03/06/2023
About 20 years ago, my best friend found a litter of feral kittens under her
gardening bench. I adopted two of them and named them Corker and Scrapper
(remember the old Far and Away movie? Tom Cruise, the young Irish scrapper;
and “You’re a corker” Nicole Kidman). Sadly, Corker did not live a long life, due
to internal birth defects, but Scrapper, affectionately referred to as my “longest
live-in boyfriend,” stuck with me all these years. He moved with me several
times, outlived several other feline residents, and became my retirement
roommate out in Lago Vista seven years ago.
He’d always been an indoor-outdoor cat, so I agreed when the vet suggested
giving him a microchip, and I put a cat door in my bedroom window. He lived
through many of his nine lives over the years, but one evening a week before
before Christmas 2022, he failed to return after his usual evening outdoor
constitutional. He had never stayed out all night, so I was worried – talked to
neighbors, searched for him, all to no avail. As the days passed, I had to admit to
myself that he had probably fallen victim to a coyote. Having no little body to
bury, though, I could never quite let go of him in my mind. I kept imagining I
heard his voice or saw him out of the corner of my eye in one of his usual napping
spots. I missed his company a lot, but tried to console myself with the idea that
now I had freedom to travel, etc., without needing to make arrangements for
anyone but myself. It was scant comfort, though, and I didn’t take any trips!
Gradually, with a heavy heart, I packed away the cat toys and removed the cat
door from the window. The last thing to go would be the litter box, but…not yet.
(You’d think that would have been the first thing to go!?) Sure, he was elderly,
had lost his hearing, needed special Rx food for kidney-failure disease, and went
through an inordinate amount of cat litter for such a little guy, and required more
veterinary attention, but he was my buddy. I would have gladly put up with the
inconveniences of caring for an aging cat, if I could just have that purring presence
back in my life again for a little while longer.
Then, on Saturday evening, February 18, 2023, I received an alarming text on my
phone: “URGENT PET ALERT FROM SAVETHISLIFE! Reported Location of your
Lost Pet!” I think my heart skipped a beat or two, but then I told myself that it
was probably just an advertisement or a hoax. Two months had passed since
Scrapper had disappeared. I didn’t see how he could have ended up in
Georgetown! However, I texted, emailed, and called the attached contact
numbers, and the Williamson County Animal Shelter called me back a few
minutes later. Someone had turned in a cat with a microchip that was linked to
my name and number! They texted me a photo, and sure enough, it really was
Scrapper! I could not believe it!
Since they were about to close the office and I am about a 45-minute drive from
Georgetown, I arranged to pick him up the following day after church, when they
reopened at noon. A friend rode along with me and videoed the reunion. I was
(and have continued to be) in shock, but Scrapper was/is fine! He came home
and resumed “business as usual” in his own territory (cats are definitely good role
models for “living in the moment”!), except I no longer allow him free rein
outdoors, and he is still vehemently and vocally protesting this curtailment of his
freedom! (Sorry, Scrapper, but I just don’t think I could go through that again!)
He’d lost a couple pounds, but the vet was pleased overall with how he had
survived the ordeal.
I often think, “If only he could talk!” And I had to re-read The Incredible Journey,
but I will never really know what he experienced during those two months away.
He will have his 20 th birthday in April. I will treasure every single day we have left
together. And I highly recommend everyone getting their pets micro-chipped and
have any strays that come to you scanned for a chip! Now, if only they could
figure out a way to attach a little camera…