Sleeping Beauty

Lizzie had a big adventure today.  I let her out to graze in her very own little patch of grass after which she usually plops herself just outside the front door and waits for an unsuspecting critter to wander by (See Nov. 4 blip).   

Today, however, there was a maintenance guy outside doing something and I didn't see him.  I left Lizzie to her adventure and went back inside.  As soon as I saw the MG outside the window I went to check on her and she was gone.  MG asked what I was looking for and when I told him I was looking for my cat he described her and pointed in a direction I was pretty sure Lizzie wouldn't go.  Lizzie was nowhere in sight: not back in the apartment, not up the stairs, nowhere.  She always runs inside if something scares her, but not this time.  No Lizzie anywhere, and I walked around the entire apartment building.  

Buddy, The Handsome Neighbor, showed up but he was no help in locating Lizzie.  By this time I'm trying not to imagine life without her.  The MG was nowhere to be seen so I couldn't verify which direction Lizzie had gone.  I was starting to panic.  If MG really scared her maybe she ran off.  I called her name, I rattled her food dish, I did everything I could think of.  No Lizzie.  

After the second turn around the building, I went inside and there she sat, looking all casual and unconcerned.  Just as I was about to ask her where in the *&^%# she'd been we both realized The Handsome Neighbor was in my bedroom Lizzie was between him and the door, now puffed up to about twice her size which made her look like some sort of Serengeti-based predator.  With a gentle nudge to her butt, I got her to both move out of the way and not attack me.  The Handsome Neighbor ran like hell for the door.  Lizzie said something unpleasant and gave chase for a few feet, then decided she'd shown him who was who and sat down.    

Directions obviously are not MG's strong suit because Lizzie didn't run up the hill toward the parking lot, she went in the exact opposite direction and back into the apartment.  Not the easiest error to make, but he made it.