Today I’m thinking about Joey because he has gone missing and his family are frantic with worry.
Joey was one of my first foster cats. He was a stray around Grant’s condo complex and we brought him in because he had a big abscess that needed to be treated. Probably from fighting although Joey was one of the nicest cats I ever knew.
We got him all fixed up quite quickly. He never resisted when we had to give him his medication, just looked at us with those big sad eyes. We loved him a whole lot but when a young couple wanted to adopt him we knew it would be for the best. We did a home visit to make sure it all looked okay and we were pleased by what we saw. We thought this would be a good adoption.
Joey settled in quickly and befriended the couple’s other cat. We happily turned back to finding homes for our remaining fosters.
A year later I got a call one day from Joey’s adoptive “mother”, asking if Joey could come back. We made a point of telling people that we would always take a cat back if they could not keep it, for whatever reason, no questions asked. So of course I said “yes” and a couple of hours later Joey returned.
The story we were told was that Joey had begun peeing on the bed and also that he had peed on Mike’s musical instruments (he was a musician). It sounded strange, but cats will do things like that although there is always a good reason.
When we took Joey out of his carrier, however, we were shocked to see the condition he was in. His hair had been falling out and he looked awful. We were told that he had developed a food allergy. We did not ask questions. We were just happy to have Joey back although we were fairly shocked that this “good” adoption had gone so wrong.
Next day we took Joey to the vet and they discovered that he not only had been losing hair but he had a wound, which the doctor thought was caused by him having been kicked. Poor dear Joey. He was still such a lovely, loving cat. He was one of the lowest maintenance cats we ever had and he was always so happy to be made a fuss of.
Once he recovered we reluctantly put Joey back up for adoption and before long a lovely young couple called us. They had recently lost an older cat and wanted to offer a home to another. Once more we went out on the home visit and we met not only the other cats but the resident corgi! The couple obviously loved their animals very much and we thought Joey would fit in, as indeed he did. He became a much loved part of an increasing family.
Before long the family moved from Washington State all the way Massachusetts, and there they once more settled down and Joey has been a very happy cat. He has a little girl now that adores him and a big dog-buddy.
But today I heard that Joey somehow escaped from the house and although his owner ran after him, she has a two-year-old at home, so she had to turn back. They have flyers out and Facebook postings and they have notified local shelters and hospitals.
It is so awful when something like this happens. Another of our adopted cats got out and was not found, but a year later he turned up and had been living just a few houses away. In that case I had contacted an animal communicator and from what she said I kind of thought that Oliver was not far away. But I felt sick about it and absolutely rejoiced when he was returned.
My own cat Mohammed, the one I “inherited” from my friend Tim, had been an indoor/outdoor cat. One Christmas he was missing for a week when the weather was really cold. He returned looking thin and grumpy. I think he must have gone in to someone’s garage to poke about and got shut in when they went away for the holidays. In any event, I was able to keep Mohammed safely indoors for the duration of that winter.
Then, when the weather warmed up and the sea-breezes called his name, Mohammed was desperate to go out. I resisted but he cried pathetically at the door and I hadn’t the heart to deny him what he wanted. With a sinking feeling in my stomach I let him out and each time I opened the door for him I said a mental “goodbye”. A year or so later he left and did not come back. I never found out what happened and even now it upsets me so to think of the many possible scenarios. It’s pretty unbearable.
So although I am not religious, I am sending my thoughts and whatever positive energy I can muster out into the Universe in the hope that it may help to guide dear Joey home.
I am also adding my hopes that Joey will return home safely to his family. Grey mackerel tabbies are my favorites. My beloved Furby looked a lot like Joey when he was a baby, but his fur became much darker over the course of the next 18 years. The M on his forehead remained a prominent feature, though. He is gone now, but forever in my heart.