I was thinking back about all our cats over the years. We have seen all sorts of illnesses and deaths in our time. It is a sad fact of life that we outlive our cats. But I think the saddest thing that can happen is when a cat disappears. And you have no way of knowing what happened to it.
When A Cat Disappears
When a cat disappears you don’t really notice it at first. We live in the countryside and it is quite common not to see a cat for a day or so, particularly in nice weather. But after that you start to get worried.
Cats That Have Disappeared But Returned
Our oldest cats Lucy and Malteser, 12 years old now, have both disappeared in the past. Lucy disappeared for a week and we were starting to think she was gone for good when she strolled up to the front door. Malteser once went missing for fortnight – the tears! But then the little horror just appeared again, a bit thinner and desperate to get to his food bowl. But at least they came home!
One outside (semi feral) cat went missing in heavy snow. We didn’t see her for months and then one day she appeared at the top of the drive, said hello and disappeared again. It turned out she had found a new home up the mountain. We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw her!
Cats That Have Disappeared
But several have just disappeared and we don’t know what happened to them. One year was terrible, we lost four, one disappearing every few months. Including Tweedledum (pictured) These were cats that were frightened of strangers so they weren’t taken by anyone. At the time they went missing they were vaccinated and perfectly healthy. Without any other information we are left to worry that they were eaten by wild animals, ate poison (hunters used to put out for foxes) or just got taken ill and died. It is comforting to think perhaps they just found somewhere better to live, a theme I will return to.
Along Came Maxi
We found Maxi as a tiny abandoned ginger kitten, about six weeks old. His color reminded me of my old cat Maximilian hence us calling the kitten Maxi (officially Maxi 2).
Barnet Boy had just started to come and visit here then (we were courting!). He took charge of teaching Maxi how to use a litter box. He got thoroughly urinated on for his trouble, but Maxi caught on quickly.
Maxi Made Friends Quickly
Maxi was adored by my little chihuahua Holly and he grew up often by her side. He was neutered and had all his shots and was a very healthy little chap. When Holly died he was bereft. But he helped me get over the grief.
Maxi developed a ‘bromance’ with Malteser. They became inseparable!
One Day Maxi Disappeared
When he was about two years old I saw Maxi walking up the drive like he did every day. He looked back at the house and I waved to him. That was the last time I saw him. He just vanished into thin air.
At tea time I walked everywhere calling and calling him. Over the next day I checked barns, sheds, looked in the little lake near us (a neighbor’s dog drowned in there once). I walked along the road scouring the hedgerows in case he had been hit by one of the few cars that use our road. Nothing.
Maxi was very friendly. I like to think that someone stopped to pet him and thought he was lost or abandoned as it is very rural where we live. In my mind, they picked him and took him home and he lived a happy life with them.
Because when a cat disappears all you can do is hope for the best. And in my case produce artistic images in memory of them.
Cat Art Images
Check out my cat art images at my Art Heroes (Europe), Pictorem (USA and Canada) and RedBubble (worldwide) stores.
Before you go
My name is Dorothy Berry-Lound an artist and writer. You can find out more about my art and writing at https://dorothyberryloundart.com.
You can follow me on Facebook.
Thank you for reading!
Yes, all one can do is hope for the best for the absent fur baby. We have had many cats over the years (and we have a lot of years) and mourned everyone that passed over the Rainbow Bridge. But one that still sticks in our hearts was Gambit, who left through a window left open by a contractor (we believe but do not know for certain). We still talk about him on occasion and will always wonder if he found a good home. He was a fairly large, well-groomed, animal and if he was “taken” – hopefully he was well cared for.
Sorry about Gambit Bill, I too hope he was well cared for. Thanks for reading and commenting.