Tuxedo Lost #27

I lost Tuxedo for several hours today.

With energy I got from somewhere, I decided to de-clutter the house. I went around picking up things, wondering why I had them, throwing things away or putting items I knew I would never use in a donation box.

After a while I noticed Tuxedo wasn’t following me from room to room. That was very unusual for her. She usually laid down wherever I was to watch me work.

I looked for her and couldn’t find her anywhere. She wasn’t in the bedroom closet, where she usually sleeps. She wasn’t in the front or back porch, even though I left both doors open for air. Once I checked them, I closed the doors. I opened every room door and couldn’t find her. I called out to her. Nothing.

I was a little upset. No matter where she went, she’d always came back to make sure I was still in the house before disappearing again. I went downstairs and opened the front doors to the outside. Maybe she was able to get past the barrier I put across the stairs, and slipped outside. I called out. She didn’t meow or show up.

I called around the house to see if she had visited them. No one had seen her. I began to panic. I thought all the worst scenarios. My poor Tuxedo was gone. I didn’t know what to do.

I sat down and tried to calm myself. What did I do today? I went through everything in my head, retracing the past few hours. I then walked around and did what I had done during the day.

I eventually opened the hallway door next to my bedroom and called, “Tuxedo”. She walked quietly and slowly out from under the suitcases, blinking and looking like she had been on an all night drunk. I couldn’t believe it. She had gone in there while I was hanging my kente cloth over the door earlier in the day.

She appeared not to be concerned as she walked around. No meowing or any indication she had been in distress. It was just another closet she slept in. What a nightmare for me.

This is the second time she has slipped away from me. She’s very fast on her feet. A lesson learned. If I’m not fast enough, she can and will go places she finds interesting. I now try hard to see where my cat is before I close a door.