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… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Cat Rescue Transport Bleg (Minneapolis MN to Arlington, VA)

Cat Rescue Transport Bleg (Minneapolis MN to Arlington, VA)

by | 83 Comments

This post is in: ,

Remember this feral guy who needed a permanent home? Commentor TomatoQueen in Virginia stepped up, so now he needs to get from Minneapolis to Virginia. New message from commentor Edith:

Black Kitty had a clean vet visit this week, and will be ready to travel to his new home after his neuter. The current plan is to schedule his surgery as close to transport date as possible, and then have him stay at the vet until pick-up.

I’m hoping the Balloon-Juice community can help get him from Minneapolis to Arlington, VA. I know a few people in the comments offered to drive, although I wouldn’t want to call them out in a front page post in case it doesn’t work for them now.

I’ve gotten some quotes on transport that range from $750 to $900. I also know that some commenters have closer ties to non-profit groups that might work too. This is all new to me, so basically I’d like to throw it out to the jackal hive mind for help.

You guys know the drill: If you have suggestions about the best transport methods, leave a comment below. Once we’ve got a firmer date and cost quote, I’ll have another post, ask people who want to donate to email me, and I’ll forward Edith’s PayPal-or-similar address to each of you directly. (After I chip in a little myself, of course!)

Reader Interactions

83Comments

  1. 1.

    geg6

    Keep us informed and I will be happy to donate.  I still owe BJ pet rescue for Koda.  Always happy to pay back.

  2. 2.

    Edith

    Hi everyone. Black Kitty, possibly soon to be re-named Merlin, is definitely ready to join Tomato Queen in a cozy new existence. Both Satby, whom I consulted for advice, and our vet, think he probably isn’t a true feral. He’s been really gentle at the vet and is so interested in being held and cuddled. I’m absolutely chuffed that he’s going to a Juicer.

  3. 3.

    Amir Khalid

    Yay Merlin, and congratulations to TomatoQueen!

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    ETA: Wasn’t quite expecting that. ?

  4. 4.

    Amir Khalid

    Merlin looks quite a bit like my Bianca, all black with the same dab of white at the throat. I’ve heard that black cats are especially friendly.

  6. 6.

    Wolvesvalley

    As a staff member for two black rescue kitties, I will be happy to chip in for transport, too.

     

  7. 7.

    chris

    That’s a long drive, is it possible to fly him to DC or wherever is close? A little sedative and 3 hours later he’s there.

  8. 8.

    Mary G

    Also ready to chip in a bit and so happy to see yet another BJ adoption. I am sure Maybe Merlin and Tomato Queen will have a lovely life together.

  9. 9.

    TomatoQueen

    I just noticed something, it’s a trivial detail but just in case we need accuracy, it’s to Alexandria, VA, which is the next blue town over from the People’s Republic of Arlington as some call it, but in either case, I live right on the border between the two. Many, many thanks to all in advance. Merlin (full name Merlinus Ambrosius, for you Mary Stewart fans) has his home with me.

  10. 10.

    Edith

    @chris: I’ve thought about it. One of the people on the transport quote site offered it up. My vet on the other hand, thinks they generally do better in the car. I’m pretty agnostic either way.

     

  11. 11.

    Desargues

    Yay, Merlin! So happy for the sweet little guy! And for the humans who let him into their lives. Win-win-win.

     

    Would love to help out financially with his move.

  12. 12.

    b

    Almost exactly 2 years ago BJ help pay for another BJer to do a round trip flight between National and Minn to bring Callie to us. Callie was happy and not traumatized by the trip at all.

     

    I just checked and flights are running under $500 roundtrip.

     

    So, would Merlin fit in an airline approved cat carrier that fits under the seat, and is there a BJer in either DC area or Minn who wants to travel to the other place.

     

    And, hopefully this works -first time on new site- the obligatory pic of Callie.

     

    Callie

  13. 13.

    chris

    @Edith: I drove two cats 1200 miles over two days once. One thought it was fun (still miss Charlie) the other was freaked out the whole time and for weeks after. I guess it depends on how Merlin does in the car. It looks like flying would be much quicker and probably cheaper.

     

  14. 14.

    Edith

    @chris:

     

    @b: Hi b.

     

    He would fit in a carrier under a seat. He’s a little bigger than I thought at the vet @ 9 lbs. In comparison to our 16 pounder Maine Coon mix most kitties look tiny. I would be happy to go this way if there is a volunteer to take him. Toddler cold season in February left me with very little PTO left, plus you know, toddler.?

     

  15. 15.

    chris

    Charlie was a little chonky.

    Charlie and the 16 litre pot. He liked car rides and would sit in the passenger seat and purr while watching the scenery

    ETA: He was around 28 pounds in these pics, down from his peak of 34 pounds. He had food issues.

