Mommie wasn't in the mood for flight training yesterday, so the boys had the day off.

Today, I put the food trays in with a few bits of food, but no water. Robbie hopped in when he saw the food and immediately started playing with his food as he always does. Sasha had to be prodded, but with the first hour gone, virtually no crying or scratching. Both settled down pretty quickly. Going for 3 hours today.

And of course, a picture.

Amazing how quickly animals can acclimate to new situations. Virtually not a peep out of either carrier for the full 3 hours. Stepping it up tomorrow!

Been quite busy getting all the details of this massive move back to NY together, but no matter how I begged, the airlines (Austrian and Bulgaria Air) would only allow one animal per flight.
Because Robbie is healthy and doesn't require special care, I very sadly will be leaving him in Bulgaria. I know a fellow who runs a cattery and kennel here and he picked up Robbie yesterday. The rate is a bit over $100 a month, but worth every penny knowing my little Demonseed will be well taken of and will have lots of other kitties to play with.
This completely broke my heart, but the "one animal per flight" policy couldn't be gotten around. There are pet flying services, but don't have a spare $1,000 to bring Robbie home with me. I am praying I will be able to bring him back at some point.
Sasha got a clean bill of health from his vet yesterday, has his own passport, vaccinations, etc... (as does Robbie) and we'll be leaving Friday morning.
Will post back once stateside to let you know how the flight went and how Sasha tolerated the trip.
Hugs to all.
Leah, Robbie & Sasha

I love you so much and miss you already...

Christine, Critters and Mary Christine,

I never in a million years would have thought of flight attendants. I don't know any personally, but will certainly appreciate any idea or contacts that you may have.

No, never heard of chipin.com and certainly would have started an account there if I had known about it sooner. The expenses involved in this move went way over budget and still struggling to pay off last minute charges for the cargo. I did start a "Home Again Fund" through PayPal to help with all the expenses involved https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?c ... MJLB4WFXZ2 and received some help, but did not know how to go about "fund-raising" properly. A few close friends chipped in which helped a great deal.

No, nothing else, Mary, except pretty much in the same position as everyone else these days - just not enough cash to do what I need to do. Robbie is at the cattery right now and Dave, the owner, said he's doing fine. The only thing he would need done for the trip is to get micro-chipped, which Bulgaria requires for all animals exiting the country, in addition to vaccinations and clean bill of health from his vet and a final certification from the Municipal Veterinary Clinic in Varna (lot of running around, but minimal fees). He has his passport and all vaccinations and the chip is a one-minute job, which Dave (kennel owner) is very familiar with as he transports animals between here and the UK and frankly all over Europe.

I am open to anything and everything at this point. Leaving Bulgaria in about 28 hours, so not too much I can do until I am back in New York. Please keep me posted. I will keep checking back as time allows before I leave and of course, once back in NY.

Thank you for the ideas - you all have brightened my day considerably. Where there's hope, there's life.

Hugs,
Leah, Robbie & Sasha

Hi Christine,

No, never thought of sending him alone and don't think I would want to risk that. I booked a flight with the shortest traveling time and best connections. Could have gotten another one for almost half the price, but can't let Sasha go 21 hours without care. My flight is 12 hours, plus traveling time between airports, will make it about 15 hours before I see him again. Varna to Vienna is 1 hour with a 1 hour layover and then 9 hours, Vienna to JFK. The less expensive flight had 3 changes (no way!!! worried about 1 change and Sasha) and 6 hour layovers.

As soon as I get back to NY, I will start investigating the options. Dave said Robbie is "subdued" and staying off by himself right now. After being coddled for so long long, the poor kitty must feel abandoned, but he will come round and re-earn his name of Demonseed, I am sure. And, of course, Sasha had diarrhea for the first time in 9 months - he must feel the tension. Debating if I should diaper him for the flight, but would rather not have anything else in the cage if he decides to take it off. I know when he's scared he poops!

