The Light in the Darkness

There is an email from Salt Spring SPCA.

I'm told that a lady thinks PUSS is in her yard. The lady has now set up a live trap to get the cat.

Once she gets it, she'll take it to SPCA where the staff can check if there's an ear tattoo. Since PUSS has got a microchip, they can bring it to the vet for further confirmation.

Though everything is unconfirmed, I'm glad that there is a streak of light in the darkness...

(DD had also got several phone calls, though the cat spotted doesn't seem to be PUSS. The islanders, the only people whom we can count on, are really wonderful.)

Thinking of the Homeless

I stared at the thermometer. Finally, at around 9am this morning, the temperature climbed from below freezing point to the still chilly 1°c.

It is at this time of the year we couldn't help thinking of the homeless. People who used to have their cozy and loving homes, for some reasons, are now shivering in the cold without a proper shelter.

And there are these homeless stray pets, for reasons they can't understand, drifted farther and farther from the warmth and affection that they could remember.

Every day is a colder day.

We know how we can help the homeless people, but how can we help the homeless pets?

Five-Day Forecast

October 25 (Wed)

Partly cloudy skies, 4°c - 11°c.
161st day of Puss' disappearance.
Not a single phone call or email received.


October 26 (Thu)

Rain, 6°c - 12°c.
162nd day of Puss' disappearance.
No sighting tips.




October 27 (Fri)

Cloudy with showers, 7°c - 14°c.
163rd day of Puss' disappearance.
Puss is still on the loose.


October 28 (Sat)

Cloudy with drizzle, 7°c - 14°c.
164th day of Puss' disappearance.
No information on Puss' whereabouts.

October 29 (Sun)

Cloudy skies, 4°c - 12°c.
165th day of Puss' disappearance.
Slim chance of finding Puss.

Too Many "NO" - Canada Post

Monday afternoon, September 18, DD's mom knocked at our door.

"Some breakthrough?" I thought.

It wasn't.

She said the friend who helped them looking for Puss and whose number we put in our last flyer in June, received a call from Canada Post.

The staff of Canada Post says postering on the mailboxes is illegal.

The friend was also unhappy about his number being put on the flyer again without his prior approval.

The fact is, the new flyers didn't have his number.

???

In order not to disappoint the friend or cause him any trouble, we went to tear off all the flyers we put up in the morning and Sunday afternoon.

Now this helpful friend is leaving BC, there will no longer be someone on the island to respond immediately to the sighting tips.

On the new flyers is a (604) prefixed number, which means the people intending to relay any tips to us have to pay for long distance calls.

There is an email address on the flyer, which means the people need to have access to a PC.

The chance of finding Puss, are getting slimmer and slimmer.

Only if the person behind Canada Post could have noticed this and spared us the chance.

Friday 13!

It's said to be the scariest day of the month, if not the whole year.

Friday

13th

2+0+0+6+1+0+1+3 = 13

So when the clock strikes 13:00 hours or when the temperature hits 13°C, will these become the scariest moments?

Unlike others, the very first thing I want to see this morning is the BLACK CAT I love. (PUSS IS HIS NAME)

And I'd love to see him the whole day, every Friday 13, every 13th day of the month, every day and every year.

Finally, he's there!

God knows how happy I was to learn that DD finally went to the island to look for PUSS himself in the past Thanksgiving weekend. It's over 4-1/2 months from the day PUSS disappeared, it's late, but never too late.

He came back without PUSS on Monday, but at least I know he cares, he still wants PUSS back.

Now I have a reason to continue with what I've been doing. Hang in there PUSS, we'll soon come again and look for you!

A Time for Reunion - Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival

Putting aside the many legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival, today, the 15th day of the eighth lunar month of the lunar calendar, is a day when the families feast under the full moon, celebrating the abundance of the fall harvest, and the joy of being together. Kind of a Chinese version of the Thanksgiving Day.

Under the radiant moon, may I say a little prayer, that all stray pets will reunite with their owners the soonest?

"WHEN THE MOON IS AT ITS BRIGHTEST, WE SHALL BE TOGETHER"

Too Many "NO" - The Humane Trap

NO NO NO NO No No No NO no no no no no no NO No no no No NO No Noooooooooo

Since the reported sightings had been of dispersed locations, we were advised to put the live trap in the place of Puss' disappearance, meaning at least a chance for Puss and us.

The day before our arrival on the island we had spoken to DD's parents about the live trap, so the second thing we did when we got there was to meet them, bringing with us the trap. (DD is Puss' owner)

What welcomed us was bad news.

The neighbour living next door to DD's parents, whom they depend a lot on taking care of their property in their absence, strongly objected to placing the live trap. Reason: He has a cat himself and is pretty much against the possibility of trapping his cat instead of Puss. Then there were other doubts of catching a raccoon or other animals (we were taught how to deal with these situations), plus the consideration of other cats living around.

Without the approval of the neighbour(s), we just couldn't put the trap there.

Though, looking around at the vast green, the deep woods and the waters, we inclined to believe that Puss isn't around, but must have travelled someplace afar.

Puss, where are you? Can you hear us?