Thursday, August 02, 2012

The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat

Wendy the cat is suffering from a type of dermatitis which makes her skin all itchy, with the result that she licks it, especially on her legs, and pulls all the fur of and it all gets inflamed.

Just before we went to Tenby, at the end of June, she disappeared for three days, outside, and just when I was sure she was dead, there she was, yelling indignantly outside our bedroom window and I let her in, very relieved to see her.

She's always had the ability to disappear.  I think she shape-shifts, becomes completely flat and slithers under doors.

We took her to the vet and explained that we were going on holiday and that she was going into the cattery whilst we were away.  It's a good cattery, and the vet thought that might be a good thing as it would give her skin time to recover.

So he gave her a steroid injection, and we kept her indoors for a week, and she got markedly better, and off we went to Tenby.

When we got back and collected her, she seemed fine but has refused to leave the house ever since.  Clearly something out there has traumatised her.  Perhaps another cat - - perhaps one of the local foxes - - or the vet suggested she might have got herself shut in somewhere.  That's quite likely, as she has always been keen to climb into any open car.  It's a shame that she's become scared like this, though, as she was such a bold, brave cat before.

Then her skin started getting bad again so we booked a vet's appointment for yesterday.

With typical cat instinct - she HATES the vet's - she disappeared all day.  I knew she was in the house, but simply couldn't find her.  Finally she emerged at about four o'clock for something to eat - - and I never did see where she'd come from.

Our house is quite large and there are lots of nooks and crannies - - but I thought I'd searched them all!

We took her to the vet who explained that one reason she might have been hiding was that she had a high temperature - - it looks as though her skin's become infected.  He gave her an injection of antibiotics and suggested we should bring her back on Friday, with a view to giving her a steroid injection for her skin then, if she was well enough.

She didn't seem too ill - - we brought her home and she ate a large meal - - and then she disappeared.  There simply was no way she could get out of the house - - and yet I can't find her.  That was nearly twenty-four hours ago.

I have checked cupboards, the cellar - though the door to it was firmly shut - all the nooks and crannies of the house - - but I haven't found her.  Of course now I'm worried that she has simply curled up, gone to sleep and died - - and yet she didn't seem particularly ill.  So it's a mystery.  I've done lots of different jobs today, but I can't really think of anything else.

Perhaps she overheard us booking her another vet's appointment for tomorrow.

Wendy, if you're reading this - - please come back!

8 Comments:

Blogger Jennytc said...

My money's on the shape-shifting and that she overheard you booking another appointment at the vet's! Hope you find her soon, though.

4:51 pm  
Blogger Jan Blawat said...

My Gollie (named after Gollum) is that way. When she was a kitten we took the washing machine apart twice because I hadn't seen her in 3 days and was sure she was trapped in it. She was not. She was sitting on the top shelf of a cabinet, behind boxes of soap, watching everything we did. When she had an allergy, I read that I should bathe her every day. After the second day she disappeared and tuna fish is the only thing that would coax her out of wherever she was. She had torn a hole in the lining of the box springs and was inside them.

6:32 pm  
Blogger rhymeswithplague said...

This has nothing to do with your missing cat, Daphne, but while watching the swimming events at the London Olympics yesterday (go, Michael!) I suddenly thought of you and how much you enjoy swimming. Are you following the games? Have you been able to attend any of the events? Or is it your own participation and accomplishments, not someone else's, that intrigues you?

2:58 pm  
Blogger Daphne said...

Jennyta and Jan - - thank you - finally we found her under a bed upstairs. She's still quite timid and is particularly cross with me I think, since I took her to the vet! Tomorrow she's going to live with Olli and the vet thinks a change of scene will be good for her as it may help her get over the trauma of whatever happened when she went missing.
Bob - I have really been enjoying as much as possible of the Olympics and particularly the swimming. Sadly haven't been able to see any live - - too far away and too expensive - but have really enjoyed them on television. I've never been able to swim particularly fast - I have stamina rather than speed! but really admire those who can.

3:53 pm  
Blogger Yorkshire Pudding said...

One of the reasons I won't have another cat is that I loved our Boris and Blizzard immensely and when they departed I was utterly bereft. I am keeping my fingers crossed for Wendy's reappearance.

1:05 am  
Blogger Yorkshire Pudding said...

Oh, I see she's back now. Brilliant! You must be so relieved.

1:06 am  
Blogger Daphne2 said...

I once spent a good part of Christmas Day, including abandoning my dinner, searching for my then kitten in the park and other people's gardens, only to eventually find her under a bookcase on the landing - as far as I was concerned there was no space under the bookcase but she had wriggled under a "pelmet" at the front and found a slightly bigger space behind.

7:35 am  
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