Subject: Don't give up hope......... Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 11:21:39 -0500 From: "bryan blauvelt" <bblauvel@insight.rr.com> To: <help@petfbi.org> HI, About two weeks after moving to Columbus my worst fear came true. Our cat Bud got out, sometime during the night the front door got open. In the morning when we realized it we search the house for our cats. Pumpkin and Fee were still here but Bud was no where to be found. Immediately we search the neighborhood. Hours later and soaked to the bone from the rain still no Bud . Knowing it was still probably to soon for him to be at a shelter I called and filed a report. Being new to the area and all I was highly impressed with all the help they were able to give me. They told me about Pet FBI and also about Mary Jane Stockdale. Over the next several day we posted fliers, walked the neighborhood  and talked to as many people as we could. We also started our trips to the animal shelter on an every other day basis. The people at Capital humane society are the greatest. For two months, every other day, these folks saw me and never once did they ever dampen my hopes that one day I would walk in to find my Bud. Well after two months my hopes of finding Bud we slowly dieing. Until this past Sunday that is........... I had just woken up when my son came running down the stairs yelling and stuttering. Once I could settle him down enough to understand him he told me he was looking out his window and saw a cat that looked just like Bud. Instantly I went running out the door. Once I hit the lawn I realized I had no shoes on and had to go into a wooded area. Ran back to the house , grabbed the shoes and off we went. Running like we had never run before. My neighbors had to think I had really flipped my lid this time. For about 10 minutes we searched for the cat he saw which had now entered the woods and could not be seen when my daughter and son finally spotted it again. It was headed into the neighbor hood again. Again we were in pursuit of the kitty. Again in full sprint we came upon a barbwire fence. Standing at the fence we all looked at one another with this blank look as to how to get over it. Out of the blue I looked at my 10 yr old son , took a quick look at the fence and then thought I was a super hero and picked up my son and as he says pole vaulted him over the fence so he could get the cat. Now me and my daughter just had to get over the fence and there was no way my super powers were going to be able to toss a 14 yr old over a fence. So now my daughter gets a brain storm and decides to climb a near by tree and then jump down So here's mom standing alone on the other side of the fence . I look at the tree and figure hey I did it as a kid I can do it at 34 why not up the tree I went of course my jump landing wasn't the greatest but it got me to the other side. again we are in pursuit of the cat . finally we have it in a set of bushes. Now comes the truth have we been chasing someone else cat who was just out for a nice stroll or would it be the cat that we have missed so much for the last two plus months. I climb into the bushes and reach down, grabbed hold and pulled it out like I was a david copperfield pulling a bunny from a hat. The moment had arrived....................with sparkles in our eyes and huge smiles on our faces. It was BUD. He looked at us and let out a huge cry as to say Hey where have you been for two months like it was us who threw him out of the house that night. So anyways I wrapped him up in the bottom of my shirt and we started on our way home. This time we took the long and paved route. No more tree climbing for me. Once home we checked him over, he was really skinny but otherwise doing well. Now a couple of days later he has settled back in with his other pals and is resting. He has been sitting on my lap almost every moment he can and when the door opens he just looks as if to say What are you kidding me I'm not going anywhere near that thing. In ending I want to thank everyone who over the months helped me search and to those who posted ads which could of lead to me bringing Bud home. I want to thank the creator of PET FBI this is a wonderful service and a thank you to Capital Humane shelter your a bunch of great people and please don't take this the wrong way but I hope that I don't ever have to visit you again at least under the circumstances of the last couple of months. Thank you all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy Holidays from The Blauvelts and many meows from Bud