Tabasco Rescue Story
The Saga of the Tabasco Rescue
I had found a great new job over 1000 miles away and the movers were
scheduled to pack my house. I was going to put both cats in
boarding the day before the movers were due, but I couldn't find
Tabasco. He had escaped outside by tearing through the plastic
sheet that sheltered the back porch. I stayed as long as I
could after the movers had finished and would call him, but he never
came back & I had to leave for my new job.
Word was out to friends and family who came down to find him.
The town I had moved out of had a lot of people friendly to pets and
they kept an eye out for him. A lot of my friends had asked
about him. Lost Pets groups on Facebook got the word.
Not much to go on other than a black cat with a microchip.
There were a few leads but they didn't pan out. As more time
went on, it was harder to keep the faith.
A friend who was doing errands told me he had seen a black cat near
a store a few doors down from the house where Tabasco escaped
from. The cat wouldn't approach him, but he got a picture and
it looked like Tabasco. So I posted an alert on the Facebook
Lost Pets group.
Then I started hearing from neighbors next door to my old house who
had seen my post in the group. They had not only seen the
black cat, he was hanging around the neighborhood near the
house. They had heard that his owner was looking for him but
they didn't know how to reach him. So they were feeding
him. But the cat wouldn't let anyone get close to him.
That matched Tabasco's personality; he was always cautious around
strangers and he didn't like me to pick him up. He would come
to be held when he was in the mood.
That's when the ball started rolling and a lady who was experienced
in rescuing pets offered to bring traps. Tabasco has a microchip,
all they had to do was catch him and scan him for the chip. I
had his microchip number. After some communication with the
neighbor she was certain that the black cat was Tabasco. The
next morning the traps were set at the neighbor's place, and within
an hour they had him. I left instructions to take him to the
vet in town where they had his records and could scan him - his
microchip was found, and it was indeed Tabasco. The phone call
from the lady who captured him was the happiest moment of my life.
I knew he was going to be pretty scared boarded at the vet, so in
preparation for the move south so I mailed an unwashed towel for him
to the vet - he'll be more comfortable when he recognizes my scent.
Sure enough, he burrowed under that towel since he got it.
When I announced on Facebook that Tabasco had been found, there was
much joy over the happy ending. It was as if the prodigal son
was found.
So.. Why so long?
One of the neighbors first saw Tabasco come back to the house he
escaped from the day after I left town. So close!!! Then
another neighbor saw him. Then the new tenants at the house I
used to live saw him on the back porch where he had escaped
from. Tabasco stayed around the neighborhood and he was seen
every day. They had heard that his owner was looking for him
but no one knew how to contact me. Yes I could had been found
on Facebook, but due to malicious friend requests from dating
scammers I had changed my profile to accept friend requests only
from mutual friends, which unknown to me had shut out anyone back in
my old town trying to alert me of the black cat.
I did put word out more than once on the Lost Pets group on Facebook
for that area; my guess is the neighbors weren't on the group at the
time. When they saw the post about the sighting at the store,
the dots started connecting. It was a case of the right people
at the right time in the same room.
How did Tabasco survive?
I adopted Tabasco when he was three months old. He bonded to
me FAST. On day two, I climbed into bed at night and Tabasco
cried up at me. I lifted him up and he climbed under the
blanket, curled up at my chest, and went to sleep. When I woke
the next morning, Tabasco was still asleep at my side.
When Tabasco went missing and he came back to the house, he stayed
near there waiting for me to come get him. He knew the house
was the last contact with me; he did have a really sensitive nose
and I wondered if that sense of smell would guide him back. I
did attempt to lure him home by setting out some of his used litter,
but time ran out and I had to leave for my job.
When he was rescued, the capture party had reasoned that Tabasco had
waited for his owner to come get him. FOR ALMOST A YEAR.
That's how strong his bond with me was.
During that time, he got acquainted with the neighbors and
tenants. They knew he belonged to someone so they fed him and
gave him attention, although Tabasco wouldn't let them get close to
pet him or pick him up. The porch at the next door neighbor
was his regular hangout, and the staff (it was an office building)
gave him food and water. Tabasco would often wait at the door
for his meal. Everybody liked him.
The neighbor on the opposite side of the house did the same.
Tabasco hung out with the new tenants at my old house. He was
a regular visitor to their porch, but he wouldn't go in the
house. Although the house was familiar, the people inside
weren't. But Tabasco became friendly with them hanging out on their
porch, they really liked him. They not only fed him they also
left out a bed, blanket, and hut for him on the porch. That's
how he survived winter weather. My biggest worry was the heavy
traffic on the street close to the house; the tenants said that
Tabasco stayed on their side of the street and never crossed
it. Sometimes he would wander to the lumber yard a couple of
blocks away or to the store, where my friend had spotted him.
