I had agapanthus galore in Central Fl, both in a bed and in containers, and they never died back in zone 9--just got a little skinnier in winter. The container grown (3 separate plants) had to be repotted from a very large pot to an even larger one over a period of two years, so finally I put them in my front bed that got filtered sun by day and fierce, scorching sun from about 4 to 6 pm. As long as they were well watered, they never complained. I had to leave them behind when I moved...sigh. I hope to have them again, they just add so much to the garden when they are in bloom, and even after.

Marcia, I don't like moving woody plants in fall if I can help it. I would leave it where it is for now. Just MHO. Brenda, darn those sound like good sandwiches! You can definitely whip up a few of those for the shower. In England they are way more sandwich creative than us. Cuke and cream cheese... mmm. The best one I ever had was chicken salad with halved grapes in... wow it was amazing. You have to cut them in half or they shoot out when you bite them ;0)

Elderly cats do get kidney disease plus heart congestion, our 17 year old cat did and we gave medication, special foods and he hated it and was so thin. Talk about hard, I phoned and got an appointment and told my mom I did and started sobbing and she told me to cancel it. I did puzzled why? She said if its too hard, we won't do it. I said no, its time and I phoned back and my dad and I sobbed all the way there to the vet and then we had to wait while this lady had 4 cats to get checked and then it was our turn and the room they took us in was the same as they check the cats and there was others behind us and so it was a rushed goodbye and I didn't like that at all. We all sobbed and cried, he was my precious, I can still see him coming down the hallway upstairs in my parents place and him yelling his head off and I would say he needs his four hugs a day as he demanded them daily. He was my beloved and I miss him still alot and its been 6 years since we said goodbye. Its a huge gap in our lives when we lose our beloved pets, doesn't matter how little or how long they are with us, that bond is so deep and so strong. ((((((((((((((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

Sassy is a great beauty, and it wouldn't surprise me if someone has taken her in, whether or not they realized that she already had a home. And I think that the chances are that she is being loved and well-cared for. Cats also know how to find warm sheltered places to sleep, and so on, and Sassy's coat should keep her pretty comfortable. That said, I know I would be a mess if one of my cats disappeared like that! It would be unbearable, so I really sympathize with you. I have had 15 cats in my life and it has been my experience that they generally know where their home is and will hang around near it, even if they haven't been out before. But a female in heat...now a cat in that condition might roam farther, unless a Tom scents her and shows up on the doorstep, so to speak. Spaying will lessen or even remove a cat's desire to roam. Cats, unlike people, are stimulated to ovulate by mating, so if a Tom was hanging around, Sassy should have gotten pregnant pretty quickly, and her "heat" would end shortly thereafter (I forget if it is a matter of hours or a day or two.), and she should have come to her senses and tried to find her way home. It is true that she might get confused by a lot of apartments all looking similar, so by all means do leave familiar-smelling things in your yard. Once, when we were about to move from Japan to the States, I had to give two cats away to a friend, who foolishly just put them on collars and leashes the first day, in an area where they could get outdoors. Well, within hours they had both slipped the collars and disappeared. She called me and I rushed to her house, which was a 29-minute train ride and 15-minute walk away. You can imagine how churned up inside I was, the whole way there. We went around her neighborhood calling the cats' names, but nothing happened. Her family let me sleep that night in a little detached room in their garden. Before I went to bed, one of the cats came to the door of that room and cried to come in, and the other came round, crying at the door in the middle of the night, so we got them both back. In the end, they were left free to come and go at their new home, and they never got "lost" again, but this shows that cats can remember their way around, even in an unfamiliar place. I would expect that Sassy did not stray very far in the beginning, but probably some kind person picked her up and is caring for her. She may get loose from them someday and find her way home. I would not give up on walking around from time to time, calling her name. I agree with what others have said about the fence. If Sassy couldn't get under or through it, she could still have gotten over it. It is amazing how high a cat can jump, especially if the fence is a bit rough and she can get a bit of extra boost by putting her claws against it near the top. Our two cats have been microchipped. They hardly seemed to feel it at all. Vets usually use a sensor to check for microchips on stray cats people bring in, and a number of lost cats are recovered, thanks to that. The sensor actually reads and displays the number on the chip. Having your pet microchipped gives you a lot of peace of mind. Here's hoping you find your girl! Meanwhile, Lucky Girl is lovely, too, and I know she is in good hands with you until her owner can be found, or even if he/she cannot be found.