A Hell of A Trip Home

By Crivenica

The SFAC

It’s been a little over 24 hours since I left Nepal and it’s been a very long 24 hours.

I didn’t really have time to think about how I feel about leaving Kathmandu yesterday because I was too busy worrying about Sfac, our cat, who was traveling with me to Jakarta via Bangkok. I was so anxious about her being cooped up in her cage and having to ride on a plane as a cargo, then having to stay overnight in a baggage holding room before being transported into a plane’s belly again for yet another plane ride. I can’t imagine how she must’ve felt all through this trip. The poor baby must’ve been terrified.

Sfac in her cage (taken with my BB, so a bit blurry)

I must’ve worked an ulcer into my stomach worrying about Sfac. I tried not to show it while she was still around me because pets tend to pick up it up and become more anxious. However, as soon as she was taken away from me, the worrying became worse. I had no idea how gentle the ground staff of Kathmandu airport would handle her cage or where they would put her as she waited to be put on board. And though, a friend recommended Thai Airways for their pet handling service, it still did not calm me down. I was fidgeting throughout the three and a half-hour flight though through some random circumstances I ended up flying business class. I should’ve been more than comfortable, but my mind kept wandering to Sfac who was alone somewhere below me. I wondered if she was meowing herself raw or if she peed on herself. And I wondered if the cargo she was in was temperature controlled, even though I knew the airline had to make sure of that. I just felt guilty that she had to go through this really stressful trip.

Sfac had done a similar trip when we transported her and Barry, our other cat, from Jakarta to Kathmandu in late 2008. However, we had arranged a pet transporter to deal with everything. They came to pick up the cats the day before I was leaving, then we arrived in Kathmandu at the same time two days later. The cats must have been as frantic as Sfac was on this trip because they didn’t know what was going on, there were strangers everywhere, and they couldn’t get out of their cages for days. Imagine how you would feel if you were them.

That trip took a toll on Barry. He was never the same when he got to Kathmandu. Barry was healthy when we were living in Jakarta, or at least as healthy as he could be.  As a kitten, he almost died when he accidentally ate rodent poison. David and Barry’s vet (this is B.C. or “Before Crivenica”), took care of him for a month and nursed him back to health. And once he was healthier, David vowed to make Barry as fat as he could get because he looked so frail. He managed that. In the next four years, Barry became lively with a little pooch on his belly, though small as he was, you could never call him a fat cat. However, as healthy as he could be, the almost death experience in his earlier life had damaged his kidneys. He was doing fine since we fed him special food and we never had any complications. Until that trip.

In Memoriam: Barry

Our vet, dr. Yuly, had explained to us that a trip like that would stress him out and it might have a health repercussion. However, giving him away was not an option and dr. Yuly rationalized that nobody would take care of him and love him the way we did, so the best option was to bring him along and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the trip really did stress him out. After only a day in Kathmandu, he started losing his appetite and walking funny. We frantically looked for a good vet in a strange town. Then, even after being prescribed vitamins and appetite enhancer, Barry stopped eating.

I started making a porridge out of his special food and fed it to him with a syringe like a baby. It was tough, but he managed to swallow some food several times a day and laid around in the sun. However, we knew that he would never get any better, even if we had hoped. We had been hand feeding him for about six months when he started refusing the food completely and had gotten so weak. I remember that I was away in Jakarta on a three-month working stint when David called and told me he made a decision not to let Barry suffer any longer. So on David’s lap and without me, Barry passed on April 5th, 2009.

So you can see why I get so anxious about putting Sfac through this ordeal again. The difference is Sfac is a robust cat. She is healthy and tough, but it doesn’t mean that she didn’t get stressed out. When we landed in Bangkok last night, I made sure they brought Sfac up so I could see her. When the Thai Airways person brought her cage to me, she was quiet, but alert. I knew she was probably scared, but at least she wasn’t crying. And after dealing with the Bangkok quarantine people, I finally got a chance to give her some food and water, which she ignored, but at least I could leave some out for her in the cage if she felt like eating. Unfortunately, then I had to leave her in the Thai Airways baggage holding room. I was disappointed that the Bangkok Int’l Airport didn’t have a live animal facility. I thought I could let Sfac out a bit and give her a chance to use a litter box, but nope. Amazingly though, that cat did not soil her cage at all!

When I got to the hotel, I had to take a Valium to calm myself down and I don’t usually get this worked up about anything. I just tried not to think about her in that room with people coming in and out. I told myself, it would die down by midnight and it would be quiet and she would be okay. I ordered myself a dinner, but after a couple of spoonful of fried rice, I wanted to vomit - I hadn’t been able to eat more than a little of anything since I started the trip. Morning didn’t come early enough. After a restless sleep and waking up three times during the night, I finally got up at four to get ready for the final leg of the trip.

Sfac, hiding in David's suit bag,  during the pack out

I breezed through the check-in and when I got to the gate, I went to the desk to make sure that they got Sfac boarded. The staff ensured me that she was on her way to the airplane and they would let me know when she was secured in the plane. Then they started asking me about Sfac. They were curious and really interested about my Indonesian Calico. Even people in Kathmandu was fascinated when I took Sfac out of the car. They started hovering around the cage wanting a peak at the cat that traveled on airplane. They hardly see animals traveling in any vehicle, let alone an airplane!

Well, the hard part is done. I felt so relieved when we touched down in Jakarta. That queasiness feeling in my gut is gone and I got my appetite back. Sfac is safe, though quite peeved. But that’s okay because I love her so much. And though hopefully we won’t have to do this again anytime soon, I would go through the stress again for her.

Welcome home, Sfac, my Indonesian Kucing Kampung.

Note: For those who don't know what is the meaning of SFAC's name, it stands for "Super F**king Annoying Cat" because that was how she was when David first rescued her. Throughout the years, she became mellow and so sweet. That's what love can do to ya!