When I moved to my current home in 2009, my daughter and I brought her cat, Bonez, along with our other two pets. Bonez, it turned out, did not want to leave his old neighborhood, which was only 1 mile away. We tried unsuccessfully 7 times to acclimate him to his new home, but to no avail. When we thought it was safe to let him out, he would stick around for a day, and then would head straight back to our old house. We tried converting him to an indoor cat, but he was originally a feral kitten that my daughter rescued and he tore up a couple of my upstairs window screens trying to escape. We knew he simply would not be happy living indoors. So, we reluctantly let him go.
Fast forward several years, and while I was walking through my old neighborhood this morning, I chose to walk in a different part than usual, and who did I run into? Bonez! He looks absolutely great! It's probably been three years since I've seen him, but it seemed like yesterday. We spent about 5 minutes together, getting reacquainted. I have to admit, I did cry, and it was really hard to say goodbye. But, I know he is only a mile away, and that he is doing well. He is where he wants to be and he is being cared for.
Bonez, coming to greet me.
Assuming the "pet me" position.
We'll always love you, Bonez.
