Ideas for transporting a cat long distance?

(Robin Colleen Moore) wrote in message ...
Hello again--I used to post here a couple of years ago, and yours truly,
prodigal daughter, has returned to the fold in search of information and
help with a problem.

Basically, what is the best way to transport a cat long-distance from
Boston to Sacramento, if a human can't actually fly out to deliver it
and then head back home? Without getting into the whole long and sordid
story (and trust me, it's both), my housemate and I are looking after a
friend's very sweet 15-year-old female black cat named Bast, who we
can't keep due to imminent Armageddon on the part of my 2 cats in
reaction to the usurper's arrival this evening. However, we have been
able to contact a friend of the original owner in Sacramento, and Bast
can have a home out there, with either the original owner or the friend.
*Now* the question is...how to get her out there? None of us can afford
to board a plane with her, fly to Sacramento, drop her off and then turn
around and head home, so that's out of the question. We *could* pay to
have her flown out there by herself, although we're not sure how much
that would cost (we can't afford to pay too much, alas), and we're
admittedly concerned about the idea of her spending several hours in the
cargo hold. I know a couple of years ago that, when a poster in the
Northwest had to give up her cat, another poster in the Midwest took him
in, and some kind of long-distance truck transportation was arranged by
various caring individuals, but I don't remember the details, or even
know if such a thing would be feasible.

Suggestions, anyone? Bast is an older cat, but in very good health; she
is, however, rather high-strung, so I don't doubt prodigious amounts of
tranquilizers will be needed to make her trip less than traumatic for
her--we just want to do this as quickly, cheaply, and comfortably for
her as possible, and any reasonable ideas anyone has will be gratefully
listened to.


Are there any rescue groups in the Sacramento area (or your area)?
I've heard stories of how people will drive some, meet up with others,
then exchange the cat and keep driving until they meet the next
person.

Rene

MaryL -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

"Robin Colleen Moore" wrote in message
. ..

Basically, what is the best way to transport a cat long-distance from
Boston to Sacramento, if a human can't actually fly out to deliver it
and then head back home? Without getting into the whole long and sordid
story (and trust me, it's both), my housemate and I are looking after a
friend's very sweet 15-year-old female black cat named Bast, who we
can't keep due to imminent Armageddon on the part of my 2 cats in
reaction to the usurper's arrival this evening.

Why not first try to integrate Bast into your own household? The basic
problem here is that you tried to move *much* too rapidly. I have written a
fairly lengthy document on how I introduced Duffy to Holly (a cat we
previously called "the black tornado" because she would attack every cat in
sight). I always thought it would be impossible to bring any other cat into
Holly's presence, but my mistake (like yours) was that I did not use the
correct techniques and did not give it enough time. Please send an e-mail
request to me if you would like to receive a copy. (The e-mail address
attached to this message is correct except that you need to *take out the
litter* first.)

Just to update everyone: Bast is here now--she stayed in the living room
overnight with my housemate (who slept in there to be with her), but
I've since opened the door because I couldn't bear to hear her crying in
there--since I'm between contract jobs at the moment, I'm home today to
keep an eye on things. So far, there have been a couple of hissing and
growling faceoffs (including one between my own 2 cats, although I think
that may have been mistaken identity, as one of them is a very dark
tortie), but no actual contact, much less fighting; they're pretty much
keeping to their own ends of the apartment (Jezebel and Delenn in my
bedroom, Bast on top of a pile of blankets, etc. in the living room),
venturing out occasionally to check out the lay of the land. As for
moving too quickly, unfortunately it couldn't be helped to a degree--she
was almost literally dumped on another friend's doorstep last night, so
we had no advance warning or notice at all. We're still investigating
all options, but rest assured that we'll make sure she's happy,
well-loved and well-cared-for no matter whether she goes out west or
stays in this area.

Robin the mad photographer (fingers tightly crossed)

I am happy to be an American. Nowhere else could a Jew with a giant
nose engage in tongue play with an African American with a fabulous
tush after winning an Academy Award on live television for playing a
Holocaust survivor and not have someone declare a holy war against us.

MaryL -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:

"Robin Colleen Moore" wrote in message
. ..

Basically, what is the best way to transport a cat long-distance from
Boston to Sacramento, if a human can't actually fly out to deliver it
and then head back home? Without getting into the whole long and sordid
story (and trust me, it's both), my housemate and I are looking after a
friend's very sweet 15-year-old female black cat named Bast, who we
can't keep due to imminent Armageddon on the part of my 2 cats in
reaction to the usurper's arrival this evening.

Why not first try to integrate Bast into your own household? The basic
problem here is that you tried to move *much* too rapidly. I have written a
fairly lengthy document on how I introduced Duffy to Holly (a cat we
previously called "the black tornado" because she would attack every cat in
sight). I always thought it would be impossible to bring any other cat into
Holly's presence, but my mistake (like yours) was that I did not use the
correct techniques and did not give it enough time. Please send an e-mail
request to me if you would like to receive a copy. (The e-mail address
attached to this message is correct except that you need to *take out the
litter* first.)

Just to update everyone: Bast is here now--she stayed in the living room
overnight with my housemate (who slept in there to be with her), but
I've since opened the door because I couldn't bear to hear her crying in
there--since I'm between contract jobs at the moment, I'm home today to
keep an eye on things. So far, there have been a couple of hissing and
growling faceoffs (including one between my own 2 cats, although I think
that may have been mistaken identity, as one of them is a very dark
tortie), but no actual contact, much less fighting; they're pretty much
keeping to their own ends of the apartment (Jezebel and Delenn in my
bedroom, Bast on top of a pile of blankets, etc. in the living room),
venturing out occasionally to check out the lay of the land. As for
moving too quickly, unfortunately it couldn't be helped to a degree--she
was almost literally dumped on another friend's doorstep last night, so
we had no advance warning or notice at all. We're still investigating
all options, but rest assured that we'll make sure she's happy,
well-loved and well-cared-for no matter whether she goes out west or
stays in this area.

Robin the mad photographer (fingers tightly crossed)

I am happy to be an American. Nowhere else could a Jew with a giant
nose engage in tongue play with an African American with a fabulous
tush after winning an Academy Award on live television for playing a
Holocaust survivor and not have someone declare a holy war against us.