Scout has spent most of the last 36 hours or so either sitting next to me or resting where he can keep me in sight. That’s fine by me. You see, we’re both a little paranoid after something that happened Saturday night.
He’s a house cat. I found him as a baby, roaming the streets of the village where I work. He’s never been outside uncontained and unsupervised since that day and is quite happy to be secure here at home.
After a long day out and about Saturday, I came home to find my back door hanging wide open and Scout was not waiting for me in his usual spot.
They say that when you think you’ve been robbed or that someone’s in your house, you shouldn’t go in. I was conscious of this but I had Adam for backup and I didn’t think twice about barging in.
Luckily, Scout was waiting for me to find him in his safe space, in the bedroom, and purred loudly when I picked him up.
There were no signs of anything missing or moved. No signs that anyone had tampered with the door.
Something had come loose in the door knob and it had come open. I don’t believe it was open long. Actually, Scout has a habit of hopping up on the stool next to the door and stretching his body over to rest one paw on the door knob and the other on the window. I’m pretty sure it came open under his weight and he very smartly ran to safety.
Regardless, things could have turned out much differently. I could be telling you that my little Scout was missing.
The last eight days have been hard for a variety of reasons. I am tired, frustrated, angry, and tired of feeling put upon. But yesterday, I habitually reminded myself that no matter how annoyed/angry/tired I may be, at least my Scout isn’t lost.
This is what matters. The rest is beyond my control.
I know it freaked him out too because he’s staying close and letting me pick him up anytime I wish. In fact, I periodically pick him up and pack him around, telling him what a good, smart boy he is and how proud I am of him for being so brave and smart.
He’s humoring me but will eventually get sick of all the extra affection. Until then, I’ll give him extra ear scratches and will fly him around the house like Superman as much as possible.
Look after your furbabies, friends.
