As I began to plan my temporary move to the D.C. area it became apparent that I would need to take PhannyCat (hereafter referred to as PC) with me. She had not fared well during my trip there for a few weeks. This was not due to the care she received; that was fine. However, she was separated from Mack who spent most of his time with my son's dogs outside and her own reluctance to socialize with her caretakers and their cats. So . . . I planned carefully on how to make this long drive. She abhors car travel and makes horrible, very low pitched meows about every 10 seconds and pees all over her carrier just in the less than 30 min. drive to the vet's. When we went in for her annual shots in July I asked for a tranquilizer to help her on the drive. The vet gave me some pills and suggested I give her only 1/2 pill about 20 min. before departure. O.K.!
Next I visited two pet stores looking for a much larger carrier that would house a small tub with kitty litter and water container and still leave her room to stand up, turn around, and lie down. I found one that would work perfectly, was light weight, had ample ventilation, and the door could swing from either side. PERFECT!
Tues., July 24, 8:32 a.m.: The car crammed with everything I could wedge into it, PC's carrier with her medicated secured, I drove out of the backyard. We were ready for our 1200 mile journey.
8:34 a.m.: I bought a coffee at Burger King, not having taken time to caffeinate myself. I mentally cursed BK for the little flap that kept dropping back in place after each sip. But, we were really on our way.
PC was making her usual loud angry sounds with her usual regularity, and I tried talking in a soothing voice describing the environment we were traversing:
"We're crossing the Red River now."
"Bossier City really needs to repair its potholes in the interstate."
"Those pine trees are just gorgeous."
She just got louder.
Next I heard this banging and rattling. She was grabbing the ventilation sides of the carrier and trying to rip them out. I began to fear she might succeed, and the thought of an angry cat loose in my car rolling down the highway at 70 mph. really scared me. Then all was quiet---for about 5 min.
A terrible scraping sound erupted from the back seat, and pellets started hitting the dashboard of the car. PC was raking kitty litter out of her little bathroom with a vengeance. I'm not sure how long this went on, but it seemed like forever. I wondered if there would be anything left in the tub for her use. Finally she stopped. The silence was almost as frightening as the pandemonium.
A few minutes later as I began to relax and started to brush the particles of kitty litter off the back of my neck I mentally apologized to Burger King and thanked them for the little flap on the coffee cup. Also I looked at my watch: 9:42 a.m. "How long is this trip going to take?" I wondered.
The deep, loud meows gradually reduced, and by noon she was fairly quiet. I stopped for gasoline and potty break in Mississippi and went through a drive-through next to the gas station for a couple of tacos. The first time in my life I've had Russian dressing/pink mayonnaise on a taco. Our next stop was in Alabama at the state's welcome center. There I acquired a map so I could figure out where my road changes were, i.e. in which state they were expected to be. Google doesn't bother to tell one that.
The book on tape (Digging to America by Anne Tyler) I finally started about noon seemed to calm PC somewhat. I really loved the story, but PC didn't comment on it. When we finally stopped for the night in Chattanooga, TN we had a few more surprises.
The desk man at the Best Western quoted me the $99 night's rate, and I placed a $100 bill on the counter. Then I asked about a senior discount, and he gave me $10 back and whipped out a form for me to sign promising that I was the sole occupant and had no pets. I said, "I have a cat," whereupon he snatched the $10 back, scratched through the pet denial statement and waited for my signature.
I unloaded PC and me into our room and walked next door to buy a salad from Wendy's which I brought back to the room. When I released PC from her carrier she quickly explored the room, bathroom and began to eat from the dish I put out for her. The water in her container looked as if it had been scooped from a puddle at a construction site after a rain storm---very mucky/yucky. She still had some litter left though a great deal of it was strewn about the carrier. She, of course, had numerous little clods in her fur all over her body. When I went to bed she immediately stretched her gritty little body out on top of me. I fell asleep working little clumps off of her.
DAY TWO . . .
was much quieter. We chose not to try another dose of the alleged tranquilizer, and PC only offered slight resistance to being tucked into her carrier. The day went smoothly, and we made good progress to the point that I called Goo and told her to expect us about six to six-thirty. Silly me! Once we hit the immediate D.C. area and encountered the rush hour (a misnomer if there ever was one) traffic we were slowed enormously. We arrived about an hour later than I expected. As we started making ourselves at home and PC explored, Goo innocently asked, "Has PhannyCat been taking tap dance lessons?" She was definitely clicking across the parquet floors of the apartment. Removing all the grit and cleaning the carrier was a tedious and long project, and I've elected to spare you the details. You can see she's adapted to her new surroundings.
Before I leave the PC topic I just want to point out that she has been a "one woman cat" for the past eight years and even denied other family members who visited fairly often the pleasure of petting her. This move has apparently caused a metamorphosis. Here she is about an hour and a half after this woman, whom she'd never seen before, came for a visit about three weeks ago.
