"I don't think that's a very good idea," said my wife.

"Nonsense" said I, as I scooped the cat up and carried him out to our car.  I opened the door, tossed the cat in.  I quickly closed the door, and the next thing I saw was a cat overcome with sheer terror.  The animal was literally throwing himself at the windows trying to escape the confines of the car.

Claudia looked in the car.  "I knew we'd have a problem."

"I can handle it," said yours truly.   "Just be quick and careful when you get in the car."

We both managed to get into the car and we began our journey to see the vet.  The cat acted as if it was on the verge of being murdered.  It let out a pitiful howl, a kitty scream of terror.  I think that my wife was almost as distressed as the cat.   After traveling for a short distance, the cat finally curled up into a semi state of shock. 

We arrived at the vet.

Claudia said: "Let me get the vet.  He should have something for us to carry the cat in."

"Naw," said I.  "I can hold him. I will put on my coat so that he won't scratch me.  We only have a few feet to go."

I picked up the cat and tightly clutched him to my chest.

He started to wiggle.  I clutched him tighter.

I suddenly discovered that I was clutching air.  That cat was running at a phenomenal speed out behind the veterinarian's office into a growth of brambles above a nearby creek.

"My cat" cried my wife. "We'll never get him back!"

"We'll get him back" I replied trying to give out an air of confidence."

"Kitty kitty kitty.  Here kitty kitty."  We called into the bushes. 

We could hear something that sounded like a faint and very pitiful  "Meow" it was obvious that this cat was not about to come out.   

We waited; we called.

Nothing. 

I finally told my wife that that we should get something to eat and that we would return when the cat calmed down, probably around it's dinnertime.

My wife was dubious, but we left.

We came back about two hours later.  This time no sounds, no sign of our cat.

"We should never have left," cried my wife.  "We will never find him now."

"Nonsense " I replied.  "The cat will come back.   For all I know, he might be walking home right now."

"I think he's gone.  We have to do something."

"We will do something." I replied. " We'll go door to door."   

My wife and I spent most of that afternoon knocking on people's doors.  We told all about the plight of our cat.     We got to meet a number of very nice people, and we even had a couple of people offer us kittens… but no cat.

It was dusk when we returned to the creek behind the veterinarian's office. This was the place where our cat disappeared. 

My wife carried a plate of food.  She walked over to the growth of berry bushes where our cat first disappeared and called:  "Teddy.  Teddy Bear."

She was answered with a pitiful  "Meow."

"Go back to the car" ordered my wife. "Teddy doesn't seem to like you."

I went to the car, and opened a door.

Claudia reached out, bent over and gently picked Teddy up.  Before anyone could think, she quickly transported the animal to our car, and we were heading back with a very unhappy cat. 

We pulled into our driveway.  I opened the car door.  With a speed rivaling that of light Teddy was gone. 

Twenty minutes later, it was official cat dinnertime.   Our animals were lined up at our back door begging to be fed.  Claudia greeted them, and they greeted her.  All was forgiven.

Almost all forgiven; Claudia was forgiven, but not me.  Teddy didn't want a thing to do with me.  I could see him in my mind saying.  "She's O.K., but you mister, you're a S.O.B."