Fourth

[mer]

Day three of absent cat.

Thank you to captainblack and redmomoko, who offered to come help look for the kitty... though as Dann pointed out, Arthur is so skittish, he'll run from us. Someone on craigslist posted that they'd found a small black cat not far from here, but that person won't get back to us. Humane Society doesn't open until Saturday, with the holiday. We are currently planning to drive out to the cottage to see our family there, and one (or both) of us will journey back on Saturday to haunt the shelter.

In (my) desperation, I put the cat leash and collar that we never use on Merlin and took him outside. Merlin spent a lot of time lying down underneath bushes, or trying to leap away from me and hide underneath the neighbor's porch. Merlin, he would like us to know, is not a bloodhound sort of cat. I don't think it was totally futile, though; he marked up a lot of trees and maybe that will let Arthur know he's home, should he get this far. Merlin's antics lightened my mood a little, even though in the middle of the night, when he comes storming up to us for purrful lovings, I think he's missing Arthur--because he doesn't often bother us in the middle of the night. I think he's used to getting affection from his littermate, and now he's coming to us more. He used to be extremely affectionate to us--now he's insatiable.

Time to change the litter boxes. The other Kate at work suggested putting a little of the litter outside, so Arthur would know this is home. I'm desperate enough to try that...

Comments

[ellameena.livejournal.com]

Indoor cats who get out are almost always found within a few doors of their own home. Mark out all of the houses in your neighborhood within three doors of your own and search the property with a fine toothed comb. Do not assume your cat will answer your call. When cats get frightened, they often will hide even from their owners and not respond as normal. Since this is vacation time, be very suspicious of garages and out buildings. Your neighbor may have left for vacation and shut your cat inside the garage. This happened once to our kitty. The neighbors closed their garage for the night and he was inside. Check underneat porches and decks, under bushes. This will be an exhausting search. You never really see how much square footage of ground there is until you have crawled all over it on your hands and knees. Don't forget to look up into the trees, too. Good luck!