  19. 19.

    zhena gogolia

    Is it possible to send a check? Merlin looks just like my very first love, black cat Buddy, one of the greatest cats who ever lived, who showed up on Friday the 13th in 1985.

  22. 22.

    satby

    Flying can be cost effective and much faster, and lots of cats freak out on long trips in a carrier in the car too.

    The rule for ANY travel with cats (as I told Edith) who don’t know you or where they are is, no letting the car out of the carrier at all on the way. I could tell you loads of transport horror stories when people disregard that rule. share

    It’s a 17 hour, 1118 mile trip one way if we wanted to do a relay. That involves breaking the route up and asking for drivers to relay the carrier, customarily into segments of 2-4 hours one way depending on driver tolerance. Volunteers have to be willing to share cell numbers, vehicle descriptions, and licence plate numbers for ID at hand off points. Transports go on all the time, I can put feelers out to see if one is scheduled around the same time, but most of those go south to north, not laterally.

  24. 24.

    satby

    @satby: ok, no edit for typos: so no letting cat out of carrier the entire time ever… No idea where that “share” word came from, and I forget what else was wrong.

     

  26. 26.

    b

    @satby:  You started to help figure out a relay for Callie, but it just seemed easier for her to fly.  Its a long road trip, with iffy weather. The flight worked out well with a lot less issues.

     

  27. 27.

    Steeplejack

    The last time this came up I said I might be able to handle the last leg of a car transport, from an extreme of about Pittsburgh to Alexandria, VA. Ideally, I would leave NoVA in the morning, pick up the little beast around midday somewhere and then motor back to Alexandria.

    My schedule is usually pretty open, but right now I don’t think I could do a drive until early next week. I’m willing to do it if the situation goes on until then. If not, I’ll chip in for expenses.

  32. 32.

    Betty

    @satby: Good advice. I witnessed this once when security insisted on opening the crate. Cat freaked out, lots of blood and much screaming.

     

  34. 34.

    WereBear

    @Edith: Both Satby, whom I consulted for advice, and our vet, think he probably isn’t a true feral.

    So many cats get abandoned and just want a home again. It’s delightful he’s getting this chance.

  37. 37.

    Ruckus

    @Patricia Kayden:

    When I could no longer keep my dog I had to send him back to the rescue org. There was a fellow out of Van Nuys airport who flew pets all over the country in his private plane. He got to fly a lot and the cost per pet was pretty small, I recall $75. He had a plane full of crates, probably 20+ animals.

    I imagine that there might be others out there that do the same.

     

  40. 40.

    debit

    When we shipped Finn to Aleta I used a transport company based in Florida and thought they were very reasonable and did a great job.  We did luck out, since they already had a puppy scheduled for transport from Minnesota to Maine the week he needed to go.  Would love to recommend the shipper we used for Walter, but they never schedule transports from here and the price would be prohibitive.

     

    As always, I’m in for transport fees.  So happy this beautiful boy is getting his forever home.

  41. 41.

    Percysowner

    I’ve never flown with a cat, but I have moved a couple of times with my guys. Not long trips, only about 2.5 hours. It was 2.5 hours of two cats telling me as loudly as they could that THEY WERE NOT HAPPY!! If you can find someone to make the flight, it might be less stressful, especially if the vet can sedate them first. I’ll pitch in for transport costs when the time comes.

  42. 42.

    Edith

    @WereBear:

    One of our four is from the Humane Society, and the other three are local strays we took in, all of them dumped pets.

    One, the aforementioned Maine Coon 16 pounder was pretty happy on his own, until we had one of our periodic awful winters. He came shooting out from under the deck when we came home one evening as the temp was dropping far below zero,  meowing up a storm, and has been with us ever since. I think sometimes he misses his independence but the steady meals and being warm make up for it.

    Bobby we took in right after he’d been dumped. I will never forget his confusion and fear. It’s a terrible thing to do to an animal.

  44. 44.

    cain

    I’m in to give some money. Shitty week for Trump and Republicans but awesome week for me! I have two job offers right now and I got to pick one that was giving me some amazing compensation.

  45. 45.

    germy

    Elise is literally imitating 45’s tweet style.  The nicknames, the capitalization…  she’s all in.

    And for you @gtconway3d – the one thing I’ve NEVER been called in my life is TRASH. You need serious help. My opponent Taxin’ Tedra can have your sick mysogynist support.— Elise Stefanik (@EliseStefanik) November 16, 2019

  46. 46.

    germy

    @Edith:

    I think sometimes he misses his independence but the steady meals and being warm make up for it.

    That literally sounds like what I remember hearing some of my uncles say about their marriages during family gatherings when I was a kid.

