I didn't see her anywhere - but then followed a hunch and looked under the parked car. Lilli WAS there........and when I held out my hands toward her she came straight to me and let me pick her up and bring her inside.
SO!
I report, with delight and blessed relief, that both of my kitties are once again where they belong (albeit separated; they're having their "I've been traumatized and it's YOUR FAULT" snit going on though I'm sure it won't last long). Mr Dearling is going to replace the screen and then literally affix the frame to the house from the outside by nailing it to the windowframe of the house. Peace reigns at Chez CATS (the sticks and books tend to take care of themselves). There will be knitting tonight - and friend Donna will be coming over with her fabulous seafood salad in hand. I believe that 4-5 hours of "Housewives of New York/New Jersey" coupled with fresh seafood salad, iced tea and conversation will reset the gyro of my life.
Dear Fates: thanks for the excitement; you may resume normal programming now. I'm too old for this chazerai.
8 comments:
Oh my goodness! It's always traumatic when our Indoor Only cats get outside too.
We live on the 2nd floor of a condo, and one evening, after we had left our slider door open for a while to enjoy the cool late-summer air, we were getting ready for bed when Mr. Interrupted said suddenly, "where's Doozer?" We searched high and low in the house, and rattled the container of kitteh treats, but when he didn't come, we realized he must've sneaked outside to our deck. Now, a nimble and brave cat can reach the roof from our deck, and after shaking the kitteh treats and calling for a good 15 minutes (attracting a very large opossum in the process) Doozer peeked over the side of the roof. "Meow?" We were much relieved to have him back. When Mr. Interrupted got him down from the roof, his tail was puffed up. We think he may have seen the opossum too.
And that's my tale.
Glad you have your furry lovelies back inside where they belong. :)
OMGosh! I'm glad everything turned out OK! ((Hugs)) to the furbabies!
Benny escapes as often as he can, squirting out the door as soon as I open it even a crack. I have My Methods for keeping him inside--like rattling The Plastic Bag of Doom--but occasionally he still gets out. Fortunately, he is usually immediately sidetracked by grass that requires gnawing, so I can grab him. Although I feel guilty about it, I keep them in both for their health and because Benny is The Amazing Flying Kitty and would decimate the bird population in my yard. That would be a bad, bad thing. This morning, though, in lieu of birds, he consumed a large amount of ribbon. The waiting game commences.
Having lost a couple of dogs to the dangerous road, our current doggies go outside into a big fenced yard.
When they get loose outside it, it's a scary adventure indeed.
(It didn't used to be such a dangerous road, when we moved here. *sigh*)
O noooos! Tell those girlies to STAY INSIDE where they're safe and loved, and give them extra snorgles from Auntie & De Boys!
What a wonderful blog you have here. I really enjoy your blogging.
Thanks for sharing it with me.
Lady Estelle
Yes, bad things can happen to the kitty folk in the outside. I give them credit for following staying in one place when they're separated from you rule.
Oh noez! But a happy ending -- whew! We had a cat get inside the walls and floor once (old house, long story). That was a feat to rescue that cat.
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