We had such a scare today. But let me start at the beginning..

Maya is still an indoors-only kitty. Pepper can go on his merry way through the cat flap, when he opens it to the inside with his paw. He learned this trick long ago when we put a peg in the flap that allows us to close the flap so that it only opens to the inside, so that if he is outside, he can come in, but then stay in. He had a different opinion. But now it comes in handy, as it allows him freedom while keeping Maya safe.

Maya has been kept in a cage-like environment all her life. She had very little contact with humans, by the looks of it. Her only human contact was the breeder, which explains her wariness of humans, especially kids.

This morning I let her out on the deck, on the second floor. It is enclosed so unless she jumps on the rail and from there on the garage roof and down the other side, she cannot go out. But this was a big step for her, just going out of the house. And she was supervised the whole time. She feels unsafe there alone, and whenever I go in the house, she follows.

And this evening we could not find her anywhere. We thought she followed Pepper out of the cat flap, after searching every little nook and cranny of every wardrobe, and behind every curtain. After an hour-long search outside in the dark, armed with flashlights, we went inside to eat before resuming the search. And who walks into the living room from my bedroom, but her Highness.

We still are baffled by where she was hiding, and none the wiser. And the only one who knows, is not saying one single meow!

Copyright © Kiti de Jager
September 28, 2003