Twinkle, Twinkle, Little....Cat

"....how I wonder where you're at".
That's the tune I've sung to our little cat Twinkle since we got her just over a year ago.

And that's the tune I sang last night at 10:30, climbing through the snow looking for her.

Twinkle is quite the pampered little cat. Not pampered in the respect of lavished with toys, or carried around in my purse...but pampered in the respect that she's well fed, well groomed, well loved. Life is good for the kitties - there is no lack of love, attention or affection. So why would she want to venture outdoors -- on one of the coldest days of the year, no less?

Doesn't she know that curiousity killed the cat?!

Yesterday we took the kids tubing, and while G was loading the truck up, he had the door open between the gym and the garage. Generally the cats might peer into the garage, but that's about it. Well, G opened the garage door while he was loading the truck and little Miss Twinkle must have gotten scared about something and bolted out the garage door unbeknownst to us. How she didn't get run over is a miracle, because the fair Twinkle is a shy and skittish kitten. Bravery is not her strong suit and so I'm quite thankful she didn't hide under the truck or by the door outside. She probably saw us drive away and thought "now what?"

Needless to say, we didn't realize that our mischevious cat was missing until we came home from a birthday party last night and noticed that our other cat Spike, greeted us alone. So we asked Spike where Twinkle was -- and he loudly meowed. Clearly a sign that he didn't know either. He tends to call her throughout the house when he can't find her. And when G opened the door to the gym, Spike couldnt' get his head in the door fast enough to see if she was there. Then G remembered seeing the kitties collectively peek in the garage when he was loading up -- never thinking she might run out.

Out doors we go, calling her name. No answer. So G starts looking in the snow and finds tracks that lead to under our porch - except you can't get under there. So I check by the garage and sure enough there's a matching pair that go up the stairs to bushes on the other side. But we're calling and calling...nothing. So I go back outside when G goes in, because she probably will really only answer to me. So I call her name. Nothing. Then as foolish as it sounds I start to sing..."Twinkle, twinkle, little cat..." and I stop. I hear a faint "meow" all soft, and shaky....So I yell, "I hear you Twinkle, where are you?" and again, a faint "meow". Sure enough, hiding under the bushes soaking wet and covered in ice is my little tortie who I could not see for the life of me. (Sure, G tried to use the flash light, but it was out of batteries and we didn't have the right ones...figures.) So, I keep telling her to come to me - "I can't see you!" and sure enough, I reached in where I thought the sound came from - and felt her. She came closer, I grabbed her scruff and pulled her out.

You know she was a happy cat, because not only did she purr - but she's not a big "hold me" kind of cat. She wanted to be held. She even let G hold her - and she's sort of afraid of him.

The things we parents do for our kids.
Even the fur ones.....