Major major drama tonight

It wasn't enough that it was 90 degrees in my house when I got home at 8pm. It wasn't enough that I left my cats in the backyard until 9pm with access to the fences cut off by the sprinklers (leaving PLENTY of room for them to explore). I just spent the last 30 minutes chasing Molly, who escaped from the kitchen window -- I hadn't realized that the screen was loose in one corner.

NOT FUN. Let's see . . . glass in foot while searching, shorts tore while chasing resulting in shorts continually falling down, neighbor's cat right at my feet the whole time further freaking Molly out, me trying to look nonchalant (read, not desparate to get her inside) with a flashlight in the pitch black, and, oh yes, me wandering into a nest of garden spiders. I had NO idea how strong and sticky their webs are. Did I mention my fear of spiders?

Molly's in. I honestly don't remember how I finally got her. Actually, I think it was the neighbor's cat, hot on my heels, Molly felt corner and sank to the ground, at which point I could get her scruff.

Did I mention how mad she is with me now? Of course, she keeps taking it out on poor Fiona, who's completely freaked and keeps trying to sniff her/give her a kiss, and Molly tears into her. She's going from window to window right now, my little caged lion. I think she might kill me in my sleep tonight (and then regret it in the morning when she can't figure out how to open those little cans of tuna).

I'm just relieved she's OK. I'm not that far from a pretty busy road with drivers who never look -- I don't know how I'd handle it if she were hit, but I definitely wouldn't handle it well. We also side stepped the big cat fight, which we would have all survived, but if she'd gone over a fence, I don't know if she has the street smarts to get back home. LOTS of mean toms in my neighborhood.

So the girls lost their back yard privileges. Maybe that makes me a mean mom, but I had to swear on stacks of bibles on their adoption that they'd be 100% indoors, and I remember too well the vet bills for my prior outdoor kitties.

Hopefully, the andrenaline will drain and I can sleep tonight . . . with one eye open.