Dept. of Seattle

[kaffy_r]

Cats Safely Delivered, Humans Recovering

I thought of titling this "Eight Hours, My Ass." That's what the vets told us about the sedative they said was safe to give to Tommy and Lily for the trip from Chicago to Seattle.

Well, after the fun of chasing them around our place, capturing them with much blood loss on our part, and forcing the pills down their throats, after almost a full day of having no food or water (again, something that was advised, this in some reading I did about traveling with cats or other pets; feed them very little before the trip, so they won't be stressed by potentially having to spend time in a carrier with their own excrement), we figured they'd be zoned out within the hour. 

They were still yowling a bit on the interminable Friday afternoon drive to O'Hare, for which we owe our friend Jack many, many thanks, but seemed to be pretty somnolent when we had to haul them out of their carriers for the TSA people to inspect. Yes, they needed to check our dangerous purple soft-sided carriers.

Then we had to wait while the Air Alaska personnel got word from Seattle that it was OK to start on the journey. We hadn't known until then that Sea-Tac is down one runway. We were on hold for half an hour and then it was - and I kid you not - "Everyone for Flight 51 has to board right NOW, if we're not in the air by 6:08 (it was 5:52 or so), we won't be able to fly until 11 p.m., Hurry, Hurry!" And then, of course, we didn't get up in the air until 7 p.m.

But just as we were walking down the ramp to get onto the plane - they woke up. And yowled. And yowled.  For all of a four-hour flight. Well, to be fair, Tommy stayed pretty 'luded out for about 2.5 hours, and Lily would stop for 10 minutes or so at a time, and the plane was loud enough that people couldn't hear a lot of her howling. But I was painfully aware of its effects on those who could hear it. More awfully, I was aware of how much they hated being in the carriers - by this time, four hours before we even got off the ground - and I sympathized with their occasionally desperate attempts to claw themselves out.

I also almost let Lily out because I made the mistake of reaching inside the carrier to try to pet her. She quickly realized that she could her head and one paw out past my hand. My life passed before my eyes as I imagined the headlines: "Escaped cat terrorizes plane full of horrified passengers." Luckily, I was able to force her head back inside without inadvertently breaking her neck. 

Another problem we had during the flight; we had to put our regular carry-on stuff, my purse and Bob's backpack, in the overheads because the cats were under our seats. And of course, we were all being loaded onto the plane so fast that we didn't get a chance to get our Kindles out before we had to sit down. And  I forgot to get my painkillers out of my purse. And neither of us wanted to get up and away from the cats to rummage around the overhead, thereby bothering people even more ....

But we made it. We all made it, and the cats are with their beloved humans, and we were able to sleep happily, knowing that we had delivered them. And we had a pretty cool day here in Edmonds, recovering. Tomorrow we go to downtown Seattle to do Touristy Things (including the Chihuly museum.) So the vacation part of my vacation has started. I'll finish with this picture of Bob, Andy, and Em at the cafe where we had brunch today.) 


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Comments

[sovay]

But we made it. We all made it, and the cats are with their beloved humans, and we were able to sleep happily, knowing that we had delivered them.

Mazel tov!

[kaffy_r]

Thanks - we were truly stressed out about the journey, and in the middle of that flight, I turned to Bob and said, grinning, "Well, at least I have the satisfaction of knowing it was precisely as awful as I thought it would be."

Go, me. Heh.

[promethia_tenk]

lol.

[kaffy_r]

We know how to have fun, we do ....

[lilacsigil]

Oh god, flying with cats, what a nightmare! I'm glad you all survived (and don't have to do it again!)

[kaffy_r]

It should have been much easier; the way it was planned ... but you're right; we survived, they survived, and we don't have to do it again. In fact, I told Bob that even if the kids move back to Chicago, we're going to tell them they'll have to find a different way to get the cats back here.

[thisbluespirit]

Oh, dear! Poor you! Poor cats! I'm glad it's done now, and you can make the return cat-free.

Have a lovely time in Seattle! (I have actually been to Seattle and loved it a lot, although that was over 20 years ago now.)

[kaffy_r]

Thanks - and we have been enjoying Seattle. It's cool to know that you were out here once; just a fun trip, or for business?

[thisbluespirit]

It was back when I was at uni - a friend and I went out to visit another friend, who came from Oak Harbor, and who had been an exchange student for our first year, so it was for pleasure! We went to Seattle twice, as we loved it so much, spent a week with M (our friend) in her university town at the south of the state & also fitted in three days in Victoria.

(I have not been many places in the world, but that summer I went to the US, briefly over the border to Canada, and also to Uganda.)

[kaffy_r]

Uganda; wow! And I'm glad you were able to fit in a visit to a section of My Home and Native Land, too.

[thisbluespirit]

Yes, ironically enough, the one place in Canada I have been is the same areas where a relative of mine was once held captive (as I've talked about before), although I didn't know that at the time. I haven't been to your side of it!

Uganda was indeed amazing. I went out as part of a group who were invited there to help with a theological college in Gulu, in northern Uganda, that had been badly damaged in the guerrilla fighting that was still ongoing there at the time, so we really weren't in the tourist areas! It was a very memorable experience in lots of ways.

[kaffy_r]

You really are quite amazing, you know that, don't you?

[thisbluespirit]

I really am not, but thank you! (Well, save in the sense that we all are!) I had a very interesting 1997, though!

People who are amazing include the man we met out there who carefully stood by a freshly dug up patch on the path to warn us, because he thought it might be a landmine and knew we wouldn't have a clue and would walk on it otherwise.

[kaffy_r]

That is a remarkable event; how lucky you were that he was there, and how brave he was to stay where he was to warn you.

And yes we all are amazing. After all, in 900 years of time and space, he never met anyone who wasn't important. Heh.

[thisbluespirit]

It wasn't a landmine, but the thing is that he didn't know that when he stood there.

After all, in 900 years of time and space, he never met anyone who wasn't important.

<3

[promethia_tenk]

That sounds hellish. Glad you're on to the fun part!

[kaffy_r]

You and me both ....

[liadt]

Oh gosh, I glad you got through it. I'm glad the cats are happy now. My cat hates travelling as well.

[kaffy_r]

The kitties have been acclimating quite happily to their new home. It's noticeably smaller than their old home, but they don't seem to care.

[liadt]

I'm glad the kitties like their new home after all the travelling!

[kaffy_r]

I think they probably would have liked anything that was larger than their carriers, but they were also happy to get back to their particular humans.