Wednesday, October 5, 2022

THE SAGA OF JACK


 Hello, friends!  Hope you had a good day today.  Is it cold there?  Although it is warmer than it was yesterday, it was still pretty cool.  We finally gave in and lit the fire in the stove.


Can you believe it is October already?  I sure hope this month goes slower than September.  Yesterday my sister said she blinked, and it was gone and that is exactly how I feel.  But the calendar page has turned and so I guess it really is a new month.


Today I thought I would tell you about my cat Jack.


Jack is a cute, but mischievous, cat.  He is curious and when the front door opens, he looks out.  But in the five years we have had him, he has never tried to go out.  Until ...  Well, I really don't know when he ran out.  No one saw him.  I think it was Saturday night.  But I didn't miss him until Sunday.  When his litter box hadn't been used and his food was uneaten, we knew something was wrong.  We began searching the house -- Joe more than me since my legs are so bad.  No Jack.  Called.  Put out his favorite food.  Nothing.  I started crying and put out on Facebook what was going on.  He was missing all day on Sunday and Monday.  I was crying all the time.  Joe and I searched every nook and cranny in the entire house and no sign of him.

But Jack is afraid of being outside.  To top it off, he has no voice box and can't meow.  He just purrs loudly when he wants something.  Or is happy.  He also has a gag reflex and has trouble eating.  I was so worried.  But at the same time, I thought he must have gotten out because we looked everywhere in the house, and he just wasn't anywhere.

Monday night Joe said he was tired and was going to bed.  I said I wanted to watch the 11 o'clock news and then I would be up.  At 11:30 I turned off the TV and was about to turn off the lights when I heard something outside.  It was like a low gutteral sound.  I had never heard anything like it.  I thought it sounded like cats fighting and went to the door to see if one of them was Jack.

When I opened the door, there was a cat on the top step.  He jumped down and started to run away.  It was dark and I couldn't see if it was Jack or not.  We have a bunch of strays around here.  But I yelled, "Jack" and he stopped and turned around.  Then I opened the storm door and said, "Come here, Jack."  He came up the steps and poked his head into the house.  I saw it was him, but I was afraid to try to pick him up that he would run away again.  I said, "Come on.  Come here, Jack" and opened the door wider.  And he walked in.  It was him!

Jack had been out during the end of the hurricane and when the temperatures had dropped into the 40s.  He was wet and cold.  We took a towel and dried him off.  I fed him, but he wouldn't eat.  Joe gave him some treats, and that he ate.

Since he has been back, Jack is a different cat.  He no longer scratches and tears up our furniture.  He no longer tries to bite and scratch me.  He used to try to eat every piece of plastic he could find.  Bags, packages, etc.  Now, nothing.  In fact, his favorite thing now is to sleep in Joe's recliner.


We still can't figure out how he got out or where he was for two days.  But I am so glad he is back.  I know I will outlive him and someday I will have to say goodbye forever to him.  But not now.

Well, that was an exciting (and sad) way to start the month.  I hope the rest is calmer than that.  And that you have a nice and calm evening.  See you all soon.

Kathy


My dishtowel for this week.








11 comments:

  1. Hi Kathy. I am so glad that Jack came home. I will bet he never roams again. Have a wonderful October.

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  2. Oh that is so scary! Wherever Jack was for two days definitely changed him. We had a cat named Tigger for 16 years and he was an outdoor cat for 10 of those years. Then we moved. He got out and was gone for two weeks, when one night we heard a familiar 'Meow!" coming from the backyard. It was him! He looked fine, wasn't skinny or dirty but he wouldn't go outside again. I could feel the fear as I was reading your story! I'm SO thankful Jack is home!

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  3. Oh Kathy, I am so happy that Jack found his way home. I wonder whether he had approached other doors, hoping it was his home, before coming to your door after two days of being outside. The poor little cat. It sounds like he is VERY happy to be home and safe:) Keep loving that little guy!

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  4. KATHY...I know you must have been frantic....I am so very happy he is home safe and sound....hugs and blessings to each of you!

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  5. I'm so glad he is back and is safe again.

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  6. Looks like Jack is thankful to be back in his comfy home. I’m so glad he returned. Poor baby! I’m a cat person so I totally understand your feelings!

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  7. Like others who commented, I too am glad to read that Jack returned home and especially that he has become more loving and some of previous bad habits are gone.

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  8. I hope he does ok. We had a cat disappear during a snow storm years ago. And when he showed up at the back door, he smelled like wood stove. So I think he had been inside another house!

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  9. I am SO glad that Jack is back! We love our pets so much and it hard when something happens to them. I wonder where he was but at least he is home. I bet he didn't rest much when he was gone so is probably in a 'good boy' mode until he feels comfortable being home again.

    I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. xo Diana

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  10. Nothing is much more upsetting than having an indoor cat get outside. I am remembering all the times it happened with my various kitties. One time, I had my niece's boyfriend lift the front steps where Fioré was yeowling and hissing. Oh dear! I almost didn't dare to pick her up. I love that Jack is home and that he has learned his lesson and is behaving so nicely. 🐈‍⬛

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  11. He looks like my Tom-Tilly cat, they could be litter mates. I'm happy he came home, it's so distressing when they go missing.
    Hugs,
    Jo

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