I have two cats. A 16 yr old female siamese mix (apple head, medium length hair with lilac pointing) and a 9 year old male bombay. Yesterday it was quite frigid here (still is) at about 10 degrees F. So I went home during mid day on my lunch break to re-stoke the two wood stoves.

It dawned on me a few minutes into it that my bombay was nowhere to be seen. He is VERY shy around strangers and will run when we have company (probably due to post traumatic SKID syndrome as the two youngest skids were and still are animal torturers.)

At first I thought he had gotten out in the frigid temps and I was very worried for his safety. As a final check I look under the bed. There he was hunched in the corner and when I coaxed him out, he started his "company is over" skulking, then went back under the bed three times.

It dawned on me that he was not used to having anyone stop in during the day anymore. Since Chef's new job, he no longer works in the general area so he rarely comes home during the day anymore like he used to. And we didn't have to check on the wood stoves until now!

The bombay thought I was a stranger coming in so it's safe to say I am unable to rely on his guard-cat skills.