I’ve stepped down from my snuzzbox a few times before and mentioned that I’ll soon be traveling with my cat Tailer from Grythyttan, Sweden, to San Francisco, California. It’s a trip that will involve some heavy hours of “in-carrier” transport, somewhere in the neighborhood of approximately 20 hours straight, which seems a little furrightening, if you ask me. Oh, I’M not the one in the carrier? Whew. I guess it doesn’t seem that bad then. :)
Kidding aside, I have decided to film and document the trip, starting with the pre-trip preparations and an interview with our dog and cat vet Eric Barchas, and following up with some in-transit coverage. This kind of lengthy trip is nothing I have ever done with a pet and I know that there are more than likely other pet owners out there who might benefit from a little behind the scenes look at the process.
That said, here is the first video of my little cat’s trip, which consists of just a few thoughts of mine, a couple days before leaving. If you have any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment.
Updates from the road–and air–to follow.
Thanks–
anders
If the cat video is not embedded in your reader, you can watch it here.
Hitting the road to get @Tailr tomorrow – here’s the first video update: http://tinyurl.com/45k76r more to follow ;-)
Retweeting @Snuzzy: Retweeting @AndersP: Hitting the road to get @Tailr tomorrow – here’s the first video update: http://tinyurl.com/45k76r
MAN I THINK I WOOD FREEK OWT IF I HAD TO DO THAT THE LAST TIME I WINT TO THE VET I WAS A VARY VARY VARY GOOD BOY BUT THEY TOOK A LONG TIME LIKE 2 HOWRS AND SO ON THE WAY HOME I KRAPPED IN MY KARRIER AND PEEEE-YOOOO DID IT STINK MY LADEY AND THE TRIPPER DOWN MAN HAD THARE HEDS HANGIN’ OWT THE WINDOW OF THE BLOO MASHEEN LIKE HAPPY DOGS BUT THEY WERN’T HAPPY THEY WERE GASPING FOR BRETH AND I GOT A BATH WIN I GOT HOME I HOPE TAILER DUZN’T KRAP IN HIS KARRIER THAT WOOD SUK GOOD LUK TO BOTH OF YOO AND EVRYBUDDY HOO SITS BY YOO ON THE AIRPLANE.
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buy a crock to screw onto the door of his travel crate and freeze his water for the trip. It will slowly melt and not all spill when you have turbulence on the plane. There are travel litter trays as your kitty is not going to like the ‘wee wee’ pads. You place them in the back of the crate. They will bury their waste and won’t mind sitting on the litter tray. Otherwise the waste will be exposed and that can be very stressful on a cat.
I have traveled by plane TWICE when I moved from FL to VA and then when we moved back to FL again a couple years later. My Mommie’s biggest concern was with going through security; since I am an indoor cat, strange places and sights make me very scairt, and she was worried I would bolt and get lost in the Dulles or FLL airport!
Usually, at security they ask you to take the cat out of the carrier. The carrier goes through the x-ray machine and you are supposed to carry your cat through the walk-through metal detector. We asked the TSA officials at the airport if we could have a private screening instead. So, they took us to a little room and closed the door. They took me out of the carrier and sort of patted me down. Then they took the carrier and ran it through the x-ray machine and then brought it back for me. No fuss, no muss and I was safely inside a small, closed room for the whole screening. We send an e-mail thank you to the TSA people after we arrived.
I was quiet as a mouse in my Sherpa carrier under the seat for the entire flight!
I personally have never travelled that far but MANY of my relatives come from Germany by way of the airplane. My breeder goes and collects them and even lets them out on the plane. Because, well lets face it- a frootbat can out annoy even Mao anyday. Seriously, I had my humans wanting to return me on my ride from DC to Philly and that was only like 4 hours.
You rock Snuzzy! Good luck.
I have never travelled very far at all & never on a plane, but it sounds like you & Tailer will have quite an adventure together! Nothing like male bonding. Have a safe trip! Can’t wait to see your next video!
You are such a sweety to go so far to bring Tailer along with you! Kudos! Have a super trip :)
once tailer getz to san fransisko … will u be givin him sum english lessonz?
jus wunderin.
[...] was meant to get published yesterday, er, the day before yesterday, er, shortly after the first post… er… not today, anyhow, but I was having some editing problems before I left SF. These [...]
I flew to NYC from Seattle to go to my furever home, and Mom was so scared for me.
I would much rather have had her come get me though!
Your Dad does rock, Tailer!
PS
Jeter, will you be helping with the English lessons?
MOL!
So, I dropped them off at the airport this morning, in joy and sadness. Sad to say farewell to my dearest furry fluffy drooly always happy little kookoo and joyful for the fact he will have the best of loving down town home a cat ever can have! Off he went as the full moon set and the sun started to rise. It’s wild to imagine he is right now 11 000 meters above the ground, not roaming around under fallen logs in the forest trying to locate and catch a delicious “mousy” lunch snack, nor purringly sleeping on the sofa, nor drooling on this keyboard… Well. I now what he is doing now way high up in the sky. He just finished his “jummy pawtini”, thinking about ordering another one cause it was soooooo jummy and as it is such a big decision to make he needs to rest and think for a while as he is joyfully purring and drooling his way across the Atlantic to start a new fun adventure of his life!
Watch out SF, Tailer’s love is on it’s way! …and some of his notoriuos drooool… ENJOY!
I am very glad I found this series. Looking forward to finishing still laughing like now.
The teacher has already disrespected me by not acknowledging me as an individual. ,