At the end of a busy and fun weekend, as he exited with his suitcase to his rental car, the whole family piled out of the house to say good-bye, including the dog and the cat.
It was sometime the next day that I realized I hadn't seen Zazu for many hours.
It took us awhile to realize that we had forgotten to let him back in the night before. We began combing the JournalWorld classifieds and Craigslist notices for "Found Cat," but to no avail. We've plastered the neighborhood with posters and knocked door-to-door, but no one has seen Zazu. We've begged in our prayers for his safe return, Aidan always asking for a blessing that "he have lots of fur," since it was our first hard freeze earlier this week.
I guess I am starting to face up to fact that we have had a sad loss. Hopefully, he has found another warm home, but I fear that the coyotes who run at night in the field out back and even sometimes right down the street out front may have played a part in this.
In my melancholy, I must reflect for a moment on that feeling that I am consumed with right now . . . that unbearable yearning for an ability to rewind, to have another chance to make the choice that I didn't know at the time would have such a devastating consequence. It is frightening indeed to realize how the most inconsequential acts can have enormous impact, and it feels somehow unfair that we are so often unaware of the grave events that are to come as the result of something we do in a thought-less moment.
Zazu, 2008:
4 comments:
I am devastated. Senior, I hardly knew ye. God speed.
Even I...your friend who prays daily for this very thing to happen to her cat feels very sad for Zazu.
Wouldn't the "re-doing" thing be awesome ?
I am so sorry! :(
Keep some food out. I've had cats disappear for weeks and then just show up again. Let all the neighbors know, too.
Alyson - Lawrence Von Feldt's - I am sad to hear about Zazu.
I didn't even know this cat. But I can assure you - whatever his demise, he had at least one last wonderful night in your home. As you know - Doug and I came home on Saturday evening at nearly 2:00 am after our "brotherly adventure" in Kansas City. Meredith has so graciously allowed me to stay her in her room.
As I came in to the room, and started to undess, the door to Meredith's room was still open, and I was surprised to see a cat come in to the room. It seems to be a theme - as two nights before, a cat at Jeff and Cindy's joined me for the night. On Friday night, while at Jane and Steve's, their cat joined me in the guest room.
And so, either because of smell, or because of the cat karma that I have, I was not surprised when, for the third night on the road, a new cat joined me.
I was checking emails (yes - even at 2:00 am) before I went to bed. Zazu insisted on either getting some attention - or telling me "enough was enough" and he (she?) decided to lay on my keyboard to delivery his message. We both finally went to bed, me exhausted, and him purring - on and on.
I have to admit, now in thinking about it, that this was also the last time I saw him.
I feel bad now not asking about where my night time partner had gone.
But I can assure you, if his last night in your home, was on Saturday night, he had a restful night of purring - and he was loved. And he loved back.
Rick
(It was so wonderful to spend time with the family!)
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