This stupid cat

disappeared a few days ago.  It took me a couple of days to realise that I hadn't seen her for a while as we have five cats and she is quite erratic in her behaviour, spending days in our company then disdaining it on a whim.  We looked in the shed and the greenhouse and up the loft and in the room belonging to the one at university who would have known straight away because he checks each of the cats every day when he is here.  I got more and more worried to the extent that yesterday I rang the police and the local council, both of whom were very kind and took a description in order to let us know if they heard anything.  This afternoon after HE group I was just about to spend a few hours ringing vets and rescue centres and making laminated posters for local lamp posts when I passed the cupboard under the stairs and something twigged.  I opened it and there she was.

How she had been in there for about three days and not made a sound I do not know, but she has done something similar before when locked up the loft.  Strange as she can make a quite alarming noise when you annoy her by stroking her for one second too long.  She is very beautiful but I fear that comes at a cost.  At least two lives used up by not bothering to yell for us when trapped.  I am so glad to have her back though, I was feeling so very sad at the thought that she might be gone.