Ford

I've been delaying this post for a long time. Ford is gone. He is missing and has been missing for several weeks now. I thought for sure he would come back or was hiding under the deck but he has vanished. I've posted signs, used a pet finding service (that calls your neighbors) and still nothing.

I feel really bad/sad/upset and I lack any closure on this situation whatsoever. What happened is this. After months of my other cat, Zaphod, peeing in the house (and outside the litter box), I decided to put Z outside. I was going to leave Ford inside but the 1st night, Ford would not stop meowing loudly and I thought he might retaliate against me for putting his "brother" outside (he's done that in the past). So I put him out as well.

The next morning I could not find him. I called for him, looked around and could not find him. When D got home, I had him look too and he found him hiding way under the deck (where you can not really see and have to lay in the dirt with a flashlight). Crisis averted.

A week or so later, the cats were doing fine outside but then Ford was gone again. We had seen him one day and not the next. We figured he was under the deck. A few days later (this was Memorial Day weekend) we really decided we had not seen him and looked under the deck and everywhere but he was gone.

So sad. I feel guilty about it and cannot believe that my first "child" is gone forever. He was a great cat, similar to a dog in that he loved having his belly rubbed, loved licking you with his tongue and liked to play games. I can only hope that, him being a friendly cat, someone found him without a collar and took him in. I just refuse to think about the alternative.

Anyways, we really did not tell Ava about what happened. When she first asked it was in the first few days and we told her that Ford "went exploring." A week or two later, when we figured out he would not be coming back, I caught Ava blowing in a big bead on a plastic necklace. I asked her what she was doing and she said "blowing my whistle. It calls Ford back from his adventures."

I really truly hope Ford is off having an adventure and I will never forget him. He, as I said before, is a great cat and will be missed. At least I don't have to worry about Zaphod. He will never run off as he enjoys hiding beneath the bbq pit. But I know he (as well as Smokey, Ava, me & Darren) all miss Ford.