Tale #54 -- THE GREAT ESCAPE

Home is Where the Heart Is

"I’m bored," Bandit said. "I want to go outside."

"Apartment cats don’t go outside," Oreo said.

The two cats were sitting on the living room carpet side by side, looking out the balcony door. Vivian’s apartment was on the second floor. There was a big maple tree right beside the balcony. Bandit and Oreo were watching a squirrel which had its home in the tree.

It was almost five o’clock. Vivian was still at work. Her daughter Carrie was at day care.

"I guess Vivian will be home soon," Bandit said.

"Not for a while," Oreo said. "Today is Thursday. Vivian usually gets groceries on Thursday."

"I wonder if she’ll get us something interesting to eat," Bandit said.

"Not likely," Oreo said. "You know that Vivian thinks cats shouldn’t have people food."

"At least she could get some different flavours of cat food," Bandit said.

"Vivian isn’t a cat person any more," Oreo said. "She doesn’t realize that we like variety."

"Do you think Carrie will grow up to be a cat person?" Bandit asked. "She doesn’t know the difference between real animals and her stuffed toys."

"I think she likes us," Oreo said. "She’s too little to understand now, but when she grows up, she might be a great cat person."

"That’s possible," Bandit said. "But she’s a nuisance. I’m glad she goes to bed early."

They watched the squirrel scramble up and down the tree. Then some birds arrived and sat on the branches.

"If I could go outside, I would climb that tree," Bandit said.

Oreo said nothing. She was remembering the way Bandit used to climb the tree in front of David MacDougall’s house when he was just a kitten. He was good at climbing up, but he had trouble coming down. Sometimes he would sit on a branch for hours until somebody rescued him. Sometimes he would fall. It was a long fall for such a little cat. He was never seriously hurt, but he would stay away from the tree for a while. Finally, Oreo taught him how to come down safely, tail first instead of head first. After that, the two of them became friends.

"I don’t like it here," Bandit said. "I’m going home."

"This is your home," Oreo said.

"No, it isn’t," Bandit said. "I didn’t choose it, and I’m not staying."



The Way Out

When Vivian came home that day, she was very busy with Carrie and all her grocery bags. Bandit slipped out the apartment door while it was open.

"Bandit! Come back!" Vivian yelled.

Bandit did not come back. He ran down the hall, looking for a way out.

Vivian ran after him. She grabbed him roughly, brought him back to the apartment, and threw him on the floor. "Stay!" she yelled. She slammed the door and started unpacking groceries.
Carrie started chasing Oreo around the apartment. They managed to upset a potted plant. Vivian put the cats into their pet carriers until Carrie was asleep. After she let them out, Oreo asked to be brushed, but Vivian ignored her completely.

"I guess she’s tired," Oreo said.

"Stop making excuses for her," Bandit says. "She just doesn’t care."

"If she doesn’t care, why did she want us?" Oreo said.

"Maybe she didn’t," Bandit said. "Maybe David MacDougall gave us to her because didn’t want us any more."

"That’s ridiculous," Oreo said. "David MacDougall is a cat person." But she looked worried.

"How come I couldn’t get out?" Bandit said. "All I saw was a bunch of doors."

"You have to take the elevator," Oreo explained.

"What’s an elevator?" Bandit asked.

"It’s a big box that goes up and down, so people don’t have to climb the stairs," Oreo said. "Did you notice the big double doors with some buttons with arrows?"

"So that’s the elevator," Bandit said. "How do I use it?"

"You have to stay out of sight and wait for someone to push the DOWN button," Oreo said. "Then slip in quickly before the doors close and try to be inconspicuous. When you get to the ground floor, go across the lobby and wait for somebody to open the outside door. If the elevator goes to the basement, just hang around the garbage bins. Sooner or later, somebody will open the outside door. When they do – run! You have to be quick!"

"Wow – you sure know a lot," Bandit said. "Will you come with me? I could use your help."

Oreo looked sad. "This is my home now," she said. "And Vivian needs me."



Bandit’s Adventure

A few days later, while Vivian was busy with Carrie, Bandit slipped out the door without being seen. Vivian went to work without realizing that one of her cats was missing. She didn’t notice until she fed the cats in the evening and Bandit didn’t show up to claim his share of the food. Vivian looked all over the apartment. Carrie cried and cried because she wanted Bandit. Oreo tried to comfort her, but Carrie pushed her away.

"Stupid cats!" Vivian said. "Why didn’t I leave you with Dad?"

"Why didn’t you?" Oreo said. But Vivian didn’t answer, because she couldn’t understand cat language.

