Woke up about 2:00 a.m. to the sounds of one of the cats getting really ill. I scrambled up out of bed, grabbed my robe and turned on the lights. Every one in this room peacefully asleep. Then I heard it again coming from the living room.

It was Alaska, the medication they put her on for her URI had made her so nauseated. The cage was a mess and Slater (Slate) was huddled in the corner looking at me like “Mom, get me outta this mess please?” I picked him up and carried him over to Mike. Mike sleeps through anything, so I woke him up and asked him to please hold and cuddle Slater while I attended to Alaska.

My job done, kitty and cage now clean, I turned around to bring Slater back to mom and Mike had fallen asleep. Slater was no where in sight!

I blocked off access to the kitchen and looked high and low for this grayness. I found him up inside the gears of the hospital bed and when I went to reach for him, he skeedaddled and by the time I wiggled out from under the bed, he was gone.

Once again the search was on- an hour later, my living room was clean but Slater wasn’t in sight. I knew I had looked everywhere= but like Mike said, if I had looked everywhere, I would have found him. I decided to try my last move and plugged in the vacuum turned it on, then flipped it off and waited for all the cats to do their fly-by out of the room to safety. Slater was not among them. So, once again, I turned on the dreaded machine and ran it around the room. When I flipped it off, I could hear faint meowing coming from up above my computer. Slater had found his way into an old heating vent. Thankfully, when we remodeled years and years ago and moved the wooden stove- we plugged up the vent to prevent squirrels, bees, whatever to come inside. He wasn’t in very far so I was able to grab him. Now he is back in another cage just in case Mom’s sickness isn’t caused by the meds.

I think what amazes me is we had also sealed off the front of the vent with a decorative plate, but he had managed to pull that aside and find a safe hidey hole. Neither he or mom are feral cats. They are just neglected and unsocialized but when you get your hands on them (getting past all their posturing and swearing at you) they are starting to enjoy being petted.

I’m so grateful to have found this little scamp.