I'm sure most have you have seen the movie Homeward Bound or heard similar touching stories in the news about animals that have returned home after long absences traveling far and wide. True Miracles. If you have tissue around, you might want to keep it handy before you read anymore.
On March 7 (WOW i thought it was late april before i looked back in the blog to
this post) our beloved cat Katie crawled into a trailer we had sold and was driven off to a home about 10 miles away in a wooded, thicket, marsh filled area completely unfamiliar to her. Once the trailer was opened she sprang out and ran like the wind. As soon as we found out we began the hunt through snow covered patches and areas thick with brush (and ticks-ewww) calling her name - shaking her "treats" hopeful she would just appear. It didn't happen. We posted signs, checked the Humane Society weekly, continued searching when time would allow, talked to neighbors. Still nothing. A month passed. The snow melted, the sun came out. We got a rabbit to dull the pain. Still no Katie.
In May a neighbor (also a friend of a mom at my daughters school) though they saw that cat on the poster and called her neighbor Jackie. Jackie called me and we began another long search. We set out a live trap, and over the next 2-3 weeks caught other things but no Katie. Much Tuna was bought and eaten by critters other than her. Sadly, we decided maybe it wasn't her or the worst had happened - after all it had been 2 months or more. What were the chances that it was really Katie?
We went on vacation for the entire month of May. We lived, we ate, we had fun. We missed our girl and talked about how she was maybe in Heaven with our former cat Pixie eating kitty treats and having the time of her life.
In late June we had given up hope, and our hearts were tugged at by 2 little kittens that needed a new home. We adopted Cowboy and Boots and added them to our ever expanding family. Boots was picked especially for her coloring by sis. She reminded her of Katie. I picked Cowboy for his loving and nurturing personality...and though he's growing he's become even more of a love/cuddle bug. Our mini-farm was complete. No more animals for a while until the fences are up and the Pole Barn built. Then we can have horses.
Animals are lost but never forgotten. Bubba will ask constantly about Pixie (our cat that was run over and passed away). Katie was her replacement. Picked up the moment we got back from vacation that year - only July 4th. Just a baby herself like my newest little ones. She was a crazy kitten at first - the likes of Sparta if you remember in
this post. We had to close our doors to sleep at night otherwise she would claw you in the back running across your body at full speed or bite your toes. She passed the kitten stage and grew to be a very loving and affectionate girl. She loved to walk up to you and nuzzle her face against yours. She would just come and sit on you to be petted. She loved to be inside, without much desire to go outside. Her favorite perch (in our last house) was the large printer next to a window. She would jump up while you were working on the computer and block the screen. She new EXACTLY what she was doing. Then she would look at you with her green pleading eyes until you pet her, and plop down on the desk in front of you. She had a special bond with Sis. She slept on sis' bed. Sis loved on her, fed her, and adored her. We frequenetly prayed she was okay. If she had passed we hoped for the best. The kids worried she was eaten by a coyote or worse. Jack was with us/her only about 6 months before she was gone. He was lost without her those first few weeks. He meowed all over the house calling for her. Where was she?
On September 1st our friend Jackie found a cat tearing through her garbage bags and eating the garbage. She had spotted this cat a few weeks earlier (never thinking herself that it could possibly be Katie) but couldn't catch her. She was just a wild cat she thought. When she saw her eating the garbage she thought what if....? So she called to her when she went to run off "Katie, Katie, here kitty kitty".
And she came!
And she was friendly and she let her pick her up. She was skinny and a little wild and she put her in a carrier and drove straight to my house to see if it was really her. The carrier was little small and she was in backwards by the time we opened the cage. We pulled her out, i took one look at her face and the tears welled up.
IT WAS HER!!!!!
Unbelievably after almost 6 months (i thought it was only 3 or 4 until i looked back for the date through my blog) i was actually holding my cat! She had nails dug in. She was looking wildly around the yard and a bit freaked still from the car ride. I took her inside, got her some food and she scarfed it down and threw it up within 10 minutes. Maybe we should take it slow...its probably been a while since she has had a real full meal.
Many people had told us during our searches that when and IF we found her she might be a bit wild after being out "in the wild" for so long. That wild period lasted about 2 -3 hours.
She KNOWS she is home. She is back to laying on stacks of papers and jumping up on the counter. She nuzzles and snuggles. She remembered Shadow (one of our dogs) and nuzzled right up to his face. She does not however have those fond feeling for her once "buddy" Jack the other cat, or the 2 new kittens. It is still Hiss-Fest around here. That too will pass. We are just basking in the miracle that is her survival! For being 75% House cat her whole life (only going out on rare occasions if we were in the yard or Jack wanted out too) she held her own in a heavily wooded area eating what she could to survive.
We are beyond Thankful for the day she decided to go trash digging in Jackie's garbage. She is an answer to all our prayers for her safety while she was out there. I wish we could shout it from the rooftops. Never give up HOPE.
She is home.
