George Michael

I have a bit of sad news. My beloved cat (those of you who know me KNOW how much I love this cat) has been missing since Thursday night. My mom and stepdad in Woodstock have been taking care of him since I can't have a cat where I'm moving. He's always been an indoor cat, but since my parents live in a quiet neighbourhood, they've been letting him out for little bits at a time to explore the backyard. My parents actually have 2 cats (so their house has been Cat City lately) and their cats have always been outdoor cats, so it seemed natural that George Michael make the gradual transition into being an outdoor cat himself.

On Thursday night after dark my mom was letting the dog out (yes, they also have a dog) and George Michael took the opportunity to race out the door into the backyard. Normally he decides to come back after awhile and meows at the door to be let in, but this time he didn't come back. My mom went to bed, expecting him to be waiting at the door in the morning in time for breakfast, but he wasn't there. That evening when he missed dinner too she started getting worried.

I came to my parents' place on Saturday afternoon and my mom told me he was missing. I had a good cry. In fact, I bawled my eyes out. I love that cat. I went out walking around the neighbourhood for about an hour (crying as I walked) and saw no sign of him. It was raining hard and thundering too so I thought he might return to get out of the rain but he didn't come home. Later that day my mom and I printed off some flyers and posted them around the neighbourhood, on community mailboxes, telephone poles etc. My mom and stepdad had already called the SPCA, local animal shelters and other similar places before I even knew he was missing, and no one had seen him. I actually emailed a 'pet detective' in the kitchener area, asking her if she thinks she can help me. She has a dog that is trained to sniff out lost pets. It sounds expensive and I don't even know if it's still early enough to work, but I thought I would at least look into it. I don't know what else can be done.

I have no idea if he will come back or not. I am praying that he does. It might seem a bit silly to those of you who don't like cats (I know a lot of people who hate cats) or don't understand what it feels like to really care for a pet, but for some reason this has actually been devastating for me. I've been crying on and off since I found out and I can't shake this feeling of sadness. A lot of people feel very attached to their dogs and I've always thought of myself as a dog person but since getting George Michael I have decided that I must be a cat person. Most cats aren't very affectionate but every time I picked up George Michael he would purr loudly and nuzzle his head against my face. He would run to the door the second I came home and would follow me around, even after eating dinner, wanting to sit on my lap. My favorite thing was when he curled up into the space behind my knees as I slept at night.

Wow, I am sounding sentimental. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I really can't explain this without sounding a bit silly.

Anyway, my parents said they would call me if they found anything out. I'll post it on here if there is any news.