Lost

Dear Grieving Child,

Yesterday we had a visitor in our yard. He seemed very shy at first, but hungry, too. Right by the old bread crumbs I put out for the birds I was surprised to see a small cat eating the crumbs. I was very quiet when I opened the door. He popped his head up real Quick! His eyes were big as he looked around because cats have to be very careful when they’re all alone. Sometimes other cats or mean dogs are close by. This cat seemed scared.

I’ll bet you were scared, too, when you couldn’t find your cat. One day you let him out to play and he didn’t come home. Sometimes that happens. Cats start visiting in the neighborhood and go the wrong way. Then they get lost. So for days and days you worried about your cat. At night you cried and maybe couldn’t eat your supper because you were so worried about him. Maybe he’s the cat that comes to eat my bread crumbs. Maybe this is your cat that’s in my yard.

For almost two weeks the little cat came back to eat the crumbs and one day when I opened the door he didn’t run away so I said, “Kitty, kitty.” And guess what? The cat said, “Meow,” back to me. He looked very skinny and still a little bit scared.

The next day when I put out the crumbs, I sat in a nearby chair. The cat walked through the yard and said, “Meow,” to me and – then – when he had eaten only a few crumbs, he rubbed against my leg. I reached down and picked him up and he purred on my lap! Right then I decided to keep him.

I hope he is your cat. Do you know why? Because even though he was lost and misses you very much, now he has a good home. He’s not lost anymore. If I knew where you lived, I would bring him back to you zippy quick. But I don't know and now he’s with me, nice and safe. I can tell he had a good friend like you once. He curls up in my lap at night while I watch television and only a cat who had someone wonderful like you in his life would know about warm laps. He trusts me.

So tonight when you go outside and look one more time for your cat, I want you to know that he’s okay. He misses you, but he is safe and warm. There are people like me everywhere who care about what happens to lost cats. So dry your tears and try to remember all the times you played with your cat and petted his soft fur. And even though he once was lost, he’s now been found and is loved.

Sincerely,

The Lost Cat Lady

PS: I call my new cat Charlie.

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