Hi All,

I hope that the stories of my DH's cat, Puss Puss, were memorable
enough so that the name isn't totally strange to you.  I'd like to
relate not one of her adventures, but a tragic misadventure.  Before
you stop reading because you can't take another sad story, let me say
that there is a happy ending.

Most couples have trouble at one time or another and I'll just say
that Lynda was staying with an old friend in the same town we had been
living in.  It was a nice apartment on the first floor and Lynda's
friend had known Puss Puss since she and Lynda were neighbors and
teenagers together.  Puss Puss went with Lynda to the apartment and
fit right into the routine.

The only bad thing you could say about the apartment as far as cats
were concerned was  that the living room window opened onto a driveway
and was about eight feet off the ground.  This made it low enough to
tempt a cat into jumping down, but too high for a kitty to jump back
up and return to the apartment.

Yes, as you were probably expecting, Puss Puss, who was used to being
an inside-outside cat, succumbed to the temptation and got herself
stuck in the big out.  This was no place for an active young cat to
be, but I can only imagine how hard it was for a fifteen year old lady
like the Puss Puss.  Her old hunting skills must have returned, for
she was outside for most of a year.  It drove DH to distraction, as
she blamed herself for her beloved pet's misfortune.  She kept looking
for her cat in the neighborhood, but didn't see her sweet lady puss
anywhere.

Lynda and I had gotten back together, and she moved out of the
apartment, but she continued to look for her cat for most of the next
year.  Finally one day she spied the cat and scooped her up with tears
in her eyes.  Puss Puss always was a little on the thin side, but she
showed the wear and tear of a cat who had been on the streets.  We
took her to the vet and had her checked over.  The doctor said she
wasn't in bad shape for a cat her age.

So after spending a year outside, Puss Puss always had plenty of food,
fresh water, and a nice warm place by the fire for the rest of her
life. If Susan is able to read this, I hope it will bring her some
comfort as the effort continues to return poor Otis to his home.

Regards and Purrs,
O J