Appreciating our furry family members!

     Recently, I have been reminded of how important our furry friends are in our lives.  Yesterday, our cat, Rascal, was missing-in-action.  He lives most of his life outside in the warm months.  He claws at our curtains to remind us that he prefers the outdoors, he attacks us instead of the mice and chipmunks he stalks outside when we refuse to let him out.  Because we are constantly reminded that he prefers the outside to the in, we normally don't worry when he is gone for hours on end.  Until yesterday, when he hadn't been home for a full 24 hours.  I started noticing his absence in the morning, when he is usually my steady companion.  He wouldn't come when I called him, another oddity. I assumed that he was too busy to be bothered with me, although it was a nagging concern throughout the morning for me.
     By about 1:00pm I had reported his obvious absence to my husband, who helped me call for him- to no avail.  We hadn't told the kids we were worried but they came to their own conclusions and around 4:00pm they started canvassing the neighborhood, asking our neighbors if they had seen our little Rascal.  When they returned from their long search empty handed, they wanted to make Lost Cat signs.  We told both kids that it would all work out, but inside, we were both feeling very nervous that maybe our predator, outdoor cat had finally met his match.  
     After all, we live near a ravine that houses foxes and coyotes; it was very possible that he had met up with a faster, larger predator.  We started driving through our neighborhood calling for him, we drove to a nearby park that shares our ravine.  We came back to the house without him.  
     When we arrived home, after calling to him along the way home, we started all saying how much we missed him.  Just as we sat down for dinner, my husband yelled, "Cat!" and pointed at the sliding glass door. There he was, looking no worse for the wear.  To his surprise, he was scooped up almost immediately by both kids and myself.  The sheer joy was apparent on both kids faces, and I know my own as well.  
      Rascal was plunked right down for a full can of cat food; a rare treat.  He was brushed, held, cooed at and in all fashions - spoiled.  I think we all realized when he showed up at the door how much we love him; even though he spends a lot of time away from us.  He graced us with a rare indoor night and morning, enjoying all the special attention he continued to receive.  Both my husband and I took turns holding and petting him - another rare treat for him as we are usually as aloof as he is.  Lucky for us, we got to enjoy him; we didn't have a tragic ending as we were all afraid to have.  
     So for each of you that has a pet, or anyone thinking of getting one; for all the work and sometimes worry than can produce, these furry family members really add so much joy to our lives.  Give them an extra hug tonight!

Rascal on his way to a vet appointment.
Since he doesn't like to be kept inside, this is one of my favorite, "Get me out of here" pictures.