A Cat Tale

This is a story with a lot of sad chapters, but a happy ending.

Chapter 1 - Lonely Bubba
When Moomoos died back in the spring, Bernie's personality changed completely. He would wander around aimlessly, meowing non-stop. He also started traveling further and further from home. The vet said that he was probably trying to find his sister. Sad.
We started talking about getting kittens, so that Bubs would have some company, but we figured it would be best to wait until after our summer traveling was done.

Chapter 2 - Bubba Disappears
The day we left for a week of camping, Bernie was nowhere to be found. We figured he was out prowling the neighborhood somewhere, and would come home when he got hungry. When we came home at the end of the week, though, there were no signs that Bubba had been in the house. No food eaten. Water bowls still full. No cat hair on the couch. We knew it wasn't good.

Chapter 3 - Hoping, But Not Very Hopeful
Clara, Trevor and I were about to leave for Canada, so Chad and I took a wait-and-see approach with the kids. We glossed over the subject of Bernie's whereabouts, and went about our business. Chad started asking around to see if anyone had seen anything. He checked at the animal shelter, but had no luck. We were particularly curious, since there had been another neighborhood cat reported missing just before Bernie disappeared.

Chapter 4 - Detective Chad
While the kids and I traveled, Chad dug around. As it turns out, we have an anti-cat neighbor who owns a large trap, and who admits to trapping cats who wander onto his property. He knows everything there is to know about the legality of trapping someone's pet, and he told Chad about the ongoing cat feud that he's had with the guy next door. One of the things mean neighbor guy explained is that he takes cats to the animal shelter, and then the owner has to pay to retrieve their cat from there. The retrieval cost increases exponentially with each successive visit. Mean neighbor guy hopes that having to fork out the cash to get their pets back will teach people a lesson. His property is his property. Keep your cats away, or suffer the consequences. He denied having anything to do with Bernie's disappearance, though. Chad didn't believe him. He checked the animal shelter again. No Bubs.

Chapter 5 - Goodbye, Bubs
By the time we came home from Canada, Bernie had been missing for almost a month. It was time for us to say goodbye. So sad. We tried not to imagine how he had suffered or what exactly had happened to him. Bubba had always been such a loving cat. He snuggled and purred constantly. For the first time ever, we were a petless family.

Chapter 6 - Kittens!
We waited a few weeks until the time felt right to add some new members to our family. We headed to the Humane Society, and chose these two crazy kittens:They got to stay in the shelter for three more days while they were Bob Barkerized, and then we brought them home. We named the black one Mocho and the grey one Flora. They were cute, and spunky, and we were all super happy to hear the pitter patter of little feet in our house once again.

Chapter 7 - The Phone Rang
Two days after the kittens arrived at home, we received a call. "Hi. I'm wondering if you have a cat named Bernie." HE WAS ALIVE! Bernie, the big fat lug of an old cat, had survived on his own for 47 days. Forty-seven days. A couple was walking through a field (that happened to be very close to the animal shelter.....coincidence? I think not), and they heard meowing. They discovered Bernie near a creek, bone-thin but alive. His collar, miraculously, was still on him, and so they called our number. Chad brought him home.
Chapter 8 - Rehab
We fed Bubs tuna and cheese and baby food, and anything we could get him to eat. The kittens, still living in one room, didn't yet know that they had a big brother. Bubs didn't know that his home had been invaded. We made sure to give him lots of TLC, and a very thorough bath. Chad was prepared for a battle (note the duct tape for extra arm protection), but Bernie was very subdued. He must have known that he needed it.
Chapter 9 - Sibling Rivalry
The kittens started to figure out that there was a world beyond the office door, and Bernie could tell that something was up. It was time to make some introductions. Bubs spent a few days hissing and swatting, but within a couple of days, they started getting used to each other. I even managed to get all three of them in one frame:
Chapter 10 - Family of Seven
So, that's where we stand. The seven of us are getting along fine, and, other than the neverending cat food and litter box vs. carpet issues, life is good. We went from petless to pet hoarders in a matter of weeks!

The End

P.S. We give dirty looks to mean neighbor guy whenever we see him.