icarusancalion

Kitty search timeline

July 16th - Athena's cat carrier broke (bottom fell off) outside the vet on Muddy Branch Rd as S. was carrying her out. We hunted through the bushes, put up flyers, stayed up all night where she was last seen.

July 17 through 19th - set up cat trap near where she was lost, nightly flyers and talking to people, five hours a night. Stakeout replaced by cat trap. Pet tracker out of town until Sunday.

July 20th - Pet tracker! Golden retriever on the scent, we followed Athena's path to where she was either picked up or escaped down a storm drain. Our stakeouts had been nowhere near where she'd gone.

July 21st through 24th - food set out with a wildlife camera to see if she's still in the area. Daily phone calls from people who sighted a similar cat. These don't pan out. There are a lot of tabbies in this world. S. visiting animal shelter every day. Three-five hours a day together hoofing it, handing out flyers. (July 23rd I hit the wall with exhaustion.)

July 25th - After ten days of flyers/searching/stakeouts until after midnight, I let S. know that I can't keep up this pace. Most of the hard work of posting flyers is done, but while he could get time off from work and do late nights, I had to be on a train at 7am every day. I start daytime checks of the cat trap rather than late night tramps.

July 26th - S. involves other friends in putting out flyers and setting up the trap.

July 27th - photo of Athena! She wasn't picked up and is still in the area! S. sets cat trap. He starts checking the trap every three hours. He has food both inside and outside the cat trap.

July 30th - cat trap catches wrong cat. But hey, the trap works.

Aug 1st - photo of Athena! She eats the food outside the cat trap, not what's inside. S. removes the food outside the trap. Second wildlife camera set up.

Aug 3rd - photo of Athena! She sticks her head in the cat trap, decides no, and walks away.

Aug 4th-tonight - rain. No photos.

The search continues, with fresh hope -- and frustration.

S. and I rescued a starving kitty two years ago. She's been his pampered best friend ever since.

Now...

My cat ran out when her carrier fell in front of the Muddy Branch Veterinarian in Gaithersburg. She was last seen running north on Muddy Branch Road just past the Muddy Branch Square shopping center.

She is a brown tabby with white paws and belly, a long tail for her body size, and ears that point more forward than normal cat ears. She has neon pink and glittery pink claw caps on her front paws.
She was about 12 pounds and likely hungry and thirsty after having had to fast before a dental procedure. When we first rescued her, she was hanging out at the edge of a wooded area bordering a parking lot approaching people that stopped and may attempt to do the same again.
She is very gentle but can be timid regarding loud noises but otherwise tends to be fine around people.

Please contact if found or sighted.

Please signal boost, even if not local. Prayers and offerings in all traditions (feathered dances...) for her safe return soooo gratefully accepted.

Pile up blankets and they will come....

I have one cat per chair today. Rothy's a calico sprawl in the tumbled blankets on the bed. Junior, a plump orange and white on a green throw, is parked on the couch. Then, perfectly camouflaged, little grey Callie is hidden in the dark green blanket on a grey wingback. Didn't know she was there until she looked up. My chair doesn't usually have eyes.

If I had more chairs, more cats might appear.

My cat is chiding me, and leading me to my little prayer room, giving me a sloe-eyed reproving look.

It's not that late! I can still get my practice and meditation and stuff done tonight.

*sigh*

Bossy cats....

Rothy woke up suddenly with an angry "HSSS!" for no apparent reason.

He does this sometimes. It's startling, and this time scary.

Nightmares, maybe?

Rothy's curled up on my coat and hat.

I'm charmed, complimented ...

...and wonder if I'll have to wear a different one to work.

Am fogged. I came home from work, raring to clean before I packed up to kitty sit tonight.

...and fell promptly asleep.

Oops. Neglected!Callie did enjoy her cuddle time, so there's that.

Now it's midnight, I've had a few hours sleep, cleaning is abandoned for a quick dash out the door to cat sit. My worry about being too late proved unfounded. Kitty's not hungy -- she's in heat. And how.

I should be working on my Yuletide fic (outlined it in chat with sarka). But ... fog.

Should've brought the OAR (Overly Ambitious Rug, yes I've been working on it for two years but it's very close to done now).

Maybe plot out the SGA Santa fic? This is the first year I've signed up for two fests.

Someone please figure out how I can crochet lace and read fic at the same time, please and thank you.

A moment ago Rothy grabbed my hand with his claws and then, holding it, proceeded to do tentative little licks. He's never done that before.

=)

I think he likes me.

More Athena news: four weeks after being rescued from where she was starving in a Giant parking lot, she is now clearly happy. Also, spoiled enough to turn her nose up at duck wet food. (Too gamey, I suppose.)

She doesn't even look like the same cat. Her body is catching up to the size of her tail as she regains weight. She no longer looks like a five-month old kitten. That was starvation, my friends.

Look at her now.

*hums* If you could see me now...

I'm trying to talk her new owner (ha, owner -- she orders S. around) into buying her a $300 cat tower.

New video of momma kitty ... who's name is now Athena. Isn't she sweet?



Snuggly kitty snuggles.