Oh sweet Great Pumpkin cats are hard on the heart.: seanan

Oh sweet Great Pumpkin cats are hard on the heart.

Thomas can open doors.

Thomas has been able to open doors for a while now.

Thomas has never previously opened the front door. So this was new.

I got up to get ready for bed and discovered the front door of the house standing open, and an utter absence of cats. This, naturally, triggered INSTANT HYSTERIA, and lots of frenzied cat-calling, which probably frightened the neighbors.

Lilly came immediately, looking faintly ashamed of herself, and limping slightly. Thomas was in the yard, sniffing things, and came when called. I closed the door and turned to inspect Lilly's paw...during which pause Thomas OPENED THE DOOR again and let himself back outside.

I retrieved Thomas, called my mother, put on trousers, went outside, locked the door, and began searching the neighborhood for Alice. I found her halfway down the block, investigating someone's garden. I got her to come by clanging a can of wet food with a fork. She's mad now because she didn't get treats. I'm mad because, well. ESCAPING ISN'T COOL. Poor Vixy got me calling her in hysterics, wailing about how they got out.

All three cats are fine and uninjured. I cannot sleep. I have notified work that I'm going to be in late tomorrow, because there's no way I'm sleeping in the next hour. And from now on, the front door is locked even when I'm in the house.

Stupid cats.

alicetheowl

June 23 2011, 14:59:04 UTC 6 years ago

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OMG! That, right there, is my worst nightmare. I actually dreamed the other night all my cats ran away. When I woke up the next morning, I called and called them, and hugged them tight when I saw they were safe and sound.

When we lived in NC, we managed to find a series of apartments with faulty window screens, so the cats ALWAYS found the weakest link and escaped. We invested in a humane trap for that very reason. Very little is more nerve-wracking than knowing your sweet, fuzzy baby is out there all alone. Herc LOVES escaping, but then he freaks out and hides. The only thing that'll get him back is tuna and patience.

Risu, luckily, does not like the outdoors, and deliberately chose to be an indoor cat. It's wet and loud and cold and itchy out there, and she does not like it. We rescued her from the outdoors, and she still remembers that.

But we did have one cat who never returned from his escape outdoors. Josh and I are almost certain the crazy cat lady down the street added him to her collection, because we saw him sitting on her picnic table. But she denied it when we asked, so we don't know.

I'm so glad yours were easily found, and that they're home safe now.