Edited to add:
Renee asks that you keep her sweet kitteh in your thoughts. She says:
I know this seems silly but can I just ask for good thoughts from your readers? Sunday morning my buddy was looking out the screen door when a burst of thunder sounded – it scared him and he went through the door and took it out. Between that noise and the thunder, he took off into the fields behind my house. I called for him all day Sunday and today whenever I’ve been home (I had school) I’ve checked and called. I am afraid he’s lost and having trouble finding home, but I”m trying to stay positive since I know some cats are gone for days – but well, the bad things keep popping in. I am hopeful that the more good thoughts and prayers may help guide his way. I attached a picture of my sweet, snuggle bug. It was when he was younger, but the expression hasn’t changed. He’s very laid back and friendly with other cats and he’s not quite 1 year old.
Kinda relaxed for someone who’s about to go off and get the ol’ snip-snip, isn’t he?
This is Razzie. I love it when they sleep with their back feet tucked up under their head. SO cute (and SO flexible!)
I’m not sure what the reasoning was, but Newbery felt the need to dig at the window the other day.
He dug and dug and dug.
Maybe he saw his reflection in the window and wanted to get to know that good-lookin’ kitty.
::thlurp::
Razzie again. I’ve taken to calling her Razzle Dazzle. She doesn’t care what I call her, as long as I don’t call her late to dinner. Har har.
The Noms are about to head off for their spaying and neutering. I’m a teeny bit nervous about this, not because I’m worried they won’t do well (they’ll be fine, I have no doubt). But they have NEVER been for a ride in the car, which I think might have been a mistake on my part. I hope they don’t get carsick, and I hope they don’t freak out!
Norland and Russet came through their neutering just fine. I got them home, let them out of the carrier, and they were like “What just happened? I guess we went for a car ride or something, and then a bunch of people snuggled us… and then we came home. Weird!” and then raced around like nothing had happened. They are good little travelers, and after a few protests when I put them into the carrier, they settled down and made no noise at all. In fact, when we got to the vet’s office, they crowded the front of the carrier and purred and purred. No fear in those two at all!
Leapin’ Norland.
Russet, taking a break from running around like a wild thing.
Norland’s all “‘Sup?”
Kennebec and Agata in the wall basket.
He’s such a pretty, pretty boy.
Norland, giving me attitude. “I sense that something’s missing, but I don’t know what!”
He swings! He misses!
Fianna, watching the boys run around.
The little Taters watching the big Taters race around.
The good thing about having Russet and Norland gone for the day yesterday is that the little ones were more willing to come let me pet them. They’re still skittish, but when the big guys are in there, they’re more interested in them and playing with them than in letting me snuggle them. I got all three of them to come down from the wall basket and approach me for petting. Then they’d get nervous and run off, and I’d have to coax them close again. They are the sweetest little things.
Doesn’t Alice Mo have the prettiest eyes?
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Previously
2011: No entry.
2010: No entry.
2009: Girlfriend has got some LUNGS.
2008: It’s so cute I want to squeeze them to death.
2007: The knowledge that he’s the Purtiest! Kitty! Ever! makes Sugarbutt a wee bit smug.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Robyn, I’m sure you’ve seen this (or that one of your commenters has already mentioned it to you), but I think they had you in mind when this t-shirt was made: http://tinyurl.com/7oxk7e6
Too perfect!
LOL! Shouldn’t that be “my cats are…”, though?
Or “my cats, kittens, chickens, ducks, pigs, George & Gracie are…”?
Although I guess then the font size would be so small people would be coming way too close to stare at your chest!
🙂
But do you sing Razzie the song “Give Em the Old Razzle Dazzle” from the musical Chicago? I’m a big fan of altering song lyrics to sing to my kitties (and my kids, but the kitties are more amused by my singing than the kids are. And they roll their eyes at me less.)
Oh Sharon, we must be distant cousins. I do the same thing! ((And now I have a fabulous show tune in my head))
I’m sure the Noms will be fine; they’re not like their mother after all!
You should submit that photo of the Little Taters watching the Big Taters to some contest. It’s just so perfect… the two in front eager yet scared a little and then, when you look at it, you notice Agata in the corner!
Why yes, now that you mention it, Alice Mo does have gorgeous eyes. And the tiny taters have the biggest, most innocent looking kitten eyes I’ve seen in at least a litter or two. I’ll bet they find everything AMAZING!!!
