Dante Dilemma
Probably the least of my worries, but I'd like to start thinking about it ahead of time:
When I move next year, I plan to take the cats with me. The more I think about it, the more I don't know how I'm going to manage Dante.
He doesn't travel well. I mean, REALLY doesn't travel well. He pees the carrier on a drive to the vet; poops on a drive across town, not to mention the yowling, the scratching, the despair and the general freaking out...so I cringe to think what a cross-country journey would do to him, whether by air or by vehicle.
I'll have more of an idea of what to do when we figure out HOW we'll be getting down there. If we're flying, I could sedate him to make for an easier ride...but even on the best day, with instant connections, that's ten hours travel time from this house to final destination. Would sedatives last that long, and be safe for him?
If we're driving, on the other hand, we'd take about a week to get there. I'm not going to sedate him for that long a period of time (obviously), and I'd be afraid of his freaking out to the point of escaping, or having a heart attack or something.
The alternative, of course, is to leave him here. There's something I really don't want to do. He's not a young cat anymore, and though I know older cats can bond with new people (after all, he did with me), it's not something he's keen on doing. He's used to having Szara for company, and vice versa; at least if I get them both out there together, they'll be familiar to each other in a strange environment, which will be a comfort to them both.
But if I do leave him here, I'll want to find him a home far in advance of when I leave, a few months anyway, to make sure he's settled with his new people and get Szara used to the idea of being a lone cat. So, sometime next spring.
...Ironically, that's how he came to me in the first place: His people were moving to the east coast and couldn't take him with them. Perhaps I'm feeling some kind of guilt at the thought of "passing him off" once again?
(Aside: He's come to sit on my lap, which he doesn't do often. Wonder if he knows what's going through my head?)
By contrast, I'm not at all worried about Szara. She's a terrific traveller. She'll hop into her carrier and beg for a ride; walk on a leash so long as she gets to be with people; even pick a spot to sit in the car where she can look out the window and watch all the traffic go by. She's strange that way. But she doesn't, unfortunately, calm Dante down at all. He thinks she's a traitor to all felinity for enjoying it so much.
Oh, heck, you get to see Szara all the time. Here's a picture of Dante so you know who I'm going on about:
Alrighty, I'm going to ask the vet about the sedatives and travelling when we go in for vaccinations this summer, but I'd also like the advice of anyone here who's ever travelled with a cat. Thoughts? Thanks.
When I move next year, I plan to take the cats with me. The more I think about it, the more I don't know how I'm going to manage Dante.
He doesn't travel well. I mean, REALLY doesn't travel well. He pees the carrier on a drive to the vet; poops on a drive across town, not to mention the yowling, the scratching, the despair and the general freaking out...so I cringe to think what a cross-country journey would do to him, whether by air or by vehicle.
I'll have more of an idea of what to do when we figure out HOW we'll be getting down there. If we're flying, I could sedate him to make for an easier ride...but even on the best day, with instant connections, that's ten hours travel time from this house to final destination. Would sedatives last that long, and be safe for him?
If we're driving, on the other hand, we'd take about a week to get there. I'm not going to sedate him for that long a period of time (obviously), and I'd be afraid of his freaking out to the point of escaping, or having a heart attack or something.
The alternative, of course, is to leave him here. There's something I really don't want to do. He's not a young cat anymore, and though I know older cats can bond with new people (after all, he did with me), it's not something he's keen on doing. He's used to having Szara for company, and vice versa; at least if I get them both out there together, they'll be familiar to each other in a strange environment, which will be a comfort to them both.
But if I do leave him here, I'll want to find him a home far in advance of when I leave, a few months anyway, to make sure he's settled with his new people and get Szara used to the idea of being a lone cat. So, sometime next spring.
...Ironically, that's how he came to me in the first place: His people were moving to the east coast and couldn't take him with them. Perhaps I'm feeling some kind of guilt at the thought of "passing him off" once again?
(Aside: He's come to sit on my lap, which he doesn't do often. Wonder if he knows what's going through my head?)
By contrast, I'm not at all worried about Szara. She's a terrific traveller. She'll hop into her carrier and beg for a ride; walk on a leash so long as she gets to be with people; even pick a spot to sit in the car where she can look out the window and watch all the traffic go by. She's strange that way. But she doesn't, unfortunately, calm Dante down at all. He thinks she's a traitor to all felinity for enjoying it so much.
Oh, heck, you get to see Szara all the time. Here's a picture of Dante so you know who I'm going on about:
Alrighty, I'm going to ask the vet about the sedatives and travelling when we go in for vaccinations this summer, but I'd also like the advice of anyone here who's ever travelled with a cat. Thoughts? Thanks.