The Lost

 The mistakes I make when tired, would have been another good post title.

I lost Smolder last night.   I'd worked in the cat yard most of the day.  Included in the work I did--I put together this cheapo greenhouse.  I saw them on a cat lady's post.  She'd used one, that yes was much much nicer, as an outdoor cat house, an affordable one, much cheaper than building a shed.

My spot out of the rain. I love it.  I can even read outside now.

But I thought to myself, wow I could sit in one of those and see the sky and be protected from the rain.  I was going to put it up outside my garage, but then changed my mind and put it together in the cat yard.  This involved a lot of trips in and out.  

I enjoy putting together these jigsaw puzzle boxed up things.  You don't know how they'll come out, really and the instructions themselves can be limited.   This came out almost as expected but even better because the plastic did not reach the ground, so the cats can run under the edge to get in or out and not feel trapped.  The shelves are too weak to support cats but that's ok.  They support a book or two and a cup of coffee.  

I was tired after all the work in the cat yard and came inside.  It was after dark I went back out to the garage and discovered to my horror that the door into the cat room off the cat yard was ajar by about four inches  It hadn't latched and someone had pushed it from the inside.  That meant I probably had at least one if not twenty escaped cats.

From the garage, if they get into it, they can escape to outside through the cat door I made for the neighbors cats.

I began the cat count, to see who could be missing.  My flashlight barely bore a brownish dull hole through the darkness.  How useless, I thought.  But before I could find my better light, I saw a black cat outside the cat yard in the driveway.  There and gone, because the flashlight flickered out.  I ran outside, but saw only the neighbors Siamese.  Was it him I really saw, I thought.  

By midnight I"d accounted for all but one of my cats. Smolder was unaccounted for and he is black.   

He's old and flabby but adventuresome.  Like me!@

I didn't worry a lot.   He could get food and water in the garage, shelter too.  I set traps.  I checked them a couple times in the night then ignored them when there was no action.   

Today, I went out in the garage and there was Smolder.  He began to cry like a big baby.  I closed the cat door to outside and then he just came up to me.  I picked him up, cuddled him and took him back into his domain---the cat yard.   Smolder's big adventure didn't last too long but I'm glad he's ok.

Meanwhile, Fluffybutt, the neighbors Siamese was endeavoring to catch birds.  I have never known him to be successful.  He has zero technique and just hopes for the best.