Mozart in Manhattan
As you might know if you follow me on Instagram, or know me in real life, I recently brought my cat, Mozart, back to the city with me. She had spent her entire life in Ohio (and all of that time minus four months, as my cat), but I missed her too much to ever leave her for good.
The longest car ride she had ever had was about ten minutes to the vet as a kitten, and in that short amount of time she managed to throw up all over herself. This was really the only indicator I had as to how she would do on the 8-hr car ride from OH > NY, so you can imagine that I was a bit nervous.
My dad packed up his truck with all of my belongings, leaving Mozart for last. We had her in a carrier right behind the seats, but that lasted about thirty seconds. She immediately began screaming, so I let her roam freely. She didn't have very far to go, and for the most part (thank god) the screaming stopped. I could tell she was stressed, but I was very vigilant about trying to make her feel safe and calm. I estimate that I probably petted her more in that car ride than I have this entire year. She's far from aloof, but she's also not what you'd call a lap cat. She generally does her own thing and will demand attention as needed, but I mostly held her the entire ride.
She spent a good deal of time draped over my feet, which was kind of adorable. She even sat on my lap as I shared in some of the driving, which I'm sure is not exactly safe but she seemed to enjoy it. Thankfully, she never once tried to pull a Toonces and drive us over a cliff, and we were able to exit and enter the car without her trying to make a break for it. She never went back into the carrier until it was time to bring her up into her new home, and she hasn't given it a second thought since. She also didn't use the bathroom at all during the trip, which was sort of amazing. I wasn't really sure how to handle that so I guess I just hoped it would work itself out, and thankfully it did.
Once we got to our new home, there was another adjustment period but she came through that like a champ as well. She was generally terrified for the first few days, mostly of the noises (and the pigeons), but eventually she was brave enough to explore. She got really low to the ground and slinked (slunk?) around, investigating everything.
I know that she really started to get back to her old self when, after a few days, she started her nightly ritual of screaming in my face and dropping toy after toy by my bed. I had almost forgotten about that charming aspect of Mozart ownership, but she made sure I remembered. Our hallway is long enough for her to play fetch, and the litter box is residing in the walk-in closet (yes, the walk-in closet— it even has a window!) so that worked out pretty well.
She looooves being held.
I felt really bad taking her away from the only home she ever knew, but every time she cuddles with me, or we say our morning greetings, I know I've made the right decision. I think Mozart and Manhattan are going to be very happy together — just as long as I don't try to hold her too often.