I am a fucking idiot

I was driving home this evening and I saw a dead fox in the road. He looked a little like Charlie, and I thought about how glad I was that my cats are now indoor only. Losing Harvey was so painful, and I can't allow any other of my cats to die on the road.

So I got in, fed the dog and whipped her out for a walk. She was pulling a little as I was running late and she clearly needed to go. So I didn't check the front door that thoroughly.

I got back with Lila to find my front door WIDE OPEN. Frankie was sat in the doorway looking really bemused (not too much of a stretch from his normal state of affairs) but Ellie, our little adventuress was nowhere to be seen.

I ran around the house like a madwoman doing a head count. Charlie and Oz were on the stairs, and Holly was sat in her usual spot in our bedroom. I couldn't find Willy but then spied a tail poking out from under the quilt. STILL no Ellie.

Naturally I'm getting frantic. It is pitch black outside (there are no lights in our village) and Ellie is not easy to bring in if she isn't ready.

Then I hear a feeble miaow. I looked around, assuming that it was coming from outside.

Turns out that when I left the house, I accidently shut Ellie in the conservatory, where she had spent the last couple of hours whilst I was out . The heating doesn't work in there and she had no water. I checked before I shut the window, but she must have been hiding in the Christmas tree again.

I am such an irresponsible idiot.