Car Or Plane W/ Special Needs Feral Mom & Her Kitten

[Jennah1028]

Hello, I attempted to TNR a feral mom cat & have her kitten vetted for an injured leg. Mom ended up with aspiration pneumonia & slightly congested heart from the surgery. I wouldn't allow euthanization like the vet recommended. Her baby, now approx 4 mo old, had to have her hind leg amputated. I cannot pet them but they like living indoors and human company. I've been caring for them for 3 months. They're seriously attached and I think that's been helping to domesticate them, but they have a ways to go still. Their health is now better and stable and someone is interested in adopting them together but they're in Minnesota and we're in New York. The drive would be 18.5 hours plus resting, which would mean 2 days of driving. Flying would be about 3 hours plus security and check-in. Flying would be shorter but complicated because the kitties would have to be checked by TSA, which would be impossible, because they cannot be handled. They would also have to get a clean bill of health to fly beforehand, which requires them to be sedated. Altogether, they each would have been anesthetized and sedated more than 4 times since July, which is a lot on momma's heart and her kittens little organs. The plus side of flying is the duration is much shorter than driving. On the other hand, driving requires many hours and possible sedation as well, maybe more than once too. My hope is that if they're together for the long drive, with room to move in their cage, that they may be okay. I'm desperately seeking advice on which is the more advisable method of transport in this case. Thank you kindly.

 

[shadowsrescue]

There are pet transportation courier services that specialize in transporting pets. I knew someone who used the service to transport 8 cats from NJ to NC. It might be worth looking into.

 

[dragonlady2]

We drove cross country with two ferals a couple of years ago. It took us 3 days, 2 nights. You have spent so much time, money and energy on these two, you may have more peace of mind if you did the driving and transfer. Although my two ferals couldn’t be handled, they were familiar with me and trusted me to feed them and change their litter. They were probably less stressed this way than being transported by someone they didn’t know.

 

[Jennah1028]

Thank you for the good advice. I think I'll drive them there. That way they'll eat and feel safer seeing that I'm there. Driving may be easier in the long run.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Thank you for the good advice. I think I'll drive them there. That way they'll eat and feel safer seeing that I'm there. Driving may be easier in the long run.

This way you will also get to check out their new home and be sure that it is the right place for them. I know that I would want to see the home of where my foster kitties would be going to live. Also be sure to listen to your gut if something feels off.

 

[Jennah1028]

Thanks so much for this advice!!!! Especially the listening to my gut part. I shared the same thoughts of wanting to see what kind of place they'll end up in. Especially since they'll be so far away. I just took them to a foster home in Brooklyn where the foster parent is nice, but they're in a little room with a barking dog outside of the room. They haven't been happy. I feel so guilty because we've been through so much together and they know me as their home and pet mommy. They were trusting me and I feel like I've betrayed that trust. I'm bringing them back to me this Friday. They'll be with me for a few weeks because we're not heading to Minnesota until mid november. I really hope it's a perfect home for them. I'd hate to put them through such a long journey to and from. Also, I really want them to settle into a permanent loving home. I love them dearly but my husband said we can't keep them. We already have 3 kitties. Thank you again

 

[dragonlady2]

we have 6 cats...all strays. If you had another way to keep them, would your husband support a plan? We have two outdoor ferals as well as an outdoor stray. We have made catios with heated pads and dishes and it works to keep them separate, but safe.