The Cat

Felix, my beloved cat, has come with me to Brazil. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. And it seems like a good idea again, now that I have been here for a couple of weeks, but the process was anything but easy. There is no quarantine for domestic animals being brought into Brazil. There is, however, a rigorous process back in Canada to ensure smooth kitty sailing. First of all, the cat must be up-to-date in all of his vaccinations and must be in good health. Then, no more than seven days prior to traveling, the cat has to get a Certificate of Good Health from the vet which states that the cat has been in good health for the last forty days. This certificate (which of course, costs money), along with his vaccination certificate (which also costs money) must then be brought to Food and Agriculture Canada (is he food or is he agriculture, that's my question) to be certified by a government vet (which of course also costs). This certificate then has to be certified by the Brazilian Embassy (more money). And then you and your beloved kitty can travel to Brazil. Oh, and the airline also charges a hefty fee.

One of the big conundrums prior to traveling with Felix was whether or not I would bring him into the cabin with me or put him in the pet cargo area, tucked away out of sight and in the dark. Of course, the worrier in me wanted him in the cabin so that I could comfort him and keep him company. However, another part of me thought that I would be better off if he were down below. Then I wouldn't spend my time worrying about him. As it turns out, his cage was one inch too tall to slip under the seat in front of me, so the decision was made. Under he went.

Now, some people suggest that pets should be tranquilized prior to flying. However, there is a new wave of thought which is gaining followers which states that it is better not to drug animals since the drugs inhibit their ability to act (or react) but not their ability to perceive. Therefore, an animal will perceive danger or a strange situation, but will not be able to react to this, which causes them to panic even more. Thinking that this was sage advice indeed, I decided not to drug Felix, but rather to give him a quarter of an adult gravol before the flight to settle his little stomach. This experiment did not go as well as hoped. Felix reacted very badly to the gravol and started foaming at the mouth. Not quite the way you want to arrive with an animal in a foreign country, even with all the duly certified documents. Fortunately Felix calmed down 10-15 minutes later and we were on our way to the airport. At the airport I had to pry poor Felix from his cage so that the security guys could check to make sure that his cage was not an explosive device. Nice. Needless to say, Felix was not pleased. The next time I saw him was fifteen hours later when we landed in São Paulo. A little worse for wear, he (and I) survived the flight and headed to our new abode.