Adventure of the Escape Artist

He finally did it. He escaped. And he did it well.

We have this sign posted on our door to warn visitors of the possibility. And on occasion, he does get out. Sometimes we have to chase him down the sidewalk before we catch him. Sometimes he is so quick he is out of sight by the time we have shoes on in order to go get him. But never has he been out so long that he is purposefully trying to get back in.

Tonight, we were coming home from the lake after a weekend away. In the chaos of many trips in and out of the house carting all our stuff that we can't possibly live without for two days, Joey slipped out the door. And we didn't notice. For three hours. Until we had our pajamas on and were ready for bed.

When we got outside, we noticed that the veranda was covered with little paw prints.
Obviously, he was trying to get back inside the house because he realized that, in fact, the grass is not greener on the other side of the door, especially in February.

We spent a solid 20 minutes looking for him, trying to track cat prints in the snow. Eventually I discovered him sitting under the neighbors' carport, where there was no snow on the ground. When I picked him up, his little cat body was shivering, poor thing. I guess he has been storing up all that extra fat for an occasion such as this. And we always thought he was just getting fat for no reason. Clearly, he has been planning ahead.

Anyway, now he is back where he belongs. Inside the house. Curled up on the couch. Nice and cozy.