Prodigal Cat Returns

This morning had a real curveball thrown into it. I was just waking up, getting Emma (also just waking up) around for school. Just before Dad was about to leave for work, he came in the room and casually mentioned that Sher Khan didn't come running for his breakfast this morning. This was certainly out of character for Sher Khan, but I didn't think anything of it. I was almost certain he wouldn't have darted out of the garage in one of the rare moments the garage door is open.

But, after a thorough search of the garage and the immediate areas outside, I felt a sudden doom wash over me as I realized my cat really was missing. All I could think about was Mowgli all over again. Plus, this was a cat that Jason truly loved with all his heart and I knew he would be devastated to find out.

I cried for a while in bed until it was light enough to do a better search. Shelby and I went out in the brush at first light. Shelby was of absolutely no use. She found a lot of piles of coyote poop and some rabbits. When every rock and bush and rabbit was starting to look like an orange cat, I realized there was no use going on. I was home alone by this point and just went in my room and cried and cried. I prayed that God would bring him back but was feeling skeptical. I mean, how often does a house cat from Washington survive the harsh, coyote desert? Other family members texted me to tell me they were praying ceaselessly and suggested ways to help in the search.

Dad had some work he could do from home so he came back and helped me look while his programs were running. I hung flyers on the surrounding mailboxes and we went on a "cat hunt" with food to try and lure him out. We followed coyote tracks hoping to at least find remnants of his remains should that be his fate. Eventually we had to agree that surely he hadn't gone as far as we were searching. We headed back and walked up and down the street. Little did we know, the poor little guy was hunkered under the stucco of someone's front porch, too scared to come out to our calls.

Dad had to go back to work and my belly was not feeling well from all the hiking around and emotional stress. I called some shelters and then decided to just try and stay busy so I didn't cry all day. I honestly felt in my heart that we would never see Sher Khan again.

I was all worked up in a sewing project, rather enjoying how it was coming together, when my phone rang. I saw it was a Tucson number and I tried not to feel too hopeful. But, sure enough, a man said he saw my flyer on the mailbox and believed my cat was on his front porch. I hoofed it to the top of the hill as fast as I could.

The poor little guy was hunkered in a small corner, squished as low the ground as he could get. I could tell he was happy to see me, but he was so scared he didn't know how to express himself yet. The man was a quiet helper and responded little to my big story about him getting lost and how happy I was to have him back.

Sher Khan pressed against my chest as we walked back to the house and the more steps I took the more Sher Khan began to purr. Little spurts at first with tiny little meows as if he was sputtering out his relief to be in familiar arms. When he saw the garage door was slightly cracked open he tried leaping out of hands. But, I took him in through the house instead and put him in front of his food. Even Bagheera left her bed to say hello. By now Sher Khan is purring loud and long. He meows and meows so happy to be on his own turf.

He actually didn't eat first. He went straight for the litter box. Silly little house cat doesn't even know how to go potty outside. He had some burs in his fur, but spent several moments licking my feet and rubbing on my leg and jumping in my lap for pets before settling down in the middle of the garage to clean himself. Bagheera wondered around the garage sniffing at things trying to figure out what the fuss was all about and probably wondering why he ever thought he should leave his condo. He is, after all, the "happiest he's ever been" there.

Praise the Lord for answered prayers even when I had little faith. The whole adventure would make a fun kid's book sometime. The house cat who thought he wanted to be a tiger. Let's hope he learned a valuable lesson.

Bringing him home.