Missing Max

Max, our 1 1/2 year old Savannah recently went missing.  After much debate, Kelly and I had decided to start letting him and Nikita, his "sister" outside.  They were MUCH happier (and so were we, as Max had begun to be quite a brat).  However, Max failed to come home one evening about two weeks ago.  Kelly is in the US getting ready for our wedding, and I put off telling her for a four days hoping Max would show up.  Finally, I had to break the news to her and start posting fliers all over our neighborhood.  I also posted fliers along several of the many trails that crisscross the woods behind our house. 

After almost a week and a half and still no Max, I had begun to fear the worst.  As a last ditch effort, I posted more fliers even farther into the woods, and even dropped one off at the local animal shelter.  That evening, I got a call on my cell phone from a woman with a British accent who said simply "I just saw your cat".  I almost jumped out of my skin!  I got the details of where she had seen him last (about a mile or so from our house near a riding stable), and jumped in the car to find him.  When I got there, walked up into the woods calling his name, but nothing...  However, a few minutes later I got a call from the same woman saying that she was right behind him on the road not far from where I was!  I sprinted down there, and sure enough, he was in the bushes on the other side of a tall chain link fence.  I called his name, and he began meowing loudly.  I managed to find a hole and track him down. 

With him safe in my arms, I now had to maneuver him a half mile up the road to the car.  He was happy to see me, but a bit freaked out and not that happy about being held.   About half way to the car, another vehicle drove by, and he bolted into the woods again.  However, I was able to walk up behind him and call his name.  He hesitated, and then walked over and began rubbing on my leg.  I was then able to pick him up, get him to the car, and take him home.

Our house is the dot on the right, where the woman first saw max is the dot on the far left, and where I found him is the dot in the middle 

Since his return, he has been SO affectionate, both with me and with the other animals, especially the dogs (whose favorite inside game used to be "Let's Chase Max"). This is a picture of him curled up asleep with Cooper today.