Friday 10 October 2003

Missing

Abi, our gorgeous fluffy puddle of purriness, has gone AWOL.  Needless to say I'm somewhat (understatement, ha!) distraught.

Here's what happened.  When I take Gus (our black border collie) for a walk, Abi often joins us.  It's incredibly cute, me and Tuxedo and the dog with the wee cat trotting along behind, hiding behind trees to pounce out at us, running up to be petted then bouncing off again, then racing to catch up, little short legs flying, huge bushy tail waving like a feather boa, bells jinglejingling.  It's really one of the cutest, most touching, and least cat-like/more dog-like behaviours I've ever seen.

Usually she will "walk" with us for about two and a half blocks, then turn around and zoom home.  Yesterday afternoon, however, she didn't turn back at the usual point, but stayed closer to us for an additional block or so.  She seemed nervous, occasionally stopping to yowl and wind around my legs and look up at me.  I really wanted to pick her up and take her back home, she seemed so disturbed and it was further than she'd been before; but then she didn't turn around and run home as she usually does, so I figured I was being an anthropomorphising idiot (well, even more than usual) and we kept going. 

Next time I turned around to check up on her, because I hadn't heard any mrows or jinglejingles, she had disappeared.  In just a few seconds, gone.  I called her but she didn't appear - and she always, ALWAYS comes running when called (another of her particularly anti-cat/dog-like behaviours).  Then I thought she'd probably run home or taken a short cut or three over back fences ... but when Tux and Gus and I got home - no Abi.

No Abi anywhere.  We called.  We backtracked our route and called some more, stopping and looking around where we'd last seen her and calling some more.  No Abi anywhere.

Okay, most of you are saying "Hey, that's cats for you, that's what they DO", but if I may reiterate, Abi doesn't act like that.  She's sociable, likes being around her people, follows me everywhere, and always comes when called - even if she's having a great time hunting lizards in the garden of the house three doors down.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

I don't mind admitting I was in A State.  I cried and cried, got angry at myself for crying over a cat that would turn up for its next meal anyway, and kept crying.  I'd lost her and it was my fault entirely, because I should have taken her back home when she was obviously distressed and anxious about her surroundings.  I choked and sobbed some more.  Broken-hearted.

Tuxedo (and he'll probably kill me for saying this) was nearly as upset as me.  We cuddled and I sobbed and got snot all over his t-shirt; he tried to comfort me as best he could; he even printed out "Missing Cat" posters with Abi's photos and our contact details for plastering over the neighbourhood.

Still, I held onto the thought that she'd come home for her dinner, or when it got dark (she doesn't stay out after dark - partly training and her own preference) but no.  No Abi.

We went out, over to Fifi and Magnum's place, because I couldn't bear to stay in and wait, hopelessly moping.  We ended up having a brilliant time for all our worries.  Fifi cooked an amazing Thai Beef Salad and we drank lots of beers and wine and vodka.  And I smoked; something I do very rarely and only when (a) very drunk and (b) very stressed and anxious.  In this case, all of the above.  Oh and not all of the ciggies were, um, the normal store-bought brand, if ya get me.  All of that helped, but still.  No Abi.

She went missing yesterday afternoon; I'm writing this on Friday night.  Still no Abi.  Tux wants us to go to the cat shelter on Sunday, to look for a new kitty, because I'm just destroyed.  I don't want to have to mourn and wait for a cat that never turns up ... especially considering that the area she disappeared in had a busy building site, and next to that an overgrown vacant lot where we've seen dugites ... None of which are good places for an inquisitive kitten to be.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Today I tried to take my mind off the cat crisis by going into town with Tuxedo (once I'd recovered from the ever-so-slight hangover) for lunch and clothes shopping.  It was a successful expedition - fortunate, as a frustrating time would have made me cry.  I bought a few singlet tops for summer, and a pair of black cotton fisherman's pants, really comfy and yet well fitting around the arse region.  Lunch was - oh, so predictably! - seafood noodle soup from my favourite Malaysian BBQ-Noodle place.  Yum yum yum ...

... but no Abi.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