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Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

459.0. "Curiosity (almost) killed the cat" by MARVIN::WARWICK (Village tours start here) Mon Jan 26 1987 08:44

   
    We had a rather nasty experience this weekend. One of our cats,
    Lucy, disappeared on Saturday. She doesn't usually stay out for
    more than three or four hours. However, on Saturday, she had been
    out since 10.00am, and hadn't returned by midnight. We have a cat
    door that can be set so that it only lets the cats in, not out,
    so we set it, and went to bed.
    
    In the morning, she still hadn't come back. So, we walked around the
    area calling and looking out for her, but still no luck. At about 10pm
    on Sunday, I went outside into the garden to bring some washing inside.
    I called Lucy's name once or twice, but without much hope. I thought I
    heard something, so I called again. There was a faint noise coming from
    somewhere beyond the bottom of the garden. 
    
    I went down there, and called again, and I could hear a faint meowing.
    Opposite the back of our house, there is a house that is currently
    empty, because the owner died recently. The sound was coming from that
    house. I traced it to the garage, which was locked. When I called at
    the garage door, there was a rather pitiful meeeeoooowwww from the
    other side. 
                                                       
    We managed to find the telephone number of a relative of the house's
    ex-owner, and he came round and released an extremely happy Lucy.
    He had been clearing the house and garage out on Saturday morning,
    and Lucy must have sneaked inside for a quick exploration without
    him noticing. If I hadn't found her, she'd have probably been in
    there for at least a week, and I don't know if she'd have survived
    that long.

    Still, it made the weekend exciting !
    
    
    Trev
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459.1This one, tooCLUSTA::TAMIRMon Jan 26 1987 14:219
    I was home early last week and heard a similar story on People's
    Court (yes, I admit it!).  A cat had slipped quietly into a neighbor's
    garage while the door was open and was locked in there for a full week.
    Someone noticed the cat sitting in a window of the garage and notified
    the garage owner.  He had survived a week in there.  He had also managed
    scratch the leather interior of the garage owner's car that was
    being stored in there, which is how it wound up in court.  The kitty
    was hungry and thirsty, but otherwise OK.  The car was a different
    story!!  Judgement for the defendent (the cat's owner).
459.2PUZZLE::CORDESJAMon Jan 26 1987 15:184
    This has happened to me before too.  I have already entered the
    whole story in another topic, but my advice now is to check all
    the neighbors garages as soon as you notice your cat missing.
    Jo
459.3open car windows too!NEWVAX::BOBBGO GIANTS!!!Tue Jan 27 1987 15:5918
    We haven't had any problems yet, but only because we have been
    diligent. One of our cats has a great curiosity of open car windows
    and open truck doors! Whenever we get a delivery of any type, or
    any of the neighbors get a delivery or there are "foriegn" (as in
    not our cars) parked in the road, we have to keep a strict eye on
    the Rascal. 
    
    It's really "fun" when the local Bonzai group (about 20 - 30 cars)
    parks by our house to go shrub-hunting in the woods. I don't how many
    of the people I've met, because the cat has been checking out their
    cars! Usually after I have gone to get him once, he gets put into
    the house until they all leave.
    
    Our vet has the same prblem. She has a sign at the beginning of
    her exit stating "please check backseat for stow-away cat!"

    So, if you have the curious type (and don't we all...) open car
    windows can be especially luring!
459.4Engine Compartments, too!EMIRFI::KEENERWed Feb 11 1987 07:2419
    Cats seem to be fascinated by cars (as long as the motor isn't 
    running).  Also, during cold weather especially, watch for them
    crawling up into the engine compartment of a car when the engine
    is still warm - or just trying to get away from mean kids, dogs,
    etc.  Nine years ago, my female (mama with 6 kittens) got into
    an engine compartment and someone started the car.  She was cut
    badly cross the neck and shoulders and her right front leg was
    broken.  She was missing in the jungle (live on Guam at the time)
    for about a week.  We called and looked for her but found nothing
    and assumed we had lost a cat.  Tears were the order of the day
    from the whole family.  Eventually she showed up and we took he
    r to the Vet.  He said she was healing quite well and put a splint/
    cast on her leg.  She is a black cat and where the scars are, has
    lot of white hairs and she can't tuck her paw into the 'Monk' position
    when laying down, but otherwize seems okay.  I've known of other
    cats that weren't so lucky and were cut to ribbons.
    
    Ellen
    
459.5Nebula tried this one once, alsoCADSYS::RICHARDSONWed Feb 11 1987 13:2412
    Nebula tried this trick ONCE as well.  We finally located where
    she was hiding by the scream (she's half Siamese and has a big voice)
    when someone started the car!  She got a big cut across her chest,
    which it was great fun rubbing antibiotic cream into (which she
    would instantly lick off) for several days afterwards, and of course
    the very first thing that happened to her after the scream was theat
    she was scopped up INTO the offending car and rushed to the vet,
    not her idea of fun.  She healed up fine, however, and hasn't hidden
    inside the car since then - I do keep a pretty good eye on her when
    she is outside since it is hard to spot her (she's all black - JFCL
    is spotted), there are no big trees anywhere, and many dogs in my
    neighborhood (where no one pays any attention to the leash law).
459.6A repriseMARVIN::WARWICKVillage tours start hereThu Feb 12 1987 14:315
    
    Well, Lucy has just spent another 24 hours locked in the same garage.
    Who says cats are intelligent ! 
    
    Trev
459.7curous cats......and even ducks?? :^)PEACHS::WOODFri Feb 20 1987 17:339
    
    	My sister's apartment is near a small pond where there are ducks
    and her neighbor's have 2 or 3 cats.  If my sister leaves her front
    door open for a few minutes for whatever reason she will have her
    neighbors cats and even the ducks from the pond inside her apartment.
    The cats like to hide under the headboard of her waterbed.  
    
    		Myra