Lost and Found - Who Named This Cat?

It is a difficult matter to gain the affection of a cat. 

He is a philosophical, 

methodical animal, 

tenacious of his own habits, 

fond of order and neatness, 

and disinclined to extravagant sentiment. 

He will be your friend, 

if he finds you worthy of friendship, 

but not your slave.

― Théophile Gautier, Menagerie intime

There's been a bit of drama around here of late. Hobbes,* the menace of a yellow tabby who arrived at our house in 1999,** escaped while DH and I were preparing for a weekend of nature nerd training.*** We were scheduled to be out of town (although only 30 miles away) for a long weekend with day-long field trips added to each end. But on Thursday evening we noticed Hobbes was missing.

We had been loading the car for over an hour. I remember seeing an early attempt to sneak out, but foiled it. Of course I warned him, but Hobbes never listens.

We only realized he was gone because Hobbes always naps in one lap or the other in the evenings. [Resulting in unplugged computers or nonsensical sentences (typed by kitty paws) in the middle of an email as DH and I are often working on our laptops in the evenings.****] Anyway, Hobbes wasn't there. His food bowl was abandoned (as was the litter box).

When the dear boy has escaped in the past, he was always back by morning. He would sit on the back steps and yowl until someone let him in. And he would come back in like, "What? You knew I'd be back." 

So, when he wasn't on the back step when we got up, we expected the worst. There are two new toms in the neighborhood. We suspected that he was tired and went to ground as cats sometimes do or he had lost a battle with one of the toms. Still, we had already discussed how the cats had been especially distressed by their last boarding. I would come back home from the conference and check on the cats at least once a day. And that is what I did. I was home each morning. I walked the yard and called. I drove the neighborhood. Nothing.

On Monday we skipped our scheduled hike. We were exhausted and soul weary. I posted a photo and the story on the neighborhood Facebook page and called the girls. They handled the news so well - much better than I did. 

Tuesday morning brought messages on the FB page. Hobbes had been seen - first in our block and then three blocks away. We checked through the neighborhood and waited. Zelda (who loves everyone and sniffs every scent) walked with me towards the last place Hobbes had been seen. I encouraged, "Find Hobbsie!" And Zelda sniffed and sniffed and seemed excited (but if you know her you know she is always excited). [Little did I know, at this same time our neighbors had posted on the FB page that Hobbes was in her yard and asked for someone to get in touch with me.]

As we turned the corner we saw our neighbor sitting on her porch and her son playing in the yard - WITH HOBBES.

I stopped and stared. Was that really him? Yes, yes it was.

Now, nothing is easy with Hobbes. He would not let anyone catch him until - he was lured by a bowl of food - I grabbed him. Even though he balked at being caught he relaxed in my arms and allowed himself to be carried home where we fed him and took on the task of reverse notification of everyone. Yes, news of his demise was premature (and after I had written a wonderful obit).

He's been sleeping and eating and drinking - as if nothing happened. We suspect he may have tried to come home, but one or both of the toms chased him away. He found some people who fed him and so he waited. [DH got lost in the woods while hunting once. He said Hobbes followed his plan: If you are lost, find some friendly civilians who will feed you and wait.]

Playing solitaire

There is no lesson here except maybe LOVE is LOVE - even when you love a cranky, moth-eaten old cat who cannot find his way home without help from friends and neighbors and a lot of luck.


NOTES:

*If you know nothing of the cartoon "Calvin and Hobbes," you won't get it. In the cartoon Calvin (a busy little guy) and his toy tiger Hobbes go on adventures and get into mischief. Hobbes is alive to Calvin, but just a stuffed toy to everyone else. When the yellow Tomcat wandered into our house the kids decided he could only be named "Hobbes." It was the perfect name for this menace of a cat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes

**Yes. Yes, he is 19 years old. That's 92 in cat years if you care about such things. We do call him a cranky old man because he is.

***Texas Master Naturalist State Meeting. 

****...more so recently because, while the WiFi works, the cable has been out off and on since the last deluge. We have not missed it - much. The last time it magically came on I drew DH's attention to it. 

"It's on," I said, motioning to the TV set.
"What? The TV?" he responded. I nodded - he shrugged and replaced his headphones. We live an exciting life these days. Maybe that explains Hobbes' desire for a little adventure.