Well, two weeks and a day after Alex cat disappeared, and after I had just begun to be able to think of him without tearing up, we hear a knock at the door. (Alex uses the screen door as a huge door-knocker.) In he walks, weary and looking a little beat up. He ate and sat in my lap and purred, then ate some more. I cried, and he ate. I asked him, "What happened to you?" but his mouth was full and he couldn't tell me. It was an eating/bliss fest. Until.

Until he caught sight of the kitten I had gotten to take my mind off of Alex's disappearance. I could see him thinking, "Damn, I went out for a pack of smokes and you replace me?! After 10 years of mutual devotion? Aw, hell no!" Kelty, the new baby (named after the up-market camping equipment guys, because cats are all about some camping), has been a real charmer and no matter how many times Alex hisses and swats, Kelty comes back for more. I hope this eventually wears Alex down, but so far it is rather tense.

My theory is that a dog got after Alex, because he has a new patch of missing fur that looks like healed scratches. So, he takes off running and later finds himself lost. I also think someone was looking after him, because though he was very hungry when he got home, he hadn't appeared to have lost any weight. To whoever you are, I thank you, and I hope you don't end up getting him back because he has given up on me.