A week last night since the last time we saw our pal Pumpkin, and while I continue to hope that he's indulging spring fever and will return, I'm having a hard time holding that hope close.
A few months old, P-Man was due last week to be neutered, and the fact that he was intact gives me what little optimism I retain: maybe he has found a lady.
But the woods and thickets at this farm and the surrounding ones are home to bigger cats, bobcats, and that's what I fear Pumpkin ran into last week. While there are coyotes in the county, as increasingly everywhere, I've not seen or heard any on our property or the adjacent ones. I haven't come across any evidence of a fight or struggle, nor have I seen any scavenger birds circling.
Also, P-Man's brother Oreo's behavior changed noticeably last week -- he doesn't fare as far, nor does he stay out at night, as had been his, and their, habit. He keeps close to home now, and I can't help but wonder if the change has anything to do with Pumpkin and, perhaps, Pumpkin's fate.
P-Man, our Pumpkin, was among the most affectionate animals I have ever known, and I do -- as best as I am able -- continue at least some of the time to hope that he comes home.
I realize this post is rather old, but I just found your blog and was scrolling down through the posts to start reading them chronologically and saw the picture of your Pumpkin. I, too, had a Pumpkin - could have been the twin brother of yours. He was 16 when he died, he was the sweetest cat I've ever known, so I feel a great deal of sympathy for you and, if Pumpkin did not find his way home, your loss.
ReplyDeleteI have a cat that looks exactly the same. He is neutered, but mysteriously came with our house. He is our outdoor cat and we call him "Frank."
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they are related...