Darling Stinker - ShiShi the Magnificent

Stinkpot ShiShi

 The last few weeks have been one long adventure with Miss ShiShi - some of it good, and some of it completely nerve-wracking.  Over a handful of days, she escaped unsupervised from our house multiple times, until we finally figured the (numerous!) ways that she was making her escapes.  If we lived somewhere safer for cats, I might not have been so worried, but we live on a suburban street where cars routinely drive 50 mph, and the neighborhood has more than it's fair share of coyotes, osprey, eagles and snakes - way too many dangers for an unwary kitty.
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On the bright side, all of the outdoor leash training that I've done with ShiShi both around our house (and more recently around our neighborhood) really served us well during all of this chaos.  Each time that she managed another grand escape, I was able to walk right up to her outside (after a frantic search!) and she would meow a welcoming hello before letting me carry her back indoors.  By the end of that week, I was becoming understandably paranoid, using her Loc8tor collar tag to find her around the house every few hours and any time that the front door was opened (often - we are a large family).   It was a very, very long week, and my kitty-watching nerves were completely shot by the end of it.

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After MUCH investigating, it turned out that my darling ShiShi had  utilized a number of different escape routes into the Great Outdoors over the week's time.  She managed to sneak out invisibly at least once through the front door, despite our many precautions (which include a cat gate placed directly in front of the door, meant to prevent those particular escapes).  But that wasn't nearly the end of it - the real problem, as it turned out, was the three separate (and camouflaged) holes that she ripped in the screens on our lanai (patio).   And, should you wonder, those ripped screens were a whole new never-before-seen problem after the past several years of letting her spend unsupervised hours/per day exploring and lazing around on the lanai.

What in the world happened to bring all of this on?  It's hard to really get into the mind of a cat and know for sure, but I have a strong working theory that seems to be panning out so far in terms of no further escapes.  Over the past many months, ShiShi and I have been spending more and more time exploring the outdoors together - in our yard, our neighborhood, and even local parks.  I try to get outside with her one way or another at least every other day if at all possible.  She's always had a tendency to  meow for company to come out and spend time with her on the lanai, and often Haku or else some human from the family caves in and hangs with her out there.  (Spoiled much??)  But this last month has been extremely busy, and she was being left by herself on her 'catio' more than normal.   I am thinking now that her growing love of companionship caused her to be distressed on her own, and she started a brand new and rather frightening habit of clawing through the screens when she was left on her own...  

But, all's well that ends well, right?  For now, we seem to have fixed the problem with new measures for cat safety and happiness in place (no new escapes in the last week or so).  ShiShi is back to her normal wild but affectionate self, and I'm starting to breathe more easily again.  Just a little, until something new comes along...

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Lessons From ShiShi

1.  I know that I've said it before, but this has been yet another lesson for me in the New Cat Habits Gone Astray category.  After three years of no problems with ShiShi alone on the lanai, BAM!  It completely took me by surprise.  I used to check the lanai screens after storms just to be sure that all was well, but now it is my new daily habit.

2.  Can't say it enough - I am so very grateful for the Loc8tor radio tags that ShiShi and Haku always wear.  Without them, I think I would have gone insane.  As it was, they helped me to find ShiShi quickly several times once I realized that she was missing.

3.  For now, any time that ShiShi is outside on the screened lanai, the sliding doors are always left cracked open for her to come and go at will.  This seems enough to keep her confident, although I'm finding that she's coming inside and checking in with me far more often than she ever used to.

4.  Once the truly hot summer weather hits, I'll be installing a Pet Safe Pet Door Sliding Door Insert to make sure that we don't run into these kinds of cat (and human!) anxiety issues again.  The lanai has always been ShiShi's happy spot - I want her to have access, but also to make sure that we keep the 'happy' part of that equation!

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