six word sunday: Missing! Black, white, crazy all over.

six word sunday challenge

We had a great time in Zurich, and I'll recap that whole trip probably tomorrow. Tonight, I'll just mention Charlie, and that she's missing. =(

Zach and I adopted Charlie at the beginning of the summer of... 2005, I'm pretty sure. We'd had Sierra for a little over a year, and had been debating getting a second cat. Finally we decided to go for it, and Charlie came home with us. Her full name is Charlie Chaplin, Crazy Cat, though some of our friends insisted on calling her "Zappa" instead, b/c her mustache and goatee makes her look a bit like Frank Zappa I guess. It took Sierra a good 6 months to get over having this new creature around, and to go back to her normal personality and pay attention to us rather than follow Charlie everywhere, worried about what she'd do. Soon, they were snuggling on the bed (though Sierra didn't always look completely happy about that) and Charlie was taking over the best sleeping spots, and suddenly Sierra didn't seem so desperate for attention when we came back from trips anymore b/c she had a companion.

Charlie was a hoot. She constantly made us laugh. Stick any box on the floor, no matter how big or small, and she'd jump in it. She learned how to open up a low drawer in our kitchen, dig out its contents, and get in. Unfortunately, she soon also started peeing on our bed in the morning, while we were still in it, and I think managed to associate this behavior with us getting up and feeding her (I always fed the cats when I got up, and didn't think about this possible association in her kitty brain). Then came the offer to move to Switzerland. Just as we were considering the need to make her an outdoor kitty, we were now going to move someplace where most likely we'd be in a small apartment with no good way to let her out safely. We considered the possibility of her going to live with one of our parents instead. In the end, she decided for us-- Zach said to her one night, "OK, Charlie, if you wanna move to Texas, pee on the bed." Lo and behold, a couple hours later she'd done just that. Last Christmas, 2 months before our scheduled move, Zach flew to Texas with Charlie and when we flew back to California after the holidays, there she stayed, with Zach's parents. (It was planned that we'd take her back upon moving back to the states, though part of me figured Hank and Susan might not want to part with her either once they saw what a fun cat she is)

Hank and Susan arrived here last Friday, and my brother JC's been watching over their pets in their absence. On Thursday we got a call from him-- Charlie had been missing since Tuesday afternoon. She has yet to come back home. She's been indoor/outdoor since living there, but usually comes in at night. Susan says Charlie has never been gone this long before.

I'm not quite sure what to think of it all. I sorta feel like, well, if she comes back then she comes back, and if not, then, so be it. It sounds heartless, but maybe I've already mourned her since we left her months ago. Or maybe I'm just being practical-- while a pet is my pet I'll love it to death and worry about it and treat it nearly as a human, but once they're gone, well, they were an animal and it's ok. I don't know. Part of me also still thinks she'll be back. Or maybe I'm just used to this, seeing as our family seemed to have a pattern of losing cats every few years while growing up (which is part of why Sierra and Charlie were both initially indoor-only cats).

I sent JC some pictures of Charlie tonight, so he can make flyers to post up in the neighborhood. Charlie also has a microchip, so if she's taken to a vet or the pound they should have all her info and know who to call. We'll see. Hopefully she turns up.