Three weeks ago, I spent several days at the local hospital as my wife gave birth to our first daughter. I returned home on a Friday, and I found that my three-year old BP had escaped from his tub. Various clues have led me to believe that he had escaped on that Monday or Tuesday, so he was out for several days. I found him after a bit of searching, and I have made adjustments to endure that he will not be able to escape again.

Now, I have two cats at home, and after this whole fiasco of my wife and I going AWOL for a week plus the wild snake roaming the house, they were both quite spooked. In the past few weeks, my cat has returned to her normal self, but my wife’s cat has been constantly on edge. She cautiously inspects every object on the floor, examines every pair of shoes, and basically has just dedicated her life to making sure the snake isn’t present. She was even right there next to me when I found him and returned to his tub, but that did nothing to ease her mind.

Has anybody else had any similar experiences? I feel so terrible, and it’s honestly just heartbreaking to see that this cat is now living in a constant state of fear and paranoia. I wish I could find some way to show her that there are no snakes roaming the house, but nothing that I’ve tried has worked. Thank you in advance for any suggestions.