I already had a post started for today, in which I was going to talk about the week in TV. Because, you know. I love TV.
But last night, just as I was about to leave my office, my phone rang. In principle, I don't answer my office phone after 5pm. It's bad enough that I NEVER make it out on time, but answering the phone is just a mistake. I also never answer email from home, on principle. I think that just breeds the expectation that you'll be available 24-7 for work, and I'm not OK with that. I realize it's a long jump from answering the phone at 5:15 to being handcuffed to your laptop.... but it's a slippery slope. And I don't like skiing .
Luckily, we have called ID, and when I saw "Your Vet's Office" on the display, I picked it up. I had no idea why they'd be calling. My first thought was that I messed up the date for Max's visit next month and we'd missed it. Cue sinking stomach, because I hate missing appointments. Instead, they told me that someone had brought in a cat that looked an awful lot like Henry.
I went right to the vet's office, and they brought out the mystery cat, wrapped in a towel. He'd been brought in by a woman who lived nearby, who'd found him sitting on her doorstep. He was bone thin, and one of his front paws was badly injured. We took him into an exam room, and I looked him over... and honestly, I just wasn't sure. It certainly looked a lot like Henry. He had the same color eyes, and the same tufted ears. But I had to admit (somewhat sheepishly, because I felt like the staff were all thinking, Um, why would we give a cat back to a terrible person like her, she can't even identify him for crying out loud!), that I just couldn't tell. He didn't have strong orange undertones like I remembered. And this cat didn't have a kitten's meow like Henry did. Of course, these things can change, especially on a young cat (Henry was 9 months old when he escaped). But the bottom line is, I just wasn't sure.
I went home to look at the pictures that I'd just organized on the computer. I compared the picture I'd taken of the new cat with my phone to all the pictures we had taken of Henry before he escaped. They sure did look similar. But it was still hard to say for sure.
Joel had the brilliant idea that we just take the laptop back to the vet's office, because after all - he got a laptop so that we could take it places. And so we packed up the laptop and went back to the vet. They brought the new cat out again, and just like CSI detectives, we compared every marking from the pictures to the live, limping cat in front of us. It took about 5 minutes for us to be sure. It was Henry.
It seems the prodigal cat has returned. I'm ecstatic that he's returned. I'm also sort of mad at him for running away. And I'm also worried about the billions of dollars (in cat-dollars, which are like cat-years) that his little escape is going to cost me. The terms blood transfusion and xray were actually used in describing his course of treatment last night. Along with IV fluids, and overnight hospital stay and antibiotics. I guess it's a good thing I got a raise, because apparently it's quite expensive to be a crazy cat lady.
But mostly, I'm just so, so happy that he's OK and he's home. Or, at least he will be once the vet releases him.
yay for a happy-ish ending! that little bugger better not escape again though!!!
Posted by: janet | Friday, February 09, 2007 at 02:03 PM
Oh my gosh, I can't believe he's back!! That is like the best cat story EVER!
Posted by: Isabel | Friday, February 09, 2007 at 02:21 PM