Last week during an especially sunny period, I was out in the front yard raking up leaves and cleaning up a bit. Our two tortie sisters; Piper and Pippi were sunning themselves on the rail. When the car pulled in the drive, they both sat up and watched. They are very friendly girls, we have had them now 6 years. They are almost identical except Pippi has a bad eye that will soon have to be removed (she was born with a congenital defect). Piper has perfect eyes and two golden eyebrows Mike calls her “golden arches.”

This elderly woman exits the vehicle. She was dressed as if she was going to church, dress, heels, clutching her purse. I walked over to her and asked if she was lost? She said, no, she was admiring my cats. She said she had seen them before in the yard (they hang-out by the front steps). They have every opportunity to come inside, but they would rather sleep in the carrier by the door together and so that’s how it’s been. They have NEVER strayed and even rarely will they go into the backyard. They prefer the front.

She said they look like bookends, and I agreed. As I said, they are sisters, identical in size and body pattern differing only in their face. She wanted to pet them and they allowed it. They are very friendly and besides, mom was right there. She made small talk and she kept watching them. Even when a few of the barn cats came out to see what was going on, she was focused on the girls. I should have paid more attention.

The girls are gone. I haven’t been here- been running up to Portland almost daily and coming home late, and they have simply vanished. BOTH of them! Now some might say that the routine for these girls have been broken. But I feed them in the morning and again at night, and was continuing to do so with Mike in the hospital. And now, they are gone. It is so strange. I talked to the neighbors to see if something might have happened on the road or the surrounding houses while I was gone that would spook them- but nothing out of the ordinary.

I didn’t even pay attention to her car, get a plate number. She didn’t rouse my suspicions other than making me feel a bit uneasy that she was watching the girls so intently, Heck, they are still here because in this area, torties are not the favorite for people to adopt them out. I have had more than one person tell me that torties are “ugly!” I disagree, I think they are gorgeous.

So now, I don’t know if she came back and tried to take them and they took off? Or if she was successful and picked them up and put them in her car? All I know is I am worried about how BOTH of them are suddenly missing from a yard they haven’t strayed off of in six years.

I lost it at the vet’s yesterday too. When I went in to make a payment, they presented me with a card that had Fiona’s name and pawprints on it. It just brought the grief back full force. I miss her so much. I’ve not even removed her food bowl off the dining room ramp where she always ate above all the others.