Okay, have to get back to last minute details. Excuse my babbling, I'm a bit edgy and tend to write a lot under stress.

Hugs,
Leah, Robbie and Sasha

We arrived at JFK on time and Sasha went through the entire trip with flying colours. After all the documentation, passport, certification, etc..., not a single employee from either airline, customs or airport personnel looked or asked for anything, even when offered. JFK handed him over to me without even asking for identification, which I found a bit unsettling and very glad I knew exactly which door the baggage handlers would bring him through. From Bulgaria to Vienna and through JFK, security was so lax, it was almost scary. Very glad no one weighed my carry-on as I had all of Sasha's paraphernalia in there and it was at least 7 to 8 pounds over the limit.

Sasha was slightly disoriented for about an hour, but once in my room, he settled in very quickly. Having a bit of trouble expressing him as the set-up here is not conducive to taking care of him on the kitchen counter with water, etc... close at hand. Owner of the house would not tolerate him being on the kitchen counter, so we have to make do.

I have news from Bulgaria that Robbie has integrated quite well with the other kitties and has found a cuddle-mate. Sometimes things work out for the best and I have a very strong feeling, I am actually going to return to Bulgaria after the winter. Robbie would have been confined to one small room here and would have gone berserk. After being back in NY less than 72 hours, it all came back in a blinding flash why I left in the first place - I loathe NY!

One thing I can do here is get a better diagnosis for Sasha. I want to get an MRI done to possibly discover exactly where the damage is, do a full blood work-up and have his kidneys checked. One is getting too large to suit me and that troubles me. Also looking forward to getting him wheels from "Wheels to Go" which are made from PVC instead of the heavier metal wheels made for dogs.

I think for the time being, since Robbie is settling in, it may be wiser to pay the $110 a month cattery fee and have him in a clean, warm and healthy environment with other mates than the current living arrangement I now have. I am not comfortable here and with Demonseed being so active, I don't think he would be happy here either. I certainly will not desert my baby, but will wait before making a final decision.

Hugs to all,
Leah, Sasha (in NY) and Robbie in Bulgaria.

Used to spend time in Cape Hatteras and the people are the best. Keep the couch open, I may just take you up on that.

Smooches, huggles and kisses!!
Sasha & mum

No sense starting a new thread - keeps the "other" all in one place.

Found out last night the other cat in the house was diagnosed with FeLV last year... (Gee, thanks for telling me before I brought Sasha here, so I could have had him immunized at least??)

Thank heavens I have kept Sasha in my room since I arrived. Wasn't ready for kitty adjustment hisses, etc... Last night, out of the blue, I find out Rosie (my friend's cat) is infected.

Other than bites, saliva or scratches is there anything else I need to be aware of? I stripped all the bedding in my room this morning and bleached everything. My biggest concern is Sasha's dragging - he's a dust mop in disguise as a cat and wondering if the virus can be contracted through any other means?

Humbly awaiting replies.

Bendy Kitty wrote:as long as they are separate, Sasha will be fine. FeLv is transmitted by shared bowls, water dishes, grooming, bites. the virus itself dies very quickly oce off the cat, usually in about 15 minutes.

that is a nasty surprise tho! we certainly wouldn't be happy about it.

Hi again.
I am freaking out here. The last day or two I thought I was seeing flea dirt on Sasha and sure enough, last night, I discovered one live one behind his ear. Wasn't able to get the tweezers out fast enough and it was lost in his thick fur very quickly. There is a one inch gap under the door to my room and the infected cat has been scratching since I got here. My vet said flea bites are another way to transmit FeLV. Can't afford the vaccination (big surprise - can't find work) and have been doing everything possible to keep "our area" clean and then the flea... I don't allow anyone to even walk in the room with shoes they wear in the rest of the house or outside.
I think Robbie has the better end of the deal right now - at least he's in a clean and controlled cattery...

