scaredThomas 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.
June 23 2011, 15:46:23 UTC 6 years ago
When I was living in Asheville, I returned from work one day to find the screen window knocked out. This window went all the way to ground level. I knew immediately that the cats had gotten out. Risu was immediately found. She got about five feet from the window and had frozen in fear. She ran right to me. Hercules was another story. He was simply gone. He returned the following day after we had put out tuna fish a couple of times for he and the neighborhood possum.
Despite the cats having returned to us, the fear of losing them like that remained. It inspired me to write a short story entitled, Timid the Cat Goes to War. The story also helped settle the emotions of losing our cat Jeff. Jeff, about a few months prior to this incident, had knocked out a screen to scare off a stray cat, jumped out the window, and vanished.
June 23 2011, 15:51:15 UTC 6 years ago