Louis the barn cat, not completely unusual for him not to turn up when we come out, but he usually is out later when we call. Especially in the evening when we feed him. So I wasn't very concerned last night when we got home and didn't see him, figuring he was out hunting and I'd see him in the morning. Well I got a late start to my outside chores today and still didn't see or hear him. Not too worried I went to chat with my parents and see if they had seen him near their house. Sometimes he gets into their garage to play with the dogs. That is when Mom told me she saw him on Sunday morning but when she went to feed him Sunday evening he wasn't to be found.
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| Louis first exploring the barn |
Today is Thursday. I walked around our whole property the front bush/tree row by the road, the old established tree row next to my parents house, around the small pasture, calling and shaking a can of cat food. It is very unlikely I"ll see Louis the barn cat again.
Louis always was under foot when we were outside. He liked to run ahead and lay in your walking path to get attention. He played chase and wrestled with my parents dogs. He'd sit on the freshly tilled spot I was about to plant seeds. He was mostly afraid of the chickens and could get around one or two but would run away if I was feeding the whole flock and the birds came running towards him.
There is a chance Louis is just lost and will come back, but I have to be real and honest.
Barn cats come and go, I know this from Grandpa & Grandma's farm - one summers pet barn cat wouldn't be the same pet barn cat the next summer. The life of even a pampered barn cat like Louis is rough when living outdoors. There are is the road with cars and trucks, predators like coyotes, hawks and eagles. Just didn't expect to lose him in the summer.
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| Louis, I'll miss you |
