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.