Cats DO Like to Be Home

By Clyde the Vagabond Cat (with help from Leann)

I am Clyde, a cat with a mission. I don't speak on the pages of Leann Sweeney's latest Cats in Trouble Mystery, but I thought I would make an exception today.

One day, I set out on a long journey from Hilton Head Island to Mercy, South Carolina because I am one determined feline. I missed my best friend and besides, he was a very sick man when I was sent to live with his relatives. Why I was sent away is spelled out in the book, so I won't spoil that part for you.

Cats can be as loyal as dogs, they can travel miles and miles on end to get back to where they belong. I am no exception. You've heard the stories in the news, so you know it's true. You'll learn how I ended up with heroine Jillian Hart if you read the book, so instead I will offer a little background about me--Clyde. I am a big, handsome orange tabby and was rescued by Shawn Cuddahee as a kitten. You know Shawn. He runs a no-kill shelter in Mercy South Carolina. I was then adopted by a wonderful man. We became best friends. He needed a friend like me because his family was—what do you humans call it?--dysfunctional. I prefer crazy, but then cats always tell it like it is.

My 200 mile trip wasn't as difficult as it might have been. I know how to make friends and influence people who have cat food readily available. I'd stay for a bit at a nice home and then be off again. See, cats have the equivalent of GPS in their brains. That's why you hear those stories about long return trips to beloved owners. It may be amazing to the public, but it's what cats do when people mistakenly believe they're lost—that is if certain cats are so inclined to return home.

What I found when I returned to Mercy wasn't what I expected. But you'll have to read the book to find all that out. I just wanted to say hello and let you know that Leann Sweeney told my story--and there were plenty of twists and turns--including a rather inconvenient contraption I don't want to talk about. Not that I

don't appreciate Leann's help in bringing me to life. And I don't even require fictional treats as a thank you. Okay ... maybe I do. And so does my friend Marlowe, Leann's new publicist and a not-so-fictional cat.