Alfred, The Caribbean Cat, Moving To The Us

[phelana]

In 2004, a feral beauty had a litter in my yard, in the Caribbean. I kept her and her kids. Flash forward to 2018, Alfred is the only survivor. He was the most social and my sweet baby boy. He is an in and out cat. He has used a litter box but now goes outside. He has a cat door. He is used to strangers, as I have had pet sitters caring for him, off and on since 2009.

I moved back to the US and spend 16 weeks a year on my island with Alfred. I'd prefer he stay with me in the US but I have been ambivalent about changing his amazing lifestyle.

It has come to the time for me to bring him to the US in March. There, his dog brother lives (who he loved) and a new rescue cat. The new rescue has been with me one year. He is a lovey boy, rescued from the street. He is super chill. Alfred, the Caribbean cat was notoriously, alpha and aggressive to his siblings. He has been alone two years.

Recommendations to make the transition happy? I am dreading the travel, having to take him twice out of the carrier. He never goes in the carrier as the vet visits us. I will integrate him into it slowly for two weeks as well as re introducing the litter box.

Recs once I get him to the US?

The other alternative is, he stay in the island and lives out his life but I am selling the home so he'd be with strangers. This feels horrible.

 

[Wenda]

I don't have any great advice, but I wanted to wish you and Alfred well.

I can tell you, however, when my sister took her cat (Holly) to Hawaii she did just fine. She was about 12 years old at the time, and she integrated well into island life, and then later when my sister had to move back to the mainland Holly did absolutely fine on the way back. She was always an only cat, but when my sister moved back to the mainland she ended up living with my dad who also has a cat. His cat never liked Holly, nor Holly him, but they seemed to stay on their separate floors during the day (they had their own food, water, and litter boxes on their own floors. My dad's cat in the basement by his room and my sister's upstairs by her room), and at night they'd meet on the ground floor to play or yowl at each other from a distance (it changed depending on the evening lol).

Personally, I would bring Alfred to the U.S. to live with you and his dog brother (he'll probably be happy to see him). And hopefully he'll be able to get along okay with your new rescue kitty. At least that way you know he's with someone who loves him. The people buying the house might not like cats or care to take care of him.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - due to the sale of your original place, I agree with Wenda that you have no idea regarding what will happen to the cat once you've disappeared over the horizon, so to speak.
Anyway, not that you don't know but I thought I'd attach a few articles that might have some helpful tips.

9 Tips That Will Help Your Kitten Adapt To A New Apartment
How To Move With Your Cat To A New Home In A Safe Way
How To Help A New Cat Adjust To Your Home

How To Choose The Right Litterbox
How To Choose The Right Cat Litter
How Often Should You Clean The Litter Box?

How To Keep Your Cat Safe Outdoors

 

[Furballsmom]

and here's one more - again, there might be a stray tip or two that helps
Beware The Dreaded Cat Carrier

 

[phelana]

Thanks all, I definitely want my Alfred with me. But his life in the Caribbean is so perfect and it's all he's ever known. Awell, wish me luck. I brought my Caribbean doggie here and it worked out well, so can pray/manifest the same for my Alfred. The recs and links are immensely helpful.

 

[Furballsmom]

It's perfect in the here and now with you.
As soon as new people show up, even if they promise to the nth degree that they'll take care of the cat, it won't be the same for him, plus they may not fulfill the promise.
Best of luck and safe travels to you both!!

 

[phelana]

Hi All


Today is travel day. My awesome boyfriend is with me to assist. I will give him a tiny dose of kitty valium soon. We fly at 2:30 PM. We arrive at the COLD airport in Boston, 11 and then on to Cape Cod by 1. It's a long day. I have a pee pad to line his soft carrier. He had a teaspoon of tuna at 8 AM. Any other tips? We have to take him out for TSA, twice. Say a prayer. He has a harness.

 

[Furballsmom]

Best of luck with everything and SAFE TRAVELS!!!

 

[Furballsmom]

36 Awesome Tips For Road Tripping With Your Cat
This has to do with travelling in the car but there may be some useful tips in general...

 

[phelana]

thanks so much...great tips...positive energy and focus..

 

[phelana]

PS I had a meltdown last night. My Global Entry/Pre TSA expired a few days ago. STUPID me. Does TSA have special allowances when going through with pets?

 

[susanm9006]

Here is ther web page on pets

Can I take my pet through the security checkpoint?

Sounds like Alfred will need to come out of his carrier, so he will need to be leashed.

 

[JT'w/3]

Just read this, please post an update when things settle down. Sending positive vibes your way.

 

[rubysmama]

Just found this thread today. Hope travel went well yesterday, and that Alfred quickly adjusts to life in New England.