Oreo had trouble sleeping that night. She sat in the dark, looking out the balcony door at the stars. Where was Bandit? Was he all right?

The next day, a friendly man brought Bandit back.

"Are you okay?" Oreo asked.

"I’m fine," Bandit said. "I walked and walked. All I saw was houses and more houses. When I got hungry, I asked this man to feed me. He did, but he brought me back here."

"Please don’t go away again," Oreo said. "I was worried about you."

"You can’t stop me," Bandit said. "I’ll keep trying until I get away."

"If you really want to get away, stay away from people," Oreo said. "And slip off your collar as soon as you can. The tag has your name and phone number on it."

"Please come with me," Bandit said. "I need you more than Vivian does."

"Stay here with me," Oreo said. "It’s dangerous out there."

"I was on my own once," Bandit said. "I can do it again."

"Where did you come from, anyway?" Oreo asked.

"I had two sisters and a brother," Bandit said. "We lived with our Mom. Everything was fine until somebody put us in a cardboard box and drove away from our house and left us somewhere we had never been before."

"That’s awful," Oreo said.

"I climbed out of the box and I started walking until I found a new home with you and David MacDougall," Bandit said. "I don’t know what happened to the others."

"I didn’t know people could be so cruel," Oreo said.



One More Time!

After that, Vivian was careful not to let Bandit slip out of the apartment. He kept waiting for his chance. While he was waiting, he tried to convince Oreo to come with him. She kept saying that Vivian was her special person, and Vivian needed her.

One evening, the weather was very warm. Vivian opened the balcony door and started making hot dogs on the barbecue. Carrie was playing in the living room. She picked Oreo up and squeezed her. Oreo howled and tried to get away. Two of her sharp claws scratched Carrie’s arm. Then it was Carrie’s turn to howl.

Vivian was furious. "That does it!" she yelled. "First thing tomorrow morning, I’m going to make an appointment with the vet and have you both de-clawed!"

After supper, Vivian left the balcony door open to cool the apartment. The two cats went out on the balcony. They liked it there because Carrie wasn’t allowed to go on the balcony without her mother.

"De-clawed! I don’t like the sound of that," Bandit said. "Does it hurt?"

"I don’t know," Oreo said. "But we won’t need our scratching post any more, and we won’t be able to climb trees."

"I think this is a good time for both of us to leave," Bandit said. "What do you think?"

"How would we get away?" Oreo said.

"When Vivian is busy putting Carrie to bed, we can jump from the balcony railing into the tree."

Oreo sat and thought about it. Then she said, "I think I’ll take my chances with you. I love Vivian, but I don’t want to be de-clawed."

"We can get started right now," Bandit said. "It’s almost dark and Vivian isn’t looking this way."

A large tree branch almost touched the balcony. The cats had no trouble jumping onto it. They climbed down the tree. Then Oreo grabbed Bandit’s collar with her claws and helped him take it off. Afterwards, he helped her.

Oreo led the way, staying in the shadows as much as possible.

"How are we ever going to get out of here?" Bandit said. "The city is so big!"

"We’ll think of something," Oreo said.

After a while, they saw a big truck. Some men were putting furniture on it.

"There’s our ticket out of the city," Oreo said. "All we have to do is sneak on the back of the truck when nobody is looking."

"Will it take us to Hearst?" Bandit asked.

"I don’t know," Oreo said. "But at least it will get us away from Vivian."



The Long Ride

"I wonder where this truck is going," Bandit said. They had been riding for a long time. He was hungry and thirsty.

"I guess we’ll find out when we get there," Oreo said.

"I wish there was a litter box on this truck," Bandit said.

"Me too," Oreo said.

"When I was on my own, I didn’t have a litter box," Bandit said. "I just scratched a hole in the earth."

"There’s no earth here," Oreo said. "I guess we’ll just have to use a corner of the truck."

The truck stopped for a few hours, but nobody opened the doors.

"What will become of us?" Bandit said. "Maybe we’ll be trapped here forever."

"Don’t worry," Oreo said. "Just take a nap and stop worrying. We’ll be fine."

She was right. Soon after the cats woke up from their nap, the truck stopped. The men opened the big doors and started moving the furniture. The cats were happy to get out.

"I wonder where we are," Bandit said, looking around. The houses weren’t as close together as they were in the city.

"Look!" Oreo said. "There’s a park! Let’s go there."

The cats ran to the park. They drank from the river.

"I’m hungry," Bandit said. "Let’s ask somebody to feed us."

