Does Everyone Have Cats?

So while we’re away in Florida, my mom comes over every few days to check in on our kitties, clean their litter boxes, refill their food bowls, change their water and give them treats.

She’s not really a “cat” person, but does it as a favour for all those “emergencies” I’m called on for her. Like changing lightbulbs or hooking up her water hose.

It usually goes like clockwork and without a hitch. But on Saturday, I got a call on my cell from my home phone, so I knew it was her at my house.

She sounded frantic and asked if anyone else had a key to our home, which was a big no.

She then says that when she got there this afternoon with my aunt (they were going shopping after cat duties), my front door was open and slightly ajar.

And as if that wasn’t bad enough, they couldn’t find Harper. So, Di & I are immediately coming up with places for them to look for her and her new hiding places. She’s not in any of them.

She SWEARS that she knows the door was shut and locked when she was there on Wednesday and even leaned on it to check it.

But if the deadbolt was locked, there’s no way that door comes open.

The handle lock can catch to the point where it “feels” like it is tight, but isn’t completely engaged.

And my mom is pretty small, so even leaning against it might not have affected it not opening.

So, they’re both still looking for them, Di’s crying and losing her mind and mom says she’s going to go down to the basement and clean the litter boxes.

But she forgets to do the one thing that’ll 99% of the time get them down there and that’s shake the treats bag and yell “TREATS”.

In the meantime, Di’s calling and leaving messages with our closest neighbors while getting more and more angry at my mom while bawling her eyes out about the potential of Harper being gone.

So, instead of sticking around for a little while and seeing if Harper comes out, they decide to leave and go on about with their shopping, further incensing Di.

Our one neighbor finally calls back and sends her granddaughter out to scan the neighborhood and check under our decks, but she doesn’t find anything.

So Di’s out on the balcony of our condo in tears and it’s around 2:30 in the afternoon.

I just tell her “let’s go home”. No way we’re going to be able to enjoy our last night there wondering if we’ll ever see our Harper again.

I, of course think worse case scenario as we have some wild coyotes in our area and I’m just imagining Harper as one of their meals.

So, we cleaned up the condo, took out the garbage, packed our bags and hit the road. I was going to have to drive all night, but I didn’t care.

As we’re heading out of town, Di decided to call the neighbor again and see if she can have her granddaughter Harmony go over and ring our doorbell and then look in our side skylight windows and see if she saw both kitties.

Sure enough, Harmony does this and sees both of the idiots trotting down the stairs. TRAGEDY AVERTED!!!

So we turn the car around and head back to the condo for a final night of well deserved full monster debauchery.

Di is STILL pissed off at my mom and swears she’ll never trust her to watch our “children”.

And I’m not sure I want her to, either. She made a mistake and then lied about KNOWING she had securely locked the front door.

Then, after looking everywhere (which they obviously didn’t or they would have found her) just leaving to go on about their little shopping trip without at least sticking around for a little while to see if she showed up or came out of hiding.

And who knows how long the door was open. She was last there on Wednesday and I have to think if it came open between that and Saturday, one of our neighbors would have seen it, called us and closed it up tight.

I heard there were some strong winds early that Saturday morning and that could have jarred it open.

But we have a TON of valuables that someone could have literally come in, loaded up the bed of my truck (which has a hard tonneau cover) and driven it right out of our garage - the keys to both it and our Benz are hanging right there on the wall key rack.

Two Sony flatscreens (70” & 54”), hundreds of DVD’s & CD’s, stereo, DVD player, VHS & Beta players, sterling w/ 24 k gold trimmed eight piece flatware & serving set.

And that’s just on the first floor. Guitars, sound equipment, tons of autographed memorabilia, Di’s jewelry, three computers, my AR15 and 9mm.

We both said a few prayers and are grateful not only for our kitties being safe, but also for our unburgled home.

FIRE DAVE ROBERTS!!!