FLASHBACK: Cat will Travel

Getting your pet ready to move abroad is a pain in the ass! Thankfully, Spain ( which is what I originally had him prepped for ) and Italy had similiar policies and neither required quarrantine.

Originally was to leave for BCN end of June so took him for his physical and Eurochip. It has to be a specific model compatable with the scanners here. For the chip, physical, rabies and other booster shots, plus to fill out the paperwork ( for SPAIN) my vet charged me $780 That's NY for ya.That didn't include a few months of his Tapozol scrip. Bear had an overactive Thyroid. Used to be 23 lb. That's another 60$ p month. Then things got pushed back and I found out he had to be reexamined within 10 days of flying and new paperwork now for Italy add another 250$. Not done yet. I had my housekeeper , who also doubled as Bears nanny for 6 years who was in NY area take him for a week so I could visit my brother and his family before I left, so down to S Florida I went. It was in Miami that it took 2 trips to the APHIS dept. of the USDA to get the proper stamps so that the Italians would let him in.

Aug 6, 2008  Day of travel. All I'll say is I flew on a buddy pass. Robin worked as a flight attendant. I bought the Sherpa doggy travel bag for Bear. He was at the time an 18 lb Maine Coone/ Norwegian Forest mix so he needed a sturdy bag. We were really late arriving at airport and Robin who was flying with went to park while I checked in. Let me say that JFK is a cluster %^^* ! Complete disarray!

Robin was in uniform and went through security first. I waited in line about 45 minutes and when I finally got up there to my horror they asked me to remove Bear from his carrier. Oh No!

Let's meet Bear shall we:

A housewarming gift from my sister when I moved to LA in 97. Best gift I ever received hands down!!!! Awww, he looks so sweet and cute and innocent, NOT! Well sometimes but def not always. He was a HUGE cat with a bigger attitude problem , CATTITUDE HE HAD! A cat who's file at the vet had a large Yellow Caution sticker on it (True).

Exhibit 1: My Brother in law swears that when they kitty sat Bear at a tender age of 9 months he ran my Bro-in-Law down on hind legs while growling and swatting at him claws out- ergo nickname by said sister's husband Kung- Fu Kitty!

Exhibit 2: When Bear was 3 years old  I was living in Chicago and set to go on vacation for a week. I had enlisted my brother in law's BFF Marcel to kitty sit Bear at my loft downtown. Problem was, Marcel had just gotten a kitten named Tinky and he lived 30 minutes north of downtown. So he thought he would bring Tinky by, to meet Bear and he could stay at my place with both the cats.

So without incident Marcel brought Tinky into the apt., she was a tiny little thing and Tinky ran right under the bed. Bear was napping so had no clue another cat was in the house, until he woke up! Next you know we see the bed moving and horrible sounds, growls and screeches, Marcel dives for the bed and turns it on it's side swoops up Tinky and runs for the bathroom!!! But he wasn't quick enough to escape the claws of Bears mitts . Bear lunged at Marcels legs. I ran toward the bathroom but Bear was guarding the door and that cat had the nerve to GROWL at me, a literal growl, I ran the other way. Maybe my brother- in - law had been right all this time.

I finally made it into the bathroom myself but not unwounded, cat scratches down my leg, blood and lol, when I got in there and asked Marcel if he was ok he dropped his pants and I couldn't help but laugh, he too with gaping long cat scratches that had gone thru his jeans. It took one hairdryer ( Bear was scared of them), one roll-a-way suitcase ( scared of that too), 2 hours being held hostage in a bathroom ( with one cell call to my brother in law) I actually thought I could hear him pee in his pants from laughter, and a xanax for me afterwards to end this stand-off

Exhibit 3:The week before I left I brought him to be groomed at the Vet.Not even down the street and the groomer called and said he could not finish, Bear had attacked him, he will not charge me. PLEASE come get him.NOW!  Well, when I picked him up he had a huge bald spot on his shoulder. Needless to say I was not happy and neither was he. 

So, there you go. You can see why when that TSA agent asked me to remove cute kitty from his carrier I hesitated. I told her he was very stressed out and she could see how big he was. He was practically busting out of that dog carrier. She leaned in to get a closer look and then as if on cue Bear let out a scary mary HISS!!! Teeth and all. This TSA woman was no dainty flower, she was a big girl but she backed the hell away from that carrier as fast as she could. I asked if she still wanted me to take him out and her reply," No, I don't think it's necessary, I can wand the carrier and feel around the inside". Realizing what she just said she quickly corrected herself to," I'll just wand the carrier, on the OUTSIDE" Yeah thought so and thru security we went.

We flew Biz class ( Buddy pass perks), I kept Bear in his carrier but on my seat when reclined with the front flap door open so he could see me. I did not sleep.I was thankful that Biz class was practically empty and that the people that were seated there were not cat allergic. He made not a peep the entire flight, enjoyed a little chicken, a few whiskas treats, he took a nap, even purred. He was a trooper!

We arrived at Pisa around 11:30 am. Got our bags, quick thru customs and guess what? THEY NEVER CHECKED BEAR"S PAPERS! Never even asked! Never said is that an animal, he did not get his Euro pet passport ( a real thing) and I was pissed I had spent almost a grand to get this cat ready to go.


I suppose looking back the thing that stressed me out the most about moving abroad was not the language barrier or culture shock, it was my cat. He was my kid. My cat who had never spent a night in kennel and in 11 years (at the time I moved), beside venturing into the hall of my apartment buildings had only traveled twice. Once to Chicago from LA when I moved there and the other to Hoboken when I moved back to the NY area after Chicago. How would he handle the travel? Better than he handled Tinky ;)