Saturday September 11, 2010 – 11:55 a.m. – It’s confirmed! Mugsy is in the marsh and here’s the physical proof:
So here’s how it all went down. Yesterday (Friday) at 10:00 a.m., I met with Vicki Mayfield, daughter-in-law of Ross and Etta Mayfield, a local firefighter Clint (whose been heavily involved in the Mugsy search) and volunteers from WASART (Thank you WASART! Missing Pet Partnership couldn’t have done this operation without your help!).We had a map of the marsh/canyon area that was numbered with the six different cameras. Three WASART volunteers were assigned numbered bags that corresponded with the numbered cameras placed in the marsh. We needed to clearly identify the cameras after they were pulled (I discovered on a previous case that six wildlife cameras heaped in a pile all look alike). If we caught Mugsy on camera, it was critical to confirm that location.
So while WASART was down pulling the cameras, Jerry Johnson, whose daughter Megan lost her Boxer “Roxie” one exit away (off Snoqualmie Pass), showed up for assistance. On Wednesday Roxie had bolted in fear up a trail towards Lake Lillian. Although our search dog handlers were not available to respond (to track Roxie), I did what I could by providing posters, tagging my car, and giving Jerry some Neomarkers so he could tag the cars of all the volunteers they’ve assembled to look for Roxie. (BTW, the empty sheet protector on the neon poster was filled with an 8 1/2 X photo of Roxie once Jerry arrived). The neon campaign worked! This morning (Saturday) Megan called to say that Roxie was spotted yesterday afternoon (by a hunter) up on an isolated trail. He called her (big mistake) and she ran. So I gave Megan instructions on how (and why) NOT TO CALL a panicked, stray dog – plus a dose of encouragement that SHE WILL get Roxie back home!
Back to Mugsy. Each feeding station had a 5 pound sack of dry food plus three cans of wet cat food. WASART reported (over the radio) that 4 of the 6 stations were still filled with food but station #5 had half of the food missing and station #2 had no food left. I was on cloud nine! I nervously pulled the SD cards and began to look at photos.
We captured many pictures of Blue Jays and raccoons in various positions and acts of petty theft but there was only ONE photograph that could only be Mugsy: photo #12 (shown at top of this blog). It was snapped on camera #5 and was taken on Wednesday September 8th at 7:21 p.m., four days after we’d set up the feeding stations and 10 days after the RV crash.
It was a rotten picture, taken with one of our cheaper cameras but it was not a raccoon or fox or coyote and we surmised that it could only be Mugsy. This morning, after taking a closer look at the photo that I emailed to her, Vicki Mayfield said this: “This picture actually looks much more clear then up on the pass on the laptop. It is 100% without a doubt……Mugsy!!!! I can see the tail now which I could not see up there.” I was elated with the confirmation from Vicki. Mugsy is in the marsh, she’s panicked, but she has responded to the scent of food. Whoo hoo!
It will be a challenge to trap Mugsy, but it CAN (and will) be done. I was perplexed as to why she did not stay at the feeding station, why she did not eat more, and why she didn’t come back. Then I realized something. The camera at station #5 was one of our cheaper Bushnell wildlife cameras. The Bushnell’s flash (at night) when the picture is taken. So the sound of the flash plus the flash itself likely caused Mugsy to bolt. That totally would explain why she did not stay.
- Moultrie Infrared Wildlife Camera…SANTA…PLEASE SEND A FEW TO MPP!
But here’s the good news. Mugsy is now hungry. She’s demonstrated that she’s willing to break cover and come out for food. We know the general area where she’s hiding and we know she’s not wandering around in the marsh area (or anywhere) like a normal cat would, otherwise more food would be gone and we’d have many Mugsy pictures. She’s hunkered down, but she’s alive.
So what is next? Vicki Mayfield is heading up there today (Saturday) with a new plan for tonight. Misty, the second cat who was injured in the RV crash and a buddy to Mugsy, has recovered from her injuries enough to help attract Mugsy. Vicki is taking Misty in a crate and will set up another “cat as bait” trap in the area where camera #5 was set. She is also taking an audiotape recording of Etta’s voice calling for Mugsy.
I’m VERY hopeful and optimistic that because enough time has passed and Mugsy has had time to become acclimated to her new “territory” and the fact that she’s hungry, these efforts will work. Stay tuned for details as they develop!
p.s. Missing Pet Partnership is on Facebook and we are actively sharing info about the Mugsy case, other lost pet investigations, and volunteer news. Come join our family!
p.p.s. Missing Pet Partnership had four infrared Moultrie cameras (that are silent and don’t flash) out in the marsh but those were not enough. We need more cameras! If you’re reading this and you can afford to purchase one of these $140 cameras for Missing Pet Partnership, please do. Visit our Wish List page for details on what we need and where to ship these cameras to. Your donation is tax deductible. Thank you for your support!
