MIA Day

We are joining with Samantha and Clementine and Maverick of Life from a Cat's Perspective in honor of both their Mr Tigger who went missing, and our Rusty, who we lost when he did not come home. When Simba first came to live here, Rusty was the other kitty, and they became pretty good buddies, though Rusty was an independent sort, and just could not be happy unless he was able to go outside. He would roam and hunt, and always be back at the end of the day.
One rainy night he stayed out extra late and did not come home. The next day Mom and Dad looked all over the neighborhood for him, and put flyers in mailboxes with his picture, and called the vets offices in the area, thinking he might have been hit by a car. But there was no news of him. Then a couple of days later Mom saw that among the grass in the front yard was some of his ginger and white fur, as if he had struggled with an animal that grabbed him by the throat. They believe he was taken away and killed by a coyote or wild dog. Yes, right here in suburbia, we have such things. They were so very upset, but there was nothing to be done to make the clock go backwards. Now a special stone marks the spot in the front yard where Rusty last was.

So the humans are very protective of us now, and don't let us go out unless under very close supervision (for Simba only, Audrey doesn't go off the deck at all). Yet they do know Rusty would have been a very unhappy boy if he was confined inside. One winter Mom tried to refuse to let him out and he would scratch and scratch at the doors, and yowl frantically. Once he had tasted the outside he could no longer be an inside cat. But he did have 13 wonderful years of life. Here is Rusty one Christmas, by the Christmas tree:

Mr Tigger, we hope you are happy and have a new family somewhere who love you too. We know your first family misses you a lot.

Rusty, we love you and miss you. We hope you are enjoying the infinite outdoors at the Rainbow Bridge.