The weeks leading up to my surgery were a study in organized pandemonium. Trying to move enough things into the Camano house so that we could live in it during my recovery; and in Seattle, getting the garden beds weeded and mulched, and arranging our downstairs bedroom for the early days of recuperation......
Somehow I got it into my head that we should take Maki up to Camano to familiarize him with the new house, so that his transition would go smoothly.
For those of you who haven't met Maki, he's our gentle giant tiger cat who lived for a number of years in the shadow of Mr Kitty fame. Amy felt that we needed an outdoor cat to manage the rodent population in our backyard; so while we were in Mexico, she brought Maki home. His adjustment to our house was slow to say the least. He hid under Amy's bed for the first few months in the house until we figured out that he would come out of hiding if we just put his food in the kitchen. Slowly he became more and more comfortable in his new digs, finding innovative and cozy places to hang out.
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| kitchen chair is a fave |
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| ...not to mention the kitchen rocker! |
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| Yes, we do let him hang out on the bed |
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| hanging with Jazz |
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| don't ask why he was sleeping on this chest! |
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| The trip to Camano was uneventful except for a few pitiful meows |
We packed him into his crate and headed off to Camano. Upon entering the house he immediately went into hiding. After a few hours, I felt that it was time to let him outside with supervision. Again, he found a cozy spot in the garage and hunkered down while I unpacked boxes. Shortly after that, he was gone and I was sick.
The next day I contacted neighbors, the local shelter and vet to report Maki missing; our landscaper was asked to keep an eye out for him; and back to Seattle we headed. I felt so sad and stupid. Two days later I returned to the scene of the crime, only to find out that he was still missing.
The next night was very stormy. As I lay in bed I had a difficult time differentiating the wailing of the wind from the cry of a cat. Around 3AM though I heard a strange mewing sound. I ran downstairs and found nothing
at the street-side door. Was I dreaming? I turned on the lights to the beach-side porch and there on the stairs was Maki!
It didn't take very much encouragement to get him inside, where he headed straight to his bowl. The rest of the night was one of joyful noise, as I tried to sleep amid the cries of our newly returned adventurer.
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The cat came home in the middle of the night,
I've never seen such a wonderful sight!
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