Dear Cat

It is Tuesday and time to share a Slice of Life. Thank you, Two Writing Teachers, for creating this supportive community of teacher-writers!

This little fellow has gone missing.

He slipped out of an open door at my neighbors’ home four days ago, and has not returned home. 

The door was inadvertently left open by a plumber, who was hard at work on a huge issue (a pinhole leak in pipes in the the front yard) and had no idea there was any reason to NOT leave the door open. 

The neighbors forgot to caution the plumber about the door, because they were so caught up in the stress of the leaking pipe. Also, they hadn’t really thought about the plumber’s need to go inside the house from time to time. 

Now, they are both frantically searching for Dear One. He was a stray, who stumbled upon their backyard as a kitten some nine or ten years ago. There had been a feral pregnant cat in our neighborhood, and this little kitten was quite likely one of her litter. The neighbors noted his gorgeous fluffy fur and his small size, and they set up a humane trap with a bit of food and a warm towel. The little kitten wandered inside and was caught. Dear One became an indoor cat, loved and cared for all these many years by these kind neighbors. 

I have taken care of Dear One many times when my neighbors have been traveling. I know him to be shy and anxious, scurrying away anytime I am in the same room. If the neighbors are gone for longer than a week, Dear One will dare to spend a bit more time with me. I have always considered it a gift on these rare occasions, when he and I can be standing perfectly still, staring at one another from across a room. 

Dear One is not aloof with his owners, of course. Dear One likes to perch on the arm of their chairs when they are working or lounging at home. 

Here’s a list of some of the tricks and lures they are using to attract Dear One back to their home: 

• contacted a cat expert (a cat whisperer?)
• posted signs throughout the neighborhood
• posted on our neighborhood listserv
• talked with every neighbor
• set up another humane trap
• set out some favorite cat toys
• draped a couple of their shirts on a nearby fence post, for attractive scent
• there is tuna fish on a plate
• a cat litter box at the basement entrance
• vigilantly searched their surroundings and neighboring yards, many, many times

To date, nothing has worked.

They have security cameras on their home, and they witnessed Dear One crossing the backyard around 1-2 a.m. the first two nights. So, they set themselves up in the backyard on the third night, sitting quietly in the dark at the same time, making sweet cat noises. Sadly, no Dear One. 

The fourth night, it was pouring rain. No sign of Dear One. No neighbors sitting out back. 

The security camera showed two foxes, however, bravely crossing through the yard.

This is so unsettling. Everyone feels so helpless. How to lure Dear One back home?

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