I know I said I was going to post my booty from my grandparents' house, but it turns out, I cannot find it. I think I left the boxes at home and was going to bring them back next trip aka Thanksgiving. My car ended up being filled to the top after Thanksgiving weekend so I'll try to shove them in the car among the first thing upon arrival. That way, I can always say, "Sorry Mom! I can't fit all that food in my car in case I get stranded on the side of the road because I have to make space for other things," or "Sorry Dad! I can't fit a guitar in my car to deliver it because of the cats, presents, and the food Mom managed to sneak to my car when I wasn't looking. There might be some room in the cat carriers if you're interested?"
Like I mentioned, I'm taking the cats home this Christmas because I'll be gone for a week and their Grammy (aka my mom) wants to see her grandkitties since it's been so long. Last year was the first year I took them home and they had only been in the car a couple of times to go to the vet and once to move. Needless to say, they hate the car. All but Sylvester, but he doesn't mind much of anything. Except for a dirty litter box.
So last year I decide to get a game plan as to how to transport the kitties home. Giraffe had told me to get some Benadryl to give them to knock them out. The only kind I could find was bubblegum flavored. I tried Sylvester first but he freaked out like I poisoned him and threw it all up. I'd throw up too if it was bubblegum flavored, so I didn't fault him too much for that. So that was out.
So then I just start wrestling them into the carriers. Sylvester is the easiest to catch, so I thought I'd get him last. I knew I had to get Caramel in first because Butters would absolutely die if he thought he was being separated from sister. At this point, the cats are already understanding what's about to happen because they see the kennels in the living room floor. Now, Caramel is the smallest and most agile so catching her was going to be a challenge. She could fit under most anything. Luckily, I got her pretty quickly into the carrier after she made herself look like a big "X" trying to get her through the doorway.
Next came Butters. Butters is lazy, but as soon as he understood that I was about to shove him that big scary-looking gray box with his sister, he became active. I had to grab him by his scruff to put him with Caramel. Then the screaming started, and I'm not talking about just meowing from frustration. No, this was "Mommy's trying to kill us! Help!!" screaming. Eventually, Butters wore himself out and hyperventilated on the way home while Caramel put her face on her big brother's back to make him feel better. (I'm saying "aww" at the memory. I can't help it.)
Sylvester I just walked up to and led him into the carrier. He was all excited looking around like, "We're going for a ride? Where are we going?" like a dog minus the drooling. Butters was doing enough of that by freaking out.
I finally get them to the car with the rest of my packed things and I'm on my way. Sylvester was making a racket in his carrier, so I let him out with me. He's perfectly fine in the car just wandering around to look out the window and sleep in my lap. So I let him out since his noise could be upsetting Butters and Caramel. He got down in the passenger side foot at one point, and we're not even out of the city yet, and I hear the noise that makes pet owners (and parents too, I guess) cringe: Sylvester was throwing up. At that exact moment, I smell something that is not vomit, and want to die. It's coming from the carrier holding Butters and Caramel. Butters backside has completely exploded, and Caramel is up against the side not wanting to get dirty (she's kinda prissy like that).
I pull into the first gas station I can find, which was a very shady-looking one, but I didn't care. I had a situation on my hands. Well, their paws. Anyway, I have to keep Sylvester from running out the car door (that happened later in the trip...an old guy thought I was under his car talking to the air as I tried to coax Sylvester out. Turns out he really is like a dog and came when called. I'm not sure the old guy ever saw the cat and continues to think I'm crazy) while assessing the situation. I take Butters out of the big kennel to put him in Sylvester's, but his paws are covered. Thank goodness I had the foresight to put Wet Ones in my car months earlier. I earned Mom points that day, let me tell you. So I get him cleaned up and placed in the smaller kennel for the time being. I get some paper towels from the squeegee stand to clean up the kennel and my floorboard. Again, so glad I had used a friend's idea and put bathmats in the floorboards to make them softer and easier to clean. When I start mopping up the vomit, I realize Sylvester didn't just throw up on the mat. No. He also threw up on my purse. Thank goodness it wasn't cloth, but still. I'm thinking, "Can my luck get any better?"
It can. The whole time I was at the gas station cleaning all this up, a bunch of rednecks in beat up trucks are watching me do this and pointing and laughing. If only I could have made Sylvester attack on command. Not to mention, that whole episode with Sylvester jumping out of the car when I stopped to fill up with gas halfway home. I was so happy when I finally got home.
So this Christmas, I plan to not feed them a day in advance to make sure they get everything out of their systems for the ride. They can gorge themselves when they get home if they want.
I will now leave you with the "family" Christmas card this year with the precious felines. Since getting them all together is so much fun even when a kennel is not involved, I took the easy way out and used a Photoshop alternative.
Merry Christmas!
