The Time We Rescued a Cat

Part I - the Camping Trip:     

Early Saturday morning we started driving to South Mountain State Park for a camping trip.  We took two cars with Bobcat and I in one.  On the way there, we talked about a lot of things... I told her about my new job, we talked about how we'd survive if society collapsed.  At one point I mentioned our failed attempts to get a puppy recently.  Bobcat commented that it was probably a good thing since it opened us up for something serendipitous to happen.  This way a pet could just walk into our life when the time was right.  She really said that... also, this is called foreshadowing.

We hiked into South Mountain State Park on a Saturday around noon.  Wolf, Bobcat, myself, Badger, Dragon and a new Raven Scout... he hasn't picked a name yet so I'll call him Hawk until he decides.

This was Badger's first camping trip and the weather was perfect.

The time passed pretty quickly as we hiked up the mountain - Bobcat identified plants while Hawk pointed out the birds behind different bird calls we heard along the path.  We made great time as we took in the sights and enjoyed each other's company.

When we reached the campsite, we had a quick bite to eat... baby bell cheese, clementines, jerky, and even some peanut butter sriracha and cheese sandwiches.  Then we set about making camp.  I began collecting firewood while everyone else hiked down to the water source to refill our water containers.

As I made trip after trip with fallen branches and limbs I wasn't really keeping track of time at first... but then it started to seem like the water-filling foray was taking more time then usual.  That's when I saw Wolf, Badger and Dragon walking across the field alone.

Wolf quickly brought me up to speed with what transpired at the stream....

While filtering water from our water source, Badger waded across and was on the opposite shoreline from the rest of the group.

Bobcat crossed over to get Badger when everyone began hearing a mewing noise... the dogs rushed the noise to discover a small cat strolling into the midst of the group... keeping the dogs under control was difficult, so Wolf took Badger and Dragon back to camp.

"Well that's interesting," I thought as we continued to prepare the campsite.  "I'm sure this will be a normal camping trip."

More time passed and Hawk was the next to return with an update.

The cat was following them from the stream.  Bobcat had stayed behind so Hawk could warn us, particularly since the dogs were so interested in the new arrival the first time.

So we watched as Bobcat walked across the meadow with a cat in tow.

And we watched as Dragon and Badger used every ounce of their being to get close to the visitor.

But the cat wasn't phased.  In fact, he walked right up to Dragon and began nuzzling her face... and to my surprise, Dragon licked the cat and wagged her tail... Badger was a bit more intense but it didn't stop the cat from walking right up to our table of snacks.

After much discussion, we decided the cat was lost (we were eight miles up a mountain in the middle of a state park at one of the most remote camp sites in the park).  He was so social with people and dogs, he had to be someone's pet... but no one could have lived within miles of where we were and the cat didn't have a collar or tags... We gave the cat a little bit to eat and watched as he sauntered about the campsite mewing and purring.

We speculated some more... maybe the cat was a spirit of the woods and by showing it kindness, we would be granted wishes.  Maybe the cat was a guardian of some sort who would protect our campsite from evil.

The mewing didn't stop though... in fact it was really ramping up.  Also, the cat was knocking things off the table... drinks, food.  At one point he sent a 48 ounce nalgene bottle splashing onto the ground prompting another trip to the stream to refill water containers.

I decided that this was Dragon's last camping trip... that she was going to die in her sleep on top of this mountain and was slowly passing her soul into this cat so she could continue to torment me... that or this was some sort of trickster spirit like Puck... I've since come to find out that this is normal cat behavior.

We began to call the cat "Scat" and sometimes "Turd."

Hawk graciously volunteered to let the cat sleep in his tent.

We woke in the morning to find that Dragon was not only still alive, but full of energy.  She and Badger ran about playing and wrestling... and the cat started to get involved... this kept happening since the dogs had long leads behind them:

Eventually the cat got a bit too close and the dogs began to chase him.  And so we watched as Dragon and Badger treed Scat.

Bobcat and Hawk spent the better part of an hour trying to get Scat to come down from the tree... eventually lifting a large branch to the cat's position and coaxing him to climb down.

After a hearty breakfast of burritos and oatmeal, we broke down camp and began to pack our bags.  At this point, we decided we would hike down the mountain and see if the cat followed us.  If it did, we would cross that bridge when we came to it... and if not, we would say our goodbyes... so we began hiking out of camp...

And the cat followed.

After slowing periodically to let the cat keep pace with us, we decided it was time to make a decision.  We didn't feel comfortable leaving the cat since it was getting down below freezing each night and well... we kind of liked him now.  So we decided we'd carry the cat down the mountain and take him to a vet to see if he was chipped.  Hawk and Bobcat took turns carrying the cat while Wolf and I handled Badger and Dragon... we started calling the cat Toots and sometimes "Two"ots.

We talked about how hilarious it would be to tell Turtle and Bear we had a cat named Toots.

We laughed a lot.

For eight miles, we hiked down carrying a cat.  We started to pass people and dogs going the other direction as we neared the parking lot.  We played it cool.  It's whatever... we just went on a hike carrying this cat.  You've never seen someone take a cat camping?

And somehow... through some ridiculous combination of luck and sheer will, we got the cat to the car.

He was nonplussed by the whole ordeal.

Bobcat has often talked about taking a cat camping... she even purchased a cat backpack... but I don't think any of us ever thought it would happen.

It was a dream realized... and the beginning of a whole new adventure.

Part II - So We Have a Cat Now?     

We snacked a bit and reveled in our success before hitting the road.  This was something few people get to experience in life... camping and hiking with a cat... rescuing a cat from a tree... We were amazing.  We were heroes.

So we set out to take the cat home and find out if the cat was chipped. We drove the first few miles towards home.

And that's when Bobcat's car broke down.  We tried in earnest to get the car to work but it wasn't happening.  The cat slept as we waited for a tow truck.  We walked around an abandoned church and talked about what a great setting this would be for a Walking Dead episode.  There was some recent graffiti that said "Class of 1970."  Someone had spray-painted over that "74." Weird.

When the tow truck arrived, we piled into one car... four adults, two large dogs, a cat and a lot of camping supplies.  It was cozy.

On the way home, we listened to theme songs from TV shows and tried to guess what show it was from.  That transitioned into listening to music from the 90s.

Oh my life... is changing every day...
In every possible way.
And oh my dreams...
It's never quite as it seems...
'Cause you're a dream to me,
Dream to me.

R.I.P.

Luckily the rest of the trip home was uneventful.  We showed Egg the cat when we got back in town, unloaded all our gear and parted ways.  The cat stayed with Wolf and I and we planned on taking him to the vet as soon as they could fit us in.

Meanwhile, we vowed to not get too attached to the cat.  After all, the cat may be chipped.

This happened the first evening:

And we started seriously talking about names.  On Monday, we set up the vet appointment for the following day.

And this happened:

By the time the vet appointment came, we were creating scenarios in our head where the cat could still end up being ours even if it had a chip... maybe the owners wouldn't be able to be reached... maybe they wouldn't want to drive all the way to us to get their cat... maybe... just maybe...

He didn't have a chip.

Not only that, he was in perfect health... he was a "he," he didn't have anything they could test for, and the vet couldn't get over how affectionate he was.

We immediately went out and celebrated.

And welcomed Moon Sugar (a.k.a. Moony) into our lives.

The mews from the campsite have been completely replaced by purrs.

He seriously sounds like a white noise machine... but he's our white noise machine.

And we couldn't be happier to welcome him to the family.


-- The Adventure Continues

-Mouse

Hawk? Moon?