Stella & Stuart’s Big Adventure; pt 3

4 Oct

Disaster in Slovakia

I woke up at 2am and checked my phone. I saw that I had a message from Frank and his wife, Renee.

“Hello. We have a problem. I apologize, but the cats escaped the house. We look for them right now.”

This was the message I received after falling asleep to pictures of Stella and Stuart at Frank’s house. I woke up to this message at my 2am (thanks jet lag).

What? Escaped?

I couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know what to do. I am stuck in China, in a quarantine hotel and my cats are halfway around the world with people I don’t know and in a country I don’t know.

I messaged Lisa and Olya.

They were my two friends who were on this cat journey with me. I didn’t know what they could do, but I needed them. Lisa helped by messaging George and Renee and also the rescue group that George was working with. Olya helped by letting me worry with multiple text messages of sorrow and grief.

We couldn’t get a hold of George or Renee because they were busy outside looking for the cats.

At that moment, my thoughts were all over the place. I was not thinking rationally. Of course I didn’t think they were looking for the cats. Of course I was thinking the worst and that they had sold them or given them away to someone to not have to worry about these two cats any more. I was worried sick. I was mad. I was devastated. I was thinking the worst.

“We found Stella”

I cried for joy. My sweet Stella was found. And Stuart?

What about Stuart?

The last place they saw them was at the corner of their property. George and Renee live on a farm that backs up to a small forest, in a small, rural town, in the middle of Slovakia.

And Stuart was out there.