Dear LPG readers,

How observant are you?  As we walk around our local streets, posters are everywhere, and some get missed.  I have learned to take notice of the ones that often get stuck to lamp posts or tree trunks, and they tend to come with two main messages to offer.   Some give notice of the fact that the council plans to change some aspects of our local streets, but the occasional ones which are more likely to catch my eye are the ones who tell of lost pets.   How many times have you passed one without stopping to look at it?  There is a significant feature of my life that is dear to my heart, and that is my pet cat.  I would not be without her, and I know that I am not the only owner of such an animal who can be found with the back door open as repeatedly I call her name to get her in for the night.

I have often wondered if cats are as loyal as dogs, and my own experience has always told me that our cats are a bit more opportunistic.  I know mine will enjoy sitting on my lap and being petted for ages, but the sound of a shaking packet of cat treats in the room next door will prompt her to get up and leave just like that.  We hear stories of them just not coming home and then reappearing after days away, and there is a lot more trust needed in a cat/owner relationship than one you might have with a dog.  

But today, I have a bit of a story to tell.  One of my friends, who lives alone and has a cat, also recently had a stroke, which kept her in hospital for three months.  We, three of her friends, did do our best to visit her in the hospital and also go to her home to check the mail and feed the cat while she was away, but it was not long before her beloved cat disappeared.  We did not want to say too much to her because, as she was recovering, things were hard enough for her without adding that news. 

We told her in the end, and when she finally got back home, she was pretty upset, but a couple of weeks gave her time to become reconciled to never seeing him again.  It took a month for her to come to terms with the fact that the cat was never coming back. It was then that she started talking about doing away with his cat bowl and bed, but quite out of the blue one morning, she noticed the cat on her bedroom windowsill looking at her, and now it is as if he has never been away.   

We have no idea where he went during that time, but he is back, and it is as if he knew when to return, although where he was and who was feeding him are questions that we will never find the answer to.

Perhaps the story's moral is that life can change overnight, but whatever else happens, you should never give up on your cat.

LA, Blackheath.