Bulletin 3

Hamish here. I am feeling a bit lost without my pal Scooter. I've carried toy mice around, tried to get Lottie to snuggle in with me, purred loudly at Rachel -  although I still didn't let her stroke me for ages - and fidgeted a great deal all evening. I wish Scooter would come home. I don't like hanging out in the yard on my own. I'm a Team Player. Without a team.

Rachel says she is trying Positive Reframing. Let me try to remember what she said..... She can't think continuously of Scooter as being lost/trapped/suffering/dead, because it doesn't make any difference to whether or not he comes home, but just makes her very unhappy.

Instead she is imagining him as experimenting with a return to a free life as a feral cat, enjoying being in amongst the trees and eating wild food. If he likes it enough, he might stay there, and if he doesn't, then he might come home. And if he does come home, he might be happier with us instead of being scared half the time.

She says that it won't stop her from putting out notices about him and having long walks trying to find him. It won't stop her from being very sad without him, but it helps a bit with the worrying and the making up horrible scenarios. And she doesn't care if anyone laughs at her or says it's potted psych-something; she says it will stop her from having leaky eyes all the time.

If Scooter does come home, I hope he brings me a present from his holidays. A bird or a mouse, now that would be good. But it would be good just to see him back home, even if he didn't bring me anything. Come home, Scooter. The old bench is much nicer with you on it with me.