Larry's Weird, But I'M Weirder! (Sort of long post)

nanner

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So, I went out for my morning run, came back, unlocked the door, and started calling "Larry", so he'd know it was me and come out from the closet, where I knew he had gone as soon as he heard the door opening. I checked under the dining table, just to make sure he wasn't there, then went to the closet, just to make sure he was there. Not there. Hmmm.

He usually comes out when I call him, so this was strange, and there aren't that many places to hide in my studio apartment. I went around, checked everywhere, and was feeling more and more panic as I went along. I kept calling his name.....nothing.

The windows are closed.

I looked in closets that I thought I had closed, thinking maybe he had sneaked in there when they were opened. I checked cupboards, thinking the same thing. I checked the area between the fridge and the wall, I checked the oven, I even checked the refrigerator.

I went down to security, frantic, and got them involved. They were going to check every floor, (38 of them), all the stairwells, I even said the only people with keys are the maintenance guys, but why would they come into my apartment, and how would they even know where to look for him.

I went back upstairs and called my mother in Minnesota. Like she could do anything from there. But she kept saying, "He's a cat. He found a place you're not even thinking of while you were gone for two weeks." I said she was probably right, but I couldn't figure out where that was, because I had looked everywhere. I hung up with her, started looking again. I went through drawers, the couch wasn't in "bed" position, so there was no way he could get in there. I went to my regular bed and checked the messed up sheets and blankets, which I had done before.

What I hadn't done was check the quilt thoroughly. There was a little blanket folded on top of it, which I moved. I noticed it was really warm under the little blanket, on top of the main quilt....a warmth that had nothing to do with the sun coming in the window. I felt of it and there was a big lump. I lifted up the edge and saw this little face staring at me, like, "WHAT?! Leave me alone! Stop calling my name!"

Duh. I quietly put the edge of the quilt down, called my mother, called Security to call off the search, and realized that this cat, who had never been an "under the blankets" kind of cat, had, indeed, found a new place to hide.

Silly me. I'm weird.
 

layitdown

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I'm glad you found Larry!


Cats love to find new hiding places and scare the heck out of us.
 
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nanner

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And I'm sure the Security people are now calling me "The Nutty Cat Lady".
 

layitdown

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Little do they know cats love to drive us nutty.
All the cats I've had have LOVED to drive me nuts by hiding and me spending sometimes hrs looking for them. So far Ricky Bobby just did it once, and I rang his fav. toy and he couldn't resist and jumped out. Oh, but he'll get his chance to scare me....
 

zane's pal

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I think it was Ray Bradbury who theorized that cats are time travelers, and those occasions during which we can't find them, they are elsewhen.
 

tari

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I know how you feel. Harvey at one point would disappear for HOURS at a time. I'd call him and search high and low and couldn't find him ANYWHERE. I'd panic and make DH help look, we'd scour the house then start looking outside. I'd be beside myself worrying about him and in tears because I thought he had run away.

Then he'd calmly saunter out from the laundry room and look at me like "what's YOUR problem."

After this had happened a handful of times, I finally found his hiding place. There was a hole in the drywall behind the washing machine, but under the hose and everything, so it was blocked from view. He was actually hiding IN the wall.
He never quite forgave me for blocking it off.
 
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nanner

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I love that theory of Ray Bradbury's. I swear I moved those blankets around on the bed and he wasn't there!


It's that look they give you after you've been frantically searching.....definitely the "What's your problem" look.....after they've been happily snoozing......somewhere.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by Zane's Pal

I think it was Ray Bradbury who theorized that cats are time travelers, and those occasions during which we can't find them, they are elsewhen.
sounds right to me - how else do they hide in plain sight? that's what mine do - i'll call & call, & look in every room, every cranny - then walk into a room & s/he is right there
 

zane's pal

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Originally Posted by nanner

I love that theory of Ray Bradbury's. I swear I moved those blankets around on the bed and he wasn't there!


It's that look they give you after you've been frantically searching.....definitely the "What's your problem" look.....after they've been happily snoozing......somewhere.
Or somewhen.
 
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nanner

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Just a little update. Came back from my run this morning, and, sure enough, he's under the quilt again. But if he had been there yesterday the way he is today, I wouldn't have gone into a panic. He's not hiding very well. First his feet were sticking out over the edge of the bed, now it's his tail.



Wish I had a digital camera!
 

grogs

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Cats are great at hiding, and why shouldn't they be? They have all day every day to poke around your place and explore every nook and cranny.

Your story reminds me a bit of the one in Cleveland Amory's "The Cat Who Came for Christmas." He freaked out too when his cat went missing and alerted the doorman, the neighbors, and generally went into a panic. They eventually found the kitty wedged in underneath the dishwasher.


I had a similar thing happen to me while I was getting ready to move out of my house in Texas. The plan was packers would come by in the morning and pack everything, then after lunch the movers would come load it up. I had consolidated all of the things I was taking in my car in one spare bedroom. I also put the two cats in there and closed the door. Unfortunately, I had to go in the spare room to get something and one of my cats, Baby, shot out of the door.

I looked everywhere in the house, but I couldn't find her. The packers were there when she got out, so I concluded she had somehow run past them and out into the neighborhood. So all day while the packers/movers were there I would take quick breaks to drive around and look for her, but I saw no trace. I finally decided that I would mount a full scale rescue effort after the movers had finished loading everything and left.

So I stood watching the movers, trying not to tap my foot impatiently, as they loaded the last room -- the kitchen. When one of them lifted the refrigerator with a dolly, the cat shot out from underneath like a bolt of lightening and the mover gave out a terrified shriek reminiscent of Howard Dean's. I'm sure he got ragged on by the rest of the crew for weeks to come. Baby ran straight to the door of the spare bedroom and I quickly pushed her in and didn't reopen the door until everyone was gone. Other than being terrified, she was fine and I was able to move her to our new home without further incident.
 
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nanner

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Ohmigosh. Great story!


In my mind, I knew Larry couldn't be wedged underneath anything, because he's a pretty big boy, but I looked anyway.

The thing is, now that he's found this new place, it's so comfortable, he stays there all day and wanders and plays all night - definitely an old thing he used to do on the streets, and went back to while I was gone for two weeks.

*sigh* Cats.....trying to figure them out is very interesting, and I think they enjoy that.
 

deedeemay

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This reminds me of the time Shark disappeared for a while...we found her at the bottom of our laundry basket, which isn't normally her hide-out.

We tipped it upside down, and she fell out..walking off in a huff
 
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