"What's that Skippy?"

Yesterday afternoon I realised that Albert was missing.
I thought back when I saw him last, and the  moment I remember seeing him was early on Tuesday morning, when he was seen skipping up the garden path with a mouse stuck firmly head first in his mouth.
I checked his usual haunts. The Window seat in the bedroom, Chris' office bed, the sunny patch on the lounge carpet and nothing!
His food bowl in the kitchen, I suddenly realised was still full of food and I felt that awful prickly cold,, we all have experienced when a little loved one has disappeared.
Albert last went missing after breaking his back leg. The injury was mismanaged by the vets who tried to plaster the fracture rather than to pin it. Subsequently Albert was left with a painful and stiff back leg that I know causes him some discomfort in the colder months of the year.
When he was injured, he just went to ground in the garden for a few days, and it was in the garden where I found him , weak and bloody and cowed under a hypericum bush.
I searched the garden, then the field and asked the neighbours if they had seen him, All said that they had but none could pin point  when it was. Albert is a constant visitor to all of the neighbours' gardens. He is the only cat on the street.

I called and called Albert's name and clapped my hands at the back door, and nothing!...and as I tottered to and fro anxious in my quest the find the little fella, I hardly noticed William standing by the door to our outside toilet,a place where we now store literally a ton of rubbish.

I searched the garden again and William stood looking at the toilet door
I searched the shed, and William didn't move
Then I took the dogs for their walk around the Gop and on our return William ambled back to his position at the toilet door as I clapped and called for Albert to return

When I walked back into the house, the penny started to drop ( yes I do have a lightening fast intellect) and when I looked down at William, I saw a slightly exasperated "for fuck's sake" look on his face....
He sniffed at the toilet door, then looked back at me with another expression that said quite clearly
"He's in the bloody toilet, you stupid sod!"
Sheepishly I opened the door, and from under a pile of old plastic boxes,paint cans and the old sofa out popped Albert. The cat rubbed faces with a grinning William, who almost could have been pursing his lips, like a lemon faced vicar's wife, at my inability to "read the signals"

65 comments:

  1. It's those blasted Zombies. They locked poor old Albert in the khazi hoping yhou would look for him at night so they could pounce on you and feed off your mortal remains...

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  2. Wee hee hee. You really do need to write that novel, John...or have a sit-com!

    I'm glad Albert is OK! William needs a special treat! xoxoxo

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  3. "Down a well? Left leg broken? 2.5 miles away from here?"

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  4. Thank goodness you found him.
    I can relate to that chilled feeling. It's heartbreaking when you finally find a little body by the side of the road, or worse still, never find them at all.

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  5. Well done William....almost an episode out of Skippy this one

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  6. OK...now I've re-read your title and feel stupid about my Skippy reference!

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  7. Yay for William! Hope he's being treated like a hero.

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  8. John my heart was in my mouth reading the first few sentences. thank goodness you have found him...well done to William.
    Jo xx

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  9. For fuck's sake, John, Timmy's in the well. What the hell is wrong with you??????

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  10. (So glad that Albert is home in one piece... what a terrible scare that must have been.)

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  11. Ooh, I'm so happy you have found him, it's always so worrying when our pets just vanish.
    Well done William, how's that for a keen nose and determination , they do seem to look out for each other don't they !
    ~Jo

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  12. I love the way your family takes care of each other John.

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  13. Good thing this wasn't late at night; you might have struck a match!

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  14. Well done William.

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  15. Anonymous12:40 pm

    Treats for William, hugs for Albert and a big old "duh" for you lol.

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  16. Good job. I was thinking "Lassie would have barked," but I see everyone who gets up earlier than I do thought that already.

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  17. Love that! Hooray for William. And they'll outsmart you every time.

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  18. BUT IS HE OK???????
    Jane x

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  19. Cats can put you through a bit of hell, can't they.

    Good for William!

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  20. I'm so glad he's safe. I hate that scare they give you. Silly wee beasties but we wouldn't be without them would we?

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  21. Yes, I so know that feeling you had. My blood runs cold at the thought of anything happening to them - and I anticipate it every single day, even when they are all inside. I don't know what's worse, seeing what's happened to them or their disappearing completely. Each is heart-rending in its own way, but in the latter case it's never-ending - day after day one looks out for them just in case....

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  22. I can't sleep until the outside and inside count has been done and all accounted for....all the kids snug and safe.

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  23. I think William deserves a special treat xx

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  24. So funny. When I was reading this post at first I was thinking....ooooh noooo....then when you said William was standing by the outhouse, I still thought....Oooohhh Noooo....then I read further and laughed out loud! BTW, LOL would have been typed with one finger, if I were on my phone!

    Cindy Bee

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  25. So glad you (or rather Lassie/Skippy) found him. He's the spitting image of my old cat Wiggy.

