Dreaming and Waking

Though I have been unable to convince the cats, who were on free-feed until Puck got too fat, that they should come running at meal time and each eat from their own bowls, I still have two bowls out. Twice a day, I jerk open the door – which sticks – to the area where the huge food bag is kept and I carefully add half a scoop of food to the "Zoey" bowl and a full scoop of food to the "Puck" bowl. I always put out the food in that order.

Zoey sits nearby and watches me. She sees the first food bowl get set down, but doesn't go to it. She waits until I put down the second, fuller, bowl before she trots up to eat from it. Always.

She eats a couple of mouthfuls, then walks away, back to whatever nap she was taking or bug she was chasing before food happened.

There is no point or benefit to our mutual routine. I wonder what would happen if I were to fill the bigger bowl first, but I don't do it. I like to have something that happens the same way every time.

Russ and I were about to give up on Puck. We were going to stop hoping and start mourning today, actually. But we got home yesterday evening and checked the voicemail to find a most wonderful message. katz_purr hadn't been feeling well yesterday and had stayed in the suite. Mid-morning, she heard strange yowling that wasn't coming from the kittens in the suite. She glanced out the bedroom window, and there was Puck, on the roof outside the window, demanding to be let in.

She closed him into the bathroom with food and water and left us a message. It was so wonderful to bring him back home. He was pretty glued to Russ while we were home, even sleeping on the bed with us for most of last night.

He's pretty skinny, but not injured and he still has his collar. My guess is that he was either shut in somewhere for part of the time or had been chased off by another cat in the neighbourhood (there are a lot of feral cats around), and got confused and lost.

Several people suggested putting some of his used litter out, but he never used a litter box. However, after his return I realised that only a day or so before, we'd hung out a drop sheet to air out that I think he'd peed on at some point. So maybe that helped him find his way home.

Anyway, we are both very relieved to have our black demon back with us. His little adventure did bring to my attention how wonderful my neighbours are, as a couple of them called to let us know when they'd last seen him (the Thursday after he disappeared) and about a cat that may or may not have been him that was spotted Sunday morning. There are a lot of animal lovers in my block!

Puck still hasn't come home. He hasn't been home since Tuesday evening, and we are getting really worried. He is probably locked in someone's garage or shed; I even think I heard him yelling earlier today, but not for long enough for me to locate him. Anyway, he has done this before (been missing for a week or more), so I still hope to see him soon. Russ and I have been leaving notes in all our neighbour's mailboxes, asking them to check their garages, etc., and have put up some posters too.

And somehow Zoey, our indoor cat, got outside in the middle of the night on Friday and was in quite the panic to be let in very early Saturday morning. She insisted on sleeping on me for the next couple of hours.

I hate wandering and worrying. I want Puck home now.

My home smells of hot peach crisp.

The sun is shining, in that warm golden way it does only on perfect fall days. The door's open to let the cool breeze blow through.

The rosemary on my altar has infused the living room with that slight herbal scent.

Puck killed another bird - the second in two days.

Rosemary, peaches, sun and death... it is definitely autumn.