Tortie Tuesday Status Update: Human OK, Heather Cat Still Missing

After last week's cliff-hanger, I should let everyone know...the human who lives on the icy crooked back road is alive and well, and gave me a lift on the way to work this morning...driving per small emergency backup vehicle.

Heather-cat is still missing. Samantha-cat nonverbally reports no further information about where she's been or whether she's come home while I was out. It's been almost a month of mostly bad weather. If Heather is still living, I'm afraid she may have been "adopted." It is hard to imagine anyone living with Heather for a month and not wanting to keep her forever.

Samantha is a lovable cat too, but Heather has been part of my life for seven years. If you've seen her, and you (or someone else) wants a wonderful, lovable cat, please return mine...Gentle Readers, the Johnson City, Tennessee, animal shelter currently has a cat for adoption who looks very similar to Heather. I don't know whether they still display adoptable cats, heavily sedated, sprawling dopily around in a mock-up of a sitting room on the theory that that helps people visualize a pet in their own home, nor do I know how much long-term damage the sedation does to the cats, but I can help you get that look anyway. They call their cat "Jazzy" and affirm that she's a cuddly pet. I'd show a picture if Petfinder would go back to a simpler look with less sticky cookies.

Here, instead, is a picture of Heather gazing affectionately on her (don't tell Heather she was only a half) sister Irene, which also happens to show the black band across Heather's right forepaw, and the six complete toes that allow Heather to use her paws as rather clumsy but fully opposable "hands."

Burr is stocky like Irene; he has only black and white spots, no orange. Tickle is slim like Heather; he's pale orange and white like those patches on Heather's throat, and has only five complete toes on each forepaw, but the "thumb" toes are extra-wide and have double claws--he shares the polydactyl gene.

All of them were brought up as pets; the males, and Heather in hunting mode, may act feral because traces of human scent interfere with hunting, but when Heather's at home she's a very affectionate pet. (She's been using purr-and-cuddle behavior to train me for seven years!)