Nona kept calling for her and leaving the door open. Nothing.
Mary P came to house sit, worried that her dogs were keeping Indy away, so left for a day. Nothing.
It had been pouring rain, so they hoped that when the rain stopped she would come back. Nothing.
We came back from vacation and still no Indy.
I emailed the neighborhood email groups and networks, put up signs, checked the animal shelter, but had little hope.
The signs sort of worked: I got several calls about potential Indy sightings. The problem is that she is remarkably generic looking. Every description fit: grayish tabby. Seen nearby. One woman even delivered a cat to me that looked so much like Indy I couldn't tell at first. But then I put her down and she meowed (Indy only squeaks) and walked around and it clearly wasn't her. In a weird plot twist, I had a hunch that I knew who this cat belonged to: a family a few blocks north with a daughter in Molly's class. I had met their cat before and remembered how much she looked like Indy. It turned out I was right, so I returned their cat, who, it turns out, wasn't actually missing, but had been innocently hanging out in front of their house.
A neighbor a few blocks south called a few times with potential sightings. Last night he called with a description that was so close I actually went to their place to see if it was Indy. It wasn't.
Then, late last night, I was sitting in a chair in the living room chatting with Mary P (staying overnight on her way to visit family in DC). I heard a faint "mew" - and the dogs did, too! Mary said it was just her folding down the murphy bed and the dogs were just excited because she had said "cat". But she tried to replicate the sound - nothing. She looked out the front door - and there was a cat. Was it Lulu? I went to open the door, saw Indy's distinctive "Hanukkah" collar, and knew it was her. And it was!
She is very thin, was very hungry and thirsty, but otherwise seems fine. She doesn't seem upset at all, she's clean, and alert. And just as ready to cuddle as before.
Crazy. 18 days she was gone. Locked in someone's basement? Stuck in a crawlspace? Who knows! But we're happy to have her back. (although, I must say, Lulu seems a little perturbed: I think she liked being an only cat).