"That’s not a good idea," Oreo said. "Let’s hunt for our own food."

"What kind of food?" Bandit asked.

"Mice, and birds, and things like that," Oreo said.

"You can eat those?" Bandit asked. He liked to hunt, but he had never tried eating anything he caught.

"Of course," Oreo said. "Before there were people and grocery stores, cats had to do all their own hunting."



Dancing Bear’s Clever Nose

"What’s the matter?" Dancing Bear asked. David MacDougall looked very upset. He had been talking to Vivian on the phone.

"The cats ran away," he said.

"I don’t blame them," Dancing Bear said. "They are outside cats, not apartment cats."

"I didn’t want to give them up," David MacDougall said. "But you have to understand – Oreo was Vivian’s special kitten when she was a little girl. I was just looking after her for Vivian."

Dancing Bear went outside. She walked out of town and smelled the wind. She kept walking and sniffing. Finally, she came back to 906 Alexandra.

"The cats are at a place called Iron Bridge," she told David MacDougall. "We have to go and get them."

"Iron Bridge!" David MacDougall said. "I have never heard of a place called Iron Bridge! What makes you think the cats are at Iron Bridge?"

"My nose knows," Dancing Bear said wisely.

David MacDougall unfolded a map of the province of Ontario and looked at it. He found Iron Bridge, near Sault Ste. Marie.

"That’s a long way from here," David MacDougall said. "I can’t take time off to go on a wild goose chase."

"It’s not a wild goose chase," Dancing Bear said. "It’s a wild cat chase."

David MacDougall paced around the house. Finally he said, "Tomorrow is Saturday. I guess I could drive to Iron Bridge and be back in time for work on Monday morning."

"I’ll come with you," Dancing Bear said.

"You had better be right about this," David MacDougall said.

"Of course I am," Dancing Bear said. "My nose is very sensitive. I can find almost anything."



Together Again

The next morning, David MacDougall and Dancing Bear got into his truck.

"Do you think I should bring the pet carriers?" David MacDougall asked as he put his suitcase in the back of the truck.

"I don’t think you’ll need them," Dancing Bear said. "The cats will be very happy to get a ride home."

David MacDougall went to the gas station to fill up his tank.
"This is going to be an expensive trip," he said. "Gas isn’t cheap, you know."

"It’s worth it," Dancing Bear said.

They stopped at Tim Horton’s for coffee and bagels. Then they headed down the long highway.

It was a lovely drive. Dancing Bear enjoyed looking at all the trees. She waved at a bear beside the highway.

A few hours later, they saw a large body of water from the top of a hill.

"What’s that lake?" Dancing Bear asked.

"Lake Superior," David MacDougall said.

"I’ve never seen so much water," Dancing Bear said.

David MacDougall had made sandwiches and put them in his cooler along with some pop and apples. He and Dancing Bear stopped at a beach for lunch. Dancing Bear took a short walk along the beach and let the water cool her feet.

"This is great!" she said. "We should come here for a vacation sometime."

They drove and drove. It was suppertime when they arrived at Iron Bridge.

"Now what?" David MacDougall said.

"Let’s look for the park," Dancing Bear said. She sniffed the air and pointed. "I think it’s that way."

She was right. David MacDougall found the park, no problem. As soon as he stopped the truck, Dancing Bear jumped out and ran towards the river.

David MacDougall sat in his truck. He was tired. He wondered where they would spend the night. He wondered if Dancing Bear’s nose was as clever as she thought. Could she really find the cats?

"I must be getting soft in the head," David MacDougall muttered. "I drove all the way down here just because a bear said so. What a waste of a week-end!"

Then he saw something that made him forget how tired he was. Dancing Bear was coming! Bandit was walking beside her, and Oreo was riding on her back.

David MacDougall jumped out of the truck. He ran to meet them. He picked up Bandit and held him.

"Your fur is all matted," he said to Bandit, and rubbed his chin. Bandit started to purr.

"They are both thrilled to see us," Dancing Bear said. "They can’t wait to go home."

"What am I going to tell Vivian?" David MacDougall said. "She said that Carrie is really attached to the cats."

"Tell her that she can bring Carrie for a visit," Dancing Bear said. "The cats want to stay with you. 906 Alexandra is their home."

"What if I decide to move?" David MacDougall said.

"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it," Dancing Bear said.

David MacDougall opened the door of his truck. The cats jumped in and settled on the seat. Then Dancing Bear got in.

"Now, then," David MacDougall said. "All we have to do is find a motel that takes pets."