Traveling with Euphoria

I admit it, I was a little bit apprehensive. My beloved 16 year old cat, Euphoria had never been on an airplane before. I'm very lucky that my mom agreed to take care of her while I traveled. However, mom lives in New York, and we needed to take a plane to get there. When Susie came to take me to the airport, and it was time to put kitty in her carrier, I tried to act nonchalant and pretend I was just reaching down to pet her. Cats are smart, though, and Euphoria knew very well what I was trying to do. After several minutes of an exhausting game of hide and seek, I was finally able to wrestle her into the carrier. What happened next was very surprising. Euphoria sniffed around and then just curled up peacefully in her carrier! No crying, peeing or struggling to get out. She seemed perfectly tranquil and content all through the check-in routine too, even when I had to take her out of the carrier so she wouldn't be x-rayed. During the six-hour plane ride, she slept most of the time, only rising a few times to sniff and stretch. I was very proud (and surprised) at her calm behavior. The only explanation I have for her perfect deportment is this: She must have been relieved that this was not a trip to the veterinarian.