As the hunt for my neighbor’s missing kitty Bruce continues, I take a moment to regard one of our two felines. Neko has started to occasionally nap on the bed in my old office, which is now our daughter’s bedroom. She moved into our apartment on April 11, 2023, as part of recovery from a traumatic event, which her medical record describes as “severe hypoxic injury and bilateral subcortical infarctions”. Her progress so far is nothing short of miraculous, considering where she was on March 2. That said, doctors have counseled us to expect one to two years for her brain to heal as much as it will ever.
Our girl’s arrival kind of sent the cats (Cali is the other) into exile from one of their main rooms in the residence. But the Featured Image, taken today using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, shows how Neko is starting to share territory with our girl. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 125, 1/60 sec, 70mm; 10:40 a.m. PDT; composed as shot.
Regarding Bruce, Nextdoor booted his owner from the platform following heated exchanges with someone from another neighborhood. That person remains, while the cat’s mourning caretaker is out. Having read some of the interactions, I could see why Nextdoor might choose to ban the commenter—or perhaps both women—but not Bruce’s owner. I responded by writing a fresh “Bruce is Missing” post, on the chance that someone finds him and looks on the social network to see if he is missing.
Another neighbor showed his owner my post. Today, she tearfully expressed gratitude by bringing us flowers in a jar—with one of Bruce’s little ties attached. I didn’t want to take the tie, for what it means to her, but she insisted. “Tell you what, I will give it back when Bruce comes home”. She agreed. May we see him soon.