Sugared Harpy

I’m sorry, work, blah, bad blogger. BAD. To catch you up: YES, he have Toby. He is good and healthy, and thankfully his own sweet self.

After Toby got out, he spent one overnight outside and another day, then we found him around midnight on the second night. Not horrible, but way longer than he expected. And definitely longer than we expected.

It seemed like Toby got out while we were unloading groceries, around 4pm on a Saturday. The real problem here is that we didn’t notice. Usually, if Toby sneaks out we (a) see him do it, he’s a pretty big orange cat that will rub on your leg on his way out and (b) once out will just roll on the ground at your feet. I think in this case, there was a garage so “out” was further out than just a doorway and a patch of grass at our feet to roll in. He went out the house door that leads to the garage, then out the garage itself. We didn’t know he got out. He was WAY out by the time we closed the garage door and locked him out. He probably just rolled in the grass for an hour. Then probably freaked the fuck out and hid.

We realized around 9pm that he wasn’t in the house. At least, I PRAYED that he wasn’t in the house, stuck somewhere because how horrible if we didn’t find him. I am not one to sit idly while bad shit happens, so we tore the house apart looking for him. Walked our neighborhood, drove around our neighborhood waiting to see the cops come after us (it’s dark, we’re shining a flashlight at houses), and shot an email to every local shelter I knew.

Going to bed that night was so difficult. He wasn’t home. The next day, more walking/driving, plus calls to the microchipping company, 100 flyers in neighbors’ mailboxes, talks with neighbors, laminated posters at stop signs. More searching. Scott and the kids were wonderful, no one made it seem like looking for him was a chore. Everyone loved him as their own family and wanted to find him.

I cannot tell you how amazing St. Charles County pet shelters are. I just can’t explain it. I woke up on the second day to several emails and offers of phone numbers and advice from the people who run these shelters. We may not have found him without them. I mean it. I was panicking, but they knew what to do.

One email, from a woman named Carol (St. Carol to me), shared this about losing and finding your cat:

“You need to put food and water out for him every day and keep the bowl filled at all times. Cats will look for the food and generally come out at night because they are scared. He is probably not very far from your home. If you need to pick up a trap to put out for Toby we can lend you one. Also, go to every neighbor and ask if you can look if their yard, garage, bushes, etc. It needs to be you looking for him and not someone else.”

They offered a humane cat trap for free, to be delivered by the shelter, to help find him. She gave her phone number, I called her at night, she answers. Unbelievably kind.

She also shared to keep the garage open, like we had the night before, but not all the way open, like we had, but only open a couple of feet. She said cats like to hide, so they’ll hide in there. She said food is a huge thing. Keeping food and water out is major, because without it they’ll start moving away from your house to find it. In addition, she said that the cat is SCARED and will NOT be found if they don’t want to be. They’ll hide all damn day and you won’t see them. But at night, they’re still scared, but it’s darker, and quieter, and they’ll venture out. It’s your best shot.

I found Toby around midnight, I was looking out our front windows staring hard out there hoping to see him. And I did! He was sneaking out of his hiding spot…ACROSS THE STREET AT OUR NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE. He had barely gone anywhere. He was walking, very low to the ground and skittish, but out in the open in their driveway. I froze. I yelled, “I SEE TOBY!” Scott heard me, but I was already outside calling gently to him.

Toby freaked and froze. He didn’t recognize me at all. He was so crazy scared. I got closer to him and he ran in between two houses. I kept walking, slowly, quietly toward him. He was flat on the ground between the houses. I got all the way up to him, close enough to touch him. So I put my hand on his back, and he promptly SCREAMED BLOODY MURDER and scratched the shit out of my hand.

And ran.

Thankfully, those two houses had fences and he was trapped against the wall of the fence. He kept low, and growling at me, and his eyes…oh my god his eyes were HUGE. And very black. Scott was out walking to us and I kept telling him, shaking, to slow down slow down slow down oh god slow down. I didn’t want Toby to run. Finally, I get a tad bit of brainpower and tell Scott to please gobackgobackgoback and get Toby’s carrier. He does. And brings a blanket in case we need to just throw it on him.

We put the carrier down, right in front of him. He sniffs it. And runs into it. Trapped.

Bringing him home was so good. He was home. But Toby wasn’t Toby. He was, but he wasn’t himself. His eyes were enormous, he doesn’t recognize his house, his people, nothing. He’s panting he’s so scared, he’s backed all the way to the back of the carrier, and growling. I put the blanket over the carrier to shield him. Lydia is ALL UP at the carrier, sniffing him. He seems to think she’s okay.

Fearing injury, I know he’s hungry so I get little ramekins of food and water and quickly open the carrier, shove them inside. He’s wary, but hella hungry. He eats all nearly everything and drinks the water. Then suddenly goes apeshit. He tears at what’s rest of the food, knocks over the water, and wants out. Now. NOWBITCHNOW. He’s going nuts in there. Finally, I just set up the basement with food/water/bedding and take him down there and let him out. He runs into a dark space…then ventures out. Rubs on my leg. Allows me to pat his head.

Now, I let him be here…and since my allergies are acting up (fur, everywhere) I go upstairs and wash my hands. After about a half hour I check him out, and he growls at me again after sniffing my washed hands. It’s like I’m a different person now to him. It’s heartbreaking but I know he’s just wary. I let him be overnight.

Next morning, he’s whining at the basement door. I cautiously let him out, I do not want him hurting the other pets. But he does something really interesting, he seeks out Lydia. Sniffs her up and down, approve of her. Then he seeks out Meko, sniffs her up and down, approves. He relaxes. And he’s been our sweet Toby to everyone ever since.

Victory!

UPDATE: He’s found! He’s so very scared, he’s been gone for two days. More later.

Toby got out. We think he made his escape while we were all carrying in groceries. The door wasn’t left open, but that guy can walk right out with your legs and you not notice him. He doesn’t get out often, but when he has he liked to just roll around in the grass. The problem was, we didn’t notice he was gone for HOURS. By then, he had gone exploring.

He’s microchipped, we filed a report with them.
There are flyers in our neighbors’ mailboxes with his full color image.
There are laminated flyers on the stop signs.
We’ve alerted animal control, the humane society, and all possible shelters.
We’ve walked and driven and walked and driven around, and then did it again.
We set out food and water, along with his bed, in our garage which we are keeping open for him.

We noticed kitty paw prints in the mud this afternoon that weren’t there this morning, it looked like he maybe touched the food. It gives me hope. He has his claws, that gives me hope. He is probably just having a grand adventure and thankfully, the weather is mild right now. I worry about when the temperature drops again. I don’t know what else to do. He’s our baby.