I haven't ever lost any pets, but one cat gave me a good scare. I had just moved into my new house the day before, and there was another hour or so of moving things in before I could return the truck. For the main move in day my two cats Tayla and Max had been kept in the bathroom, where they hid under the clawfoot tub all day. That night I let them out to explore the house. The next day, after loading the truck and cleaning out the apartment, I shut Max in a room while we loaded the last stuff in. He lived to go out and would sneak out any chance he got. He didn't know this neighborhood, so I had to be carefull with him. Tayla was scared to go out, so I didn't worry too much about her. That evening when everyone had left, I couldn't find her. I searched the entire flat, then the yard, then most of the block, calling as I went. I thought I heard faint meows a few times, but I couldn't tell where they were coming from, or if I was imagining things. I finally gave up and went to bed. The next day I spent searching the neighborhood again, making and posting lost pet posters, and calling all the animal shelters in the region. I also visited our local shelter to look for myself. The next day she still hadn't turned up. I decided to go check the shelter in the next county, and since I was going that way I might as well take my realtor the light fixture I was getting rid of that she wanted. I went to the basement to get it, and out of habit I called for my cat while I was down there. I was rewarded with a weak pathetic wail coming from a small storage room at the far end of the basement, and my cat came slinking out to find me. All that searching, and she'd been hiding in the basement the whole time!
