Tabs has a wanderer’s heart. Whenever we’re on our walks together on the hill behind our house, he always wants us to go south. He gently tugs on his leash as if to say, “Let’s go that way,” and stares off in the distance toward the town of Mill Valley, which is where we used to live before we moved here.
I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but whenever I let him lead us, he always wants us to go the same way: south.
I mean, we’ll explore the hill, and he’ll climb trees and chase birds and nibble green grass, but he’s always trying to nudge us in the same direction.
Sometimes I wonder if he would try to walk the whole way. I hope not. It’s about 20 miles, and the only way to get there is by highway, or through the open Novato hills, which are filled with coyotes and bobcats and raccoons and other animals that are wilder than Tabs.
It’s one of the reasons I’ve never felt comfortable letting him go outside here on his own — because I’m afraid he’d try to walk all the way back to Mill Valley.
He and I have been on thousands of walks here together, and no matter what, he always wants us to go south.
It makes me kind of sad… I always have to stop us before we reach the main road and say, “I’m sorry, Tabby. We can’t go that way. It’s too far,” and he pulls the leash taut and stares toward the southern horizon. 🙁
I wonder if he’s thinking, “That’s where I used to live. That’s home.”
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addicts,
Karen and Tabs
Either I’m a hormonal mess or you are a beautiful writer, because this brought me to tears! Perhaps it’s both?
Same here, I always wonder home I provide for my kitties are home “enough” for them…. Although, I am sure the reason Tab wants to go south mainly because you don’t let him, and he hasn’t been there!
Oh my God, why am I crying? What is it about the word home that evokes such feeling? You’re such a lovely writer, Karen. Thanks for always sharing your thoughts with us.
Now I’m all emotional…
Don’t be sad….he has found his home with you many years ago. He picked you as his person and adores you. Perhaps, his “need” to go south is because he hasn’t been and cats are notorious for wanting to go where they are not allowed. 😉
It is smart to keep him on a leash! I’m sure he is very happy and content where he’s at!
It’s very smart to keep him on a leash, this way he is always safe with you. I don’t think he is sad. Animals have a special, keen sense of smell, direction. He might feel or smell something familiar. What you wrote was straight from the heart 🙂
Before I married I had a cat named Bobby when I lived with my mom. My mom asked for Bobby to visit her to I packed him in the car and took him to her house. As soon as I opened the car door Bobby bolted out and would not let me catch him. After wandering outside her house for two days hunger got the best of him(not a hunter) and he went defeated to the back door meowing to be let in. My brother brought him to my place a day later while I was at work. Bobby knew he had done wrong because the moment I came in the door and went to hug him he looked at me and hung his head with an expression of “I’m sorry but I really missed it over there and I missed you too” So yes I do think they know where they have been and what’s there. It has been 5 years since I had to put him down and I will always miss him.
I guess his home is wherever you are. He wouldn´t go there without you, no matter how much he misses it.
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Oh Tabs you are the prettiest marble-cat on the west coast! <3 xoxo
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Karen don’t feel too bad. Remember Tabs is a cat so he just wants to go the way he can’t go just because he can’t. LOL
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Aww, he is so cute and made my heart skip a beat. Hopefully one day at least one of my 5 cats will walk with me too. 🙂
Very touching. Well done.
Max had already escaped three times, we had several problems with our fence the las year; the first one he went to the residential development next to ours and a family called me when we got to pick him they told us that a car almost run over him and when they saw its pet tag they saved him. The next one he only was walking around our street and a neighbor took him home and the last one he was already going to the same residential development.
I don’t know what he was looking for in those three times he escaped, our theories go from “he was looking for a girlfriend”, to “he was looking for us. I know that feeling of knowing that your pet wants to go somewhere it’s awful because you feel guilty of not taking them where they want.
Oh Karen this post made me tear up a little.
xoxoxo
Leah
Oh this made me so sad.
I love this! It really touched my heart!
Karen,
I truly believe Cats are very instinctive !
“Tabs” IS trying to tell you something and I think you could be right : he probably did live where he is trying to take you !
Didn’t you find him as s stray ?
Say Hi to Conner Claire !
Happy Monday,
Michele
That almost brought tears to my eyes, too! I hope Tabs won’t be too homesick. And I hope you have a wonderful day today!
That is so adorable!