Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Livingston Texas,March 11


As we have traveled further south, we have moved further into Spring. Azalea bushes are in bloom--the iris and wild honeysuckle are out in their full glory. We may be passing out of Spring faster than we would like.
We mentioned earlier that we have our eighteen year-old cat KC traveling with us. So far he is still alive. I am just afraid that the stress of this life may kill him yet. The first couple of days he cried a lot at night. I am glad he stopped that because he needs his strength to face the challenges of each day. He found a spot by our bed which he thinks is safe ( note picture of him in that area). In the days following he gathered courage to join us in the dining area for breakfast. Things at first seemed calm for him until we had to bring in the sides to travel. The floor under KC rises and moves- he runs to the bedroom for safety, but we start to bring that side in and the bed threatens to crush him against the wall. I have to quickly grab him before he tries to disappear into that black hole under our bed( we have a storage area under the bed which we thought was all closed in but there are spots there into which the cat simply disappears). Back to our story- we start the engine- and KC is back in his safe spot- we lurch forward and hit a dip in the road. All of a sudden there is a crash and something falls in one of our cupboards. KC jumps on a ledge by our bed and butts his head against the wall. I bet that if he could figure out how to do it, he would put his paws over his head for protection! We eventually stop at a rest stop and KC steps out confidently and sits in the driver's seat which John just vacated. As he is calmly gazing out the window, WHOOSH-- go the air brakes in a semi truck sitting next to us and KC again dives for cover. Toward evening we stop for the night and I start to fix supper. KC picks up he usual routine of following me around and then lying at my feet. I open a cupboard and BOMBS AWAY-- cans fall out and KC runs for cover. He did not come out for a long time after that near- life threatening episode. As I am writing this he has now come out, looked at me, and softly mewed. I guess all is forgiven, until it all starts over again tomorrow. I really do have to learn how to pack the cupboards better. KC has probably gone well beyond the nine lives alloted to him. He is a trooper and,needless to say, a very loved cat.

6 comments:

  1. Your son sent me over here. I hope KC learns to love the traveling and acclimates to all the ups and downs, sudden noises, and can avalanches. He is adorable.
    ~Miareeva (Rachel/Rach)

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  2. Your son sent me also....

    I wish you and KC the best. He will adapt - he is showing his trust in you, he just needs to know the whole place is safe, adn that you are there to protect him.

    Scratch his little head for me - as I am a cat lover too (I dont think mine would adapt as well as yours is)

    Good travels, and good luck to KC.

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  3. No kidding - my older kitty would go into hiding and never come out again. Although my newly adopted rescued kitty would probably love it, lol.

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  4. Traveling with kitty. Awww, that's so cool! Thanks for the article. I loved it. We'll be on the road for a bit this summer with our two little dogs.

    Have a great trip!

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  5. When I adopted my cat and took him home to my old apartment, he was very freaked out (as cats will do).

    He quickly found a safe-spot... underneath my gas oven! I didn't even know there was enough space under there for a cat! He stayed in there for over 24 hours.

    I was so worried, since I knew there was a pilot light in there. I considered turning off the gas and even dismantling the oven to get him out. In the end, I just trusted that he wouldn't hurt himself and he did eventually come out on his own to explore the rest of the place. At first opportunity, I barricaded the area behind the oven so he wouldn't go back in there, but I don't think he wanted to anyway.

    Cats do take time to adjust, and it must take double-time to adjust to a moving home. I do hope KC learns to love it. I wonder what other RV travelers and cat owners have done to make things easier for their cats?

    Hope all else is well! Look forward to hearing more.

    -Jason

    P.S. I just remembered a story about the time my sister thought it would be a good idea to take one of our cats for a drive in the car without a carrier. He got so scared he pooped on her lap. :)

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  6. Mike sent me as well. Everyone knows a nervous traveler, but that cat is definitely a trouper and deserves a bit of peace and quiet -- no more air horns! :-)

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