Saturday September 18, 2010 –6:00 p.m. – So here’s the deal. Still no Mugsy. And while I know this is disappointing, I want to reassure you that this is NORMAL displaced cat behavior! Mugsy went 11 days (from the date of the crash to Sept 8th) before she first responded to food (in the wet-Tortie-butt-shot-photograph). Then she went another 6 days before she responded to food (in the Sept 14th and Sept 15th) photos.

There are three reasons why I’m not surprised that Mugsy has not entered the trap yet:
1. Mugsy filled up her belly, so it may take several days before she’s hungry enough to go back to the trap.
2. It’s been raining cats and dogs (sorry, I couldn’t resist) in this area for the past few days, so it’s only natural that Mugsy will not break cover and leave her dry hidy-hole for food! She will only do that when she really, really becomes hungry. When it stops raining, the probability that she will break cover for food will skyrocket.
3. Apparently Mugsy is a drama queen and is digging all of this attention. More and more people are getting “Mugsy Mania” that I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that some of you animal communicators out there are telling Mugsy about all of the frenzy, the Facebook fans, and the media attention. KNOCK IT OFF!! You’re turning Mugsy into a Diva!(BTW, if you want to join conversations about Mugsy, become a fan of Missing Pet Partnership’s Facebook page!)
OK, I’m not teasing here, but I have to share this! Apparently there was a bit of panic yesterday when someone who looked at the Mugsy picture thought they saw a cougar! Look at the photo (above) with the arrow–do you see it, too? Drink a Mugsy Martini (like I’m ready to go do)…now do you see it?
Well, I immediately dispelled the cougar fear when I pointed out that if it was a cougar, it would have eye shine (just like Mugsy has in all her photos). Not only that, but if you compare the different Mugsy shots (from Sept 14th and Sept 15th), that same area of the picture is identical in all of the photographs. Thankfully, it is just branches and shadows.
I’m working a new case right now that is turning into a true mystery! It’s a displaced, catatonic / xenophobic cat named Pearl missing in Woodinville, Washington. This is a fascinating case that has me stumped. I think it is very possible that Pearl has actually been hiding inside of her own house for the past week. Some probably think that is a ridiculous theory but don’t forget about Ginger the Siamese cat who hid for 17 days without making a sound. Without giving out all of the details, I keep flip flopping on whether Pearl is still inside or whether she did escape outside of the house. Her owner, Dianna, is using a wildlife camera (her own, because all of MPP’s cameras were rented out–Missing Pet Partnership needs more cameras donated!) tonight along with a baited trap, so I’ll know more tomorrow. In the meantime, I’ll just let the Pearl mystery play out in the background so I can keep Miss Smugsy basking in her limelight.
Torties: the high maintenance cat…WHO KNEW!