Maxie came home late last night, hungry and a bit spooked, but uninjured. He's just lucky I was still up and about, having decided late to watch TV for a few minutes to unwind before bedtime. I'm normally in the sack by 9:30 or so because I'm up so early.
Sitting in front of the TV, I can look out at the dark deck but I can't see anything much, just reflections in the glass of the room behind me. But something moved in my field of vision and at first I figured it was one of the other cats, moving around in the dining room. Just to make sure, I turned around and scanned it---no Loosy or Lily was prowling around there. So I decided to get up and check outside, and there he was.
He seems happy to be home and yet I'll bet this happens again. I still don't know how he gets off the deck and back on again. If I figure it out, I may take steps to seal off the opening, but I don't want to take a chance on making it impossible for him to get back on the deck, if his choice of exitway is a flying leap from above.
I may just have to live with this tension and make the best of it.
One nice thing was that the FS called yesterday afternoon to offer condolences, after reading my post about the Missing Member of the Family. So I called him back to let him know that Max had returned.
Thanks to yesterday's commenters for their comfort and concern.
9 comments:
Yay! When I lived in AZ, my best buddy, Shadow, went missing for a few days. He finally came home, barely able to walk, because his paw pads were blistered and burned from the hot, hot ground. He didn't do that again, though he still liked to wander the yard.
I'm happy your buddy is home.
What a relief! Perhaps it was just a walkabout, and the outside world will stop beckoning. Funny how some cats are totally fine with a mostly indoor (or totally indoor) life, and others are just called to the wild.
I'm so glad he returned to you! As a servant of cats for many decades, I've learned that one can't really change their behavior; one can only learn to accept it. It's not a question of love, just of being themselves.
So glad he returned! Our Annie used to like to go outside (on a leash), but then her whole life was about "When can I go outside???" so we stopped letting her and she readjusted in about a month. If you would decide that Max cannot handle the deck, he might be dramatic about it for a little while, but would eventually not notice too much, I bet. I would just hate for him not to come back! Thanks for keeping us updated on the little guy. Such a cutie! Elizabeth
Yes, he's back and I spent some time trying to figure out where he'd gotten off the deck and what I might do to shore it up, so I hustled off to Ace Hardware and got what I thought would work, came home and installed it all in front of his eyes and when I turned around, he had leapt over the rail and was on the ground.
I went outside and walked toward him and he leapt back up (a distance of about 6 feet) so that he was on the deck again. I went inside and back out on the deck and in front of my very eyes, he leapt off again.
I've looked at the situation and cannot probably do enough to make it impossible for him to make these improbable leaps. (You'd have to see the situation to understand.) So I am going to do as Joel suggests and accept his cattish nature. He's an adventurer.
The fact that he was outside for more than 24 hours unscathed tells me something about his survivor skills (though it could be dumb luck as well) and I am just going to have to get used to it.
Accepting Max's behavior is easier than getting upset about it. And it will be a shame if something happens to him, but I'm not sure I can prevent everything.
Oh, this makes me so happy that puss is back!
Okay, lemme tell you a story. When I was 4 years old, my dad brought me home a kitten that I promptly named Sam Joseph. (The middle name reflecting my theological-bent even then.)
Sam Joseph was mostly an outdoor cat, though he'd still enjoy curling up at the foot of my bed every now and then. He lived most of his life at a home backed up to some woods, plus 4 years in the car-heavy suburbs.
Every couple of years or so, he'd disappear for several days at a time, giving us a scare. But he always came back, sometimes sporting new evidence of being in a fight.
He lived to be ... 21. 21 real years, not cat years. 21 years of wild animals, cars, dogs, being bit in three places by a snake (when I learned that cats make their own antivenin, but only after swelling up like a globe). Oh, and peeing in my dad's shoes when he was mad at him.
He had a great life.
What a great story, LE! I think Max may have that same kind of derring-do and perhaps extra lives as well.
Tonight he caught a swallow (how, I don't know) and brought it inside, after which he was confined indoors for the evening. I was fortunately able to rescue the bird and it was strong enough to fly away.
He is a source of endless "entertainment"!
YAY! Thanks for commenting on my blog that he had returned. Many blessings on all your silly bundles of fur and you.
He is reveling in this freedom and sits on the deck steps taunting Lily and Loosy, who are not built for such amazing leaps and landings. He doesn't seem to mind coming in again, so I'm deluding myself into thinking I'll never again have a problem with him. Ha!
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