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Show ft - vV "Andrew" said he would pose with his owners Ernie and Art Snyder just this one time. But, he said, if these guy's call me "Amy" or a "used cat" one more time or take me on a oneway ride, ph-s-s-st it's all over. Fat Cat Andrew Back Home After Accident ESCALANTE "Andrew, where are you?" ; Reward-for-lost-cat-signs were sent to dozens of businesses up and ' down the highway from Escalante to ' Mesa, Ariz. People were called and contacted in various ways in an effort to find "Andrew." Andrew escaped from his owner's car when she inadvertantly placed i her care in a ditch near milepost 110 south of Hatch one day last month. When Andrew first became master of the Snyder household, "she" was named "Amy" by Ernie and his wife, Arlevia (Art). Already set in his ways, an adult cat that the Snyders took a liking to, Amy got an "A" tattooed in his split right ear. When he got fat from too much attention, at-tention, the Sndyers took him to a vet to see when he would have his kittens. The vet looked him over and said bring "her" back in a while and we'll have another look at her. A short time and more fat later, Amy-Andrew Amy-Andrew was taken to the vet, and much to everybody's (except Andrew's) An-drew's) surprise, found out what Andrew knew all the time. He was a male. Andrew has ridden over 43,000 miles with the Snyders, and has kept a close eye on them every mile of the way. However, when the auto was wrecked on May 3, Andrew (probably remembering the Amy thing and the fact that the male side of his two owners once referred to him as a "used cat" may have decided this was a good time to put a little scare into the folks to make them understand that he was, after all, VIC (very important cat.) Jostled fully awake by the jarring accident, he simply disappeared into the bushes. From all that the folks say around Hatch, he apparently took over the neighborhood south of town, and had he remained just a short while longer, would surely have been the new "King of the Mountain." Andrew's temporary freedom when he exited the car in early May was a whole new way of life. From Kitty Litter and gourmet meals to open field and birds-on-the-wing was a new kind of thrill. However, there were no owners to push around, and Andrew, if he is anything, is a pushy cat. In his new domain, he began to feel the rigors of life in the rough, losing a little weight, and not a friend was there to tell the thirsty city slicker that a river was just a short walk way. When Andrew was finally spotted, he was perched on the roof of a shed, looking over his new kingdom, or maybe just hoping that Art and Ernie would find him and take him away from it all. And that's what happened. They were notified and soon Andrew was spirited away from south Hatch to his summer home in Escalante where he will hardly venture outside. out-side. Two weeks alone in the wilds of south Hatch were quite enough. Andrew should indeed consider himself very fortunate. His master, Ernie, is really Dr. Ernest Snyder, professor emeritus from Arizona State University, who spends half a year at his home in Escalante and the other half in Mesa. Snyder has authored several scientific works, among them three physical science books and one whimsical book on the often beautiful, sometimes comical, and occasionally bizarre saguaro cactus of Arizona. He has also authored "Arizona Outdoor Guide," published just recently by Golden West publishers of Phoenix, that is expected to become the bible for Arizona outdoor out-door enthusiasts. Snyder's wife Art, herself a teacher, has collaborated with her husband on some of the guide books and pamphlets the two have published. She is still recovering from injuries sustained in the early May accident, but will soon be healed. More importantly, the family is together again, and there is still some question as to who's boss. Depends upon whether you ask Andrew or the fellow who once called him a "used cat." |