A Happy Community Story, for a Change

The blog topic today is different today. It’s a light-hearted take on community and personal learning.  A breather during fraught times.

Last week, my cat got out. He is supposed to be an ‘indoor’ cat. I chose Riley last January to keep my now lonely dog company. It didn’t feel right to bring a new dog home. Riley, a semi-feral cat, was found “sleeping with a dog.” This fact, along with the shelter’s description of him, clinched my decision that he was the one to adopt.

Riley is exceeding shy. A handsome tuxedo, he hid in the closet of one room for a week, barely coming out to eat and use his litter box. Gradually, ever so gradually, he explored the house and became familiar with Sebastian the dog, and me. Over time, I found Riley to be affectionate, never aggressive, but still shy. He disappears if others enter the house. I continue to work on being able to pick him up! I kept reminding myself that he was “a work in progress” and hoped that he would become more comfortable and companionable.

On our first hot summer night, I set up a fan, opened windows, although not too wide. I also knew that the windows were screened as well. Riley didn’t like the fan, but our evening routine seemed to hold. He goes to sleep on my bed, and when he gets restless, he leaves. I then shut the door and the dog, sleeping beside my bed, and I have an uninterrupted night’s sleep. Riley is always waiting to re-enter the bedroom in the morning to greet us. But not the morning after that hot night.

Riley was nowhere to be found. The house was silent and still. I looked in every cat hiding place and every crook and cranny. No Riley! Then, I looked for ways he could have gotten out. Sadly, I discovered that one of the open windows did not have a screen as I had believed. It became clear that Riley, probably exploring, squeezed out that window, and then could only move forward, and out into the night. I imagine that his feral skills kicked in as he managed the landscape…

I felt devastated. At first, I didn’t know what to do. Riley didn’t know these surroundings. How could I find him? How could he get back in? I got an inkling of how terrible it feels to not know where someone is, or even if they are alive, and helpless to do anything about it.

Over the next couple of days, I asked my friends and my veterinarian what I could do. From their advice, I put together a list of items to put out by the door, his litter box, food, and an item of mine. I put these by the front door, the one we usually use. But was this the right one for Riley, the shy half-feral cat? One day, I took Sebastian for a walk and asked him, “where is Riley?” The dog took us in a direction he never goes. We wandered around my neighbor’s backyards for a while. I saw no cat and no signs of a cat. I spoke to my neighbor asking them to be on the lookout. And I learned something. I put Riley’s box and food by the back door, nearer the direction Sebastian indicated.

I had one more idea. I decided to open that backdoor while I was home. The heck with flies and mosquitoes. I could take care of a few of those to get Riley back.

And, six days after Riley got out, he walked back in! He announced himself by meowing by my chair! After a joyful greeting, I hurried to shut the door. (The screen in now in the window. The windows are now only opened a crack.)

What did I learn? I learned how much I love this animal. I had been a little ambivalent. No longer. And I learned from a community of concerned people what I could do to bring Riley back. I learned from Sebastian! He showed me where Riley was hiding out. And Riley seems to have learned, too. He chose to return, and he is much more affectionate now. I appreciate the community that helped me learn and bring Riley home.