Dual purpose post today. One of my rescue cats is missing and want to let everyone know of Pet Detectives and Miami-Dade Animal Services.

I have an ongoing, genetic predisposition to rescuing stray, injured, abandoned and particularily homely, unwanted animals. This runs in my family. Think my nephew and his wife are up to 13 cats, 2 or 3 dogs and that’s just what they admit to. 

About 2 months ago, gray kitty number 9 showed up at my patio door. He was downright boney, and seemed wobbly, but he had definitely been someone’s pet. Wobbled right in, waited to be petted, of course I fed him the best canned kitty food in the house. (we may run out of bread or milk, but never cat food!)

This was a curious situation, his wobbly-ness may have been because he had apparently just been neutered. Shaving and stitches were obvious, perhaps from a neuter-release program? But why was he so thin? Within a week, we observed that no. 9 was prone to epileptic seizures and had several large bluish bumps inside his ears. Quite frightening at first, but as soon as the shaking was over, he was ravenous and seemed to recover within minutes after the seizure.  

My teen daughter and her friends renamed him, Caesar (a play on seizure), but the more regal name was suited to him. He has a subdued and yet authoritative demeanor. The other kitties, all veterans of similar abandonment situations, hadn’t yet accepted him as one of the family, but they were beginning to tolerate his occassional swats as he established his place as top pillow holder in the living room. 

On Saturday, he was more restless than usual, going in and out dozens of times during the day. He wasn’t around to come in before I went to bed, but we have a cat door (a necessity!) so I wasn’t worried.

It’s been more than 35 hours that he’s missing now. I fear the worst. There are big, agressive dogs that sometimes run loose, a neighborhood fox that might prey on a weakened cat. I miss his big Yoda looking gray ears, his expressive eyes. He’d look right at me and stare until I acknowledged him and figured out whether he wanted a hug, or a treat, or for me to open the door. (Cats always prefer having their people open doors over using a cat door!) Maybe he even remembered where his former residence was and returned there, or perhaps… it was his time to cross the rainbow bridge. I’ll keep looking and calling for him every day and checking Pet Detective and other rescue sites for his picture or information.

Because of Caesar and another black kitty that was in very ill health, I’ve been working a bit with Miami-Dade Animal Services. They have a wonderful new program that a volunteer initiated called “Pet Detectives” and because of this program, many animals are being reunited with their humans. If you’ve lost or found an animal, visit their website and post information about the animal. The Pet Detectives will search all over Miami and beyond via the internet rescue sites and at the actual shelter of Animal Services. Describe the animal and share the info with Pet Detectives… you can save an animal’s life! 

 

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