Kitty Spurns Woman Who Is Just Trying To Do The Right Thing

Thursday at around 6 p.m., I was walking in the door with my arms full of groceries, and The Wiz slipped past me and into The Great Outdoors. This is a cat that spent her formative years as a tough street ho before we adopted her, and as a result she has always been wary of venturing outside. The few times she has gone out, she just sits petrified on the front step until we scoop her up and plop her back in the livingroom. Since she never goes out, we haven't gotten a collar for her, dumb I know, but whatever. Anyway. I went out to find her, and she was nowhere in sight.

I would not mind not having this cat. It would be fine with me if she ran away and a nice family adopted her and I wouldn't have to deal with her fur all over everything or the smell of the litterbox. But the kitty lurves Shad, and Shad lurves the kitty, and there would be a sad void in our home if she went away, that would probably linger for at least a few days. Maybe I am just jealous because she obviously loves Shad more then me, they have these special cuddle sessions you see. I cuddle with her sometimes. I scratch her belly. But somehow she seems to sense my insincerity.

Feeling as ambivilant about the cat's presence as I do, and given my history of trying to give the cat away to every person who walks in the door, it seemed important that I at least make a show of looking for this cat so that I won't feel guilty when I tell Shad that oh man, she ran away, what a bummer, no let's not get another one, we could never replace The Wiz. So I went through the motions. I poured a cup of coffee and stood at the front door calling for her, then stood at the back door calling for her. Nothing. Then I imagined myself explaining to Shad everything I had done to find her (called her name? Twice?) and I realized I would have to go through the motions and launch a full-out search in order to fully assuage my guilt. So I refilled my coffee cup and began walking down the street and the alley, calling for the kitty, asking neighbors if they had seen the kitty, got the neighbor kids to help me look for the kitty. It was an impressive, full-on search, something I could feel good about when the kitty did not turn up.

It got dark. Still no kitty. We had been searching for about an hour. I decided to make a bonfire, thinking she would be attracted to it. I burned all the junk mail that I had uncovered while cleaning upstairs. I burned cardboard boxes. I was out there for an hour, burning, calling the kitty, and wishing I was inside reading my book. Still no kitty. At around 10 p.m., I went back inside. Shad was working late, and I was engrossed in a book until 3 a.m. Every half hour I got up, went downstairs, opened the front door and called for the kitty, then went to the back door and called for the kitty. Nothing, nothing, nothing.

I went to bed at around three. I could not sleep (things non-kitty-related on my mind). I got up three times over the next hour or two to call for the kitty. Still nothing.

This was a search I could be proud of, I thought, as I nuzzled under the down comforter and considered my future cat-free life. Surely my nice kitty was picked up by a family who will love her and care for her. A family with children who love to snuggle in a home with lots of white things for our black cat to sit on and feel content and poetic while shedding all of her fur. Shad will be sad, but hey, I did everything I could, right?

Shad came home at 5:30 a.m. I was either still awake or just barely asleep. I hear him walk in the door. A minute later, I hear a meowing outside the front door. I hear Shad open it and the damn elusive cat runs inside. That little bitch.

We returned from Los Angeles early Thursday morning. I had such a great time.































I got to spend a lot of time with Summ, and we had so much fun. We packed a picnic and saw a movie at Hollywood Cemetery on Saturday night. So fun!



Summ also took us to get Thai Massage. Just in case you have any questions about what is involved in Thai Massage, this cutesy little sign helps clarify.





We had a big ol' party here last night to celebrate Shad's birthday. I stumbled out of bed early this afternoon. I guess the rest of the day will be spent cleaning up, unpacking our stuff from Los Angeles and packing for China. I leave on Sunday.