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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Close, But No Cigar





    As we drive down the road with our pristine print out of MapQuest sitting beside us unlooked at, we wonder "where am I?" Our second thought is usually, "how did I get here?" It never occurs to us to actually READ the thing we printed out. We briefly think to ourselves, should we ask for directions, but that thought disappears as quickly as the life of the bug that just hit our windshield. We are lost and we will never admit it. We would rather drive around 45 minutes to get to a place 15 minutes away before asking for direction. After all, if a butterfly can find its way from North America to its home thousands of miles away in South America, we certainly can find our destination only 10 miles away. I'm willing to bet the butterfly asked for directions.


    I grew up hearing fantastic stories about how pets were lost miles away and found their way home. A cat with three legs lost in the desert hundreds of miles away was found meowing at the grief stricken owner's door two weeks later. A dog in the middle of a bitter break up was taking by the ex who moved out of state only to find its way home to the side he really loved. Then there's my pet, the indoor cat that escaped and couldn't find his way out of a box if I drew it on the floor.


    With two weeks of food and a water supply to support a small community, we left the cats for their first weekend alone. Out the drive way and down the street is as far as we got before we made our u-turn back home to open a couple of windows so the animals could have fresh air over the weekend. I just didn't know how much fresh air one of them was actually going to get. With windows open we head back to the fully packed car, my one bag and the other ten that are not, and we head off to Vegas baby.


    After a great weekend and a  long exhausting drive, we pull up back home and find the front window open as we left it and the screen with a big hole not as we left it. A quick search of the house and one cat, Bull, was located. The other cat, Rock, was nowhere to be found. With bags left on the porch and treat cans in hand we head off to search for the missing cat.


    We lived on 3rd street inside a mobile home park. Rock couldn't have gotten far. A plan was drawn to choose who will search where and off to 2nd and 1st street I went. Four mobile homes in on the left side of 1st street Rock is found lying on the porch of an unoccupied mobile home, it's the same location as our home just two streets over. I called out his name, gave the treat can a shake and the cat followed me home like a dog. I explained that the cat was found in the same lot we were in, just two streets over, and I'm quickly told the cat takes after me. I'm sure it was a complement.


    Another year goes by before the cats are left alone again for the weekend. No windows were left open this time. Upon returning home we find the front window open about half a foot, the replaced screen with a big hole in it and one missing cat. The window he escaped through wouldn't latch and he figured out how to slide it open, too bad he couldn't figure out how to get home. With battle plans drawn I head off to 2nd and 1st street again. There's Rock, same place as before.


    Eventually someone moved into the place on 1st street and every time we left for 2 days I would go and warn them they may be visited…and a couple of times they were.


    I'll never understand how salmon can find the correct stream to swim up or how migrating birds know where to go. I ask myself why do some people know distinctly were to go and others couldn't find their neighbors house. Why can a cat lost in the desert find its way home and if mine blinks he's lost. I don't know. Until then though, I will continue to add an extra hour to my travel time.

19 comments:

  1. Sounds like your escape artist cats would come in handy if you ever found yourself in a prison that allowed pets.

    Wow, that was a long sentence.

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  2. hi there I'm doing blogwalking and I love cats just like you, but we can't have cats in here because my mom hates it.

    oh well I like reading your stories it's funny and I kind of envy you for the fun you had with the cats.. :) say hello to them.

    regards

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  3. Hi Hunter, the cats would escape but I have a feeling they would ditch me

    Ghi2x how you doing. You should read my post "Oh, you'll notice me alright" I had the same issue once but with soon to be mom in law

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  4. Haha, I am going to show this blog to my cat Mildred. She is depressed and arthritic. Hopefully it will cheer her up.
    http://plentymorefishoutofwater.blogspot.com/

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  5. Hey, love your blog! It's funny, it's insane, and it's got a definate feline touch, which is a plus....although, i must admit, my canine side usually dominates my inner cat person, your blog usually helps drag that side, albeit screaming and kickin', out.

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  6. Hilarious! I had a cat who would always sit on our neighbors porch at night, waiting to get in. The houses didn't even look alike. I suspect he was getting pork chops over there or something.

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  7. Hi all, thanks for stoppin in

    Plentymore - hope she's feelin better. Don't let her get any new ideas from the post though.

    Girl - looks like i might be appealing to your inner dog soon. A baby Boxer may be joining us soon.

    Fin - Hi Fin! :)

    Christina - Pork Chops? Hell, I'll sit on your neighbors porch for Pork Chops!

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  8. Mike,
    lol, I love it, I think I must be part that cat, one too many beers, and i'm in the wrong neighborhood, well, at least Bess believes it.
    Jk, you should see the screen.

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  9. Hi there.. I love to read about your cats. I am from India and though I do not have pet cats now (too busy with my special needs girl and also my home is not suitable for my pet cats anymore) I have shared my life with them for a long time. I know they are more independent animals and very smart. Recently when I visited one of my friend in USA who had three pet cats, I was sort of shocked as to how different they were. These house cats would get lost if let out. My cats would go out in the night to hunt, play etc. They ate the same cat food day in and day out. I thought that was so boring and dull. My cats loved fish, milk etc. They lived long too. May be by being over protective and dominating we are taking the natural talents and traits of animals like dogs and cats.

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  10. Hi Bob, you ARE part that cat! LOL Just find your way over to Christina's neighbors house with me and we will eat pork chops.

    Hi Farila, always good to see you. You are probably correct in being over protective. I'm looking at getting a baby Boxer dog right now and I know I will have to get his ears and tail cut because centuries of in-breeding and cutting their ears and tail has left the breed prone to ear problems. The tail is a hygeine problem. After loosing a cat from being hit by a car and loosing a black cat on halloween all my cats are indoor unless I move to a place were it's safe for them.

    Thank you all for your comments, I truely appreciate them.

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  11. Salut!

    So I have come to really love your cat stories, also that this is the first blog that I have ever read. I will be commenting more often!

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  12. Sorry folks, said neighbor no longer lives there, but I'm all for starting a roving pork chop extortion gang in which we all converge on some poor souls front porch demanding pork chops. I'm a vegetarian though so I'll just run camera, it's probably too much to ask said poor soul for pork chops and veggie chops.

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  13. Crazy Spice Lady - i'm very honored and thank you. PS. LOVE the name. :)

    Christina - baked apples and applesauce. all I got to say. :)

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  14. Oh that's a funny story. Our Lola was found wandering lost when she was 8 months old, obviously someone's pampered cat - she obviously couldn't find her way home either, so we watch her like a hawk and never let her slip outside - luckily she hasn't figured out how to escape out the window screen yet.

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  15. Come by and pick em up, they are ready now.

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  16. hey!thanks for letting me follow u...i think that maybe he wanted to be found...maybe he knows that u will find him since it is so close to home,on the other hand the cats and dogs that are lost miles and miles away from home have a survival instinct and actually have to find their way home

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  17. Hi Chris, hopefully she never learns the screen trick. It's weird how some cats just don't have that natural sense to find their way home.

    Mr.Bob, thank you so much. I have them and display them proudly.

    thealwaysthinkingfish - you may be correct. Rock followed me around like a dog all the time.

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  18. Sorry about your loss .. Losing a bet is tough and more over no one understands.. Sigh!

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