CAT-astrophe

As you can tell by now, we are animal lovers. We love our dogs like children, and I love our cat.
Wesley will be the first to tell you that. I have to remind him, though, I had the cat before I had him. Just between me and thee, he loves him, too. Mr. Kitty, or "Fuzz" as Wesley lovingly refers to him, is an inside cat. He has asthma, which prevents long stays outside, and he also has no claws for protection. We have been through a lot with this little fellow. From blood pressure meds to fluid pills to EKG's to asthma attacks, we've dealt with it all. Well, a week ago this past Saturday, he snuck out of the house when I was letting the dogs out. I didn't notice his absence until I realized he had not taken his usual post at the foot of the bed Sunday morning. We searched all over the house, fearing the worst. We looked all over the yard and neighboring properties. It wasn't as cold as it has been lately, but I just knew that my little furball might be suffering or would soon suffer an asthma attack. Rusty and Brutus even got in on the search. Wesley went on to church, and I stayed home with my four-legged foragers to continue looking for our lost loved-one.

About mid-day, I had all but given up hope of ever finding him. He had never stolen away for more than a couple of hours before, so my fears were growing. I let the dogs out one more time, hoping their noses would pick up on his scent, but the only thing that Rusty found was droppings of an unknown creature. I was all the while calling for the cat, as I had been all day. I thought I heard a faint sound, but I honestly thought it was a bird. I put the dogs in their crates and went to the front yard to investigate. I called once more and low and behold, I heard an"meow"! I looked waaaaaay down in the yard and saw this...

















In the corner of our yard, there is a water tile that goes under the road and leads to an overgrown hillside over which Wesley had searched for quite some time, I might add. There is a family of groundhogs that live there. You can imagine my surprise when Mr. Kitty emerged from the hole that is inhabited by rodents! I was inching toward him cautiously, asking if he was OK, like an idiot. He was just sitting there like, "Hey, what's up?" That sneaky little son-of-a-gun had ignored our calls all day! We must have been within feet of him several times. So the question remains...What does it mean when a cat who thinks he is a groundhog emerges in the Fall and doesn't see his shadow? Hmmmm.....








Update:
I came home from class this past Saturday and saw one of the groundhog clan members scurrying around the yard. Perhaps looking for his new friend...

P.S.
Mr. Kitty now has a lovely purple collar, complete with a nametag and bell that jingles with his every step!
I know, I know...we REALLY need kids.