What Turns Grown Cats Into Kittens

I really wonder what life is like through the eyes of a cat. Elijah is about 13 years old, and has endured seven moves with me. For being a cat, he acts much more like a puppy. He loves to be the center of attention and he is very social when we have visitors. We have been together through everything- from my early salad days when I struggled to get by in the early 90s, up to the present. Ezekiel is a year younger. He is a more nuanced cat to appreciate. You would really need to know him to appreciate him. He does not provide the kind of immediate gratification that Elijah offers. Both cats have their merits. I really would not have the time to offer both cats the level of attention Elijah requires. If both cats possessed Zeke`s independence, I might question the purpose of having them as pets. As they are, they compliment each other very well. Also, they appear to be best friends.

I know that it is easy to anthropomorphize the qualities of animals, but I truly believe dogs and cats possess emotions, and at least very basic morals. If either cat ever breaks anything, they usually flee the accident scene as if shot out of a cannon- before they can be scolded. This may well be a basic learned response, much like how the simply disappear whenever the cat carriers are brought out of storage. But I am convinced they know right from wrong.

It was not without some anxiety that we presented the cats to the ticketing counter at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport the other day. We were told well in advance that they needed to fly with the cargo, since the connecting flight was too small to keep them in the cabin. I recently read an article about animal deaths on planes, and how there was pressure on airlines to begin publishing their track record in this area. Our vet was quite encouraging, reminding us that people fly with their pets all the time. He stated that they should not be sedated if flying with cargo, and suggested they would be quite stressed when they arrived. I asked if it would be possible for me to be sedated.

Back at the ticketing counter, the agent was excellent- a kindred pet owner that had flown with her animals before. This was much more encouraging than the picketers near the airport wearing full Halloween costumes carrying placards that read "Mechanic`s Strike- Flying Northwest is SCARY!". The agent put my mind at ease. She stated that a flight attendent would let us know when the animals had boarded. Still, I was concerned about their food and water, and what conditions would be like below. We had frozen little water bowls so they would have a continuous supply during their flight. The carriers were much larger than needed. This was an airline requirement for cargo animals. It let us place small litter boxes in them.

We had to pull the cats out so they could run them and their carriers through security. Afterwards, a guy carted them off, along with the oversized bike box. This would be the last we would see of them until we landed. When we were seated on the plane, a flight attendant brought us a note saying the cats had boarded. I slept through most of the flight, but thought about those little guys during my restless waking moments. The flight was first very cold, than very warm. I was quite dehydrated by morning. I realize that animals are very resiliant- especially predators like cats- who can go for extended periods of time without food.

Schipol Airport in Amsterdam is larger than many small towns. We had a two hour lay-over. As we boarded, we viewed a cart indicating "LIVE ANIMALS" near the plane. It was an optimistic sign. We never were, however, notified when they had boarded the cats.

When we arrived in Stavanger, the cats and bike box were hand delivered to the baggage claim area. I could see their glowing cat eyes from across the room. They were both very quiet, but appeared fine. I hoped they hadn`t been too traumatized. They were checked by the vet. I fed and watered them. They still needed to stay in their carriers while we performed a few errands and took the ferry to Lise`s parents. When we finally arrived "home," they then had to contend with a dog in the house. We mostly kept them apart.

As I was organizing my carry-on bag in our bedroom, I felt a lump in the bedding. It was Elijah. He had crawled under the covers- something he hasn`t done since he was a kitten. He later spent much of the night under the covers with us- again, something he hasn`t done in years. It really made me wonder if the emotional trauma had made him regress. At any rate, he is now happy, healthy, and purring- they both are. Maybe I am projecting too many human characterstics unto them- but I really don`t think so. Pets become family. Those that do not understand this don`t have pets.