Kitty Drama

So, we had some drama here last week. Father's Day. Princess's Birthday. In the midst of it all, we began to notice that the kitty was missing. We started counting back to the last time we saw her...or had to refill her dish. oh no! She is an outside cat who prefers to nap at the end of my bed. go figure. But that means that on occasion she does take little jaunts into the woods, bring us a headless sacrifice or hang out in the trees. But always, ALWAYS, she comes back at suppertime. Except for last week. Thursday Superman went to the animal shelter looking: no kitty. Friday I finally let a few tears flow and braced myself for telling the kids while Superman assured me she was "a tough kitty" and probably off somewhere. It was the heat that worried me. She is a bit of a baby and it has been 100 degrees!
So Friday night we had 2 ball games, after which we all came home looking forward to a swim. My mom called me about 1 minute after pulling out of the driveway. She spotted a black cat near the creek. of course, I threw on as many clothes as legally required and ran down. Superman arrived. Mom left. We heard meow-ing. a good sign! We got a glimpse here and there under the brush..yes! it's her! hooray!
Someone had to supervise the human children and we knew the TV would not hold them for long, so I ran back in the house while Superman braved the thorn bushes (and cat claws) and retrieved my kitty. He is my hero! That night, she slept all night and the next day and ate like every 2 hours, leading me to believe she had been on a long, foodless journey. I suspect someone picked her up and took her somewhere and she had a long trip home. But then again she is not one to be captured willingly, even by us, so that seems a bit far-fetched.Whatever happened, she is home now and seemingly better. She is back to lounging at the foot of our bed, which gives me a joy I cannot explain. I never thought myself an "animal person". Yet, here I am: loving this wild thing that will probably break my heart again.