Micio: FOUND!

So, wacky cat lady told us that she saw Micio again. About four houses down, issuing forth lamenting meows at about 830AM. The next morning, Sunday, Sergio got up at 530AM to wait for Micio at said location.

At around 730, he woke me with a cell call. He heard her meow and collar bell jingle. She had responded to his voice but went quiet. Maybe she would respond to me. Rubbing sleep from my eyes, I rushed out there with a bag of treats. Turned out he had a newer bag with him already. For about an hour, I sat with Sergio on the stoop of the house in front of which the wacky cat lady said she saw Micio. I meowed, I called, we watched the neighborhood wake up. Pretty birdsong twittered and grew with the morning light-but no Micio.

We left a smattering of treats in front of the garage door that was open just a crack. Sergio thought she was in the garage. Went home, I crashed on the couch. Sergio checked on the treats about 20 mins later and they were gone! So he put out some more and waited down by our house to watch. He saw Micio! She had tentatively crept out to the treats. He called her and ran to her and she took off.

He came back for me. Our neightbor, Jen, said her brother lived in the house tha Micio had gone behind. She would call him to see if we could go on the property.

I went down to Sergio and called out to Micio. She responded! Then I saw her! Dirty and skinny and definitely our Micio. I walked toward her and she ran off behind the house. By this time, I didn't care that I was trespassing--I scurried up the walk and into the house's backyard. I kept meowing to her and she kept responding. She was in the basement. The closer I got, the further in she crawled, out of reach. So I stopped. I had an open can of wet food and sat down on the ground. I mixed up the food to release some of its delicious vapors...and she crept out licking her lips. I tried to grab her, missed, and she scurried back in the basement crawl space.

Sergio left to get some gloves so he could grab her without fear of claws. While he was gone, I left the food in front of the hole where she was hiding and sat down to the side. I kept meowing at her and she kept responding. She crept out and ignored the food. She came to me and just wanted to be pet. I grabbed her and she didn't struggle at all. She was hungry and tired but ok.

BIG SIGH.

We gave her a bath and she still didn't struggle. Just complained with hoarse little mews.