Goodbye Mona

Before I left NYC on Monday, I had plans for writing about the wonderful time I experienced. I still hope to do this, but today I'm sad and need to write about something different.

Because my apartment is on the top floor, I worried that my cat could be uncomfortably hot while I was away for nearly four days (the air conditioner is still in storage). She's also never been alone for an extended period of time, so I asked my parents to take care of her for the weekend. My parents have two cats as well, and I knew my mother would be at the house all weekend, so I thought it was a good idea to leave Mona, my cat, with them.

Everyday I was away I called my mom to ask how Mona was doing. Initially the cat didn't want to come out of the bathroom where we put the pet carrier and her litterbox, but after a day or two, she started following my mother around the house as she went about her daily chores and rituals.

On Monday, during my 3+ hour trip back from New York, I called again to see how she was doing, and to let them know I'd be back to pick her up in just a couple of hours. My mother, upset, couldn't talk to me, so my father took the phone. "Your mother is devistated about this," he told me, "Mona got out through an open window."

Because of the heat, my mom had opened a window in her bedroom, assuming there was a screen there as well, but as absent minded as she is these days, she didn't think to check. They don't know when my cat escaped, but they haven't seen her in almost 48 hours now. I love my mother dearly, and though I'm sad and angry about Mona being able to run away, I know it was just an accident.

Last night and this morning was especially rough for me. Over the past year, I have grown accustomed to the trouble she caused. She was an explorer and liked to get into boxes and closets she should have left alone. She was forever knocking over items and attacking my shoes. But she always gave me kisses in the morning, liked to play fetch and enjoyed drinking the running water in the bathroom sink while I was in the bathroom every morning. She played rough, I still have the scars to prove this, but she was a sweet companion.

She came into my life forcefully, when my ex-girlfriend brought her home from work one day. I told the ex that I would not be responsible for the cat, but after we broke up, she didn't want the cat any longer either. I took her because I grew attached to her little grey face, but I knew she would be trouble for as long as I had her. I never imagined she would be gone so quickly.

I miss you, Mona. I hope you're safe wherever you are.