Bendy,

You know, I am getting different responses from every vet, which after reading Mary Christine's response doesn't surprise me. One says fleas "do" transmit, others "maybe", and others, "absolutely" not. I had Sasha tested twice in Bulgaria, once after getting him and about 6 months later. Since I am here less than 3 weeks, I doubt any tests would be worthwhile at this point and they've had no direct contact, so a vaccination is the only thing in order.

I TOTALLY agree the other cat should be tested again as well, but the owner vehemently disagrees, stating, "She's positive, what else is there to know?"

Mary Christine,

Thank you for all the information regarding the new and old testing. Will print out the Merck link, email the .pdf from catvets.com and let the owner of the other cat along with the vet(s) read it. Frankly, the vets in Bulgaria seemed better informed than the vets I've called so far here in NY, regarding FeLV.

I tore apart the room today, bleaching everything that was bleach-able and scrubbing the hardwood floors, especially in cracks and crevices. I have a feeling the fleas in pupal casing were laying in wait and when I moved into the room and started vacuuming a couple weeks ago, it woke them up. Also been rather humid and warm the last few days - all ideal conditions. I was amazed at the amount of dirt on Sasha when I showered him down - no soap - just water to soak his fur and see what was going on. Thankfully, there were not many adult fleas and being pure white, spotting the dirt early was an advantage. There was one that was near his ear and crawled into his ear when I tried crunching it with the tweezers - felt sorry for Sasha, but it did re-emerge and slinked back off into his very thick coat. The Advantage will take care of the adults and pupae, but not the eggs. Will just have to keep a close eye. Poor Sasha can't even scratch himself and it explains why he suddenly started enjoying being brushed instead of fighting me.

Sadly, the owner of the house is in complete denial about the whole episode insisting I brought the fleas in from the lawn. Possible, but not probable considering the rest of the house. Only solution to this problem is to move...

Anyway, thank you again for all the good information and for letting me vent.

By the way, Mary Christine, I am in Amityville, NY at the moment.

Bendy Kitty wrote:The new Amityville Horror...

----the fleas that would not die

BINGO! Give that lady a Kewpie doll!!
(Exactly how I describe it here...)

sdrakkan wrote:Ugh. I sell flea products and sometimes I just want to take a blowtorch to those little...buggers. I got attacked by a small swarm when I was younger and now just hate the things. Since I often have tiny kittens I have to be so careful.

I can't believe the owner is acting like it's not a problem. Get hose-applicated flea treatment if your lawn is causing it...

Don't know where it's starting, but the back yard is mostly shaded and an ideal breeding ground. I doubt the owner will go for it, but will suggest it. It's called D-E-N-I-A-L...

What do you suggested for hardwood floors to eliminate what the bleach may have missed? I know eggs have dropped and there may be more pupae hiding in the cracks.
Also, Advantage does not kill eggs, so what would you suggest? I know you have to be careful and use one product at a time, but would any collars be helpful? I really don't know what to use. The darn things seems to have attacked his face near the eyes and in addition to the regular Persian tearing, getting a lot of mucus now. Not conjunctivitis... yet...

Bendy Kitty wrote:!!

the AmiFLEAville horror!

they just keep coming back.....

Heaven forbid! Seems like I have Sasha under control. Found a couple of dead ones and no more flea dirt, thank heavens. Keeping a white sheet on the bed where he sleeps and he's pure white, so easy to monitor.

@ sdrakkan
Didn't know about the Methoprene in Frontline and was surprised when the vet assistant asked Sasha's weight for the Advantage. Good to know. Thank you.

Hi Christine,

Had to sleep on your suggestion about the "hot tub" for fleas and the morning light still somehow rejects the idea.

For the most part, I seem to remember soapy water repels insects. Methinks they are simply attracted to the light and inadvertently wind up in the water for a last swim. Reminds me of the flea circuses!!

As for the sticky paper, not a great idea considering Sasha's main method of mobility and that I am keeping him confined to a small room. Sticky paper and side-saddling-slinky cats don't make great companions!