Baxter

Our cat is missing...

Baxter started having seizures 2 weeks ago. He saw the vet, and we started giving him Phenobarbital, and he hasn't had another one since. He was given antibiotics to treat the parasitic-induced infection that may have caused the seizures. It's been a chore, and like something from the Three Stooges, watching Tom & me try to administer-said meds, but Tom managed to develop a method that did the trick. Wham, Bam -- and down the hatch!

I'd decided that while he was ill w/seizures -- i'd keep him indoors, possibly turn him into an inside-only cat. He's been an indoor/outdoor cat (complete with two cat-doors, for his convenience) since we took him in 5 years ago...So, he's been allowed the luxury of wandering about as he pleases.

The 10 days he was inside made both of us stir-crazy. Once he'd started feeling better, and was yearning for the sanctity of soft grass and trees with bark to sharpen his claw on; he displayed his restlessness and impatience by walking on every available surface in the house--mindless of the lamps, pictures, accessories that crashed to the floor. I feared for my lovely home, and since he was seizure free--granted him outdoor privileges. He almost always stayed on our driveway or back-deck anyway -- so i thought; where's the harm...?

Only now it's been almost 24 hours since we've seen him. For some reason; I don't suspect he's having more seizures, making him vulnerable to outside forces because of them (ie; other animals, cars, etc). I have other fears...

My REAL fear is that he was taken. Although we live in what's considered one of the nicer neighborhoods of our town; we have a house-full of unsavories living across the street. The house has been a constant source of resentment and anger for my husband, myself and our other neighbors. Vagrants, drug-addicts, & alcoholics now call this house "home" --shacking up with the elderly fella (also a drug-addict) that owns it. For 5 years we've watched every version of criminals, gangsters, and addicts meander in and out of that house. They don't seem to understand that they're in the wrong neighborhood. This is NOT the Barrio!! And it's mostly because of them that i fear the worse. I don't know why i feel they're involved somehow; but he didn't have his collar on yesterday (have to take it off to control him when medicating him), and strange people file in and out of that house, day and night, so someone could've easily snatched him, claiming they thought he was a stray. Baxter is the most personable cat i've ever seen...he was leery of no-one, and every human (and most dogs!) were his friend. It would be easy, i suppose, for an unsavory person to take our cat. And because of a recent case involving animal cruelty and dismemberment i read online; i have horrible, grotesque ideas drumming around in my head...

My gut instinct tells me there's something terribly wrong...Please, God; let me be wrong.
Baxter, please come home!