A Feline in Flight

The first leg of our journey home is in progress as I write this. We are airborne on our way to Houston, TX on our way to Tulsa, OK, where my youngest sister will pick us up for the final drive homes. Thankfully, thus far our trip has been pretty uneventful. That’s really saying something since we are taking this trip with my youngest daughter’s cat, Crissy. An interesting affair taking a pet on a plane...
First of all, you have to make reservations for the pet. They have to coincide with your own, of course. Most airlines require the pet to be vaccinated, and have proof of current vaccinations. Although it varies from airline to airline, ours charged $75 just for the cat. This doesn’t entitle her to a seat, mind you. She’s considered part of our carryon luggage. I’m sure if Crissy understood that fact, she would be quite insulted. Cats are peculiar that way, you know. Most every cat I’ve met believes it is descended from royalty and expects treatment accordingly.
The only part of our trip that we were a little iffy on was going through security checks. Crissy had to be removed from her pet carrier and hand carried through the scanners. Thank heavens she decided she kind of liked being carried instead of going with her carrier through the x-ray machine. Crissy is really a very opinionated cat, and when she doesn’t like something, she’s not averse to letting everyone around her knowing it. Crissy doesn’t yowl incessantly; in fact her mew is just that, a very quiet mew you have to be listening very intently to hear. However she has claws and teeth and she’s not afraid to use them if she believes you’re not paying the proper type of attention to her.
Her favorite people are my two youngest kids. She’s decided she likes cuddles and scratches around her ears, petting and strokes down her back from either one. Just don’t touch her tummy. Unlike a dog, Crissy DOES NOT think that’s appropriate for someone of her royal heritage. Now you can’t prove that royal heritage by me. Crissy was the kitten of feral cat that one of the other campers in our campground in Lewes, DE, had adopted. My daughter decided the long-haired little fur ball needed to come home with us even though she’s highly allergic. Go figure. I guess since I don’t really believe Crissy is royalty, she’s responded with a definite attitude towards me. Unless I have a treat in my hand or something else she thinks she wants, I know better than to let her claws or teeth near me.
Oh yes, the little princess is assuredly spoiled. She’s allowed up on the couch, has her very own scratching post, and we even leave the shades part way up for her at night in case she wants to look out. In our new home, my youngest sister is already working on an outside pen to attach to one window of the bedroom, so Crissy will be able to explore the outdoor portion of her new world safely. It will be large enough to put a tree branch in for her to climb and sharpen her claws on. The things we do for the little fur balls in our lives. When I come to think of it though, where would some of us be without our pets. They provide a little something that many of us need. I guess that’s why my daughter puts up with her allergies, and I put up with an occasional scratch. And, I shelled out an additional $75 to bring one very spoiled, temperamental feline all the way from Delaware to Oklahoma.