Freedom Has Its Price

I mentioned in an earlier post that our cats are getting supervised outside time, which they have been enjoying immensely.

Well, it was bound to happen that they would become dissatisfied with sticking to the perimeter of our building. Milo has taken to exploring the great beyond (beyond the end of the driveway, that is).

Yesterday he disappeared for about an hour. We roamed the neighborhood, calling his name and peeping into our neighbor's bushes. He's never been gone that long before. Not even close to that long.

We were all getting worried (Minnie included - she was yowling and searching around the yard for him), but we eventually had to move on with our day. Of course he showed up shortly after we gave up the search, to our great relief. And he was heartily scolded.

A lot of good that scolding did. This morning Milo took off again, almost as soon as he was let out the front door. This time a neighbor from across the street came over to ask us if we had lost a big orange cat. We rather sheepishly replied that we hadn't really lost him, but yes, we didn't actually know where he was at that exact moment...

The neighbor had spotted Milo entering the woods behind his house and invited us to come into his back yard to try to fish him out. Well, Milo was already deep into the thick undergrowth, and there was no way we were going in after him.

To make a long story short, Ted ended up taking the long way around to the other side of the woods (onto the playground of a nearby school) and found Milo happily exploring the school's nature trail, far from home, covered in burrs. He was rather unceremoniously and unhappily dragged home.

So, it looks like our big boy wants to be an outside cat. And for that he has to wear the appropriate attire:

He got his very first cat collar today. Now the world will know that he is not the King of the Feral Cats but rather a very loved house cat who has lost his way. It even has a reflective strip in case he doesn't make it home before dark - which I hope NEVER happens because I will freak. out. 

Minnie got one, too, just in case:

She is not pleased.  She has been under that bed for hours.

Milo, on the other hand, thinks he looks very handsome.

"If it means I get to roam freely, then put a collar on me!!"

We still have to get tags made, but he'll be free to explore soon enough.

By the way, anybody know where/how to get pet tags made?