  47. 47.

    WereBear

    @Edith: Bobby we took in right after he’d been dumped. I will never forget his confusion and fear. It’s a terrible thing to do to an animal.

    When my life melted down and I had to let go of almost everything, one bright spot was the way my Long Island rescue community rallied around and got great homes for almost all my animals at the time.

    Because I would never abandon them.

  48. 48.

    germy

    @WereBear:

    When my life melted down

    Was it around 2008/2009? That’s when my life melted down.

    I feel very fortunate though, that we were able to keep our little polydactyl girl despite the rest of our losses.

  50. 50.

    germy

    @WereBear:

    It’s the shy cats who need us the most. I hope things got better for you.

    Our little girl is shy sometimes. If women visit our house, she’ll come out after a while (very cautiously) to make friends. But if men visit, she’ll hide when she hears their voices.

    I wonder what she went through before we rescued her.

  51. 51.

    Edith

    @germy:

    Yes, that is very much the dynamic with Shoes. For all that, he’s an affectionate fellow. Deeply concerned about the well- being of everyone in the household. I love him dearly.

     

  55. 55.

    germy

    @Kelly:

    Tedra Cobb reports she’s collected $900,000+ off  Elise Stefanik’s Trumpian grandstanding

    I’m pleased to see that.  We donated.  Unfortunately, I assume Elise’s contributions have gone up also (from ignorant people who don’t understand the rules both parties agreed to)

     

  57. 57.

    Laura Too

    I’m in for drive or air transport. I will be leaving for Australia on 11/27-12/9 so it would need to fall before or after for me timing wise. I’m also in for transport cost. I’ll send info to Anne Laurie my info Edith, you can feel free to contact me anytime.

  59. 59.

    Redshift

    What does the vet schedule look like? For Thanksgiving, my niece is driving with a college friend from Northfield, MN to St. Louis and then flying to the DC area. If the timing works out, I could ask if she’s willing to transport Black Kitty.

  61. 61.

    cain

    @HinTN: hells yeah! Both jobs told me I can continue to work on my community stuff as part of the job and we’re willing to use a percentage of it.

    The best part though is the one employer took my initial ask and added $10, 000 and kept going with bonuses. I am being paid very handsomely and that means I can be more generous on giving to political stuff ???

     

  63. 63.

    Reilyn

    @b: This is Reilyn; the DC area lady who grew up in MN and helped fly Callie in fact. :). The key to flying with cats is to fly them in the cabin with you (not as cargo). Assuming we could swing it work schedule and flight timing/funding wise, I’d be willing to do so again for Merlin potentially.

     

  69. 69.

    satby

    Ok, so if the details work out with Laura Too (or Reilyn as a backup), all we’ll need is the costs of airfare and incidentals for our transporters. You guys are awesome to offer!

  70. 70.

    Laura Too

    I will take any and all advice on kitty flying. I will ask my friend the ASPCA transporter, but she usually drives hers. I have’t done it before but I the adventure sounds like a good time. I won’t open the kennel no matter how much he complains, but anything else?

  71. 71.

    J R in WV

    Will kick on on cost of transport. Medical issues (knees) prohibit participating in long drive right now. Agree that a short flight would be better than crazed drive.

  72. 72.

    TomatoQueen

    @Laura Too:  Assuming Merlin will fit under the seat in front of you, I think as little disturbance as possible is the goal, & this would include keeping the carrier covered with a towel or little blanket.  So grateful to you.

     

  75. 75.

    Lymie

    Is it any help that #1 daughter is flying home from uminn in Minneapolis next Tuesday afternoon to Logan airport in Boston?

  76. 76.

    Reilyn

    @Laura Too: Cat harness in case you do have to open it. If I recall I did have to remove Callie from the carrier thanks to the paranoia of security for dc area bound flights, and so I put her in a full body “holster” style harness and leash before putting her in the carrier, plus a small blanket or etc I could purrito in while the carrier went through the X-ray. Make sure you find out carrier dimensions for the airline and get one that fits them; soft sided is best so it can squeeze in.

     

  77. 77.

    Mel

    @Amir Khalid: My sweet Brunhilde (ebony fur, big green eyes) was a cuddly kitteh with a wicked sense of humor. She had a big personality and lots of heart.

    Sounds like Ms. Bianca is a fabulous kitty girl!!

     

  81. 81.

    Johannes

    La Caterina and I still remember how the jackals rallied around our Sandy-hit feral cat colonies.  We’ll help; just tell us were and how too donate.

  83. 83.

    TomatoQueen

    We’re firming up plans for Merlin’s travel, I’ve asked for an update bleg post for this weekend. Meanwhile, send magic wishes and good thoughts and sparkles for December 11th.

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