Friday September 3, 2010 – 11:50 p.m.– So here’s the Mugsy update. Our pool of volunteers tonight dwindled to just five, but we managed to get a lot done. First, I developed a plan of attack. I mapped out the area which we’ve already “cleared” and determined that Mugsy is likely not in there. The diagonal cross marks indicate where we had our traps and cameras on our first day of surveillance.
We’ve ruled out the construction area as it flat and open and too noisy. Before we tackled the steep terrain with the thick marsh in the middle, I wanted to rule out the northwest edges by the open grove. The boxes with an “X” in them indicate where I placed a wildlife camera with a can of cat food. I didn’t just pile food on the ground – I flung it in the air, allowing it to spread out in tiny splatters of Friskies Salmon pate just like fishermen chum for fish.
I even reached high and smeared cat food on some trees. I know enough about scent dispersal to know that when it comes to animals detecting a scent, the higher you place it, the farther the wind can carry it. I wanted to create the largest amount of scent that could be detected to attract hungry animals to my camera. If we don’t catch Mugsy on cameras 1 through 4 tomorrow morning, then I’m confident that she is not in that area and we can rule that area out. I will check the cameras (and traps) at about 6:30 a.m. We also set our four traps in areas way on the other side of the construction just to rule that direction out. And finally, we set one more camera up (a fifth one was delivered to us…YEAH!!!) across the street back at the crash site brushy area where she first bolted from. I’ve been saying that I doubted she would run back there, but to be on the safe side I want to confirm that with food and a camera.
Tomorrow morning at 8:00 WSART arrives. Our game plan will be to send 3 to 4 teams down on ropes into the steep areas and place a massive pile of food with our cameras. KOMO 4 News might be on hand to update the Mugsy story. We will likely leave the cameras out for several days and come back later next week, retrieve them, and see what animals ate all of the food. Yesterday, while Vicki and I were walking back to our cars I noticed a most unusual formation of tree bark that had peeled down on both sides, creating a beautiful “sign.” I don’t believe this was an accident. I honestly believe it was Father God himself finding a very unique way of reminding me of just how much He loves me, the Mayfield family, and even Mugsy.
So look at this picture and tell me what you see…
I once had a dude see me on a different pet detective investigation where we had a search dog, our high-tech gear, and a TV crew filming us. When the man learned that we were searching for a lost cat he said, “All of THIS for a lost cat?” My response to that question is NO: all of THIS for love – a love for grieving people, a love for animals, and a love for solving investigations–THAT is what drives me and defines my life. When God fills your heart with passion (like He has mine), you find love in many unique places — that includes pet detective searches for missing cats and even heart-shaped bark!
