Around 5:15am on Tuesday, Jasper escaped out onto the balcony when I went out to get my laundry.

(Yes, in Italy we put our laundry on a clothes line or clothes rack to dry. Normale.)

The units below mine have their own entrance, and so right below my balcony is the roof to my neighbor’s patio area. Previously, Jasper has jumped onto their roof and walked around. When I tried to call him, he just went the other way. That time, I’d just left the door open and went back inside. And about 5 minutes later, he came back inside.

So this time, that is what I did. I figured he would coming running when his food dispenser went off at 5:30.

I finished getting ready for work. Started looking for him but realized he wasn’t back inside. I checked his food bowl, but it was full.

I went onto the balcony to look for him but couldn’t see him. At this time, it was still mostly dark as the sun doesn’t rise until a bit after 6.

Around 6:30, I started to get worried. So I message my boss S to say I’d be late.

Another hour later, I was outside looking but no Jasper.

At 8:30, I had to head into work because I had a couple of things I had to do as the week before I had been on a work trip and in training. So I ran into work, cleared off my desk what I needed to, and then left work at 1:30. (My boss S is awesome.)

For the next 4 hours, I alternated between going out on the balcony looking around and walking around the neighborhood.

Still no Jasper.

At 5:30pm, I headed out one more time. I called his name & “here, kitten, pss pss.” And I finally heard a cry.

I saw a cat in a small walkway between a neighbor’s house and their retaining wall. The cat was hunched low to the ground but was in shadows. So I couldn’t tell if it was Jasper.

I called his name again and he kept crying, and rather loudly. I crouched down trying to get this cat to come to me —I couldn’t see any white on this cat. Jasper has a big white patch on his chest.

The neighbor saw me and asked me (in Italiano) if it was my cat. I said i think so, and she opened her gate for me.

Sure enough, it was Jasper. He was filthy and slightly wet. Since he was hunched on the ground, I feared he had been injured. I gently picked him up. Normally he doesn’t like to be held, but he cuddled right into me.

My supposition is once he got off the roof onto the ground, he got lost and could figure out how to get back. I’m just thankful he wasn’t injured (or worse).

Needless to say, he got a bath, which really didn’t make him happy. But it was really, really needed.

Immediately after the bath, he dove into his food because he hadn’t eaten in over 24 hours.

An hour later, he was on the chair, no remorse.

Typical cat.

As for me, I’ve since ordered a collar that has a neoprene sleeve for an airtag. And next time I have to go out on the balcony, he’s getting locked in the bathroom.

I do wish he had a go-pro on so I could see what mischief he got into, but I guess that will be his secret.