The Cat That Wasn't Really Lost (Also Titled: Why I Drank Three Glasses of Wine Last Night)

Prior to leaving to pick the boys up from school yesterday, I gave our sweet kitten a nice big bowl of stinky canned cat food. She was happily gulping it down when I left.

Upon arriving home from school we had a nice little visit from Aunt Roxanne and Uncle Ron who were passing through KC in their way home from a vacation.  We all sat and chatted for a few minutes in the family room. Then the boys went cat hunting. Aunt Roxanne assured them that she had seen the cat. Pet the cat. Held the cat.

After thirty minutes of searching and reassuring the boys that the cat HAD to be inside because all the doors had been shut since we walked in from school, I realized that the back door had been left open. Crap!

So the search continued. And continued. And continued. Three hours of searching. One boy in his room crying. Another boy not really understanding that when I say, "I have no idea where the cat could be", what I really mean is, "Ah crap. We've lost the cat. I'm done. No more pets for me. I can't take this anymore."

Then, while one crying boy sat on my lap, we found the cat. In the ottoman.

Now, you're probably asking yourself, "How could you not see the cat on the ottoman?"

Just to be clear, I said IN the ottoman.

Here, let me show you.

Here's the ottoman in the family room where we sat talking. Pretty innocent looking, right?

 

 

Ahhh, but here's the ottoman turned upside down.

 

 

 

Here, take a closer look. See how that one edge is pulled away from the structure of the ottoman? Our sweet kind little kitten pulled the fabric away from the staples to make a nice cozy little hammock for herself.

 

 

 

So when you are frantically searching for your cat that is in a food coma from all the yummy deliciously smelly canned food she just ate, she is sound asleep IN the ottoman like this.

 

 

So, when you move the ottoman FOUR times just to make sure she is not underneath, you can't see her sleeping IN the ottoman. Not a peep from her. No meowing. No purring, No scratching or moving. Remember, she is in a full bellied sleep coma.

 

As the boys and I searched the house for THREE hours carrying around an open can of cat food to lure her out, we had no idea she was IN the very ottoman that I sat on while typing my lame "lost cat" post on Facebook. I am certain Cookie was laughing silently at me the whole time.

 

While I know there is a lesson to be learning in this, I am not sure what it is.

 

On second thought maybe it's "Always keep a stocked bar", because that's what I needed after three hour of searching and two stressed out kids.