Getting Noe up to our apartment in Bellevue is the last puzzle piece of our move, and frankly, has been the most stressful. We've been planning for it for the last couple of months. Our plan all along has been to have everything set up at the apartment before we bring Noe up. Her stuff is all set up and waiting for her: our bed has her favorite quilt and pillows, her favorite toys, her little rug, her litter box, and her dishes. We've also been waiting for a period of time that we knew we'd be able to be up in the Bellevue apartment for a few weeks before we have another trip away - didn't want to have to leave her alone in the apartment until after she's comfortably situated.
So, the time has come.... we bought our airline tickets, which includes having to pay an additional $125 to bring Noe with us. We had to plan in advance, as only certain types of planes will accommodate pets, in addition, only a certain amount of pets are allowed on any given flight. On top of that, only one pet is allowed in first/business class per flight.
Yes, it's true. We bought one-way business class tickets for this flight. We figured it would be a bit quieter, and maybe even slightly more roomy in the space under the seat in front of us, where Noe will go.
First class ticket for our kitten. :)
Noe's first plane ticket!
Now, you may be asking yourself, "Why all the fuss, and stress?"
Our little Noe, as sweet as she is the the two of us, really doesn't like other people. I mean, she really doesn't like anyone else. Our Gay Boyfriend, Noe's Uncle Christopher, has lived with us for about 3.5 years of Noe's 13 year old life. She still hisses and growls at him - and he takes care of her while we are away! She still hisses at my parents as well, and they've been visiting her since she was a week old kitten. I always say that it really only matters that she loves her Mama and Daddy, but yes, sadly, our little kitten doesn't have very good social skills....
Which is also part of my reasoning for why we don't have children: just look how our kitten turned out!
(I kid.... well, kind of...) ;)
Anyhow, even going to the V.E.T. is a terrible and traumatic experience for all of us. When we go, we have the give Noe a sedative before we leave the house. PLUS, once we're there, the vet has to either give her a shot, or put her in a acrylic tank and gas her, in order to knock her out completely. Otherwise, she turns completely feral, and can't be touched at all, by anyone, including Dick and I.
So, in preparation for tomorrow, we've done everything we possibly can to make the trip up to Seattle as painless/stress-free as possible. We had her annual vet appt on Monday, where the V.E.T. gave her a full check-up, and shots. I got a certificate of good health, and proof that she's had all of her shots. I must present this both to the airline tomorrow, as well as to the apartment building in Bellevue.
We also had a long discussion with the vet about how to best sedate Noe for the trek. He had two ideas: one of which included her regular sedation medication, as well as an additional one that was in liquid form. We did a trial run of those two medications Wednesday morning, and the results were less than desirable. (she never slept, and was very restless and paranoid for about 6 hours before she started to calm down.)
Instead, we're going with the other idea: a double dosage of her regular anti-anxiety pills (which, coincidentally, is the same medication that Dick takes when flying). I'll be giving her a single pill, with double the dosage. She takes pills surprisingly well, so I think that's the best tactic.
I've prepared her carrier for tomorrow as best as I can: I'll be lining it with a t-shirt that Dick has slept in for the past several nights. Hopefully, that'll calm her. Her carrier has already been lined with a piddle pad, in case she has an accident (has never happened in the car, but just in case). I also bought a spray that is supposed to help calm her - figured I'd try that for good measure. She'll also have her Thundershirt on. :)
After that, it's all up in the air! (ha - literally!)
I've called TSA in San Francisco, and also spoke with a TSA agent at the airport about traveling with pets. Apparently, in the best case scenario, they ask that you take your pets out of their carrier at security. Well, for a whole lot of reasons (ie: Noe will go FERAL) that's not going to work. I have been instructed to let a TSA security person know as soon as we get into line, and they should be able to bring us to a private room. At that point, they may still want to take her out of her carrier, but I'm really hoping that they'll just scan her carrier with a wand. (wishful thinking) This one is really out of our hands, and there's nothing we can do about it until we go through it tomorrow morning.
Once we're on the place, I'm bringing two towels - one to fold up and put on the floor underneath her carrier. The last few times I've flown, I've noticed how loud the noise is from the floor, and no doubt, there will be lots of vibrating. I'll also bring another towel to cover the carrier so she can't see too much.
If all goes as planned, or as well as possible, I'm thinking we can make it door-to-door within 6 hours. It's about a two hour flight, and that gives us two hours on either side.
Here's hoping for a smooth, non-eventful flight, and morning. Keeping our fingers crossed!!
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