The New Neighborhood Hero

I've been really absent on the old blog lately.  I think about things I want to post often but it's just really crazy right now.  Calvin has not adopted a nap schedule yet and instead he sleeps for short intervals which barely allow me to get anything done and the blog is the least necessary thing.  He's been fussy and I realized last week that he was getting a tooth.  Well that explains so much!  I noticed a day before he turned four months old which is around when Tessa got teeth.  Ben was six months old and Milo...ummm...maybe he was between four-ish and six-ish months...sometime in there...

Also, on Friday we got our new house!  I am still living in our old one with the kids while Justin works on the new one after work every night.  We spent the weekend there and I have multitudes of ideas to post about.  This blog is about to go back to it's roots almost nine years after our first house was the original main feature.  But, before I get into that, I have to post about a recent adventure I had.

Since we've owned a house, I've always enjoyed being neighborly.  I know it's common in America for neighbors to barely see each other or talk to each other for years because people drive into their garage, close the door before entering the house and they don't come out until the next morning when they leave for work.  Happily (for me) both of our streets have included active retired people, people who don't work traditional 9-5 hours, and me, a stay at home parent.  People who happen to be coming and going and who are often around during the day.  On our current cul de sac, no one has fences in their back yards and the circular arrangement means we end up visiting whenever anyone is out shoveling, doing yard work or getting the mail.  We have an association which means we have meetings and dues which have to be handed to the correct person which has been our house for a few years so people have no choice but to come over!  We have a block party every summer and we all end up helping each other.  We water plants, babysit cats and kids (like when a person goes into labor at 11 p.m. for example) and I am the go to person when someone needs their house opened up for a delivery or repair person.  This friendliness leads to silly neighborly antics like arguments over what the name of the male pheasant who lives behind our houses is and lots of roof climbing to retrieve kites (that was Ben) plastic swords (our neighbors grandson threw one on our roof) and various winter related roof nonsense like frozen sewer vents and massive snow drifts that threaten to pull down gutters.

So, the Wednesday before Easter our neighbor from two houses down came over to let me know they were babysitting a cat for a friend who was overseas for a month and he was really scared and had slipped out of the house somehow and they couldn't find him.  Of course I said I would be on the lookout and I put cat food and a box with a towel out on the deck.  On Thursday he had been spotted but then he disappeared again.  I was worried because it was really cold for the time of year (cold as January) but I saw no sign of him and we left for Easter that afternoon.  When I returned the following Tuesday I saw some cat prints in the snow in our backyard but I wasn't sure how old they were or if the cat had already been caught.  But the next morning there were prints all over the yard and when I returned from the school drop off run there were fresh wet prints on the deck by the food dish!  Uhhh I just missed him!

I knew the cat had to be close so I tried to think of the smelliest, most enticing food I could put out there.  All the online advice says to use tuna or wet cat food.  But...I thought of the times I had seen the most civilized dogs and cats, well fed pets, lose their minds over dead game during hunting season.  I've seen cats drink blood and dogs turn insane over organs so I decided wild game was the best idea and we have a freezer full of it!  How perfect! 

 I found a pack of Elk hamburger from 2015 in there and cooked it and put a small dish outside.  

Allan was annoyed that I don't cook wild game for him...

There was no action all day, much to my disappointment but the next morning the bowl was licked clean.  So I called the neighbors and they were thrilled because they had seen no sign of the cat for days and were starting to give up because it was really cold out.  They brought over a live trap they had set for a few days with no success and I put the elk inside and the next morning it was still open.  Dang.  It turns out the food dish was placed such that the trip pad didn't need to be stepped on to eat the food and activate the trap.  So Friday night I placed two small bowls way at the back of the trap and went to sleep that night hoping but always worried that it still wouldn't work.  The low temperature was going to be 7 degrees that night and I really was worried about that cat.

Saturday morning Allan woke me up in the predawn hours by being his usual annoying cat self and walking on my head, purring really loud, all the usual moves.  I couldn't get back to sleep because I was thinking about the trap.  I wasn't sure what time of night the cat was visiting and I didn't want to turn on all the lights and scare him away.  But finally around 6 a.m. I couldn't take it any longer and I went to look.  And I was thrilled to see the door was closed!  I went out and carefully pulled back the blanket covering the trap, hoping a crazed squirrel or rabbit wasn't in there and there was a fluffy cat face staring at me!

I went and woke Justin up so he could help me bring the trap inside and we carried him to the basement bathroom so he could get warm.  Later that morning we called the neighbors to tell them the news and everyone was so happy.  When the owner in Europe heard the news she got my number and called to thank me.  She said she celebrates Orthodox Easter and it was that weekend and it was their Easter miracle.  I told her about the morning our missing cat showed up on Easter morning when I was a kid and it was a happy phone call for us both.  There were a lot of people on the hunt for this cat on all the missing pet social media pages and my elk idea is now all over although I don't take all the credit because they gave me the trap.  I just love cats and I imagined how upset I would be if I was away and Allan was loose in the cold.  I hope someone would help me if they could.

And here he is...the sneaky Maine Coon himself who caused a two week long neighborhood cat hunt during a record breaking April cold snap which included at least two blizzards.  I lost count there have been so many.

Apparently since being brought back into the house he has become very comfortable and snuggly as he waits for his owner to return where before he only hid under the bed all day.  Also, he was snubbing dry cat food.  I guess he acquired a taste for the good stuff.  

I'm still thinking back to that morning with happiness and I'm glad I was able to help some fellow animal lovers and I'm glad we all knew each other well enough to work together.  And, I admit I have enjoyed being recognized for my efforts in something.  It's the life of a mom-you constantly do thankless work and often you are completely ignored, your work is undone within minutes, you are considered lazy for not having a job and people assume you and your kids sit around the house doing nothing all day, and things you do are complained about (ahem, every meal I present to my kids).  At least the cat wants the food I make!