* It may have been the liquor talking, but
Takayuki wrote:

On Sun, 27 May 2012 22:48:13 -0700, "Joy" wrote:
"Takayuki" wrote in message
. ..
We're supposed to have thunderstorms today. I'm so worried for my soft,
sheltered stripey boy!

Purrs for him to find his way to where you can find him.

I found him hiding huddled on the deck! I'm so relieved.

I checked all the bushes and some of the neighbor's bushes outside, but all
that yielded me was a bunch of mosquito bites and cobwebs on my head.

I was feeling so frantic, but I tried to put myself into Buster's frame of
mind, and thought of all the possible paths he could follow that would
allow him to stay out of the open. I also knew that he liked to retreat to
heights, so I checked some trees, and also a partially-completed deck and
stairs that was a project of the previous homeowner more than a decade ago.
I'd never used it, so I'd forgotten about it. Nevertheless, I did a cursory
check, and didn't see Buster there.

But the next time I checked, I thought there was a vague shape there. I
looked closer, and it was actually a shadow thrown by a trellis, but in the
shadow was Buster! He looked down at me a bit quizzically.

I went to the bottom of the steps and called him in soft tones like I
normally do. And surprisingly, he stretched and waddled down casually and
into my arms. He purred and purred as I held him close.

But when I got him inside, he abruptly hissed at the door he'd escaped
from, and puffed up his tail. I let him down, and he trotted up the door,
and looked outside suspiciously. He's winding around my ankles now as I'm
typing.

What a joy! This losing and finding someone is such a universal experience,
isn't it? It reminds us of why we love someone, and
makes them dearer to us. See, I found a silver lining...


I went through a similar experience a couple of weeks ago. I work late in
the neighbor hood and pop my head in my apartment a few times a night to
check on Martha, the cat. Well, I didn't see her, and assumed she'd slipped
out on my previous visit. I searched all over, calling her but came home
distraught. I thought I'd lost her.

I lay down to catch a few winks, and that's when I felt something touch my
hair - it was Martha. Was I glad to see _her!_ She was hiding in the closet
the whole time!

I'm glad you were reunited with your Buster - best of luck!

Terry
--
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