Norman is currently giving me the same look of annoyance that Norland is displaying above. Although I imagine it has more to do with my hollering the time at my putzing children on their way to the bus (or perhaps not at this rate) than anything he’s long past noticed missing.
Renee: keep checking – even in the strangest places. When our Tommy accidentally got out a couple of years ago, I found him about 18 hours later – under the neighbors a/c unit.
Purrs to the Noms….
I second this: We’ve been conditioned to think usually that, “Oh, they’ll find their way home, it’s instinct!” by movies like “Homeward Bound / The Incredible Journey,” etc. But not all animals are as intuitive or determined as this.
Many years ago, my mom’s beloved Shar Pei – possibly the dumbest dog the world has ever known – got out when a windstorm blew the side gate off the hinges. It was more than a week before he was found, and even I had given up hope after the third or fourth day. But my mom kept putting fliers up, in a slightly larger radius every day, and on the 8th day she got a call from someone who said he thought he’d seen a dog matching that description in a drainage culvert, but he was pretty certain the dog was dead. My mom went anyway, thinking to bury him properly if nothing else, and to everyone’s relief he was alive (barely). He slept at the foot of my father’s chair for three days straight, drinking water when they’d bring it and occasionally a nibble of some food, and being carried out to the yard for bathroom breaks. By the fifth day he was up and walking around a little bit on his own, and after a week, he was right back to normal – and my parents had new, sturdier gates installed.
We were all certain he was a goner (especially because he was clearly a pure-bred Shar Pei – we assumed he’d either gotten killed in the desert by a snake or coyote or javelina, or been snatched up by someone who recognized his value as a stud dog), but he astonished us all by pulling through. Don’t give up, and do post flyers, lost-pet ads in the paper and on Craigslist or wherever anyone might see it, and notify your neighbors too. We saw a clearly lost dog this weekend, with collars and all, looking bewildered but running every time we tried to get close to him – we drove around the area for an hour looking for “lost dog” signs but saw nothing. There are people who WILL look and who WILL call to help, so don’t overlook that as a possibility. Even in a rural area, odds are good that someone will spot him and help you narrow down a search area.
Good luck…
Mine was hiding in my own shrubs!!!
So no more eyes on the spuds? Ha just cracking myself up this fine morning.
Renee’s buddy, come home!
Murphy used to do that digging thing, not only at windows, but also at mirrors, TV screens, computer monitors. We couldn’t figure out whether he was trying to get in or let that other kitty out.
This site has a lot of hints on missing cats and how to find them…
http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/index.php
Oh, my heart goes out to Renee (we used to have a lovely orange boy like that…). I hope he comes home soon!
Sorry Rene, your boy got spooked and now he’s missing. I hope that he finds his way home. SOON!
Oh Renee, it is not silly.
When my boy went missing, I went out and about leaving scent trails. Hair from my brush, scoops of used litter.. I’ve seen some pretty remarkable reunions. At this point there is still lots and lots of hope..
I had one set of kittens never leave my house. It was when the shelter first changed their vaccination policies. They freaked out so badly when they went to the vet that I swore never again, and now I have ‘take the foster kitten’s to work” days. If the big boss is in town and I can’t bring them in, I make it a point to bring them to the shelter or a pet friendly store and have people coo over them.
But the noms seem so well adjusted, and so relaxed, I’m sure they’ll do wonderfully just like the russets!
I pray he is microchipped!
Renee,
If you haven’t filed a lost report AND visited your local shelter, PLEASE do this NOW. I work at a local shelter and I’m always surprised by how long it takes for people to report a lost kitty.
True, and with all the vets in the area.
We have a digger too. She digs at the glass door and windows but especially loves to dig at the mirror in the bathroom – squeak, squeak, squeak of her little feet on the mirror can be heard through the wall. We always ask her if she’s digging to China.
Renee-I was you last week. My screen door pauses before it shuts, and my little Monkey found himself out on the deck. As soon as he realized it he panicked and bolted. I wandered around calling him and shaking a bag of treats and crying. I decided to sit quietly near where I last saw him. After what seemed like an eternity, I heard his cry, and I answered him back. Turns out he was under the shed in my neighbour’s yard. He was very scared and he would poke his head out, but then get scared and go back under. After about an hour of this, a neighbourhood cat approached the shed, and I bolted towards it. (Monkey has never been around another cat except his brother). The other cat distracted him enough that I was able to grab him around the neck and haul him out.
