The Cask of Trex (NOT! we hope)

In an effort to channel profgrrrl's ability to make lost objects reappear by blogging about them, I am announcing to the internets that Neurotic Cat escaped the house last night when I didn't close the back door fully; it blew open and he snuck out. Younger Cat also snuck out, and we noticed that and got him back in the house. Neurotic Cat, usually more fearful, doesn't usualy sneak out. So we didn't notice he was gone until this morning when he didn't appear for breakfast.

He crawled under the back deck in the one little place where there is a cat-sized entry. This morning we heard him mewling when we went out back to look for him and call. I shook some food and coaxed him to near the entryway. He ate what spilled but wouldn't come out. When I tried to pull him out, his dignity got dented and he retreated back under the deck, where we could hear him but not see or reach him. (So I feel like a failure. Politica points out, of course, that had grabbing him worked, we'd be all happy about it. I feel guilty about letting the door blow open. And we both feel badly we didn't notice his absence last night--but he is often a secretive and sleepy boy.) The deck is very sturdily constructed so trying to disassemble it to get to the cat is even more difficult than one might imagine.

Politica has been checking on him; lately he's been quiet. Just sleeping, I hope. It's kind of hot here, but he is in the shade under there. Sigh.

Neurotic Cat, please come out. We miss you. Even though Curious Girl said, "Can we get a new cat after camp today?" she misses you too. Remember how she squatted down and said, "I love you, Neurotic Cat!" before she left? At camp she told me, "But I want to say I love you to him when he gets out!"