Destination - Melbourne, Fla.
Distance - 853 miles
The trip was long in coming and involved some planning once we had buyers for our house. I worried. I spoke with the vet's office as well as with friends about cats and travel. I purchased a kennel for a small dog that would hold a litter box, a scratching pad and a water bowl. But it turned out Gracie preferred to sit in a clean litter box much of the way, occasionally stretching her neck to check on traffic or offer suggestions to the driver (me).
In the week leading up to our departure, Gracie watched as a crew from a donation center then folks from a haul away business carry off many of our belongings, including the favorite cat tree and some comfortable chairs.
By the time the movers departed, only the cat carrier remained.
I had spent days pondering the logistics of loading the kennel, cat accessories and
my bags into the VW Golf.
We spent the first night in a noisy hotel where neither of us got much rest. We left
Culpeper, Va., the following morning by 5 am, stopping in shaded rest areas on I-95.
The Cumberland County rest area had a welcoming committee. Had they escaped
from a kennel? Was it safe for cats to live by an interstate, where cars and trucks roar
by night and day?
At one of the few rest stops in South Carolina, I carried Gracie inside the facilities with me. Too hot to leave her in the car. How did other pet owners manage? No dogs or cats in these rest rooms! Ah, a cat owner explained newer vehicles have the remote start that enables you to keep the locked car running with its AC. And some even have a “dog mode.”
We arrived at our hotel in North Savannah (Port Wentworth), somewhat tired after an 8-hour drive and the in-and-out of rest stops with the carrier.
The Comfort Suites was just that—comfortable and with a welcoming staff.
Gracie settled into our room with her traveling litter box, water and food. And I settled
into a booth at a restaurant within walking distance.
That night, we found our room offered many places to sleep.
The drive to Melbourne took less than five hours. By the time we arrived at 1 p.m.
Thanks to help of a good friend, my movers were able to unload my belongings well
before I arrived.
Gracie is settling in gradually, enjoying bird watching.
Gracie enjoys a stretch. Photo by H.E.
As for me, I am enjoying friends and a glass of wine, my cat and the Florida clouds as
a tropical storm approaches the East Coast.
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