h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I am panicking.

Tasha went out this morning at 10. She's not come home. It is dark now and as it is Guy Fawkes night I am seriously worried. She does not do this. She is a home cat. She goes out to wee etc but always comes back in.

I have all sorts of horrible thoughts running around my head right now. Some are ridiculous.

I broke down in tears about half an hour ago. If she is still alive she must be so frightened now. There are fireworks going off everywhere.

Please come home baby girl.

Hi Lady in a Tree

I'm brand new here - just read your 'profile' - and can understand how worried you are about Tasha, I'm a cat lover too. I hope she's home by now, but if not I'm sure she won't be far away. Try not to worry - cats are pretty resilient. She may be taking cover until it's quiet. What sort of cat is she? I have a tabby (Mikki) and a grey cat (Harley) but both back in NZ - I sooo miss them! At my place there's not as many fireworks tonight as there were last night.

T

Hello there. It is now nearly 10pm and she is still not home. This is the first time she has ever stayed out like this. I have so many negative thoughts running through my head right now. I could understand if she had gone out just before the fireworks began and then taken fright. However, she has been gone since 10am.

I am shking with worry. She means so much to me. She is my little girl. A real mummys girl too. She is a dark grey (almost black) and white shorthair. She is so special - she has extra toes!

I want my baby back home with me.

You must miss your cats being so far away.

Thank you for your kind words. At the moment I am inconsolable.

*drops in from the INFO page*

I really am sorry to hear that your girl is out there. We've had a pair of furries for quite a lot of years, and the rare day one has gotten outside, we were beside ourselves. But by nature, they are pretty clever, and she has probably found a place that seems safe to hunker down. It may well be morning before she has the nerve to come out and find home again. Keep a good thought, Lady, as I shall.

Having cried myself into a migraine and thinking the worse I dozed and eventually dropped off to sleep around 1am. I woke again at 2am and had another little cry when I realised she still wasn't there. I lay in bed whispering a sort of mantra asking her to come home to see if I could drift back to sleep. About 10 minutes later I was nodding off when I heard a licking noise!

She was there! On the bed. Washing her side! I sat up slowly and kissed the top of her head. All I said was "where have you been?". My hubby woke up immediately and turned the light on. She seemed ok. No cuts, no muck on her, not even cold! I began to wonder whether she'd even been out - even though we searched the house from top to bottom.

She was very subdued. And she had the smell of someone else on her. You know when another person wearing a scent has been handling your cat - you can smell it. I thought that maybe someone had taken her in whilst the fireworks were going off.

I don't think we'll ever know. She is still subdued and is lacking her normal sparkle. I'm going to keep her in today and keep an eye on her. I'll take her to the vet for a check-up tomorrow.

I was distraught last night. B (my hubbby) was concerned about how much it had affected me. He managed to stay positive enough for both of us. He was right. I fell apart at the thought of losing her. Perhaps because we lost Charlie to cancer just 7 months ago. I couldn't bear the thought of losing my little girl.

Anyway. She is home. She is safe. It remains to be seen whether she is entirely well. She may just be a bit spooked and I am being overprotective again.

Thank you for all your kind thoughts.

Sorry you had such a fright! You are right, some kindly person probably took her in while all the crashes and bangs were going off - they won't have realised you were so beside yourself!

Glad all is well

Soooo pleased to know that she's home. Best wishes for a good health check on the little Lady.