The Great Cat Search.

Ok, I'm going to go ahead and tell you this upfront. You already know this if you know me well, but - I'm the world's worst pet owner. Seriously. I have two cats and am desperate to give them away to someone who will let them be outdoor cats. If you know someone, let me know.

Today I realized that I hadn't seen my fat girl cat, Christine, for a while. Like a day or two at least. So I looked all over my apartment for her (this took about 3.25 minutes in my giant abode) and she was nowhere to be found. I immediately felt really guilty because she must have run out the door one time when I left and I didn't notice! And it has been REALLY cold - it snowed last night. So, although I wasn't sad in a "I'll-miss-this-cat" kind of way, I was really upset in a "I'm-an-awful-person-she's-freezing-or-dead-and-I-didn't-even-notice" kind of way. Keep in mind here, I have two cats so one of them is always pestering me. I just don't always pay attention to which one it is. Cats are independent. They like to be left alone. I'm trying to help them out.

So I decided, without much optimism, that I had to go at least try and look for her. Did I mention that it's COLD here?!?! So I found her after 10-15 minutes, chillin' on the railing of the apartment building next door. (Yes, it took me 15 minutes to get next door. I went the other way first) She was in front of an apartment - I don't know if they had fed her or petted her, or if she just picked that spot. Anyway, I went and got her. She did try to get away from me a little bit, which I did not think was an appropriate way to treat the woman who has taken care of her for 3 years and has now rescued her from the cold, but I brought her home. Now we get to the other bad part...

I'm not totally sure I got the right cat. I mean, it looks just like my cat - dark gray tiger stripes, fat, no collar. What are the chances that a cat that looks EXACTLY like mine would be chillin' at the building next to mine when Christine was lost? Very slim, I'm sure. She does seem fatter than before, but I don't really know about that. (Although it could be that she's been gone longer than I realized and I've just gotten used to looking at the skinnier one) But Raoul (my other cat) is hissing at her and stuff. Usually they are total BFF. They came from the same litter - they've been together all their lives! And she was sniffing the ground. That seems like something a cat who had never been here before would do, but then again - it could be something she does regularly. As I've said, I'm not exactly the most attentive cat parent. AND she sat on the ground in front her favorite chair instead of jumping up in it.

Am I overreacting here? Tell me I'm overreacting. This is my cat, right? Here. I'll post an old picture of Christine and one that I took just now and you can let me know.

Christine a month or two ago

Christine today

Ok, this was good. I compared the markings in the two pictures so now I'm sure it's the same cat. Although she does look thinner in the now picture. I guess I just didn't pay attention to how fat she was getting. Maybe that's how I got so fat, too... I wonder why Raoul is hissing at her? (Yes, my cats are named after characters in The Phantom of the Opera. That's because I'm cool like that.)

It's a good thing Christine got in the way when I tried to take that picture of all my too-big clothes a while back. If Raoul got out, I don't think I'd have any pictures to compare to.

Know anyone who wants some cats?