Wednesday, July 13, 2011

RIP Gary cat

Gary (our outdoor cat) hasn't been home in 4 days.

this is unlike him. he usually comes home every evening & lounges on the back porch.
i'll spot him, he meows, i pet him & he wanders inside to eat & clean himself on our bed.

he also usually deposits many a dead creature on the back steps- so that we may admire them & then toss them into the woods when he isn't looking.

well no dead creatures. no Gary cat.

i've been telling myself that he's simply lost track of time & is livin' it up with the barn cats next door. but now as i sit here, i'm getting a bit teary eyed.

we knew the dangers of allowing him to be an outdoor cat- but his total hatred of being inside & utter LOVE of being outside (meaning, the door would be shut & locked & yet i'd still find him on the other side of it. this forced me to worry that he had either mastered the art of opening a door- with kitty paws no less- or that he was a vampire cate who posesses the ability to walk through walls. i must admit, the former scared me- the latter made me giddy that vampires might actually be real.) forced us to purchase Advantix & set him free.
for several months he has happily frollicked outdoors- stalking small animals & making friends with neighboring cats.

the husband warned me that there are dangerous predators lurking in the woods & that one day Gary might simply not come home. but i scoffed at the idea- Gary is tough. Gary is fast. Gary is awesome.

well- 4 days of searching the woods, calling his name, tsk tsk tsking & snack shaking hasn't produced our tough guy.

the practical side of me is telling me he's gone. the practical side of me is also amazingly ok with it. this is nature. the circle of life. the way things are.

but the Gary cat lover side of me is so very sad & in denial.
i ADORE that cat. and he is the one animal in the house that prefers me over the husband.
the rest, allthough technically mine, all clearly favor the husband.

yes he ripped up every toilet paper roll we put up.
yes he peed all over the basement floor.
yes he scratched the crap out of our walls.
yes he stole food off the counter.
yes he would regurgitate his food all over the house.
yes he once escaped outdoors in the middle of a storm & forced the husband to save him from the muddy flooding swamp after an hour of searching.

but we still love him. mostly.

his sister (Maceo- our fatty cat) clearly misses him. she's been meowing at the slider- running outside & then back in. tripping us up. hanging around us (which she rarely does). looking out the windows. meowing some more.
the first 2 days she was somewhat frantic- but i've noticed now that she's settling down & hanging out in all the places gary never allowed her to. almost like she's taking over. like she knows- you know?

as i sit here typing this i'm 97% sure he's not coming home.
we live rather rurally- so the chances of him getting lost & winding up in someone's yard is slim to none.

but the chances of him getting snagged by a coyote or fisher cat? very high.

oh. i'm so bummed. poor Gary.

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Circa 07'

Picture or Video 123gary&me

oh hai

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damn.
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18 comments:

Kim said...

Oooh. Oh nooo. I'm so sorry:(

We lost one of our inside cats, Hobbes, for a few hours the day I found out I was pregnant. I was like "awesome, I'm going to be an AMAZING mother!"

I know that feeling of the unknown. Like your Maceo, it was Hobbes' sister, Snack, who actually let us know he was gone, meowing at the open window (that didn't have a screen...) So sad.

I'm so so sorry!

CLML said...

So sorry to hear this T - I know how much you love your kitties, but especially Gary. ((HUGS))

Anonymous said...

I can honestly say I know how you're feeling.Our office cat,Mattewis (she lives in my office,and is free to come and go as she pleases,with my boss feeding her every day) has been missing since Sunday.I am so incredibly sad,because my days are really empty without her lying on my shoulder to comfort me while douchebag clients irritate the crap out of me.I really,really,REALLY hope and pray that both your Gary and our Mattewis comes back soon.

But if not,I sure hope their enjoying themselves together somewhere (in Heaven,of course).Gary will just have to do all the hunting,since Mattewis is a bit of a pampered girl,who doesn't do well catching anything,except pre-made snacks.

Anonymous said...

PS.You just totally made me ugly-cry at work,in front of everyone (did I mention I am the only woman working alongside about 15 men?) Awkward.

Anonymous said...

Oh no, poor Gary! I hope that he eventually wanders back home. I know how heartbreaking it is to be without your pet. We just found a new home for our dog, Abby, after she starting losing her hair because Knox stressed her out so much (even on Prozac). We found a single woman to take her and give her tons of attention, but even though I voluntarily gave her up, I cried my eyes out all that night, and have every day since. They really work their way deep into our hearts. I'm so sorry!

Ryan V. said...

ohhh nooo! At least you let him look at icanhazcheezburger!

So sorry!

Ariel @ Dreams To Do said...

I am so sorry! I totally teared up reading this. I grew up in the boonies and we lost many a cat to the great outdoors. It was always hard. But, at the same time just know that he had a GREAT life, getting to do what he LOVED. And maybe it was just his time to go. Like you said, the circle of life. Poor Gary! Sending positive vibes your way!

Unknown said...

gah- thanks ladies :(

juani- i'll probably ugly cry at work too if he doesn't turn up. thankfully i'm a loner in the office & noone will see me.

Crystal said...

Totally teared up...and I'm not even a "cat" person. I guess I'm just a "fur" person. I hope and pray, and cross all fingers and toes, that he comes home! I guess he is home regardless. :)

Sending hugs and good thoughts your way!

Unknown said...

Thinking of you and Gary Cat xoxo

Stacy-09/2306 said...

Oh, I am so sorry. I always loved Gary's pictures. I am still holding out hope that he will come home.

Jill @ Momma Totally in Love said...

Oh no =( Saying a little prayer that Gary comes home, this just made me tear up, its amazing how attached we get to these fur babies

Viki said...

Oh T I'm so sorry about Gary. :( I hope he comes home soon.

M said...

::cries::
RIP Gary.

I still cry about dogs and they've been gone a month.

Mrs.F said...

I'm so sorry girl. Seriously... I hope some sort of miracle brings him back to you & that he really is ok.

Anonymous said...

I still believe he could come back. My cat disappeared once for the same amount of time. We lived in the country too. When he finally came home he acted like he was starving and kinda scared. We think he got stuck somewhere BUT he did come home! Here is to hoping for the best!!

Carol said...

So sad. Poor Gary. That story has me wishing he'd just reappear on your doorstep...

jenn said...

so sorry....i know how much animals become a part of the family....maybe shes just having a good time with the ladies, and will come home soon!