I set to work creating a leaflet which I hoped would lead to Hazel being found by someone locally.
It didn’t feel like it would be successful and I was preparing for life without her, but doing something was better that doing nothing.
At times like this one tends to question their actions, not only in terms of what could be done, but also what could have been done.
Of course, there’s no point in ruminating on past mistakes- the steps I could take now to try and get her back were all that mattered.
And so I went off and printed out those leaflets.
Little did I know how little they would matter…
From Under The Fence
Having returned home with a bunch of leaflets and a ‘leafleting plan,’ I took a call from my mother.
During the conversation I opened the door onto the back garden and within seconds, low and behold, I saw a cat scrambling through a hole under the garden fence.
Typical. I go and print a load and leaflets and…
I couldn’t believe it.
Hazel had returned.
Change In Behaviour
She seemed completely unharmed, which was obviously a relief.
Bengals are known for being a more vocal breed, and Hazel was never shy of letting us know how she was ‘feline’ (sorry… couldn’t help myself)
But her meowing upon her return was relentless and only remedied with a larger than normal helping of food, so presumably she hadn’t eaten in a while.
Hazel spent the rest of the day seeking affection and being close to us.
She even slept on the sofa and the bed, which at the time, was unusual behaviour for her.
Had she missed us? Do cats have the propensity to miss humans after a period of stress?
Who knows or cares?
She was back and that’s all that mattered.
But lessons had to be learned.
As for the leaflets, well I’m sure they’ve since been recycled into something that did get used.
Further Reading:
Featured image by Chris Blonk
