Hi there:

Unbelievable!  He was trapped early Tuesday morning and he is at home now
sitting on my computer desk looking quite at home.  It was quite an
operation staged by my parents, the cattery lady, kids in the neighbourhood
who put up signs, and all of the people in the neighbourhood.  My parents (I
am so lucky) say that they are a first name basis with most of the people in
the neighbourhood and they all waved at the truck and asked for updates when
my parents drove by.

I had passed along to my dad that Otis liked other people's houses and sheds
so they put the trap in a man's shed and that is where he was caught.  The
night before, my mom and dad saw Otis and a buddy cat (???) on a front lawn
and they took off like greased lightening when my mom got out of the car.
My dad thought it was hopeless.  Especially since one of the traps had been
sprung but hadn't caught anything - we didn't think Otis would make the same
mistake twice by going near another trap.  They had laced this trap with
sardines and, while he was waiting for someone to pick him up out of the
trap, he methodically pulled all the blankets around the trap inside the box
to get every last sardine juice drip.  It took the vet an hour to open the
cage since Otis had thoroughly tied it up.  He weighs the same as before and
looks fantastic.  They caught the buddy cat in the second trap the same
night but let him go - I wish they'd figured out if he was stray first.

Despite the fact that my dad left two messages at the hotel, we never got
the good news.  I spent the whole plane trip back, besides trying to prevent
my 4 yo from annoying the other passengers, trying to figure out how to
catch him.  The little sh#t managed to put a damper on the whole vacation.
BUT I'M SO GLAD HE'S HOME.  He's so affectionate and cuddly, as is Chester.
Fred and I tried to get back earlier in the end, but it was prohibitively
expensive, which was agonizing.

Anyway,  thanks for all your kind thoughts and messages to Otis to stay put.
It was another miracle that he was found.  He's used up at least five lives,
that I know about.

Take care,

Susan M
Otis and Chester