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  26. I once accidently left our cat Spot in the horse tack barn during a very hot summer for almost three days. When I finally heard him and let him out he was severely dehydrated and a bit brain fried. Now he follows me eveywhere outside thinking I'm his hero not knowing I was also his captor. Guity as charged. Glad YOURS had a better ending

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  27. So much for the eternal battle between cat and dog. Though I also can imagine William thinking "What in the devil is taking him so long in there? Are you coming out soon, Albert??"

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  28. William is clever....and cute.

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  29. So glad William the wonder dog was on duty.

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  30. So glad Albert's safe and sound :-) hate that sinking feeling when you can't locate an animal.
    Tinka last gave us a similar scare a 2 months ago--got herself locked in the car one afternoon [she likes cars--don't ask] and we only figured it out the next morning! Lukily it was not a warm day!!

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  31. our cat used to crawl into mum's bedroom cupboard and would stay in there for days... only her snoring would give her away!

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  32. OMG! It was not going to be a good morning for me if poor Albert couldn't be found...

    Oh Albert, how I love thee...

    Nitty Gritty Momma

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  33. Haha. Love your description of the look on William's face.
    Glad you found Albert, John. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  34. Boy, am I glad that this story had a happy outcome! My heart was beating a little bit faster as I was reading along.

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  35. Aw, well done, William! Our Luna is a house cat, who is only allowed out in the garden when I'm there. She is way too stupid to be out alone!

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  36. You sure don't read "body" language too well :) ... that is a nasty tightening in the chest when one of our loves ones go missing.

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  37. Glad you found the kitty, I should say glad William found the kitty.

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  38. That'll be the First place you look the next time Albert goes missing won't it. I've learned to check the outbuildings around here 'cos damn it, those cats just have to stroll in for a bit of exploring when I am getting the mower out or putting a bike away. The trouble can be the time it takes to realise that they are missing and hope that my metal sheds haven't got too hot inside in the mean time. So glad to know that Albert is safe.

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  39. Good ol' William!

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  40. We're all breathing a great big sigh of relief. Well done William.

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  41. And it is hoped that William got his 'just rewards'.

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  42. "I love comments and will now try very hard to reply to all of them x" - my arse.

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    Replies
    1. I have been out having dinner with the vicar all evening!!!!! gimie a chance

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    2. With 60 comments to reply to, you don't have time to have dinner with vicars.

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  43. "Always trust William" seems to be the gist of this tale.

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  44. Fancy having the only cat in the street, so jealous. There are many felines running around my area, regularly trooping past to pee on the front door or call mine names which inevitably starts a fight. So glad you found yours safe, I know that cold prickling feeling well. Last time one of mine went missing I found her in a cupboard where she'd been for 3 days happily mooching around in the winter woollies, somehow without food or water and not peeing or pooping.

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    1. sandy!
      only 5 houses on our street!!!!

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  45. thanks to everyone who commented and apologies for not answering until now ( thomas!!!!)
    xxxxxxxxx

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    1. Well, it does say "try." I am generously willing to cut you some slack.

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  46. well Mr Oblivious...good thing for William...hope both have been properly pampered and stuffed with treats...

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  47. So - what you are saying is that William and Albert had been playing a game of hide and seek?

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  48. Thanks for this, John. I needed a good laugh. Hope William got a biscuit for his persistence. Deb

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  49. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  50. Good boy, William!

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  51. Kitties do get themselves into some interesting situations. I bet we'd shudder to know half of it... glad he's been found safe and sound!

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  52. Heart in my mouth. I am so glad he is safe. When one of our cats comes in before the other, the early arrival rushes from window to window complaining. Jazz has had a few adventures where he has come home very, very late. Jewel has just about worn out her miaow on those days.

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  53. I hate it when the cats go missing. Bramble went to ground after being stuck in a neighbour's car fanbelt ! He'd got into the warm engine area but was still there when she started her car later ! He shot out to the field but came home two days later with the wound already healing & didn't need stitches. Frankie went missing for twelve anxious days ! Trapped in a shed we think.

    Glad Albert is home and what a star William is. How did Albert manage to get trapped in the loo in the first place ?

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  54. What a great story, John. I know that, on those rare occasions when one of my two exclusively indoor cats escapes, I'm frantic until they show up again.

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  55. I love happy endings!

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  56. Add me to those who love happy endings! I think this is why i'm now apt to leave open cupboard and wardrobe doors, John. I know i often leave the barn door open until i know where all the felines are, having inadvertently locking JoJo in there a few times.

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  57. Dogs are much cleverer than non-doggy people think. Proof of that here. Glad he is home safe and sound.

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  58. Have laughed and retold that story to family. Been smiling for two days now as the metal picture of William staring at that door stays with me.

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