OMG! Not Again!

           My poor kitties. I know they love us and love living with us. Who wouldn't because they are spoiled horribly and their every whim is attended to and they get the prime sleeping spots on the bed. But they have had reason lately to wonder if being "our cats" is such a good thing after all.

            Last year we did the travel thing. From April until January of this year, we moved around the country in short bursts of anywhere from 1 night stays to 2 nights to one week to one month to 3 months at the longest. It served to make Puff a bit spookier and Godiva is now definitely a cat with motion sickness issues.

            Background information: In April we were still in Toronto, Canada with our daughter and needed to bring the cats back across the border into the United States. This was quite an easy accomplishment in the end and even though I had tons of paperwork with me, the border guards barely looked at the cats and waved us through. I had taken the cats to the vet and gotten a checkup for them and rabies shots. Turns out, it was harder to get the car back into the U.S. than it was the cats.

            In October, my husband received his new assignment which should have had us moving to the U.K. last year BUT as luck was not with us, the assignment was put on hold. Before it was put on hold though, I had to take the kitties back to the vet and get them another rabies shot so that they could pass the “titer test” that is needed to bring our lovely fuzzy children into the U.K. The titer test involved taking a vile of blood from each cat and sending it off to a laboratory in Kansas (of all places) to ensure that they are protected against rabies. Godiva did not enjoy that vet visit at all.

            In January of this year (2011), we had to move back to Houston because the assignment is still on hold. Everyone kept saying we would be moving the first quarter of this year but my hubby’s company does not always keep its word when timing and other countries are involved. NOW it looks like we might be able to move in October which is right at the limit of the test results and the last rabies shot.

            You have guessed it by now I am sure. I had to take the kitties back to the vet again for yet a third rabies shot in 18 months and will have to take them back next week for another titer test. Oh is Godiva going to be thoroughly pissed at me, and the vet. Every vet and web site I check says that many rabies shots will not hurt them though. They could probably spit on other cats by this point and project immunity on the other cats.

           

            I hope that this is the last time I will have to do this to them but one never knows with businesses and governments and kitties and rabies.