Remember my cat Storm? When I was finishing up cleaning out the garage on Saturday, I put some stuff into my van to take to Goodwill on Monday morning. The tailgate was open for quite a while, and when I finished loading, I shut it without taking note of the cat's whereabouts. What a mistake that was!

I missed her about 3pm, but I thought she was asleep under a bed somewhere. When she hadn't surfaced by dinnertime, I began to worry. I opened all the closet doors and kitchen cabinets (where she sometimes goes) but no cat. When I got up this morning, I asked mr. kenju if he had seen her and he answered by asking me if I had looked in the closets. Suddenly it dawned on me where she might be - so I asked him to take my car keys and go look. Sure enough, she was, he reported, sitting on the back seat looking all forlorn.

When she came into the house, her first stop was to the food and water bowls. After she ate, I tried to pet her, but she was clearly showing me her displeasure, since she walked away, snubbing me. As the morning wore on, she relented and decided that my warm, blanket-covered lap was too inviting not to give in.

I have been under the weather today; mr. kenju's cold has finally caught up with me and I couldn't ignore it any longer. I have spent most of the day in my recliner, and the cats have loved every minute of it - at least Clipsie did. Storm took a while to warm up. She didn't want me to know that she was going to forgive me until I had been properly punished for my lack of attention yesterday.

Feeling crappy has prevented me from going outside to check out the van. I am afraid that Storm might have gone to the "bathroom" in it - and since there is no litter pan there - I am worried about what I may find tomorrow. Another cat of ours peed in my daughter's car years ago and it took five years for the smell to disappear - no matter what was done to get rid of it.

Update, Monday noon: Storm deserves a special treat today! My van is clean and apparently she didn't use it as a toilet. YAY!