My Milo, Episode 5

Previously...
Our long-suffering cat, Milo, went missing during a very cold, very snowy week. There was much worrying and fighting off of mental images of frozen felines.

The saga continued....

Okay. The worrying was all me. Thursday at bedtime, we prayed for Milo and his safe return. Afterwards Josiah says, "Our cat is missing?" (That whole "time is relative" concept is sometimes a blessing. My plan had worked! You see, I had purposefully not drawn attention to the situation in an attempt to prevent the boys from worrying.) When Josiah asked if we would make posters for him I told him that we probably would.

Our search efforts on Thursday night were unproductive. I walked up and down the block calling for Milo. I even had John dig out the sewer, which had been blocked by a wall of snow, to see if perhaps Milo had gone in there and been trapped by the snow plows.

Friday morning, John made the requested "Missing Cat" posters and placed one at each end of the block. Within just a couple of hours, we got a phone call from a lady who thought that it was our cat which she had housed for a night. When she wasn't able to find his owners the next day, she took him to the ANNA shelter.

John called the shelter and they confirmed that our description matched the cat there; however, the shelter is only open three hours a day and they were closing in 5 minutes. Seriously? Three hours? We had to wait until Saturday to (hopefully) retrieve our Milo.

John went to the shelter Saturday while I was at class. I gave him a call during my break. It went something like this:

Me: Hi. Whatcha doing? (asked just like Isabella asks Phineas and Ferb)

John: I got the cat.

Me: Our cat is home?

John: Yep. We had to pay $35 to get him back.

Me: Really.

John: Yeah, but while he was there he drove them crazy by spraying all the time.

Me: Milo was spraying? (He has never done that at home.)

John: Every time a male cat came near.

Me: Oh.

John: So they fixed him.

Me: What? They just neutered a person's cat!?

John: Apparently, he was driving them crazy and it was before we called.

Me: They didn't take out his claws, did they?

John: I don't think so... but they gave him his shots too.

Me: Huh. *inwardly thrilled that our cat was neutered and shot up for a mere $35*

John: They told me that he was spraying so much that they made the vet squeeze him in right away.

Me: Okay. See you later. *and there was much rejoicing*

Later, Josiah asked me what "fixed" means. I told him that Milo wouldn't be able to be a daddy now unless, of course, he already is. "He can't be a daddy? What if he already was?" "Well, then he'll still be a daddy but he won't have any more little cat babies", then recalling that he already knows that girls have the babies I added, "He can't help a girl cat have kittens anymore." The questioning continues, "Why not?" *sigh* After trying to gauge how much information he will need to be satisfied, I tell him, "They did a surgery that cut the tubes that carry the cat seeds to the girl cat." His next question was "Can he be a grandpa?". So I inform him, "Not unless he already has kittens out there somewhere and then they have kittens some day." The follow-up question: "Well, can he be an uncle?" Not sure where this is going I ask, "Hm?" Josiah clarifies, "If he meets a girl cat and she has kittens already, can he be their uncle or something?" I responded, "Yeah, sure." Satisfaction was achieved. *and there was much rejoicing*

To sum up: Cat was missing. Cat was found, slightly altered. No more man whore cat.

Doesn't he look thrilled to be back?

Wondering about my Wanderer

Dear Cat (or Milo if that is your preference these days),

I realize you are a well-liked, well-trained, gets-along-with-dogs, friendly cat and that others in the neighborhood may like to visit with you. However, you've been out visiting for two days and two nights now and I worry about you. Why have you chosen this cold, snowy week as the time when you don't come home at night?

Are you stuck inside another person's house thinking of us as we are thinking of you? I know you can be most persuasive when you want outside. Can you try to convince them that you desperately need outdoors for your *ahem* "seed sowing" time? Or is that what has caused this situation in the first place? Have you been tamed by a female feline?

I realize that you are a desirable cat. Your list of quality attributes is impressive for a cat:

1. You stay off tables and kitchen counters. That is a quality many cat owners only dream about. Give a big thank you to Nathan for that since it was his task to chase you down yelling, "CAT! CAT! CAT!" when I was otherwise occupied with nursing the baby.

2. You play well with others. After being brought to our home when you were a little kitten, you were immediately immersed in the atmosphere where young children and a curious dog were simply accepted as the norm.

3. You've never ruined a piece of furniture even though you have all your claws.

4. You cuddle in the evenings and are a great foot warmer.

5. You allow yourself to be picked up pretty much any way and any time. Again, a big thanks to the boys and especially Nathan for their training in this area.

6. You prefer to poop outside rather than your litter box which is a thoughtful attribute that I greatly appreciate.

7. Although you may sleep on the beds during the day, you know that downstairs is your designated territory for nighttime.

Milo, I want to know you are safe. Please come home! We love you and miss you.

Sincerely,
Your people

Boots, Boys, and Boxes

I came home from work this morning to find this:

Of course, my first question is "Nathan, where are your clothes?" and the answer is simply "I don't need them."

While I am focusing on finding clothes which my child actually does need to keep warm around here, the words "trap" and "cat" and then "cat trap" filter through to me. "What are you guys talking about?" Josiah then directs my attention to their newest contraption. "Oh wow... Is the cat IN there? Okay. Let the cat out, please. Thanks."

I'm not sure if they placed the cat inside the trap or lured him in with his food bowl but he was indeed trapped and seemed very accepting of his fate. He emerged slowly when Josiah opened the trap door. Though I don't condone trapping the cat, I admitted to myself that their setup was pretty cool. Maybe they've been watching too much Phineas and Ferb....

Aren't boots and boxes cool? Of course, they would be nothing without the boys!

Feline Curses

The boys seemed to be getting into everything so I looked around to see what would distract them. Distractions can be a good thing. Some are better than others. It's an art really. Finding distractions that end fussing takes practice.

Sarah: Look! Milo is sleeping in the pack n' play!
Nathan: My cat! I'm going to get him.
Milo: Curse you, Woman!

Milo: You'll get yours!

Milo: I'm trying to sleep here.
Nathan: Let me tuck you in.

Nathan: Lay down, kitty. Go to sleep.
Milo: Is this some kind of a sick joke?
(I didn't get a picture of the cat clawing his way out of the pack n' play to regain some peace.)

Nathan: I want to hold my kitty.
Milo: Great.

Nathan: Nice kitty.
Milo: You're lucky you feed me.

Nathan: Stay here...

Milo: Would you stop taking pictures and help me, you fiendish woman?!?

My Milo

Meet Milo. John surprised me and brought him home after finding him abandoned in a stairwell. He was just a little kitten then. Milo is now a year and a half old. Josiah named him Milo from the movie, Milo and Otis.

Nathan has a hard time leaving Milo alone. He loves "my Milo."

Yes, I know Nathan's outfit doesn't go together. He's potty training, okay?

Come here, Milo. Ouch!

One day, I heard Nathan tell Noah, "Don't hit Milo. Leave my Milo alone!" As if.

We often have to tell Nathan to put the cat down so he doesn't end up choking Milo.

In spite of this, Milo takes it all extremely well. I even thinks he likes it.

Nathan is pointing at Milo's litter box. Milo is the only cat I know that doesn't bury his crap.
Since Nathan gets scolded when he doesn't "go poopy in the potty", he will often scold Milo too.

Sometimes I have to yell, "Get off the cat!" since Nathan will literally lay on Milo.

Sometimes I think he would rather be in that stairwell.....
In spite of it all, Milo still hangs around us -- all of us.