The other day, I was driving Susan to the vet for a vaccination, so I put her in her crate and drove up to the Fremont Veterinary Clinic. In the five and a half years that I’ve had her, we have made this little 15-minute drive many times. She’s not really a fan of the drive, so I always make sure to put her crate on the passenger seat so she can see me and hopefully that makes her feel safe. Still, as soon as the car starts moving, she begins talking, incessantly asking me where we’re going, will we ever go back home again, what if she has to use the bathroom, and will she get a snack at the end of it all?
I use my most comforting voice and count down the time until we get to the vet. “It’s okay,baby bear, just ten more minutes…Yes, honey, it’s okay. Just twelve more blocks. It’s right up here…The light’s turning green, sweetie, just a little more ways to go.” Sometimes I’ll sing a made-up song: “You’re such a good girl, baby boo/you’re such a good girl, look at yoooou…”
Once we get there, she sits patiently in her crate as we wait our turn to go in back. Sometimes there are other cats or dogs in crates nearby and she just stares them down, maybe communicating telepathically with them. What are we doing here? What is this place? I think I see someone with treats.
After she gets weighed and checked and gawked at (everyone at the clinic is in love with her majesty), she gets her jab like a champ and we’re ready to go.
On the way back home, she starts talking again. Meow meow meow meow. Meow?
I start to wonder if she would enjoy the ride more if she were out of her crate. Would she look out the window and get dizzy at the passing scenery? Would she freak out and start sprinting around the car and jump all over me? Would she dive to where my feet are and put all her weight on the gas pedal, or brakes? Would she motion to other drivers and lead them to believe she’s been kidnapped? Would she jump out a window? (Perhaps conveniently, my two front windows are permanently stuck in the up position so this is not likely)
On Instagram, I always see accounts of people traveling with their cats. A lot of those kitties are totally chill, curling up in the passenger seat, or checking out the window view, or maybe dozing right up on the dash by the front windshield. It’s kind of inspiring.
But I don’t let her out. And she survives the crate just fine. In fact, she didn’t even poop or pee in it this time. Do you drive with your cat? How do you do it? Do they like it?
Thank you for reading Susan’s Eyebrows!
Once, when my late great Ion still walked the earth, we lived a few blocks away from the vet. He hated the car so much that I almost got one of those cat strollers just for vet visits. But we didn’t have any place to store it and then we moved anyway. I’m glad Susan has you to sing to her in the car.
I would worry that my cats would take off when I opened the door. I also talk to them in the car. They are more relaxed on the way home!
It's fun to hear Susan's reasonable questions.