Lost cats often never get reunited with their caregivers. On a Saturday morning in July, much-loved Olive, an indoor cat, escaped for over 33 hours by opening a screen door (she’s really smart *and* curious). The neighborhood was notified, and many of us went looking for Olive in the thickly wooded area behind Bunker Hill Drive–not a safe place for a little cat. Over 33 very stressful hours had passed since her disappearance, and hopes were diminishing that we’d have a happy ending.
But then a neighbor called. He had been awoken at 1:30 AM on Sunday, with a cat meowing loudly and tapping on his glass door. He let her in, not knowing a cat had disappeared about 11 houses further down Bunker Hill Drive. Later on Sunday he told his neighbor, who informed him that there was a NextDoor Lost Cat posting for a very similar-looking cat, so they contacted the number provided. And just like that, little Olive was happily reunited with her family!
Lessons Learned:
* Cats, even happily domesticated, can always find a way to get outside, and then get lost easily.
* Cats typically will not stray more than a block or two from their home territory.
* NextDoor can be very helpful in alerting people…and so can alerting any and all neighbors within a few blocks of your home the old-fashioned-way…going door-to-door.
