I want to thank those of you who contacted me about my missing cat, Sparky, even though the messages mostly reported sightings of wild geese. I was actually on the verge of adopting a gray-white kitten one neighbor had been sure was mine when Sparky returned by herself, trotting into the backyard one afternoon about a week and a half after disappearing, looking very emaciated, starved for affection and quite dirty--her white paws were a shade of gray lighter than the rest of her, and, after a few moments of joyful, hyper-ventilating affection, I realized my mouth and eyes were taking in quite a lot of grit. She got a bath she did not like at all and then some rare culinary treats prepared especially to her taste. She's been meowing more than she used to, but she's still too dumb to tell us anything about her adventure. To my relief, she's been staying quite close since her reappearance. I guess she's down at least to eight lives now. Thank you again for the messages of aid and interest, one of the nicest experiences in my 37 years in this fine neighborhood. Peter Gillespie