Twitter And The Missing Cat

This post is dedicated to those who use Twitter to listen rather than just make noise, to the few who genuinely care enough to take some time out and help others who ask for it and make the lives of those around them that little bit better. Thank you, thank you.

Our cat Yasmin went missing last week. Cats do that sort of thing; they demand food and respect and have the run the home on their terms. If they decide to go on a roaming adventure then so be it, that’s what they do.  Yasmin was a rescue cat, found on the street in a terrible state as a kitten; she needed a lot of care and attention at first. She was a timely gift for our daughter Maggie on her 8th birthday and much loved.

At first we were not too concerned that Yasmin was not in the kitchen demanding her breakfast on Wednesday, we just assumed she was off having another one of her adventures. Though not a year old she was a tough cat that had ensured all other cats in the neighbourhood respected her territory, though often spotted venturing over the fence investigating the domain of others. She loved climbing trees, especially when we were watching (such a show-off) and was always waiting on the drive for our kids to arrive home from school so she could stretch out and get lots of attention.

After an absence of two days we were touched by a handwritten note from Maggie saying “I miss my cat but don’t know what to do, I need your help”, it was a timely call to action. We checked the usual websites and uploaded her details. It was then I said to Maggie that we would try Twitter. I didn’t think this was going to find our missing friend but what did happen was quite amazing.

The great thing about Twitter is its immediacy, as soon as I had posted a picture to TwitPic and done a couple of Tweets we started to get all sorts of valuable advice and encouragement. People gave suggestions of useful websites and tips on getting attention in the neighbourhood. People gave their own stories of how their cats went missing and turned up days and weeks later.

The greatest effect here, apart from some good advice, was hope. Maggie went from being so very sad to extremely excited that so many people genuinely cared about her issue and were taking the time to talk to us about it. So a big thanks for that to Vicky @vickytnz Tara @tarasutherland, Rebecca @becs355, Sandra @sandrareidnz, Kirsten @kistenmcrae, Simon @simcmanus  for the advise and to the others who passed on their wishes.

I’m sorry to say that this tale doesn’t have a happy ending. We, as recommended, posted posters and did a regional mail drop. Within minutes of doing so started receiving phone calls, one of which directed us to a place a block away saying a cat of that description had been hit by a car. Sadly it was our cat, it had been quick at least and the lovely person there had taken as much care of Yasmin as possible.
Unsurprisingly Maggie has taken this hard, its one of those cruel life lessons we have to accept with the loss of something we love. If you have taken the time to read this I’m sorry if it seemed pointless and self indulgent but I genuinely wanted to thank those that helped. You did made a difference and it was very much appreciated.