 

[phelana]

Wow, what a "ride"....9 AM and 12 PM, mini doses of kitty valium. Alfred was calm and chill, sleeping on my bed. He went out to pee in the yard, 11 AM. 1 PM, harness on and a little fight. 1:15, into the carrier and off to the airport. Some moaning, but subdued. Plane ride from Bonaire to Newark was rough. He waled a lot. Then, he pooped. Despite having a pee pad strategically placed, he was messy and the carrier. We were not allowed to get up due to turbulence but I ignored and went in the loo. I did not know there was a diaper changing area so sat on the floor (horrors) and cleaned Alfred and the carrier. I was in there 20 minute. Part of the time was soothing him. I came out and we realized the other side was still poopy. This time, my boyfriend went in to clean and was in there 20 more minutes. We threw all paper products in the trash and told the flight attendant the loo was clean but smelled due to trash. They closed off the loo for the duration of the flight. I held Alfred on my lap the rest of the flight and he was happy. Entering the US, customs and immigration, what a scene. All meds had worn off. He was screaming and thrashing at times. He did NOT like the movement and there were no carts. I had let my Global Entry laps and so had to wait in lines.

Oh, he had to leave his carrier twice, for security; Bonaire and Newark. Piece of cake. He did well.

By 9 PM waiting for our connecting flight to Boston, I was frazzled. I gave him another mini dose as he was yelling a lot. The terminal was bright and LOUD. On the last leg, he was so upset I took him out of the carrier and held him. All the flight staff were great but one told me to put him in his carrier. I gave her a look and proceeded but she came back and said, keep him secure on my lap. The flight was 45 minutes. As soon as he was back in the carrier, 11:00, he was crying again and had peed too. We landed and dealt with getting the car and the cold. The ride from Boston to Cape was 1 hour and he was not in the mood to sit. He wanted to walk around the car. I held him, counting the minutes.

I entered the house. His sister dog,who has not seen since 2014 (she came to the US in 2014 but they had been together since his birth in 2004) did not seem phased. My New Bedford rescue ran under the sofa and there he has stayed, most of the day.

I put Alfred in my mom's room with sliders, lots of space and a nice calm feel.

This AM, he was lovely ..hugs, kisses and purrs galore. He ate and drank. No luck on the litter box yet but I put him in it twice. Any suggestions? He used one a few times in his early years.

He is sleeping now. I brought Confy the dog, to see him. He hissed at her and walked away.

Positive focus.

 

[Furballsmom]

This is AMAZING!!!!!
LOL good for you , what a awesome story - oh my goodness.

He may just need a bit of time regarding the litterbox however there are a couple options you could try.
Some folks have said that they had good luck using potting soil.
There are some litters he might take to;

• coconut (seriously. I just read about it on this site this morning - very finely ground, not much dust, works great)
• Walnut - littermaid's is finely ground not dusty at all
• corncob - not dusty - again several members prefer littermaid brand
• Dr Elsey's respiratory relief crystals

In my case, I want a clumping litter so to combat the sodium bentonite clay dust, I'm combining corncob, walnut and a clay clumping litter, which oddly enough works and cuts down the dust.

 

[furmonster mom]

Oh goodness! That sounded like a pretty rough ride. So sorry I didn't see this thread sooner, I would have given you an idea of what to expect...

When we moved our cats from WA to NV we ended up with a 2 part flight and layover instead of a straight shot. It was probably just as well, as the meds definitely wore off sooner than expected, and they cried for most of the first leg. I had to re-dose both cats in the bathroom at the layover airport. Luckily we didn't have any messes, though. They were quiet for the second leg, but as we debarked and were on our way to baggage claim, they started crying again. I ended up pulling the biggest cryer out at baggage claim, and sat on the floor cradling and soothing her.

While it was a pretty stressful day, we did get through it, and after about a week, they had settled in to our new apartment. However, I always tell people to expect to administer a second or even third dose of kitty valium on these kinds of trips.

For re-adjustment, time, space, calm, love...

 

[rubysmama]

What an "adventure" !!!! Fingers crossed he uses the litter box soon. Google found a lot of links for training an outside cat to use a litter box. Here's one: How to Train a Stray Cat to Use a Litter Box?

 

[phelana]

Day 3 and all is well. Alfred is using the box consistently. He eats and drinks well. Alfred is mostly sleeping on a cozy soft comforter. His pal, Confy the dog, comes and goes. They seem to greet each other but I am not seeing any signs of huge excitement or recognition. Confy came to the US in 2014, 10 years time spent with Alfred.

Gus the rescue cat sniffs around the door. Alfred was out in the hall sniffing and found Gus's box and sniffed more. I suspect over the weekend I will let Alfred out more to explore and see how the two connect.

I am so happy my boy is here BUT, him being inside, in a heated home, I am just learning, I am SEVERELY allergic to Alfred. It's abysmal but I am steadfast in my desire to have a lovely life for Alfred and my family here, on Cape Cod.

 

[Furballsmom]

Oh! Lordy.
What about trying a food change for him, where you introduce some raw, such as rad cat or primal? That might change his digestive system for the good and help his skin and dandruff and dander to improve and decrease.
I don't know about allergy meds but other members do...