Scottie at the Vet
This is the continuing story of Scottie going missing. You can read the first three parts of “Gone Cat” in previous blog posts.
One afternoon, two-and-a-half years after my Tabby, Scottie, disappeared, I got a call from the local animal shelter.
“Peter, we found Scottie,” the woman said.
I sat silent. It had been so long since Scottie got out and vanished from my life, I wasn’t sure what I was hearing. After all, they had said they found Scottie before, but it wasn’t him.
“Are you sure?” I asked the caller.
“Yes. His micro chip says it’s him,” she said.
“Really?” I said, my heart pounding.
“Yes.”
“Can I come down and see him?” I asked still skeptical.
“Yes, you can.”
I left right away and was down there in five minutes. I entered the premises and they took me to him. I looked into the cage and saw what looked like my Scottie – only he was different.
The animal control officer found Scottie in a park two blocks away from my house. In all that time he was gone, my missing cat was nearby.
Scottie didn’t give the officer any trouble, letting the man pick him up and put him in a kennel. No biting, scratching or squirming to get away. Scottie always was a gentle kitty – yet kinda skittish – so this didn’t surprise me too much.
I ran my eyes over him. He was thin and had aged. He was an old cat by then, being at least 17 years old. I opened the kennel gate and reached in to touch the fearful feline. I rubbed him behind his left ear and he pushed his face into my palm like he had always done.
“That’s him,” I said. “I can’t believe you found him. I had given up on finding him. He’s been gone for over two years.”
The pound staff put him in the cat carrier I brought with me. I thanked them and left with my Scottie. When we got home, I isolated Scottie from the other cats for a few days so they could get used to him being back and in case he was carrying some disease.
During his isolation, I took him to the veterinarian for a check up and vaccinations. The vet said he’s under weight but is otherwise okay, considering he spent so long on the street. She also said it would be all right to let him around the other cats. So I did. But things had changed – not for the better.
END OF PART ONE
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