Happy news/sad news

I mentioned (I think just in the comments) a few days ago that Miss Haily was AWOL. I hadn't seen her since our return from Cincinnati, and I'd about given up hope for her. However, yesterday morning when I went out to feed all the cats, there she sat in the "window" of the hog barn, waiting for breakfast just like normal. And boy, was she hungry! She was hungry for food, and hungry for lovin', and she couldn't seem to decide which she wanted most. :) She was apparently very happy to be back home, and she was purring up a storm! She'd lost a little weight (which she could easily afford) but otherwise seemed fine. I wonder where she'd been, and if possibly she'd left because I was gone. I'll never know. But here she is, quite contented again on the deck:

And back in her favorite pose:

That was the happy news.

The very sad news is that a couple of nights ago Cottonball got attacked by a raccoon and was mauled so badly that we had to put her out of her misery. I'll spare you the details, but I know what happened because I saw it... ON OUR DECK! The 'coon unfortunately got away. It hadn't acted sick or anything - it had been getting a drink out of the birdbath just a while earlier - and the way it ran off when Grandpa went after it, it didn't seem like it would've been rabid. So I did a little googling to see if raccoons actually do kill cats... and I found, much to my surprise, that they DO! They will eat anything. So now I have one more predator to worry about with my cats. Aargh.

And poor little Cottonball. So awful. So sad.

Here's my last photo of her, taken before we left for Cincinnati. She was peeking in the garage door, hoping I'd let her in.

Well, I can't leave you with that. So here's one more photo to brighten your day back up. My beautiful Autumn, in all her kitty glory. :)

Of course, now I'll be forever worried about her...... But hopefully she'll grow up to be as savvy and smart and long-lived as her mama is.