3:30 p.m.

My kitty is missing.

When I got up this morning she was nowhere to be found. I think she must have slipped out late last night as B left and we stood at the door talking. I am heart sick that I didn't even know she was missing until this morning when she didn't wake me up at 5 a.m. for breakfast. I've put flyers everywhere, have driven and walked everywhere looking for her, have posted on two lost pet sites but there's no sign of her. She's only been here three weeks so I don't know if she would even know where home is.

I really hope she shows up.

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She's home!!! I have never been so thankful in my life.

When I got up this morning she was nowhere to be found and the house was silent. No little "mew" like a cat hiding someplace she got stuck. Nothing. I looked everywhere. Everywhere. She was not in the house, of that I was certain. I realized she must have gotten out around midnight last night when I was talking to my friend B as he was leaving through the carport. Either that or when I realized he had left something and looked outside to see if his car was still there.

I went out looking five or six times, walking and driving. I had posted Lost Cat signs with pictures everywhere. I had posted Lost Cat ads on two different local websites. I went out to the parking lot about every 20 mins and called for her. I drove around the apartments that are on the other side of the fence by my building. Once when I was outside I saw tiny cat paw prints going up the hood of my car--I knew it must be her paw prints. I was just sick knowing she'd been out all night and I didn't even know it.

I finally got hold of B around 3:30 ("answer the damn phone already!") after calling him all day long. Like the good friend he is, he said he'd come and help me look. We went driving, no luck. We went walking--everywhere. There's a huge field not too far from where I live--we walked all over that. We walked up the street, around the circle drive where I live. On the way back he suggested walking down a fence line that runs along the grassy area by my building. While we walked, I kept making a sound that I always make to call her here at home--like a"smooch smooch" sound. We heard a faint little "mew". I knew right away it was her. I looked up and there she was--up in a tree--someplace I would never have thought to look. I said "Oh my god! it's her!"

I called to her and she knew it was me and looked like she wanted to get down but wouldn't. She dropped down to a little lower branch but was still far out of reach for even B. The bottom of the tree had a bit wide part that stuck out, I stepped up on that and got her pretty close, then grabbed her and dropped her down to B. I have never been so happy in my life. Okay, I probably have been that happy at some other point in my life, but at the moment this was the happiest.

We brought her home then went right to the pet store to get a collar and a tag. The weird thing is, just yesterday I thought I should probably get her a tag, since she'd been a stray and was familiar with the outside. I've had quite a few cats and have never had a collar or a tag for any of them. I guess now I know I was just lucky.

When I think of all the things that had to come together to make this have a happy ending, it's really something to be thankful for. If we hadn't walked down that fence line, if I hadn't made the sound I use to call her.. etc.

And now she's curled up, tuckered out from her big adventure. And I'm exhausted.

I feel like I should buy a lottery ticket or go light a candle at a church. I just might do both tomorrow.