Amon, the Hidden One

I never thought I would get a cat. The scratching, biting...overall, just being highly picky about what they want just deterred me away for a while. My roommates had a friend who took in a stray cat, who had kittens about a week later of being in the house (surprise!). She messaged my roommates about taking a kitten. In turn, they asked if I wanted one.

Sure. What could possibly go wrong?

We met the kittens once they were old enough. A few introductions that are meaningless beyond this point:

There was little Malcolm, the daredevil. His first impression was leaping from the arms of our friend from the fourth stair up and onto the ground floor. I miss the little Evil Knieval.

Then there was my future cat. Quiet as can be and settled down into my arms like he was already home. He was unsure of Malcolm for the most part and watched his brother like he was nuts (which he was).

We took this quiet kitten home, naturally.

A little background on the name Amon is in order. I have expressed myself as pagan for a while now and have been weirdly more connected to the Egyptian pantheon than the others. I will have my heart weighed against a feather and I will have a better next life. All of that good, good religious belief that I'll skip over for the most part. Amon is considered the king of the gods who gave a voice to the oppressed. In physical depictions, he is often painted blue for invisibility.

So I named my cat Amon. t

The Hidden One.

Because he's a black cat.

And I worked third shift at the time.

So I couldn't see him when I got home from work.

All the time.

Now the real story:

I was sleeping at the time during the mid-afternoon when maintenance came out to work on something. I woke up to them working. I had thought they were on the inside working on something in the kitchen, like our dishwasher. I got up as soon as they left, about an hour later.

I went to feed the cats. Two came out - one Gretchen and one Jarvis. And then number three, Moo Moo. And...where's number four? Amon?

Now I panic.

I search the house. I'm moving boxes. I'm pulling sewing equipment out. I'm moving gaming consoles. Bookshelves. Beds. You name it. I'm having a panic attack over where my cat could possibly be in this house. At some point, I end up calling a friend of mine, Alan, who has bonded completely with Amon. As in this guy is Amon's hunting buddy and will run to him to hunt for ceiling snacks kind of bonding.

I tell Alan everything. I stop.

"He must've run out when maintenance was here," I said, the tears starting.

"I'll be right over," is the only response I get from Alan.

In a short 10 minutes, Alan and I are out scouring the neighborhoods. I'm messaging my landlords to see if maintenance had seen a little black cat run from them.

They were not in the house. I hope you find him soon! We'll be on the lookout for you too!

This is the message I get.

Cue the sailor mouth.Alan turns around and we're back at the apartment. By this point, I'm in tears, terrified and angry. My hand is shaking as I try to unlock the door. Once I get it unlocked, I slowly open the door.

I see three cats thus far. Gretchen, Jarvis, and one Moo.

Then right there, past the three, in the doorway to the sewing room is Amon.

Sitting there. Wide-eyed wonderment. Like a kitten.

"Where. Were. You?" I'm angry and upset. He comes running. He demands to be picked up, to which I oblige. I snuggle him and hold tight and let the tears flow. He then wiggles out of my grasp to say hello to Alan.

Amon is now on the ground, looking at the two of us. Expectantly.

He moves forward towards the sewing room again. He looks back at us to be sure that we are following. We do. He leads us to one of my roommates' desks. He then looks back at me in particular.

Amon begins to slink his way behind the desk. Turns himself around. Then blatantly stares at me through a gap.

"I was here, Mom. Right here. Why didn't you see me?"

He was behind the desk the entire time I was searching for him, getting a panic attack. It was then that I realized I needed Amon more than he needed me. This is where my mental health has gone and I'm okay with this.

He has proven that he can get into places that I cannot imagine. He rolls so high on his stealth checks that it's impossible to find him most days.

He has rightfully earned his name.

Amon, the Hidden One.