CAT FOUND

After a harrowing 3 days, Ruski was finally found early this morning! Woken up this morning at 7 by a phone call from my neighbour living in the lane behind my house saying that she saw a cat fitting Ruski description outside her house. I immediately dashed out (without even brushing my teeth) and found this Caucasian lady and her daughter keeping watch at my cat who was crouching at the ledge across the drain. Initially i couldn't really see him from afar because it was rather dark and was going to rain. He looked really scared and didn't want to move when i called out to him. When i attempted to reach across the drain for him, he got a fright and run into the bushes along the drain. In the end i had to step into the drain to be closer to him and my neighbours tried to block off the corners. He must have felt threatened when the lady tried talking to him and he started hissing at us. It was only when i stretched out my hand slowly to him into the bushes, he stopped hissing for a while and licked my hand. However, he wouldn't budge and when i attempted to grab him from his neck to pull him out, he struggled and yelped. It took a while to untangle him from under the bushes and get him out but by then he was so traumatized, he was making a hell of a noise and i tripped in the drain, and he immediately ran into my neighbour's house.

Luckily he did not go very far and just crouched near the gate. To avoid scaring him again, i had to approach him very slowly. I talked to him for a bit to calm him down because though he did not hiss or make noise, he continued to crouch and looked ready to bolt. It's only after 1 or 2 minutes that he flopped over the way he usually would at home when i talked to him and become more relaxed that i was able to pick him up and carried him home. He was shivering as i carried him and was meowing a lot as we walked pass the main road as he was scared of the noises and rain (started to drizzle by then). He only stopped once i stepped into my house and he must have recognized the staircase to my room as he began purring once i walked up towards it.

It must have been tough on the little rascal while he was outside as he started meowing for food the minute he went into the room and walked around the toilet cupboard where the food is. And the way he eats! He was so hungry and impatient that half the bowl of food landed on the floor than into his mouth. Its only after a while that he calmed down and groom himself at a corner as i got dressed to go to work. While he did not answer me when outside, he did so now when i called his name. But i could see that he is still in shock as he usually like to cuddle and will respond fairly quickly when i asked him to come. Now he was just contented to lay in the corner. However, he enjoyed me patting him and was purring and purring. Finally when i stepped out of my room to go to work, he started yelping again, which i think its because he is probably still insecure or scared. It took a while to calm down again and was eating from his bowl when i sneaked out to go work.

I think he must have been hiding in my neighbour's house for the last few nights as my neighbour kept 4 cats and had left some food around for her cats. Her daughter was very nice and when knew that i lost my cat, has been trying to look out for Ruski in her backyard just in case he came by. Luckily for me that these neighbours are such cat lovers and helped me looked out for him or else i don't think i would ever get Ruski back again. This time round i am going to lock Ruski in for sure and get him a tag for his collar. I don't think i can take it if it happens again. Couldn't sleep well for the past few days because i was so worried. Now i can at last breathe a sigh of relief.