lisaviolet's diary

Monday, February 24, 2003: 10:16pm I’m worried sick right now. When I started to get the cats in, around 7:30 tonight, I couldn’t find Kirby. Brian thought he’d seen him on the bed, but it turned out to be Georgie curled up. From the back, you don’t see any white on George. I think he’s out of the yard again. Around 8:30 I went over to the neighbor’s house and they let me go into their backyard. I couldn’t see anything in the yard behind them because of some vines on the fence. I also scratched my eye on one of the twigs.

Brian asked when I saw him last and it was this afternoon, climbing into the lime tree from the cathouse underneath it.

It’s starting to rain. It’s supposed to be heavy at times tonight. I guess that’s good to keep dogs away from Kirby, but it will also keep Kirby from trying to get home. I’m really worried.

Please say a prayer for my Kirbs. Thanks. I’m going back outside now, to see if I can hear him or see him.

Update: Tuesday, February 25, 2003: 12:43 AM He came through the cat door at about 12:22 AM. I was dozing on the sofa, had a window open so I could hear the cat door. At first, I thought it was a cat up in the window, but when I checked, no cat. So I went into the garage and Kirby had just come in.

One of the things I did earlier to see if he was in the house was shake the catnip bag and sprinkled some over the garage floor. Kirby is a real niphead. I even took the bag outside and shook it with no luck. Anyway, the first thing Kirby does is lay down and roll around in the nip. Then he let me pet him. He’s happy. He’s really happy. He’s purring and he ate. I did see a patch on one of his back legs that looks like the fur was pulled out, like maybe it got caught when he was crawling under something, but there’s no wound.

I’m thinking he was in the yard kitty corner to ours because their dog had been barking a bunch. I went to our immediate neighbors to see if I could go into their backyard and on my way over, I talked to the woman who lives on the other side of them, who was out walking her dog. She said that Oreo (the dog in the yard kitty corner to us) has a very distinctive “I see a cat” bark and s/he’d been barking that bark since about 4:30, a time when I was gone to the bank. Anyway, I think that’s where Kirby was. They finally brought the dog in because it wouldn’t shut up (maybe it stays in at night). That was about three hours ago.

We’re supposed to be getting this humongous rain storm tonight, calls for “heavy at times” but so far, thank Bast, there’s only been a few sprinkles. Kirby was bone dry.

He sure seems pleased with himself. I wish I was.

I did wake Brian up to let him know Kirby was home.

I just took an antacid because my stomach is so upset and I’m going to go take some Excedrin PM now so that I can sleep. I’m just so relieved that Kirby is home safe and sound. I kept having these horrible visions of him hurt in a yard with a dog (think Hollywood) and there was nothing I could do to help him. He’s really lucky he didn’t go into the yard behind us.

Now, the fun thing will be to see where and how he’s getting out. This is going to be really hard because Kirby has never tried to escape before. Now twice within a month. The first time, we thought he got out through Brian’s carelessness. Now, I’m not so sure. Kirby is nine years old. It seems kind of late to start getting that wunderlust.

*sigh*

Thanks for all of your support. I’m sure the prayers helped get him home. I was sure saying quite a few. I’m going to go take a couple of pills, then head off to bed. And Kirby? Kirby is grounded. For life.