There do exist pet transport services. She could stay with someone else until she needed to be picked up and carried directly to your new address, skipping possible issues with A-kon and the extended travel. I have no idea how much these things run, but searching around for a bit there's certainly no lack of them out there. I'm willing to help however I can with that.
I never had any trouble with Cookie. She just liked putting her face in my face which was actually kinda cool lol. And there was the whole in heat thing, but eh.
Yeah, she's fixed now, so no more of that at least. She still does face cuddles, though. You're one of the only people she instantly was nice to. I guess it's because you're so relaxed. Mike's so loud and energetic, it took months for her to get used to him. Same with my sister, she freaks out any time she comes over.
Cookie will yowl if she's in a strange place and she can't see or hear me from where she is. And she may scratch and bite someone who is not made of whatever kitty magic makes her ok with them, so those services won't even deal with her, and she'll probably get kicked off a plane. If it was possible I wouldn't mind the expense of it, but I just don't know how it could be done.
There's some risk involved in all the options. It may be troubling for her to some degree, but the alternative of not having her anymore is worse than the potential risks or what-ifs I'd say. Maybe the adjustments and reacclimating would even have a positive effect on her social skills, or reset them? As for the pet-handlers, I'm sure they're used to all manner of bad behavior and from much larger critters.
I don't know pets so well myself, but I'm sure something will work out D:
I've had experience traveling with dogs but not a cat in particular. I do know that Best Westerns are pet friendly, but their pricing could vary. For the most part we've found them pretty affordable.
I've heard that Feliway is pretty good at calming some cats down which might help Cookie while in the carrier. It's a calming pheromone spray that might be better for her than keeping her drugged the entire time. (I agree, five days is too long to keep her tranquilized.) For the wetting you could try those disposable puppy pads for the hotel rooms, they could help give you a peace of mind so you don't have to worry about that part.
Yeah, I got this "calm kitty" stuff and it worked moderately to calm her down when there are outside noises I can't control setting her off (construction, kids at play, car alarms, and whatnot). But I read the ingredients and it's pretty much just alcohol. =/
I've been wanting to try those hormone products too, but they are super expensive so I haven't yet had the chance. Maybe I'll try it out and see if it works on her before I buy a whole lot.
I haven't tried any of the hormone stuff myself, but I know some people who it has worked for. Trying it out is a good idea, because I've heard of cats which don't respond to it at all.
Haven't commented before, but I came across your journal after checking out your comics and deviantart. And I have three occasionally anxious cats, myself.
A note on the alcohol: you might know already, but it's not just using the alcohol to get your cat a little drunk and less anxious. The pheromones or spices they use dissolve and stay stable better in alcohol, and it evaporates well, too. (That said, the stuff has rarely helped with my cat who HATES car rides - if she's stressed enough, she just seems to ignore it.)
Problem with the plane is #1, my city airport is municipal and not international, so a direct flight will cost about $800 a ticket, and I'd still have to fly back a second time to move all of my belongings. #2, airlines won't deal with an animal that's fussy. If it's yowling, hissing, scratching, or biting, they just won't allow it to be on the plane.
I found a service that will move her for $600, but that's like a whole month's pay for me.
Well, as for the belongings, I would surface mail as much as I can over to my new place (you are moving house right? Sorry if I sound a bit stupid because I haven't been on LJ much to catch up on posts X_X) but for some odd reason, mail there seems to be really expensive o_O;;;
If the airplane's not an option, I'm afraid you'll really have to skip A-con and go straight to your destination to get your kitty settled down x.x' That seems to me, like a cheaper option. As for the two nights in a hotel to get to Tuscon part, this might sound strange but can one of you sleep in the hotel room and the other one sleep in the car with the kitty? o_o'
From what I'm reading here, I'm sorry to say but A-con really really shouldn't be on your list of priorities here when you have Cookie who reacts the same way as my kitty Leo x.x'
Unfortunately I can't just skip A-kon either since it is part of my job. =/ If it was just a matter of having a fun time, then I'd skip it. But by not opening my shop, I'm out anywhere from $800 to $1200 of money I could really really use right now
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I never had any trouble with Cookie. She just liked putting her face in my face which was actually kinda cool lol. And there was the whole in heat thing, but eh.
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Cookie will yowl if she's in a strange place and she can't see or hear me from where she is. And she may scratch and bite someone who is not made of whatever kitty magic makes her ok with them, so those services won't even deal with her, and she'll probably get kicked off a plane. If it was possible I wouldn't mind the expense of it, but I just don't know how it could be done.
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I don't know pets so well myself, but I'm sure something will work out D:
appropriate happycat
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Having a pet is such a responsibility because life can change at any moment and they are much harder to adapt to changes than yourself. -_-;;
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I've heard that Feliway is pretty good at calming some cats down which might help Cookie while in the carrier. It's a calming pheromone spray that might be better for her than keeping her drugged the entire time. (I agree, five days is too long to keep her tranquilized.) For the wetting you could try those disposable puppy pads for the hotel rooms, they could help give you a peace of mind so you don't have to worry about that part.
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Yeah, I got this "calm kitty" stuff and it worked moderately to calm her down when there are outside noises I can't control setting her off (construction, kids at play, car alarms, and whatnot). But I read the ingredients and it's pretty much just alcohol. =/
I've been wanting to try those hormone products too, but they are super expensive so I haven't yet had the chance. Maybe I'll try it out and see if it works on her before I buy a whole lot.
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I haven't tried any of the hormone stuff myself, but I know some people who it has worked for. Trying it out is a good idea, because I've heard of cats which don't respond to it at all.
Good luck!
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A note on the alcohol: you might know already, but it's not just using the alcohol to get your cat a little drunk and less anxious. The pheromones or spices they use dissolve and stay stable better in alcohol, and it evaporates well, too. (That said, the stuff has rarely helped with my cat who HATES car rides - if she's stressed enough, she just seems to ignore it.)
My vet recently recommended these "Composure" cat treats for nervous cats, which I've ordered to try out: http://www.amazon.com/Vetri-Science-Composure-Feline-Bite-Sized-Chews/dp/B003KV7XVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335023328&sr=8-1 OF course, the reviews say they don't work on all cats.
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I'd rather you pick her up on the plane because that'll save your A-Con experience from being ruined or if push comes to shove, skip A-con.
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I found a service that will move her for $600, but that's like a whole month's pay for me.
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Well, as for the belongings, I would surface mail as much as I can over to my new place (you are moving house right? Sorry if I sound a bit stupid because I haven't been on LJ much to catch up on posts X_X) but for some odd reason, mail there seems to be really expensive o_O;;;
If the airplane's not an option, I'm afraid you'll really have to skip A-con and go straight to your destination to get your kitty settled down x.x' That seems to me, like a cheaper option. As for the two nights in a hotel to get to Tuscon part, this might sound strange but can one of you sleep in the hotel room and the other one sleep in the car with the kitty? o_o'
From what I'm reading here, I'm sorry to say but A-con really really shouldn't be on your list of priorities here when you have Cookie who reacts the same way as my kitty Leo x.x'
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