Never usually one to miss a meal…
It’ll be three years in September since the kitten we named Pip arrived in our lives. She’s still very much like a kitten (albeit a rather plump one): playful, inquisitive, and ready to eat anything in sight. Every day she does things to make us laugh and remind us how fortunate we are that somehow she turned up at our finca. But yesterday we feared we had lost her…
Pip when she first arrived three years ago
Cat-astrophe?
Pip seems to be a bit of a petrolhead: she loves to get into cars. One morning earlier this year she didn’t turn up for her breakfast; this was not usual Pip behaviour, as she always appears to be starving in the mornings, but we assumed she was sleeping off a busy night doing feline stuff. Some time later, The Boss called me and pointed out of the kitchen window at our car. Standing up on the driver’s seat inside, with her front paws on the side window, was Pip. The Boss had been cleaning the car out the previous evening and Pip had managed to hide herself away in it while all the doors and hatchback were open – and had spent the night trapped inside. As you may imagine, there was a little more cleaning to be done afterwards…
We’ve been super-careful ever since. If friends come to visit, or we have a delivery or tradesman calling, we’ve always made sure that Pip hasn’t somehow managed to get into their vehicle.
Chill-out Furniture Delivery; Not-so-chilled Cat Mum!
Do not disturb
Yesterday we had a delivery of some new chill-out furniture for the terrace. The two guys who brought the stuff left the large van’s back doors open while they were carrying the items from the drive to the back terrace. As well as our furniture, there were protective blankets and other stuff inside the van. It was another hot day so we assumed Pip would be asleep somewhere on our land.
It was only later, as we were having lunch outside, I remembered that we hadn’t asked the delivery men to check the back of the van for a feline squatter before they left. Had she jumped up through the open doors into the back of the van? Was she on her way to who-knows-where? We abandoned lunch and repeatedly called out to Pip; usually she appears when she hears us (in the expectation of food). We even shook the large plastic box that contains the cats’ biscuits. Nada.
Stowaway Alert
At this point I had a mini-meltdown, imagining her trapped in the van and what would happen when the doors were opened – either back at the store or on another delivery somewhere. The consequences didn’t bear thinking about but that didn’t stop me thinking about them! I phoned the store to alert them to the possibility of a stowaway in the van and the helpful woman there rang the drivers to warn them.
Needless to say, after an afternoon of anxiety, Pip turned up later in the day for her dinner. I went outside and there she was stretched out under our car. We’ve never been as pleased to see her as we were last evening.
“What was all the fuss about, hooman?”
Cats can be such a worry sometimes … or maybe it’s just that this cat-mum worries too much about them!
©Jan Edwards 2017
Kids….
I know… imagine what I’d be like if I had hooman kids!
Many years ago we had a wonderful tuxedo cat named “Woody,” naturally after Woody Allen. One day the neighbors across the street had some handymen working on their house. We did not make the connection at that point but Woody must have secreted himself in their van and, consequently, would disappear for SIX weeks. I walked the mountainside for many evenings during that time, shaking a little cup of cat food and calling his name. We had given up hope when, one early morning, there was a scratching and meowing at our ground level bedroom window. It was our Woody. It seems he had walked all the way back home along the heavily forested ski mountain next to our house, from a neighborhood a good 10 miles to the west. I know that in itself is not too remarkable but there were, and still are, bears and mountain lions living there and also a cat’s worst nightmare, bobcats. I think maybe in the end it was a safer travel than on busy roads. That cat lived to be 17 years old! He was very special to us.Glad you found your little Pip!
Maybe we should have a feature on Pip on Katzenworld? 🙂
Yes, Marc-Andre, I’d be happy to do that. Just a work deadline to get past and I’ll write something happily! Best wishes, Jan
Sounds great! Thank you ^^
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Awwwww, she has some similarities to my recently departed Jamima Patch the pirate cat! She was 16 so there is a big hole in my heart……cheers,H
Sorry to hear about Jamima Patch – it’s really sad to lose a pussycat after such a long time…
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This is a great story. Cats can be very selective with their hearing 😂🐈
My cat (no longer here 🌈) disappeared after she’d gone into a deivery van and she was missing months.
We put an add on the local radio and within a few weeks an old man phoned up. He put me on the phone and I said her name. Apparently her ears pricked up which confirmed she was ours.
We were reunited with her within the hour 🐈😊
Oh my goodness! What a lovely ending to what must have been a distressing time. Just imagining the joyful reunion has made my eyes water. I am always nervous whenever we have a van come to the house.
It was so good to get her back!
I always make sure I know where mine are (if I can). They are such a handful aren’t they? 🙂