Car trips with cats

Well, it was finally time to take the fur kids to the vet for their checkups and vaccinations.  It was a moment I was dreading.
Apparently they could sense the mood change as well, which sent George into hiding behind the bed which is his normal refuge.  No problem.  Snagged him up and put him in the carrier.

George is considering the rabbit hole, a space about 4" square

Gracie then streaked across the floor and dove into the rabbit hole, a very small space between the bench seats and the couch that only a slim cat could dream of getting into.

Curses!  Foiled again.

After Left Brain dismantled the couch and pulled out the folding bed I was able to get a grip on her and weave her through the bed springs and into the carrier.  Whew. 

We set out with Left Brain driving and me riding in the back with George and Gracie.  George whimpered a bit but seemed to take it pretty good.  Gracie shivered and panted off and on throughout the journey, whether she was in the carrier, on my lap or on the floor.

Our first stop was at the human clinic where Left Brain needed to run in for a quick blood draw for some tests.  Yup, we are all going to the clinic today, except me.  I stayed in the car with the kids and did kitty comforting.

But we arrived on time without any major problems to see our favorite vet, Dr Havlik, at Sand Lake VCA clinic.

George was first and the exam revealed some determititis near his eyes and nose, apparently very common with orange kitties.  It makes sense when you consider that humans with red hair have much more sensitive skin as well.  But otherwise he was deemed sound and healthy.  He got his rabies shot and then had his microchip inserted.

Gracie was up next.  She did her very best impersonation of an invisible cat but to no avail.  She handled the exam well and only cried out when the microchip went in.

Now they will never trust me again as I told him we were going to go out and get some chips.  I think they envisioned fish and chips, but ...oh well.  We figure with our lifestyle it was important to have them chipped for maximum safety.

I asked the vet about the phernomes I'd seen in the pet centers and whether or not they really worked.  She strongly recommended this for easing their anxiety, so we bought the system that plugs in and used it on the way home.

It has a mild odor, but not unpleasant and soon we were all feeling kind of mellow.  I was hoping it didn't interfere with Left Brain's ability to drive.  It was reminiscent of being at a rock concert in the sixties and taking in the fragrant odors of....oh well, you know.

Let's just say that both cats were very relaxed, Gracie was almost falling asleep on the floor under the carseat.  Myself...I was singing a chorus of "feeling groovy".

The vet recommended feeding them primarily canned food  with the dry as back up only since cats (as well as us) are carnivores.  Now they will get wet food three times a day instead of just twice and I'm sure they will be thrilled. So I fixed up a little lunch for all of us and soon afterwards Left Brain went outside to enjoy the fresh air and the three of us all took a long nap. 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I can't say for sure it was the phernomes, for me I think it was relief to have this first hurdle passed.

Long Live the Queen of Mellow