Kitty's Great Escape and a Heroic Rescue Effort by the Doodles

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Penelope the Kitty, as many of you know, has been an indoor cat since I first adopted her and I know she spent a very long time in the SPCA before that so I don't know if she's ever been outside on her own. I once got brave enough to let her outside and as soon as she was on the back deck I don't know which one of us panicked more, but she ran back inside before I could blink (Phew! what was I thinking??), and that was that. Penelope is simply an sweet, innocent, indoor kitty.

Since I moved into the house she has taken to sitting in the living room window and looking outside. I always wondered what it was she was thinking about, but now I know that all this time she has been secretly plotting her great escape.  I didn't see it coming.

Tonight, as I stood with the back door open calling in the doodles, a flash of dark fur went flying by my feet and into the backyard. I didn't panick at first as I just figured she would get freaked out and come running back in. But Kitty clearly had an escape plan, which was well thought out and perfectly timed. Winston, immediately recognizing this was all wrong, began to herd her back toward the house. But she bolted across the deck, past the outside of the living room window where she likes to sit and look out, and in behind the evergreen tree that sits right beside it. Next thing I knew I was trying to get in behind there with her but the branches were all prickly and scratchy. The doodles were clearly not impressed and each took a side of the tree in an attempt to 'smoke her out'. But she's a smart little kitty and before I knew it she was expertly climing the trunk of the evergreen in between all those branches and leaves, all the way to the top. Now I'm naivly thinking 'great, Penelope is stuck in the tree and I'm gonna get all scratched up trying to get her out'. But I wasn't so lucky.

Penelope knew exactly what she was doing and where she was going. From the tree she hopped on to the top of the fence that seperates my neighbour's yard. I should throw in here that I am terrified of losing my cat. A co-worker recently let her indoor cat outside and he never returned :( ...so this was scaring me half to death. It was as if time went into slow motion and I was reaching up, tree branches scratching my face, crying out "Noooooooooo, Kiiiiittttyyyyyy, cooommmmee bbaaaaccckkkkk". She didn't even look back as she launched herself into the neighbours yard.

I ran back inside grabbed her treats, the container of milk and a little dish and ran back out calling her loudly "Kitty Kitty Kittttttyyyyy" (this is no time to be self concious) and shaking the treats and pouring the milk in the dish (her favourite thing which she almost never gets). After a minute of this I could see through the fence that she was wandering away, so I went back in, propped the door open with my shoe in case she came back on her own, and went and knocked on the neighbour's door. We all went out in the yard and but by this point she was nowhere to be seen. There is no fence between their yard and the one on the other side of them, and their yards are full of plants, trees and bushes, so she had lots of hiding places. The other neighbours came out to help track her down and there we were, five grown adults trampelling through the bushes uttering curse words as she dodged from bush to bush while the doodles barked and wimpered from our side of the fence.

At one point we had thought she had gotten out to the front and I became worried she would run into the forrest, which contains all manner of wild life, and on the other side of which is a highway. The whole time I'm still thinking that my sweet innocent kitty cat will never survive on her own in the 'wild'. Meanwhile, in retrospect she is not so innocent after all. I'm almost wondering if she had set up hidden cameras and was doing this so all the cats in the hood could have a good laugh at our expense.

I eventually managed to chase her back into to my yard, where the doodles succeeded in cornering her until I could get back around. She finally sucumbed to the lure of the milk dish and I quickly grabbed her up, scolded her, and put her back inside. After all this drama I realize that she probably would have come back on her own anyway, but I just couldn't help freaking out. I couldn't bear to lose her. However, this whole incident has me wondering whether or not I'm keeping her a prisoner against her will and thinking maybe she would be happier if she could go on daily adventures through the gardens with the other neighbourhood cats.

Also, I am completely fascinated with the doodles' reaction. They knew she shouldn't be out there, and they wanted to get her back inside. Even more so, when she came back into my yard, I could see through the fence the doodles working together to back her into a corner. I never imagined that by the time I went back through the neighbours house, out the front, across the yard and back into mine and out to the back yard, that they would have succeeded in containing her for that extra minute or so, but sure enough they did. I could sense their relief when I scooped her up and put her back inside. I think it's safe to say that the doodles saved the day! They do love their kitty very much and although it is sometimes hard to tell, I think she loves them too ;o).

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Sherri, I loved this blog and the adventure it took me on from beginning to end :) Penelope is a little stinker. LOL Our cat doesn't ever want to go out, but she does like to have a window open with a screen to look out at the world. Sophie and Winston saved the day. Maybe they can get their own show, Cat Wranglers!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Thanks F and nancy. @Ricki, I bought her a cute little harness but she refused to let me put it on. It was stressful and I gave up on it, but I might just give it a go again.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am so glad that Penelope is back INSIDE safe and sound.  Your doodles were heroes.  I used to have cats and once I lost my beloved rescued kitty (hit by a car), I never let my cats out again (of course they escaped occasionally).  Unless you could keep her outdoor excursions confined to your yard, I wouldn't chance it.  We once had a house with a totally screened in patio and we let our kitties go outside to that patio.

[F, Calla & Luca]

What an adventure. What brilliant doodles. I am relieved that Penelope is safe and sound. I have no advice on the freedom issue.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Oh, Sherri I was holding my breath through this entire blog!! I'm soooooo glad Penelope is back in the house where she belongs! What good doodles!!!

I trained my cat Amber to wear a harness and she is allowed to go outside on a long line. I have a fenced backyard and she can lay out on the deck and sniff around the bushes and watch the birds. She really enjoys it and since I am home all of the time she is outside most of the day in warm weather. I can also take her for walks around the property on a leash so she can visit some new areas from time to time.  Might this be an option for Penelope? Amber was an adult when I got her from the shelter too but she took to the harness fairly quickly.