The escape of Mittens.

[bakerjw]

Last night I went to a local ball game for thirsty Thursdays and came home well past my bed time. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when I got home and got in bed. This morning my wife tells me that she hadn't seen Mittens yet which is very odd as our vocal tiny tri-legged terror is usually under foot.
So, I start calling for her in the basement where she likes to prowl looking for mice or bugs. Eventually I hear an "eek eek" from her which is the sound that I make to call her. We isolated it to the back yard and sure enough she was hiding under the small deck behind the back door. I coaxed her out once and around the house we went, me following and her fleeing right back to the back deck. It is cool, drizzly and everything is wet and muddy. She bolted to make another escape around the house but I snagged her, cuddled her and brought her back into the house where she was given some food as a reminder that inside is where the good stuff is to be found.
My wife found a clawed up screen that had been knocked out of our office window. Apparently little Miss Mittens had another cat altercation through the screen and the protective barrier failed.
We love this dear little beast, but boy, can she be trouble.

[Scrounge]

SNIP! We love this dear little beast, but boy, can she be trouble.

Isn't trouble the definition of the Felix part of the species name? We have Ms. Hoshi, and Ms. Cotterpin Doozer, of the Tuxie persuasion, and Mr. Pixel, of the Orange Dreamsicle persuasion, and all are TROUBLE. Mr. Pixel is especially an escape kitty.

So glad you found her, and were able to recover her. I think the only reason my wife is still here with us is because the three of them would miss her so badly.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Glad you have your furkid back inside safe!

One morning I heard a loud demanding meow from outside, got up, went to the front door, opened it, there's a cat that looked JUST like my younger kitty, and they confidently walked right in. I grab them and, hmm, they ARE my younger kitty. Surprised me as I didn't know how she could get out! She managed to knock a screen out (window was just changed from aluminum to vinyl frame the week before.) So the screen was installed loose by maintenance, seems. I got that installed RIGHT.

Cats love exploring tho don't they?

You might look into cat deterrent or cat repellent items to keep the outside kitty away from your place, Mittens would be happier and won't get lost or injured, less stress for you

[Mk42gunner]

Must be the phase of the moon or something. My Mom's cat that I re-inherited when she went to the nursing home, has been acting like she is in heat and wanting out.

This is strange because Speedy (well named) was spayed several years ago. She has also spent a grand total of about 25 hours outside in ten to fifteen minute bursts over the years. Lots of fun carrying my crippled dog in and out while keeping the cat inside.

Robert

[Mr_Sheesh]

I plan to have my next place to live set up with an "airlock" i.e. coat room or whatever you want to call it, so I can go in there, exclude kitties, then open the door to the outside. Had that before and it really helps! Even with a Service Dog, as the GF had at the time, just need enough room for whoever needs to be in there

[john.k]

Over here ,people condemn you if you let your cat outside.....the council has a law limiting cats to their owners yard...and enforcement penalties......Unfortunately ,a determined cat will get out ,especially if the owner is 70+....if animal controll is called on your cat,you can expect to cost $300 to get it back.....if its microchipped and desexed.....otherwise its killed same day.

[contender1]

I had to chuckle a bit,, AFTER I knew she was ok & back inside & safe.

It can be challenging at times when cats get loose & outside when they shouldn't be there. We are very careful with our 4 cats about that.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Local squirrels get fed by an idiot neighbor. Older kitty has zero ability to withstand her temptation to chase squirrels, so twice she has zoomed out the door at roughly plaid speed, when the idiot squirrel bounced too close to my door as I went outside.

First time there were a bunch of amused ravens and crows on the rooftops; They kept reassuring the squirrel "It's fine, the cat is gone", till it got close to the ground again, then that ninja cat of death tried for it again. Barely missed it, squirrel instructed all in earshot of a lot of new squirrel swear words, and crows and ravens laughed at the squirrel. Cat was miffed.

Second time, squirrel was a smidge smarter and didn't descend below 25 feet or so once chased up the tree. Squirrels are very impressively fast, if barely faster than a motivated house leopard...

And after that, squirrel moved about a block East, I guess it didn't like a certain cat that lives 'near' me LOL

I'm fine with this, I don't need a wild animal pestering me at my front door, when kitty would attack it and maybe get hurt by it.

She did get out just to be a pill another time, but I fixed her. I closed the front door, then tried to catch her, she laughed at me for trying to catch her but when she saw that the door into kitty paradise was closed, OH NOOOOOO! She gave out a horrid little shriek, and stayed right there till I came back and let her in. Since then she hasn't tried to go outside except if I am sitting on the doormat, then she knows she can sit on my legs and sniff the outside. She likes it here

I'm pretty sure a lot of you have similar, but not identical, stories

[richhodg66]

The first cat we had as a couple once pushed a screen out in the house we had on Fort Bliss. Wife was doing something in the kitchen at the other end of the house when she heard him meowing desperately at the door to be let back in.

we weren't so lucky about ten years ago, a big sweet cat we had for about six years, probably the nicest and most layed back cat I ever knew got out and crawled up in the engine of the car and got killed when my wife started it to go to work the next morning. One the saddest things I ever had to do was get under the minivan and work the mangled body of my little buddy out of there.


