In late October, 2003,Pam (FiercePam), a forum member on the About Cats Forum, told the rest of the members about this cat that had been hanging around her apartment building in Belleville, Ontario. Her partner, Shane, had brought Orange inside a few nights earlier, mistaken by his remarkable resemblance to their own orange guy, Digit, but was quickly straightened out, by Digit, himself. Faced with the fact that they already had 9 cats, compounded by the sad circumstances of their local humane society (euthanizing 100 cats per week - those that were unneutered), Pam voiced her dilemma to the forum. She was feeding both Orange and another stray cat (dubbed "Tuxie"), but couldn't keep them and simply couldn't afford to get them altered.
Enter Catherine, who lives in Fairbanks, Alaska, and goes by the forum moniker of CatherineLuvsKitties. Catherine was so taken by Orange's plight, that she offered to "adopt him and Tuxie long distance" - pay for their veterinary care and other monthly expenses. Catherine posted,
- I think of my three - happy, safe, and loved in a warm house with lots of toys, and it makes me sad because I believe every kitty has a right to all those things. So talk it over with Shane and let me know what you guys decide. Like I said, even if you can't adopt them, I still will pay for their s/n. Tell me when and the check's in the mail ;)
Catherine's Big Announcement
Fast-forward a week (and some behind-the-scenes coaxing of her husband), Catherine decided that she had to have Orange in her life - in purrson, and not in a long-distance relationship. Catherine posted, "His story and pictures grabbed my heart and twisted it. I have no idea how to describe it, but this is something I have to do. For some reason I am convinced he belongs with us."
Things became complicated then. There was a two week waiting period between Orange's vaccination and neutering, and some arrangements had to be made to house him or keep track of him during that period. Catherine sent Pam the funds to have him neutered, which would make him a better "roommate" until the logistics of transportation could be arranged.
A Minor Panic
What if you have a veterinarian appointment and the guest of honor doesn't show up? Pam got a little nervous when the day for Orange's first appointment (for vaccinations and bloodwork) approached and she hadn't seen him for awhile. She posted a plea for help to the forum and after a day of prayers, "Go to Pam's house, Orange," and some Buddhist chanting, Orange made an appearance just in time for his appointment. Orange was neutered in early December, and, now that he was "respectable," arrangements were discussed for his trip to his new, and final home in Alaska.
Best-Laid Plans...
In late December, Catherine was finalizing the complex plans for Orange's trip from Pam's house to Catherine's house. They involved:
- Another vet exam, to provide the Alaska customs requirements of a health certificate, certificate of acclimation, and shot record.
- Transportation by a pet transport company from Pam's home to the Toronto airport.
- Flight leaving Toronto to Detroit; layover in Detroit for approximately 4 1/2 hours, during which time he would be fed and watered.
- Flight from Detroit to Seattle, with another layover, of five hours.
- Flight from Seattle to Fairbanks, arriving at 1:30 a.m.
- Let Catherine narrate the next part: "Now, here's where things get tricky. Customs in Fairbanks is open from 8am-4pm M-F. Orange will arrive at 1:30am. However, instead of him having to stay overnight in Seattle, I can do what's called pre-clearing him through customs, clearing him before he gets here. Northwest had me call AK Airlines Cargo to check on this, who referred me to AK Airlines Customs, who said that in order to do this, I must obtain a pre-airway bill from AK Airlines. So back to AK Airlines. They said they will hopefully have the info from Northwest Airlines tomorrow so they can produce this bill for me. So back to AK Customs again. I also must have the shot record and health certificate from the vet. I must present these three documents to AK Airlines Customs by 4pm on Monday morning. Otherwise Orange will have to stay the night. And I'm serious, the way the customs guy sounded, I pictured poor Orange camped out on the tarmack!"
At that point, in stepped Francine, who lives in Windsor, Ontario. Francine and Dominic whose three cats comprise the Shire, offered to drive to Pam's place and bring back Orange to her home, which would eliminate one leg of the long flight, as Francine lives just across the border from Detroit.
Next > Yet Another Change in Plans
