In May of 2007, Hubby and I had been living in an apartment building that only allowed cats for about a month out of a one year lease. We did not have any pets and we both wanted a dog, but that was not going to happen for at least a year and maybe longer. Neither of us were really cat people, but I had heard amazing things about Siamese cats, plus one of my neighbors when I was growing up had one.
Hubby was tentative because he was generally allergic to cats with only a few exceptions. I was determined however, so I searched for local breeders and kept working on him with facts like: a) Siamese cats have different dander than most cats and are practically hypoallergenic and b) they are so friendly they’re practically dogs (a bit of a stretch…).
I eventually found a breeder and took Hubby to meet a litter of cats. The breeder actually had two litters (one a few months older than the other) in the same room. That means, when we went to see the cats we were among about 20-30 kittens all at once and Hubby did not sneeze once. Not only that, but he fell in love with their spunky little personalities as they climbed all over everything and tumbled among each other. We committed to adopt one right then and there.
About two weeks later, when Abigail (Abby) was eight weeks old, we came to pick her. This is what she looked like after a couple of weeks:
We loved her so much and spoiled her rotten. We took her everywhere, as if she was a dog. She cuddled with us at night. She was our baby.
Over the years she dropped from number one to number three in priority because of her self sufficiency. When we got our dog Rumor (Rue) a little over a year later, she demanded more attention because she was more needy. Then, a year and a half later, we had a baby and, well, no explanation needed there. A pet is a pet.
I would be lying if I said I never forgot about Abby or did not give her as much attention as she needed sometimes. I also had a short fuse with her because I expected the most from her. Her calm, sweet, and loving demeanor allowed me to treat her that way.
That is not to say she was not a huge pain in my butt every once in a while. A couple of years ago, when we had a fenced in back yard, I started letting her out every once in a while. She would usually sit on the back porch, or in the corner of the yard, bird watching. She never wandered far, and I could always get her back inside easily. We have moved in the meantime, though, and now, though we have an easily accessible back area, it is not fenced in. We have a little dog lead set up, but nothing to restrict Abby.
Though I was tentative to let Abby outside when we first moved here, after incessant meowing, I finally gave in. We have been here for five months now, and she has been outside many times. Sometimes she’ll wander a little further than she should, but we have always been able to find her easily.
On Tuesday, she went outside with Rue once in the morning, but it was a very hot day (around 98*F with high enough humidity that it felt like 115*F), and she rushed back in within a couple of minutes. Then, in the afternoon around 2pm, I let Rue out again and Abby ran past me, out the door again. I laughed to myself that she would not be gone long. I let Rue back in after about a minute, but Abby was not back yet. I did not really think about it, as I was watching my friends baby that day (she just turned one) and was pretty distracted with two toddlers. I also decided to tackle dinner before I had to jump in the car to drive the other little one home. I made dinner, put the babies in their car seats, and took off without even thinking. I was gone for about 30-40 minutes total. Still forgetting about the cat, I went straight outside to turn on the grill and start the chicken. About five minutes later (around 6:30PM), Hubby got home and asked where Abby was. THAT is when panic struck. On the hottest day of the summer so far, I had not seen her in over four hours.
I think she might be gone for good and I am so sad. I miss her so much. I think about her every minute of every day and I don’ t know what to do. She has a microchip and a HomeAgain subscription, so I put out a lost pet alert and a few posters the day after she went missing. I will check the local papers, maybe put an ad in the paper, and visit local shelters in the next week. We also put her food, some water, our worn t-shirts, and the little crate she likes to curl up in on the back patio, with the hopes that, if she is lost, those items will help her find her way back.
I ache for her. I want my tiny little cat back. I miss her spunk. Little Man keeps meowing, as if to ask where she is and I have to fight back the tears every time.
I miss you Abby, please come home. :'(
*****
About two and a half hours after I published this post, a woman from our neighborhood called the HomeAgain hotline and they connected her with me! She’s home! She lost her collar, which means if we hadn’t posted the posters, we may never have found her. She was sunbathing on the back patio near the woods in a section of town homes one over from ours.
Thank you so much for the kind thoughts, words, and prayers! She is home and we are THRILLED!!
This made my cry. 🙁 I think about her and you guys all the time. So many prayers that she comes home to you soon.
Erika, I am so sorry. I know this pain all too well.
I had a cat that I loved, who didn’t adjust well when I moved to a new apartment. I let him go outside, because it made him happy, and I felt I owed that to him.
One day, he disappeared.
A YEAR LATER, the downstairs neighbors’ kids were telling me about their cat. It was a stray that came and ate the food they left out for him and would let him pet them and, oh, how they loved when he visited. They were Russian and had named him the Russian word for raccoon.
One day, I met the stray at. It was Dodger. My Dodger. He had been living in the woods behind my complex the WHOLE time.
I say this to bring you at least this comfort – your kitty may return. But if she doesn’t, she will either be happy hunting mice in the woods somewhere, or loving some sweet family who finds her.
(I know, it’s not the best words of comfort, but I had to try. 🙂 )
My friends in Boston had a brownstone in downtown Boston with a roof top deck. One night they let there cat go outside and forgot about her and left her outside all night. She was gone for maybe a week and then found her way back home. And this cat was like 10 years old, so really should not have been outside that long. Don’t give up hope!!! She may find her way home!!
Thank you so much for your heartfelt comments! They did make me feel better and now she’s home and we are so happy!
SO glad she is home safe and sound! 🙁