It was a traumatic time for Robyn and I went our beautiful black cat Felix went missing.
According to the US publication, Psychology Today, cats brains have "an amazing surface, folding and a structure that is 90 percent similar" to that of humans. "In fact, cats have more nerve cells in the visual areas of their brain, a part of the cerebral cortex, than humans and most other mammals."
Scientists have discovered that cats are impatient, have strong cognitive decision-making and will leave if they are bored.
Why am I writing about cats?
As many members would know, my wife Robyn & I recently moved home from Barton Drive to Dalsten Grove, a distance of approximately 2 km by road and 1.2 km "as the crow flies".
Our two beautiful cats Felix and Tinkerbelle moved with us, although they were "in gaol" at a cattery for eight weeks while we waited to move into our new house.
For the first two weeks in the new home we kept them indoors; to give them an opportunity to settle in and discover the new place while we "cat proofed" our backyard.
Three weeks ago we let them outside on a limited basis and they slowly came to understand their new environment.
Two weeks ago Robyn let Felix go outside and within seconds he was up over the wall and gone. So much for the cat proofing!
We assumed (and hoped) that he would quickly return. Not so!
The next five days were a distressing nightmare as we looked everywhere, contacted neighbours, telephoned the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston Council animal shelters, approached local vets, distributed a flyer headed FELIX IS MISSING and walked the streets calling him.
On day two we also contacted the new owners of our former home in Barton Drive. They promised to keep a lookout for him.
As the week progressed we became more distressed at the thought of Felix wandering alone, lost and frightened or worse!
Tinkerbelle was clearly distraught and spent most of the time wandering the house and meowing.
The most amazing thing about this time of despair was the great support and help from neighbours, friends, the Council and local vets, all of whom demonstrated concern, a wonderful willingness to help and provide advice.
After spending late Saturday afternoon on a fruitless search we came home when, at 5.55 pm, I received a text message from the new owners of Barton Drive. They were out however their children were at home and a "black cat had just come into the house".
We quickly drove around and there was Felix meowing and looking uncertain.
When back at Dalsten Grove he was reunited with Tinkerbelle and the two of them rubbed noses and sat interlocked together for a long period of time.
He didn't looked to have lost any weight and his coat was black and shiny. However he was hungry and did eat twice the amount of dinner than normal.
Thanks to a local cat enclosure provider named Charlie, the outdoor patio at the side of our home now has a complete net which will definitely be cat proof.
We are both relieved and delighted to have Felix back and we have often wondered as to where he was during his five day adventure and how he found his way to Barton Drive.
How smart are cats? You be the judge.