Turn, turn, turn

[days_unfolding]

Today provided a good example of how everything has its own tempo.

The plan of record was to take the cats for their shots, go up to San Mateo to pick up my mom, go to eat in Half Moon Bay, and bring my mom down to San Jose. I did do all those things with delays.

Catching Random and Harlee did indeed prove to be an adventure. My normal method is to calm the cat down by petting him or her, then wrapping him or her in a towel, and sliding him or her into the cat carrier. That method worked on Random with a little bit of struggle. Whenever I so much as touched Harlee with the towel, however, she flew halfway across the room. I tried several times, and all I accomplished was to make her very wary of me. I tried to bribe her into the carrier with catnip treats. Then I tried putting some tuna on a napkin at the very back of the carrier. To my surprise, she went for it. Five-sixths of her was in the carrier, and I gave the last sixth a shove and shut the door. Poor Harlee was hysterical: meowing and carrying on, sticking her paws through the mesh of the door, and so forth.

At that point, catching the cats had taken about an hour. I called my mom right before I left for the vet, and told her that I was more likely to be there at two rather than one o'clock.

The cats behaved beautifully at the vet. The only problem was that we were there over an hour.

When I went home to drop the cats off, I told my mom that I'd be there at two-thirty, which turned out to be the case. She was perfectly calm about the delay; I think that I was more upset about it.

Then we set out to a restaurant in Half Moon Bay that got interesting reviews on the Internet. Highway 92 turned into one of those twisty mountain roads that scare the hell out of me, so I slowed down a lot (and, no doubt, annoyed a lot of people). Then we hit stop-and-go traffic. The restaurant (Half Moon Bay Brewing Company) was worth it though. Good food, good atmosphere, good service, and a great view of the bay.

I decided that I didn't want to take Highway 92 back (in the dark, no less). So I drove Highway 1 north to where it merges with Highway 280 at Daly City. There was a stretch of scary twisty road, but the drive was better than 92. I was so glad to see 280-;)

And then we got to San Jose, my mom visited with the cats, and I dropped her off at her hotel room. A long, but good day.

Comments

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Since we knew we'd be dealing with cat carriers with the kidz, we kept the carriers in Kitty Central and used them as play toys. So they don't fear them at all. It was easy to get them into them for snip-snip time, even though it was two kitties per carrier.

Meredith supplied a "crochet" that we used early on to put on our laps when we wanted a kitten to get some lap time and stroking. So the idea of a towel is more in line with play time than captivity with them. I still have it on a chair, and they use it to sleep on or next to, and I still throw it over them when they don't expect it, and then cuddle them through it so that they keep associating it with cuddles and play.

I hope you gave them lots of treats. Kitty Food Bribery works miracles.

It sure sounds like you're having a good time with your mom. The brewery at HMB is a fun place ;)

[days-unfolding.livejournal.com]

I leave the cat carriers out all the time so that they are used to them. They don't fear the cat carriers, but they aren't inclined to go in them either. I'll try your towel idea.

They were too upset to eat a lot of treats before and after their ordeal-;) Later in the day, I gave them some leftover fish from the restaurant. I'm planning to feel Harlee tuna in the carrier occasionally, so she won't assume that it's a trap.

We both really enjoyed the brewery.

Re:

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

Meredith uses tuna as a kitty bribe a lot. They love it ;)

[lesliesailor.livejournal.com]

Getting the cats into the carriers is difficult - Piwi absolutely WILL NOT ride in the carrier - she thinks she is too much of a princess for that. Kiki goes in but not exactly willingly, and calls MaMa or Now??? for the entire time he is in there. Tasha will hide two hours before you want to put her in there (I haven't figured out how she knows, but I am convinced she is psychic.) Once you finally catch her, she lets out a horrific yowl and then becomes completely catatonic for the rest of the time she is in there.

What about Nima?

[days-unfolding.livejournal.com]

Oops--I just saw this comment.

Nima isn't due for her shots until next March, so she lucked out. It'll be a lot easier to just deal with one cat then.

I think cats sometimes sense that something's going on. A cat of mine (who died last year) heard me talking to the vet about bringing him in for a blood test, and the cat (Chaos) hid while I was still on the phone. I never figured out how he understood what was going on.