Relentless Inquiry

Out again last night, 11pm – 1am, calling and looking. Today, Sunday, also out at 7am, down Avenida Ricardo where a Boo-like cat was sighted. No response. Gave out flyers to two early-morning folks driving through that area.

Registered Boo & Snark with the National Pet database– $40 for Boo, because she is lost, usually $20. They will fax to all shelters in 60 mile radius of our zip. I am emailing to no-kill shelters that I find on the web. I don't think she is in a shelter yet, as I hear more and more stories about indoor or backyard cats who get lost and hide for a couple of weeks only a few houses away.

Made new flyers according to the National Pet guidelines which I posted yesterday. Translated, via the web, a couple of friends, and an online dictionary or two, into Spanish, as we have a lot of Spanish-only older folks in the neighborhood. Also gave a shot at cut-n-paste Chinese (Simplified) translation. Got 10 color copies of each 3 at Kinko's, and 150 black-n-white copies of the in-park flyer. The folks at National say that I should have over 200 flyers OUT by now, gah. They also say that 'most' pets are recovered with their methods, so I'm hopeful.

I had put out some litter in a pan (dirty and clean) and some cat food. NP folks said, nope, that will draw other cats to mark territory, and cats & critters to eat the food. Take it away, and put a really smelly piece of your laundry out instead (!!), like something you wore to the gym. “I can't tell you how many times I hear over and over that somebody put that out and the next morning their pet was out there sitting on it.” OK, whatever works. I also put out water, that can be hard to find here (though there are lots of sprinklers in landscaping). Something did eat the food between my return home 8am and when I next ventured out to move the car for Mike at 10am…. and had taken a BITE out of a tomato on the side steps. Moved the tomatoes inside. That sure wasn't Boo.

Got permission to post in Ben & Jerry's in the Mercado, ditto the Starbucks. Nix on the AMC 20. In Lakewood Village shopping center, on an outside post at the Asian market, in the window of the liquor/mini-mart, at the (kinda rough) tejana bar (sympathetic barmaids), in the employee section of the fancy Chinese restaurant, and the hair & nails place. Other places closed for Sunday night, including Sunny Vietnamese, our favorite local cafe. Hostess at the fancy Chinese restaurant said the Chinese version was readable, but some simplified characters are unfamiliar, so I may do a 2nd run in Traditional instead. Also posted at Unamas on Lawrence (the Spanish one) and on the OSHA/employee board at the Coco's there. It's a start.

I haven't gotten jackshit done for work all weekend other than emails and a few half-hearted edits. Spent most of the day working up to the productive Boo-finding parts, like making flyers. Oh, and visiting Silicon Valley Humane Society, where I signed their book and toured the kitty facility. May try volunteering there later. They say to come back daily, as cats can be in 'processing' for up to 5 days before they calm down enough to be scanned. No cats are placed or euthanized before scanning, however, so we should be okay if she ends up there.

Mike and I are going to go put out more flyers now, concentrating on the several rows around our place. We are using the wording about cats hiding in garages and sheds, and asking folks to check (or better yet, to open them and go do something else for a little while to give a cat a chance to sneak out). He's doing this for a walk instead of going to the gym, and has been really supportive. Drove me to the shelter because I've been a space cadet all day. I hear it's commonly TWO WEEKS or more, and I can't be a Space Queen for that long and still meet all my commitments, or even part of them. OK, off to flyer stuff.

PS- Thanks for emails of support (you know who you are); comments are off because I want to focus on action, not wallowing in it. She could be gone for *months* and I wouldn't know what ever happened. So as far as I'm concerned, except when I get stupid and weak about it, she's out there and I'm *working to bring her back* because that's what counts. It's just so *fucking overwhelming*. Grit teeth, gggrrrrAAAAARRRRGH. Gotta be tough for the Booster.