It took all of three seconds to fall in love with him. That tiny v-shaped face and green eyes, his stumbling kitten tip toe walk, made us all know that he was the one for us. Since his litter siblings were named Angus and Cletus, we decided that Seamus McGee was the right name for him.
He went through all the usual kitten escapades including wandering away from home many times. Neighbors always called after reading his ID tags, and he was carried home. “Is this your cat See-mus MaGee? one well-meaning neighbor, asked.
When he was full grown, he was content to roam our street in East Williston, gracing nearby homes with his presence. In the autumn, his ginger coat blended perfectly with the foliage on the ground.
Once he went missing for four days. We all were frantic and tried to find him. Our neighbors across the street had gone on vacation, but their cleaning service had a key to their home. Seamus must have slipped in while the service was there, and was then locked in when they left, not having spotted him. On the fifth day, when our neighbors returned, they rang our doorbell with our cat in their arms. He was fine, but droopy. He had managed to survive by knocking over a vase, and drinking the water.
When we went to Florida, we left Seamus in the care of other neighbors, bona fide cat lovers. As time went by, Seamus grew very fond of this couple, and began spending more and more time at their home.
Did you ever hear of a “cat divorce?” Well, that’s what it seemed like to us. One day, Seamus just up and left our home to establish permanent residence with this couple. We were in a quandary. How should we approach this couple? At first, it was amusing. We offered to pay for food, and these folks declined. All of us assumed Seamus would come home to us. But he never did – on a permanent basis. He would come for a visit, a snack, and then scurry across the street once more.
This has gone on for several years. A few days ago, we got word that Seamus was missing. As of this writing, he has not returned to either of his homes. We hope he is safe and well, but we are realistic, and realize he is over 15 years of age. We are praying for his safe return to our street. If you have any information, please contact SJBIOD@aol.com. Thanks.
S.J. Berman