Keep looking-he may in fact be near but too scared to be visible. Follow your instincts. I am sending positive thoughts you way!
Leo does that dig at the window thing… I think he likes the way it sounds, or he thinks he’ll eventually get whatever bug, raindrop, or spot is on the other side! Silly guy!
I agree, Renee. Don’t give up hope! I bet he’s hiding out nearer to you than you might think, but too scared or overwhelmed to come out. My Cocoa got out when we moved to a new house, and it was totally unfamiliar territory to her. We called and looked for days, and actually thought she might have tried to migrate back to our old house by using her cat ESP or something. We went back and forth between house for days,searching and calling. After 8 days i’d pretty much given up, but then heard a sad little meow at the door. Cocoa had been hiding in the bushes behind the fence of our new house the whole time! So look in all the nooks and crannies and quiet, dark hidey-holes you can. And keep the faith! We’re all sending good, protective reunion juju out to you and your Buddy.
Renee, what everyone else said… My Katie-cat got out and was gone for three days. When I finally found her, she was hiding under my back porch. (Yes, I looked under there, but she was not only under there, she was under the cardboard that was under there!) When I saw her and cried out, she bolted back under the cardboard under there and I had to go in after her. I think maybe sitting quietly where he can see you might help if he is nearby but scared. Good thoughts to you and purrs to him!
Renee, look up and look down. He may have circled back to your house and be closer than you think. Look up into trees, neighbor’s roofs, etc. Look down into crawlspaces, WAY under bushes, etc., with a strong flashlight. Ask your neighbors to check their garages and sheds. And if at all possible, leave the door he escaped through open, especially at night, so he can get back in when he comes home.
Sending ultrapositive thoughts your way, Renee. Ditto to the Noms. May everyone get home safely.
Me too! It’s so upsetting when a cat gets out. I only had it happen twice and was SO lucky both times – he took refuge in a neighbor’s house the first time and I found him under some bushes about a block away the second.
The first time was weird because he used the neighbor’s cat door, then went under their couch as far as he could go and stayed there until I got home from work and started asking all my neighbors if they had seen him.
The neighbors in question were afraid he was a skunk, so were leaving him alone while they were figuring out how to deal with skunk under their couch!! (He’s a tuxie)
I’ll always remember how happy they were to see me and how scared he was. Not himself at all!
Renee – everyone one here 2 & 4 legged are thinking of your Buddy. He looks just like our Buddy who passed away a week ago Sunday. So our Buddy is looking after your Buddy.
Norland giving you attitude cracked me up something fierce.
::big ol’ smoochies to pretty Alice::
Do you think Russet will keep those BEAUTIFUL blue eyes?
Those little blue-eyed orange tabbies–all of them–are KILLING ME DEAD. Omg!
Thank you everyone – I’ve been spraying myself with bug spray (bad tick season here – pulled one off my back this morning that I think came from sunday’s search when I didn’t spray) and going through the underbrush. I even trespassed into the big field behind my house – it has different underbrush and woody spots – but no such luck yet. I’ve been checking up in the trees too – hopeful maybe he’s stuck. Under my porch is pretty bare – check there every time I go out and well – my neighbor’s without fenced yards have probably seen (and heard) me tromping through the underbrush on the back edge of their property. I just don’t know why he didn’t stop and turn back – the last image I have is his long orange body leaping into the underbrush. I appreciate all the good thoughts – I go through a lot of ups and downs – trying to stay positive. He was bonding with my feral kitty – who now is constantly looking for him and his brother keeps walking around crying for him – so its difficult – I think we are all feeling his disappearance. I am going to go door to door up the block and hand out flyers to see if anything comes of it. I am really nervous though b/c they are going to start cutting branches behind the house to protect the utility lines. I just hope he will have quite the adventure to tell me when he gets home safely.
So sorry to comment late, but Renee, if you’re seeing this, any sign of your baby yet? I’ve had my oldest black cat, Abby, go missing twice. Once I think she was gone for 36 hours and the other time was shorter but not sure exactly how long. We’re sending good thoughts and hoping for good news soon! I’ve been checking every entry and the comments daily to see any updates!