It was day 5 of the New Year. Out of nowhere we received a call that our cat had been found. WHAT?! How is that possible? She had been missing 40 days. She was being taken to a veterinarian in Faro by firefighters and was found in an abandoned house in Estoi almost 6 miles from where we live. How did she get there? Was she really catnapped after all, despite our passionate denials? The awful realization that we were never going to find her by walking the streets of our neighborhood took quite a few days to set in. Andrew phoned a friend for a ride and oddly enough she was already at the vet where Thursday would be arriving. We grabbed a pet carrier and called an Uber. We could have waited for a train, but this seemed time sensitive.

While waiting for the Uber time began to warp, like we were back in the 911 center taking an urgent call or critical radio traffic. Adjusting from a place of near zero hope to an impending reunion was a jolt and we were experiencing a significant amount of shock and disbelief. When we arrived at the Faro vet, Thursday was in full stress mode and didn’t recognize us. She was emaciated, matted, covered in foliage and detritus, and was miraculously still wearing her collar and tag. The vet on site hadn’t had a chance to examine her and would need to sedate her in order to do so. He gave us the option of bringing her to a vet clinic of our preference.

Using our normal vet, Clínica Veterinária 115, seemed like a good idea since we don’t have a car and they are only a 3 minute walk from our house. We also have a high level of confidence in this clinic because they had already assisted with vaccinations, pet passports, testing Basil’s thyroid and managing multiple Zoe Finazzo issues including a UTI, tick disease post Minnesota summer camp in 2022, and an Addison’s crash during which she was hospitalized for multiple days.

We requested a second Uber to take the three of us from Faro to Olhão. The ride between the two neighboring cities was torture. We both feared that she may not live through the transport. We finally arrived at our vet, and tried to patiently wait for a doctor to become available (I probably wouldn’t get an A grade on my patience level, but I did my best). Since there were so many unknowns about her status and level of injury, we left to allow the vets to begin their examination. Eventually we received word that she had lost over half of her body weight, had a large laceration on her side, was experiencing some neurological and mobility issues which may be due to trauma and/or liver failure, but that she didn’t have any broken bones. She would have to stay at the vet for an undetermined amount of time.

This particular vet office has four female veterinarians, multiple vet techs, and office administration and we received help from every member of staff over the course of Thursday’s stay. Initially the primary causes for concern were her low weight, inability to eat independently in order to take in sufficient calories, and deteriorating liver function. Most of the vet staff worked to lower our expectations, and in all honesty most of them didn’t think she would pull through.

We visited Thursday every day. On day 3 she recognized us, tried to jump out of the cage, regardless of mobility issues, and gave us a big hug and a head butt. About one week in to treatment, the vets had to install a feeding tube in order to kick start her appetite and weight gain. They made it clear that this was a last resort. Even though the situation was serious, we fully believed she would recover. It was too cruel to think that we had been reunited after so much time and over such a long distance to lose her now. Fortunately, the feeding tube did the trick, her health started to turn around and at the end of two weeks she was able to return home with us. She had lingering mobility issues, ongoing pupil dilation, and her liver had not returned to normal.

I was especially worried about long term effects. Would she and Morse get along? Will she be affectionate with us? What if she immediately tries to escape again to return to her bohemian street life? She walks as if highly intoxicated, how can she jump? Will she try to kill our tiny terrier Basil?

Andrew went around town and notified our friends, neighbors and local business owners that Thursday had been found. We tried to remember all of the places that had fliers and were surprised at how many were still hanging in windows after almost 8 weeks. Neighbors were so very sweet and supportive and filled with joy that our furry fam had been reunited. Thursday was a topic of conversation in Café Bianca on several afternoons.

Our most charitable neighbor, who is also mad about cats and has two of her own, delivered dry and canned cat food on several occasions. She was the first person to theorize that Thursday may have hidden under a car parked in front of our house and taken an inadvertent ride. During the initial disappearance she was so disappointed when I couldn’t remember which cars were parked on our street, but she remained positive and kept telling me about cat reunions that happened after many weeks and even months.

The first several weeks at home were a ton of work. Andrew and I took over a full time job that an entire vet clinic staff had been sharing. Every two hours we had hand feedings, pills, or liquid supplements to give. Both cats were wary of each other, but didn’t actively fight much. Thursday remembered our house and the layout right away. The dogs recognized her immediately and were generally uninterested in pestering her unless they were angling for some of the special food she receiving multiple times a day.

We set up a new pen with access to a litter box because she was still unstable when walking and jumping. We were exhausted and barely left the house for the first week. We completed a massive 3000 piece puzzle to pass the time, continued our Gloomhaven campaign, and watched true crime stories including Curry & Cyanide: The Jolly Joseph Case and American Nightmare.

Eventually the number of feedings decreased, she gained weight, had markedly improved mobility, and received a clean bill of health after two months on liver pills. The vet clinic is amazed she has recovered and is so very proud of their work (we are too, they without a doubt saved her life). Vet staff said they will never forget her.

The furry twin cats are back to their normal double trouble. Morse has his companion back, they are sleeping together, silent ninja fighting, climbing towers of boxes in the storage room, and carrying on as if nothing happened. Thursday’s favorite time for wreaking havoc is between 4-6 am, she loves to jump on the headboard of our bed and bat book lights around, or jump on the dresser and play with my jewelry. Sometimes she sits on my chest and lightly taps my face with her paw, anything to wake us up. She has become more of a lap cat, loves giving massages, and is markedly more affectionate. She seems a bit less serious and more playful. Her fur has almost grown back, but her color has changed after her grand adventure.

We have gifted Thursday and Morse new jewelry, specifically Apple Air Tag collars, just as an extra precaution. Many Portuguese neighbors told us that 2024 is going to be an amazingly lucky year for us. We already feel pretty darn fortunate.