Mexican Cat Care 101

For the sake of our sanity and our marriage I flew with our two cats Pebbles (diabetic and disabled) and Wilma (healthy but has 2.75 legs) on December 1. There is only one animal per passenger allowed in the cabin of the aircraft so Wilma travelled with me and Pebbles had to go into the hold. A few tips I gathered on the journey:

DO fly WestJet (sorry Judy/Lyle): they were absolutely fantastic with both animals from the service at Calgary airport, pre-boarding and extra time allowed to get settled to receiving a formal receipt advising that Pebbles was safely on board.

DO try to grow at least one extra pair of hands before you leave: I had to remove both Pebbles and her bedding from her crate for security search/x-ray purposes. The lady who had checked me in was doing the best she could to assist me but was highly allergic to cats so had to get the help of another WestJet associate to become my second set of hands. Once we got over that hurdle I then had to remove Wilma from her carry-bag so that the bag could go through security (along with the rest of my hand luggage) and her and I could walk through the security scanner. At this point I no longer have my new best friend from WestJet but luckily the guy at security was very obliging in helping me get her back in the bag. I had visions of me chasing a 2.75-legged cat around the departure lounge....

DO make sure that your Calgary vet signs the health certificate in INK as opposed to a stamped signature: this will ensure that you don't spend an extra hour at Cancun airport waiting for a vet to come from Cancun who then just peers into the cages and agrees that they are healthy (duh!). Once again, those extra pair of hands would come in real 'handy' when you are trying to juggle a suitcase, backpack (with 2 laptops) and two separate cat containers after having to give up the airport cart but not quite outside the terminal where your husband is waiting.

DON'T assume that all cans of tuna are created equal: Pebbles spent the first day growling at the tuna that we tried to feed her.  Obviously the taste was not to her approval although we have no idea why not. A diabetic cat not eating poses a further problem that I won't go into but things are looking up a couple of days later (and with the benefit of canned cat food instead of tuna).

DON'T leave a litter box containing clumping cat litter on the balcony when there is even a remote possibility of rain. Clumping takes on a whole new meaning real quick. Aargh!!!

DO be patient: I think you'll agree that things are looking a little more relaxed now...