For those who read my blog post, "Holly Jolly Christmas," here is an update. Holly was actually Izzy and had an owner that came to get her. The woman had just got Izzy and her sister Fizzy from the vet in town. They were sisters and their owner had recently died. She wanted some outdoor mousers and had just got the cats two days before the storm hit and both cats disappeared. We saw Fizzy on the outdoor camera once, the day after I found Izzy/Holly. We did not see her again and I assume she was consumed by a coyote.
Andy and I were driving today to Muscatine and about a mile east of our house Andy yelled, "There is Fat Holly!" She was in a ditch on the north side of the road. I stopped, turned the car around, and foolishly asked Andy to go get her. Holly ran into the woods. We were meeting Andy's dad for lunch and already behind schedule. I got out of the car and called her but to no avail. Andy texted the owner after I resumed driving. The response received was, "Wow, I can't believe she is still around." We're due to get a major winter storm tomorrow, 4-8+ inches of snow. The low temperature over the next few days will be below zero overnight and single digits during daytime. I was spitting mad that I gave Holly back to that person, and that she didn't contact us when (apparently immediately), Holly ran away again. After lunch, I dropped Andy off at home and went to search the woods for Holly. I saw the landowner, Patten (can't remember his first name) was out hiking and on the far end of the woods. I waived and called out but he didn't hear or see me. There was enough snow on the ground that I could follow Holly's tracks from the road, but I got stumped after I saw the neighbor. A large white dog (who I know belongs to Patten but I haven't formally met) came racing at me, ruff up and barking. He looked easily befriended, maybe a GSD mix with lab, so I used my best sing song voice to tell him he's a good boy. I tried to look casual and disinterested. Andy calls this act, "Looking like a child molester at a playground." Well it worked on Fido, who circled around and bopped my left hand hard with his muzzle. I said, "Oh what a good dog!" and was greeted with a large white dog jumping to lick my face.
Since I was already on a mission, I crouched down, held the dog's collar and gently asked him to sit. He sat nicely, so I used my right hand to hold him from knocking me over while I scratched his head with my left hand. He was in a great mood, so I asked him if he has seen Miss Holly, that I had lost her track. He bounded off about thirty feet and joyfully showed me the dead deer he was munching on before I intervened. Well, now I knew how Holly has stayed alive for over a week. She was still quite round when she ran away from Andy earlier in the day. There were lots of raccoon tracks around the carcass, but also tiny pawed cat tracks. I searched the area but didn't have much hope of Holly coming out of her hiding place while Fido was around. When he bolted off to chase a car in the distance, I called for Holly again. She meowed back to me twice, but I was in a ravine and couldn't tell where the sound was coming from. I slowly walked back to my car, calling regularly, and pausing to listen. There's not much left on the deer carcass, mostly hide and bones. I drove over the Patten's house but he must have still been in the timber. No one answered the doorbell and the dog wasn't around. I wanted to ask for permission to set a large live trap near the carcass to try to catch Holly. I will let her owner know that I have Holly if I can catch her, and tell her that I want to keep her. I don't expect any resistance. Steve and Frank got along great with Holly for the few days she was here. I'm still kicking myself for sending Andy out to call to her today instead of going out myself. My back is only about 75% to its normal self, so I was afraid of slipping in the ditch and inciting another spasm. Once I was in the woods, I had no problem tracking Holly and did not slip once. It's funny how those skills never leave; they just hibernate until we need them again. I will try to go out tomorrow to look again and will bring some canned cat food. If the weather makes it impossible to go tomorrow, I will try again on Sunday. I could clearly hear the geese honking at our farm from the woods, so I am also holding out hope that she finds her way back here.
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