worst morning ever.

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I have had the absolute WORST morning. Seriously. Worst. Set up for the worst day. I am so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open, my lower back is on fire, and my eyes are so sore...

My cat, Sookie - my favorite cat in the entire universe, was missing.

I can't explain to you the fear that was running through me. I thought that she was gone forever. Disappeared. Hit by a car. Missing forever. Dead. The dread of finding her body. Her gorgeous green eyes frozen, wide open, and scared in her last moments. 

There is no fear like that. There is absolutely no panic like the panic that I felt this morning.

A mothers panic, I assume.

B woke me up at 6:15 by saying, "Jackie, I need you to wake up."

I thought for a second that I was in trouble for oversleeping or something. That was the voice he was using. 

He said that our downstairs neighbor had seen an orange cat last night in the hallway. And he couldn't find her anywhere. I knew, given her track record of wanting to escape, that she was outside of our apartment somewhere. She lives for trying to get out the door. She's got intense wanderlust. Just like her mama, I guess.

Armed with a bag of her favorite treats, I ran down four flights of stairs in light blue running shorts, a completely see through pink lace top (yes, I did have the sense to put on a bra. It was light blue also, and the first thing on the top of my laundry basket.), and no shoes and promptly locked myself out of the apartment. Because on the worst day ever, of course I would do something stupid. 

I was shaking the treat bag, which usually sends her running to me, and crying, barefoot on the street, shrieking her name. A woman walked by me, staring at me, the crazy barefooted woman, running up and down the block. I stopped her and asked if she'd seen an orange cat. She said no, and I proceeded to keen like a dying animal. 

B gave me his keys and I went in and got my shoes on. I thought I heard Sookie's signature jingle in the hallway, but she was no where to be seen, and there is really no where to hide in our hallways. Flying back down the stairs, I resumed the hunt for her outside, but I wasn't feeling hopeful. You see, traffic is crazy in our neighborhood, and sure, the street cats (like my friend Callie) do just fine, because they understand not to run in front of cars and where to go to keep safe, but Sookie doesn't know those tricks. Sookie, the only other time she ever got out (and by out, I mean onto the scary, dangerous street!), ran immediately into the first open door she could find - which was the house next door - and immediately took up residence on their couch and waited for me to find her. My neighbor called the number on her tag, and I came and got her immediately, hugging her hard and promising that I would never let her near an open door again. But I hadn't let her near an open door at all! And no one had called me to say that she'd run into their apartment

But I had heard that jingle...

I met back up with B, and he was empty handed. I was inconsolable. My cat - my very best friend - was missing. I was howling in the street. She was gone.

Ben told me to go inside and start typing up a flier to post around the neighborhood, that maybe someone had taken her in and not seen her tag, or that they would call us at a normal hour (it was almost 7am by this time). Then he told me that he had to go to work, and I lost it all over again. I begged him not to go. I knew that I wasn't going if my cat was still missing, that I would scour every bush in every yard on every block and knock on every single door until I found her, and I needed him to do the same thing, or else I might die.

(I am very dramatic.)

He said that he would call and see what he could do, and that I should go in and start making fliers to find her. I headed back upstairs, totally defeated. I kept repeating her name, and I heard the jingling again. She has a very distinct jingle. Her bell sounds lighter and more tinkly than Cessie's bell, and I can always tell them apart - I guess it's just from being around them for so long. I kept calling her and kept hearing the jingle. Lexi and Conrad were barking up a storm, but I didn't care, because I could hear Sookie.

Hope!

I narrowed down the jingling to the apartment right below ours, and called her again. When I heard her voice, I knew she was stuck in there. She has the tiniest voice, it doesn't match her big personality at all, I called her and called her to make sure, and then I started banging on the door like the joint was on fire. Finally, a very sleepy young lady opened the door, and Sookie rushed out! I scooped her up, and blubbered out an apology for waking her through my tears. The girl said, "Oh, I was wondering where the cat come from. It just walked into my room this morning." I was too happy that Sookie was alive and well to be annoyed. How can you wonder where a cat came from?! Seriously. Cats don't fall from the sky!!

Whatever.

I wept into her fur, and held her waaaaay too tight - think Angelica Pickles.

I brought her back upstairs and she hit the litterbox first thing. I'm sure she was grateful to be back in her bathroom. From there she made quick work of the food bowl and then lapped at her water for about 2 minutes straight. I can't imagine how hungry and scared she was. And how much she had to pee.

I called Ben to get him back inside, and I allowed him to go to work after a brief period of breathing. I went back to bed, and called Sookie up. She laid with me awhile, purring away, and then went up into her cat tree for a well deserved nap.

As for me, well, I've been a wreck of nerves all day. All that I want to do is be home, with her and the rest of the pack, being grateful that they're alive and well and home with me.

I'll leave you with a picture that my dogwalker, JK, sent while he was at my place today, after I told him about this mornings adventure.

I apologize for the length, and that this wasn't the most well written of my posts, but it was horrible and scary, and I wanted to share it with you.

Have any of you ever had a pet disappear? And come back?