myanimalcare: Tabs' heart-attack-inducing midnight escapade

I don't know if it's full moon, but Bunny has gone a bit insane. He's been taking it out on everyone, especially poor Tiger. Tabs has been crying for help. By "crying for help", it means she wants to get out of Bunny's Place and join the PatioCats.

We have been letting her out and there had been no incident at all.

But tonight, Bunny yelled at poor Tiger and it was just a bit too much for everyone to bear. Even Indy wanted out (of the room).

So I let Tabs and Tiger out.

It was already quite late at night and while they were both playing in the house, I fell asleep on the sofa.

When I awoke, my husband noticed that the side door leading to the patio was open. I definitely saw it being closed when I let them out earlier, but now it was open.

Oh no!!

I know Timmy is strong enough and has often pushed open this door.

We immediately started looking for Tabs and Tiger.

I found Tiger at the patio, right outside the door, so I scooped him up and put him back into Bunny's room.

We started calling for Tabs.

But Tabs was nowhere to be found.

We searched everywhere. Normally, she likes a game of hide-and-seek, and would turn up, at most, after 10 minutes or so.

But this time, it was not to be so.

Tabs didn't appear.

We searched everywhere high and low, even out on the road, at the playground, using torchlights. Even Willy came out to help (that's when we realised Willy just lives inside the drain outside our house). All the PatioCats came out to help. Vincent was at the frontlines while Heidi was dashing everywhere (I don't know why, though). Daffodil, Rosie and Ginger showed concern too.

Everyone at Bunny's place stood at the grille, waiting. They were worried too.

Where is Tabs???

We must have searched for half an hour. Now, that is a mighty long time to be looking for your cat.

I was already on panic mode, thinking of what next to do. Send out an email alert to the neighbourhood mailing list (but from past experience, nobody responds)? Put flyers at the guardhouses and into everyone's mailbox?

I even thought maybe, someone had caught her and is giving her shelter.

Where could she be?

I went to the patio umpteen times too (as Tiger was found there and normally the two don't go far from each other), and looked everywhere. Tabs wasn't there. Only Daffodil and Ginger were there.

We shone the torchlight on the roof too. She wasn't there. We checked the roof three times, looking out from all the upstairs windows, looking up from the garden. We even checked the neighbours' roofs with the torchlight.

We searched in the storeroom (not that it is very big), inside cupboards; everywhere was checked at least three times.

Tabs was nowhere to be found.

Finally, finally, finally.....

My husband found her.

She was right there at the patio!

Timmy had cordoned her off inside a flower bed and disallowed her to come out!

Looks like she was at the patio all the while. But why couldn't I see her when I searched umpteen times over there?

It must be her colour. She's easily camouflaged. Or she thought it was a nice game, hiding from us (she always does that) until Timmy found her and decided he would not let her come out (to teach her a lesson?).

PHEW!!