We're real careful now, if one got out where we live now, it wouldn't make it long, very rural, coyotes and other things. They're amazing when they don't want to be found and how well they can find places to hide in the house, but if I don't see one of them for a while, I go looking for it until I find it. Ours are all 100% indoor kitties now.

[GONRA]

GONRA's first Kat "Friskie" was a rough tough Professional Dog Fighter.
VA vets either put him in a canvas bag or galvanized steel box.

Moved up to PA. Time to "worm Friskie".
PA vet scoffed at the thought of "locking down Friskie".
After 15 minutes, Vet HAD shoved a pill down Friskie with a pencil.
We both were bleeding and really messed up from hanging onto Friskie..

Vet said: "That's the fastest reflexes I've ever seen in a cat".
Friskie and I were Bursting With Pride!

[john.k]

When my old tiger died,I got a sheltercat ,suposedly handed in by old people......I knew that wasnt right straight away....he was a feral ,and would try to escape from a window even when the door was open.....just obsessed about getting outside from any window ....he s calmed down a bit now,but still tries to escape the moment the door is closed for the night.

[clum553946]

Glad you found her, sounds like she made sure you got your exercise in!

[MaryB]

GONRA's first Kat "Friskie" was a rough tough Professional Dog Fighter.
VA vets either put him in a canvas bag or galvanized steel box.

Moved up to PA. Time to "worm Friskie".
PA vet scoffed at the thought of "locking down Friskie".
After 15 minutes, Vet HAD shoved a pill down Friskie with a pencil.
We both were bleeding and really messed up from hanging onto Friskie..

Vet said: "That's the fastest reflexes I've ever see in a cat".
Friskie and I were Bursting With Pride!

I took Tigger in for a checkup when he started showing signs of cancer. I cautioned the vet that he hates EVERYONE but me... vet scoffed at me and said grab him and hold him... Tigger was 25 pounds of muscle... It was winter so I grabbed my coat and heavy winter gloves and the vet asked me if I was leaving...

Nope, I needed some body armor before grabbing that cat! I held him down for an exam then Tigger had enough and went full assassin mode... vet was bleeding and bit 4 times, vet tech was bleeding... I finally got Tigger under a towel which is his safe space and he calmed enough for me to wrap him up with just his head peeking out. Vet did injections through the towel.

Vet looked at me and the heavy coat and gloves and laughed, "Next time I see that I am going to listen!"

[GONRA]

GONRA admits Tigger's tougher than my Legendary Friskie - but not by much!

[Mk42gunner]

Growing up my brother's cat Mr. Yellow was king of our part of Bates county. He wasn't all that big, but it only took him about 2.3 nanoseconds to whip a 30 lb dog into shape. His ears looked like they had been trimmed with pinking shears.

[bakerjw]

LOL... Love the tough cat stories.
My lil Houdini is laying on the floor bathing and being the sweetest thing ever. My sciatic nerve is acting up and somehow I managed to get to my recliner for a comfortable nap sans Mittens. Well, until I made a sound getting up and then all bets were off "You were napping!!!" "Why didn't you call me!!!" " I needed to walk back and forth across you to the window several times before a petting session!"

I love these furry critters.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Dogs and cats both are great friends to us

My pillow keeps growing a Torti Calico, any time I am not using it, often enough even as I am using it. Francine decided to change tactics in her relentless training of her staff LOL

Years ago, trapped a kitty in January, so we called him "Mr.January", 99% feral, the fostering group got him to the vets (this involved taking the pet carrier apart and pac-man-ing him from atop a high shelf where he was making his final stand. Could have lost lots of blood there if we hadn't been smart, just needed to get him to the vet though.) Vet neutered him and gave him shots etc., then we got him back to socialize him.

For 2 years about all we saw of him was an eyeball, as he watched us suspiciously as we were good to the other critters (foster and owner LOL), until the day the GF called me to get out there, I didn't want to miss this.

Came out there - he'd walked up to her, talked the cat she was petting into leaving, and plopped onto her lap, "OK time to deliver 2 years of pets you owe me, with interest!" That's always a good day First time either of us had touched him.

[blackthorn]

Left the plywood plant after working the afternoon shift one night at 1 AM. Traffic to the main road was plugged up so I turned right, went about three blocks and turned left onto another street that led to the main road. All of a sudden a rat the size of a small possum ran across the road, followed by a big feral cat. The rat ran into the dark space provided by a loading dock. The cat stopped, and crouched down while it tried to locate the rat in that dark space. The cat obviously could not see the rat so, I swung the truck around so the headlights lit up the dock-space. The cat spotted the rat, charged in there and the fight was on. I then got to watch a fight that lasted a good 4 or 5 minutes, lots of noise and flying fur (off both participants). That rat was almost as big as the cat but after a bit the cat won and when I left it was starting to eat its supper..

[Mr_Sheesh]

Bonus points for an assist in killing vermin

[rockrat]

Sister had a Siamese that would hiss at me every time I came near and would try and grab me with her claws if I was too close.After 10 years of this, I was at my Sisters and we were talking when the Siamese walked up to me and jumped in my lap and wanted me to pet her. Sis was in shock and so was I. After about 5 min. of petting , I looked at the cat and asked it if things were going to change between us now. The cat looked at me, hissed and jumped down and ran off. Never did that again till the day she passed.