The prayers of children are truly answered...

So our older cat, Platinum, named for his silvery, platinumy color, got out the front door sometime last Monday. We didn't realize it until just before Nancy and I went to bed because our two cats usually hide somewhere in our bedroom to sleep through the afternoon. When we discovered he was gone we figured it was from one of the kids accidentally leaving the door open, and as late as it was we did only a cursory search outside. He had gotten out once before one morning, and by the evening he was meowing in our backyard, so I held out hope that he might just find his own way back home. I don't know if we spread our scent around when the five of us all went on a walk around the neighborhood, as I've heard cats have an incredible sense of smell. That entire day the kids all asked Heavenly Father to bless Platinum to come home, and lo and behold that night he did. This time was no different, as the kids asked for Platinum to be safe from harm and danger and to find his way home every single chance they had.

Well, a few days went by, and I took the girls on walks around the neighborhood with the girls calling out "Platinum!" You haven't heard cute until you've head our youngest, Nisha, say Platinum's name. It was more sad that the kids missed him, and as well because he is my frequent companion when everyone else goes to bed late at night. From day one we left our back door open a nudge, hoping the scent of out home would draw him back to us. He is quite vocal, so it would've been easy to hear him, and in fact, the first time I was in our master bath and heard him just outside our open window. Well, it didn't work after a week or so. I even tried leaving his litter box by the open back door for an entire evening. No luck, however.

It's been a week and two days now. We've made a trip to the shelter every couple of days to check if he had been brought in, but to no avail. Living in the far west part of town, and having abundant desert land around us, and especially since I've seen coyotes very often within a half mile of our home, I didn't have much hope any more, being a small docile cat. But, even today Nancy said she spoke with a shelter and they said not to lose hope since some animals return weeks to even months after being gone.

The prayers of our little ones are truly answered by our Father in Heaven. This evening Nancy was going out to the car to get something, and as soon as she opened the door a little brown field mouse came running inside, to which she called my name. Then she yelled me to come wuickly and darted out the door saying she saw Platinum. That blimey cat had chased a mouse and trapped him in the alcove of OUR front door!

I grabbed my shoes and followed as Nancy tried to corral him Platinum, though as soon as she got within arms length he would scamper off. I tried to catch up as they made their way into the neighbor's yard, and then across the street to an alley, then around the house into their front yard. He wasn't about to let us get close enough to catch him, so I asked Nancy to run back to the house and get his wet cat food, which has a pop top that's like catnip to our two cats the second they hear it open. That did the trick. As soon as she opened it he came up to her, and she picked him up. He scratched trying to get away, and when I took him from her hands I got a few gouges out of my arm, but all well worth it.

Platinum is safely back in our home, although Diamond is acting like an angry diva after having the house to herself for so long, and hisses at him and everyone else now that she has to share a food bowl and everything else again. We've had a good lesson about closing the door after going in or out, and I hope that it sticks with the kids this time. Oh well, on to the next adventure...