Safely Home: Back home!

Jack was going in for a routine check up in May.  My husband was taking him, after I worked night shift. I got a call that woke me up, my husband saying the cat was lost. My initial reaction was, he must be joking.  He explained when he pulled the plastic carrier out of the truck, the bottom half broke open, one of the lock hinges must not have closed properly.  Because Jack was frightened,  he immediately took off. The vet staff and my husband looked everywhere before calling me.

We searched day and night, checking with folks that reported possible sightings on their cameras, setting traps, etc. At one point, a very nice lady was so convinced that Jack was in her bushes, I spent almost an hour climbing in thick brush, throwing treats, yelling his name only to later find out later that it was a baby fox. We also managed to trap an angry racoon, and a barn cat. One of the houses we visited that saw Jack on camera had chickens and sheep, and our 5 year old twins fell in love. She ended up giving the girls a hen and her chick. So suddenly we were “farmers” and now have 7 chickens,  2 guinea fowl, and 2 ducks.  As time continued to pass, we were starting to lose hope, but continued walking the neighborhoods and hiking through trails.

Then, one night, I was working,  and saw that I a lot of  missed calls.  Apparently,  a lady in a nearby neighborhood posted on Facebook about this cat that keeps coming around, and she was able to pet and feed it that evening. As soon as she posted that, an entire community of amazing people recognized that it was Jack.  My teenage son and daughter drove right out, and were able to reunite with Jack! This was THREE months after he was lost. Surprisingly,  he looked great, thin, but otherwise unharmed! Jack is an indoor/outdoor cat, so I believe his outdoor exposure and hunting skills helped him survive. He still goes outside, but he also spends hours inside, snuggling in our warm beds.