My youngest cat, Cookie, has been missing for almost a week now. She has always been a free spirit, with a personality than cannot be contained, and therefore has been an indoor/outdoor kitty since we moved into our house almost 3 years ago. Her normal schedule (which I have come to realize has been a huge part of my day) is to play and hunt outside (but always close to the house), run in the garage several times a day to eat and check on her territory, come inside the house several times a day to check everything out and cuddle with us, play with Pico, and snuggle up for the night. Once in a while, she would be gone all night, but she always comes home looking a little cracked out and then sleeps all day to recover from her escapades.

Over the past week, Otman and I have been missing her terribly, and we keep opening the front and back door, shaking the food bag and calling her name. Pico, my other cat, misses her a lot, too – he refuses to stay inside, and has taken to spending all day, every day sitting on the front porch like he’s waiting for her to come home. She’s been like his little crazy sister these past few years. They have slept together, curled up in the same bed, and play with each other. I’m imagining the worst and hoping for the best. I’ve contacted every animal association in Columbia, Richland and Lexington Counties, and there’s no sign of her.  I had my homeowner’s association email everyone in the neighborhood with a picture of her, but no one has responded.

I am hoping beyond hope that she’s being her wild, crazy self and got carried away, and that I’ll see her at the back door meowing for food any day now, but every time I open that door, she’s not there, and it’s so disappointing. I’ve been reminiscing the past week over all the ways she is special and unique, and even if she doesn’t show up again, at least I’ll have these memories written down for the future.

Otman rescued her from the airport as a tiny kitten during the summer of 2007. She was so hungry and little, and all Otman had with him was a few cookies that he broke up and gave to her: hence the name, Cookie. She was the craziest kitten, jumping around and playing, even more so it seemed than most kittens. But when it came time to cuddle, she LOVED to be cuddled up in a blanket and held. Cookie always loved to burrow in a hole and crawl underneath the blankets when we were sleeping in bed. We would be woken up sometimes by her deciding that our toes were toys, and biting them playfully!

And here begins a long list of what makes Cookie awesome. Please pray that she comes home safe one day.

– She LOVES playing with our Rottweiller mix Dexter. She will rub up against him, intertwining herself between his legs, meowing. If that doesn’t get his attention, then she will literally fall on the ground right in front of him with her legs in the air until he rubs her with his nose or starts to chase her. Then she’s happy.

– She is happiest when she’s outdoors, but must have the power to come inside when she wants. She will beg and scream to come inside, only to patrol the grounds once, then beg and scream to be let out again. Even when we had her in the apartment, she spent most of her time on the balcony.

– She enjoys leaving lizards on our doorstep. Once we found 17 lizards on our doorstep left as little presents from Cookie.

– When we rescued her, she already had a chip taken out of one of her ears. Always a tough little Cookie, from the beginning.

– If you hold her and try to bring your face near her face, she will let out a little whiny meow that sounds like a human, and even put her paw against your cheek and push your face away!

– The minute we pull our car into the garage and turn off the engine, she jumps on the hood and puts her paws on the windshield, meowing at you to give her attention (or food).

– When we walk Dexter around our neighborhood, Cookie follows us the whole way. She literally walks with us around the block. Drives the dog crazy.

– She sleeps in our cars if we leave the windows open in the driveway.

There are so many other things, but the best way to describe her personality is unique, loving, silly, and mischievous and happy. We miss her.

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