Have Scruff, Will Travel

This trip to Illinois presented us with a challenge.  Our cat, Scruffy, has been plagued with more severe health problems lately.  He already has a 'laundry list' of health issues, which our cat-sitter (Jason) is more than capable of handling.  Scruffy is now needing more medications, more frequently, than he has in the past.  We decided that leaving Jason to care for him (and the other 9, plus working full time) wasn't exactly 'fair'.  We also decided that we didn't want to leave Scruffy locked in a steel cage at the Vet's for three weeks.  The most viable option was to take Scruff on the adventure of his life!

We brought Annie on vacation with us last summer, so we've flown with a cat before.  We weren't sure how Scruffy would handle the traveling, but we had to give it a shot.  Unfortunately, we don't have pictures of Scruffy in his carrier on the plane.  Between security and a full plane, it wasn't very realistic to take his picture while he was stowed under the seat in front of us.  He tolerated all of that extremely well, however!  From the Security people to the Flight Attendants, we received compliments on "how well behaved" Scuffy was...usually with them saying, "He must be used to traveling!"  NOT.  We were proud of him!

One of our concerns with bringing Scruffy on this trip is his blindness and how he would tolerate being in a totally new environment with unfamiliar smells.  He's been pretty timid in his exploration of the house.  He seems to be finding favorite hiding spots, and (fortunately) his litter box.  Just as we were giving him a chance to settle in here in St. Charles, we changed his routine again.  Our niece, Sarah, got married in Iowa City this past weekend and we loaded up Scruffy and headed off to Iowa!  After a three hour ride we arrived at Motel 6 (a totally pet friendly chain) and checked in for the weekend.  At least there was just the two rooms for Scruffy to explore, and he adapted there pretty quickly.  So quickly in fact, he managed to squirm his way up onto the bed while we slept - snuggling between us for the night!

We didn't take Scruffy to the wedding, he was safe and comfortable in the motel room with plenty of food, water, and "This Old House" on the television to keep him company in our absence.  Today, however, there was a brunch/lunch for the family and friends while the new Mr. and Mrs. Farnsworth opened their wedding gifts.  We did take Scruffy with us today - as we were leaving to come home from the gathering.  The site was the same as the reception the evening before - a beautiful venue called "The Celebration Barn".  It's in a remote area, surrounded by grassy lawn, stone architecture, and a pond.  We couldn't resist the urge to take Scruffy outdoors for pictures, and for his very first walk in grass!  Grand-Niece Alivia, was close at hand to pet him and reassure him that all was safe and "okay".

After a nice visit with the family, we (again) loaded Scruffy in the car and traveled home to St. Charles.  The only adverse effect I've noticed is that he has not been drinking as much water as he should be.  Tonight's "menu" for him included a bowl of tuna water (drained from Bumble Bee tuna).  No cat can resist that, and it's a great way to get fluids into him.  He's had a nice long hide behind the couch, no doubt he's tired of having mom and dad hovering over him for the past few days.

Scruffy is becoming a very well traveled kitty for a little hobo that showed up at our door a few years ago!  Oh if cats could talk!.....