Just a little back story...
For those of you who have never met my kitties, I have 2 of them. George and Louise. Once upon a time it was Thelma and Louise, but Thelma went missing (a very very sad day), and it was decided that Louise needed a new playmate. By that time we had started calling Louise "weezy", so it made sense that the new pairing, together, would become George and Weezy. (I can't help but think if we'd called her Weezer instead, that George might have been Shelby or M'lin. But I digress). So I now have 2 cats.
The thing about these silly children is that when someone comes to visit, George is the friendly one. She typically comes running to see who is visiting and looks at it as an opportunity to convince someone to pet her. Louise runs and hides. I've always tended to believe that Louise is the one who is more high-strung and that George is the easy going one. I suppose I should have known better when the Vet had me retrieve George out of her cage the day she went in for her check-up. Apparently there is a note on George's file as well; a warning to handle with extreme care. I guess it should have been my warning.
This is Louise before the trip. I think perhaps she's been hitting the bottle in preparation...
So the plan for the cats was to put each of them in their respective crate for the trip. The vet recommended that they stay in a small, confined space--they would be happier that way. When I got them into the car on Sunday morning, they both cried a little. George's cry can be better described as a yowl. And we quickly discovered that she is not inclined to stop yowling as quickly as Louise. Eventually they both settled down, with occasional outbursts from George. And a funny thing happened. Louise turned into this little zen-kitty. She would fall asleep, chill out, look out her crate, and purr when we talked to her. (Maybe it was the Skyy?) George just talked (yowled) back. And clawed at her crate as if she could somehow escape her Alcatraz-like conditions.
The original plan was that at night, in the hotel rooms, we would set up a larger cage and put them both in it with food and water. When we got to Williams the first night, we set up the cage and after giving each cat an opportunity to use the litter box in the bathroom, put them both in the cage. That didn't work so well. They started hissing and kitty boxing, which was slightly amusing, but not a good long term plan. So the pattern eventually became George staying in the cage and Louise sleeping in the larger of the 2 crates.
This is George being tormented by the iFish.
It looks like they are kissing, but I'm pretty sure George wanted to bite the fish's head off.
And maybe mine too.
The second day and night went about the same as the first. I will say that by the time we got to the third hotel on Tuesday night, both of the cats seemed to know the drill.
So when people ask how it went with the kitties, I can honestly say it went well. Lisa and Alicia were an incredible help in getting them out of the car, into the hotel each night, set up with their cage, fed, watered, and settled. And then packed up and back out each morning. I am so thankful they were along for the ride! No one needed tranquilizers either. Not even the humans.
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