Well, the move was successful and Andy thought it might be good if we took the cats to the new house at the beginning of the move to give them more time to adjust. So we packed up Smokey in the car and wrestled Peaches in, too. We brought along both her wig (her favorite toy) and her (my) beloved feather pillows. She sat on her daddy's lap the entire way to the new apartment, only howling every few bumps, as Andy pet her and cooed to her diligently.

Smokey, on the other hand, was having the time of her life leaping from the seats to my shoulder to my lap and staring out the windows at all the fun stuff flashing by. By the time we got to the new place, they both wanted OUT. Smokey set out exploring all the new nooks and crannies inevitable of a new home while we got Peaches set up in the broom closet with her wig and pillows.

We set up the food, water and litter close to her closet to be easily accessible and left the door open a crack. A note was taped to the door letting our new landlord know the cats were there and may try to escape (he was due to fix some last-minute things that afternoon).

When we returned, the note was gone and we had new burners for the stove. And no cats. I called them both and got no response. I looked EVERYWHERE for them and found nothing. By this time, I was in tears. I knew Smokey would probably be okay, but Peaches isn't the smartest outside cat. I went for another last look for my babies. I found Smokey curled up and asleep in the bathroom sink, of all places. She yawned and stretched and made her way towards the food dish. Peaches, though, was nowhere to be found. Her closet was empty besides the pillows and her wig was even gone. I was ready to murder our landlord for letting my gorgeous cat escape.

Finally, we had the smarts to look once more in the closet. Daddy picked up her pillows -- to find them surprisingly heavy. She had decided to burrow her way into the pillow cases and was fast asleep. Her eyes got huge and round and she started a frantic purr. Daddy moved her into our bedroom and lay down with her INSIDE the closet. It was ridiculous, but she seemed better.

Over the next few days, we found Peaches on the top shelf of the linen closet, in every cupboard in the kitchen, underneath the sink where a piece of floorboard is missing, underneath every single piece of furniture, and hidden behind the shower curtain in the bathroom. Smokey is usually the one to point out her new hiding spot - looking at us like 'What a moron. Why doesn't she just get over it??'

Peaches still hasn't quite adjusted to apartment living. The noises from the neighbors above us still have her slinking into closets with her tail between her legs like a dog. And she seems to be incredibly pissed at Andy. After all, HE was the evil man who brought her to this horrible place. At night, if it's dark and he's in the bedroom, she'll sleep with him and love him and cuddle. But during the day, she sees him walk through the door and she makes a beeline for the other room. I hope she gets over it soon...

Copyright © Jenniffer NifferDollz
November 9, 1999