So we got our cat carriers yesterday. As those of you who own cats know ("own" doesn't really fit when discussing cats...), they know that cat kennels never mean anything good. Normally kitties like little, dark, cave-like spaces, but after they get taken to the vet once in a cat carrier, that's it. No more fooling them.
These are great carriers we got, too. Finnigan and Mushi aren't all that big, though we had high hopes for them, especially Finnigan, to grow into one of those huge, tough cats. They're three years old, and Finnigan's pretty tough, but in a little sort of way. Well, he's almost 15 pounds...but how do those huge cats get so huge by the time they're 2? Mushi's even smaller, about 10 pounds...everytime we go to pet stores and see the cats up for adoption (and we always want to take them all home), all the cats over 2 years old are gigantic!
Anyway, that's a bit off the subject. The cat carriers. Our cats could likely fit comfortably in the next size down, but they're going to be stuck in these things for 23 hours, so we got the next size up. Brought 'em home, set them up, planted some kitty treats...Zac tried to shove Mushi in...she did the cat thing, held on to the outside of the door with all four paws. Z grabbed a couple and immediately the other ones held on tighter. This was funny to watch for a couple of minutes. Then I felt sorry for Mushi. "Hey, she'll go in, just leave the treats there," I suggested. A sort of growl came from Zac. "No, she's going in now!" It had become personal...So with my help, we were able to toss Mushi in, at which point her eyes got all wild and crazy until the shrimp-and-tuna cat treat scent registered. Then she was okay.
So one cat-related item checked off the moving list. Now we just hafta get the health certificates, microchips, and pay the $170 each to transplant these two to Tbilisi.
The last time we flew with a cat was taking Zoe to Texas from Belgium four years ago. It's actually pretty easy once you get to the airport, because you just check 'em on. That sounds heartless, and it probably is, because Zoe was never the same after that trip. By the time I saw her in Atlanta, her water bottle was missing and she was plastered to the very back of her carrier. She's black and shiny, and the only way I could tell she was in there was when her big yellow eyes would point my way. Not a peep from her. And still three hours to go. Three weeks later, we tried driving up to DC with her. Half an hour into the trip, it was very clear she would rather not make the move, so she lives in Boerne still. Now when we visit, we always almost think she's forgotten about the flight. She'll purr and be sweet and lovey, and then sink her little kitty teeth into our palms, with no warning. She has not forgotten. Or that could be because of her not-very-fun sterilization procedure in Belgium, or because of Queenie, another cat my parents inherited who is not best buds with Zoe...
Why not carry Mushi and Finnigan on? Just tuck 'em under the seat? Well, Northwest has a rule of one cat per cabin, so it would be very unfair to take one and not the other. Also, we are afraid they will yowl and smell and be miserable in public. There. I said it. We don't want to carry them on. Some of you may think we are cruel and do not deserve cats, but we stand firm.
p.s. Despite their picture, they are very happy cats.
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