My name is Denise and I am a devoted animal lover. I have three cats, and all three are declawed because I had a son last year. Two of the cats are content to be indoors; the other one insists on going out in back and climbing a tree -- she will do it anytime, day or night, but do it SHE MUST. The funny thing is, this is the most delicate, "foo-foo" looking cat of all three of them -- she's a long-haired dilute calico, and she's just gorgeous. Her name is Tori, and she has a mind all her own.

One day in March we had unseasonably warm, springlike conditions and the squirrels were out in droves. Tori loves to watch them, and she wags her tail and stalks them -- she is only a little bigger than the squirrels themselves, and her tail is hardly distinguishable from one! Her usual two-hour watch turned into the evening, then midnight and still no Tori. I went out in the car expecting to find her on the roadside, which would make me hysterical. In tears I drove in the dark looking for her. The next morning I ran to the door expecting to see her and still no Tori. I went to Kinkos and made enlarged color copies of her picture and nailed them to signs on light poles in Kansas City. I thought I'd get a call by nightfall, but no one called. After eight days, and even more posters, I found a "pet detective" online. I contacted her and she gave me several tips. She stated that more than likely, my Tori was within five houses of where I lived. She said for me to go to the store and buy some sardines, put them out and Tori will come home. She also suggested that I go door to door and pass out fliers, something I hadn't done yet. As soon as I got off work at the hospital I went to the store. Then I went home and guess who was standing in the door, my Tori. I cried. After eight days of sadness and grief, I finally had tears of joy.

Here is how Tori was found. A lady three doors down heard a meow in her garage and found Tori. Tori had been in her garage for eight days, and she was only three doors away. It was just as the pet detective Lisa had predicted, Tori was within five houses. I have no doubt that if the neighbor wouldn't have discovered Tori, I would have found her on my door-to-door search the next day. The lady told me one day she found a potted flower knocked over in her garage that had been sitting in the window. She says it must have been Tori trying to get out. Then one day she found poop in the garage, but she wrote it off as her own cat's; still she thought it was unusual because her cat uses the litter box.

Well, I haven't taken Tori out of my sight since she's been back home, and I won't either. I am so happy we are reunited and that my nightmare is over. I hope this story helps you. I would love to see my Tori on TV if you want to feature her. She is very photogenic.

Sincerely,
Denise Nagy