Divine Intervention
Many people were praying for Tabasco. I prayed to keep him
from harm, and to guide him back home. Besides the outdoor
weather and the street traffic, there was the danger of hawks and
other predators. That was my other biggest worry.
Although he showed the cunning of a hunter, Tabasco was not an
outdoor cat so he would not have known the danger of them. He
was a smart cat, so maybe he got smart enough to evade the
predators. The prayers were answered. The woman who
rescued him was sure the angels were watching over him.
During the period he was missing, I had dreams about Tabasco.
I NEVER dream about my cats; God was trying to tell me
something. When I had to put down another cat I owned before
Tabasco, my other cat Pepper mourned over the loss of her
buddy. When Tabasco went missing, Pepper never mourned.
That was telling me something. She must had sensed Tabasco was
still out there. I had those dreams about once a month, but in
those dreams Tabasco was out of my reach. The last dream I had
was two weeks before he was rescued, and in that dream Tabasco was
in my lap.
After the rescue I left instructions to have Tabasco boarded at his
vet where they would check his health and give him
vaccinations. I moved over 1000 miles away and it wasn't
possible to retrieve him in person, so I met the rescue woman
halfway to retrieve Tabasco then I transported him to his new home.
As the details rolled in since the rescue from everybody involved,
the story grew so amazing that I had tears of joy. This was a
rescue story for the books. God had a hand in this
rescue. I thanked Him and all the people involved. Many
people on the Lost Pets group were following the events and they
were so joyous over the happy ending. I had received many
offers to transport him to his new home; while I am grateful for the
generous offers, Tabasco is very xenophobic and I wanted someone he
was familiar with to transport him so he would be more comfortable
during the ride. He gets spooked in unfamiliar surroundings;
he's an escape artist and I didn't want to lose him again. The
rescue woman grew to like Tabasco, and she would visit him at the
vet a block away. Since Tabasco had grown comfortable with
her, it made sense for her to deliver him. And she was happy
to do that. On the day of the reunion, Tabasco remembered me
right away. Tabasco does not like to ride in a vehicle; during
the nine hour drive home, he never complained once. When he
wasn't purring and rubbing my hand (I kept him in his cage), he laid
down for a nap. He was very comfortable in my presence,
finally having been reunited with his master. I had already
planned vacation that week so it was convenient to make sure Tabasco
was comfortable in his new home. He immediately adapted to the
new surroundings, comforted that my scent was everywhere.
Today, Tabasco gets his dose of fresh air from the screened in porch
in back of the house.
When the neighbors and the tenants got the news that he was rescued,
they reached out to me to extend congratulations. They loved
the little guy and enjoyed his company; they will miss him but are
overjoyed that the cat will be reunited with his owner. When I
got him home, I had the vet examine him for any infections or
disorders - and after being loose outdoors for a year he has a clean
bill of health. Still weighed the same!
The rescue story has gotten around. The staff at the vet
brought up the story at a staff meeting. An Animal Rescue
group posted the story with a happy ending as an example why pet
owners should get their pets chipped. The people back home
were supportive and they network to reunite lost pets with their
owners. One woman I had been in contact with got word of the
sighting and was en route with her own traps to help with the
capture when they received word that Tabasco had been rescued.
The local radio station got wind of the story and they broadcast it on their
news hour.
My brother and SIL were so worried about Tabasco and had driven back
home to find him, and had talked to people who has reported his
sighting. They were so relieved when he was rescued.
When my nephew heard about the news, his reaction was "You're
kidding". He was sure that Tabasco had given up and had joined
a colony of feral cats.
Well, this is a good example of never giving up hope on a lost
pet. I never gave up hope on Tabasco, and Tabasco never gave
up hope on me. I had read of cats who walked long distance to
find their owners' new home, but a cat who waits at their old home
for their owners to come get them? For a year? Unheard
of.
My huge thanks to Lynda Barron of Barron Angel Rescue for capturing
Tabasco and getting his chip confirmed, to the tenants and the staff
at Martha Lloyd offices who saw him around my old house and took
care of him (and others if they are not on FB), to my friend whose
sighting of Tabasco triggered this rescue effort, to all my friends
who gave prayers and support - and to God for bringing together the
right people at the right time who made this happen.
By the time we were reunited, Tabasco had been missing for a
year. To this day I still get asked to tell the rescue story,
and it never fails to amaze.
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