It’s been a while since I posted on here. We’ve been busy with our move and are finally settled-in in Arizona. Beautiful weather here–it’s been in the seventies and eighties, mostly.
The path to getting here was a real challenge. After selling our house and packing up our belongings, we were finally ready for the movers. When moving day arrived, we put our three cats in one of the bathrooms to keep them safe and out of the way. The noise coming from outside the bathroom must have been scary–there wasn’t a peep out of any of the cats for the five hours that the movers were there.
After the movers left and we did a final clean-up of the house, we were almost ready to leave. It was 2:30 in the afternoon, and the house was empty. We let the cats out of the bathroom. All three ran out, and down the hall, then into the living room. Our youngest cat came to a screeching halt and shrieked. Her ears flattened. She turned her head to look around the living room and dining room, then turned herself around and ran straight back to the bathroom. She was horrified that everything was gone.
We tried to soothe her, but then we had to put harnesses on the cats, put them into individual kennels, and then into two cars–the youngest cat rode with me, and the other two rode with my husband. The oldest cat and the youngest cat meowed for the first two hours, all the way to the Kansas/Missouri state line. After we stopped for dinner, we opened up the cat kennels before we started driving again. The meowing stopped, but the youngest cat stayed in her kennel.
When we got to Wichita, Kansas we stopped for the night, put the cats in their kennels, and carried them into our hotel room. They actually enjoyed exploring the room, and they calmed down. By the beginning of the third day, they all settled into car riding and they all slept soundly for much of the rest of the trip.
It was exciting for all of us when we finally arrived at our new house. We took them inside and let them loose. They happily ran all over the house, exploring every space and looking out every window. They were still a bit worried, though. We had no furniture.
A day and a half later, we put them into one of the bedrooms and closed the door. The movers had arrived and were there to unload our belongings. Three hours later, we let the cats out. When the came into the living room and saw our furniture, we could almost see smiles on their faces. Now they are happy cats again!
10 Comments
Susan Wingate said:
April 3, 2016 at 2:34 pm
Precious post. I’m happy you’re safely in Phoenix and the cats are happy! 🙂
Susan Finlay said:
April 4, 2016 at 4:09 am
Thanks, Susan!
gwpj said:
April 4, 2016 at 8:05 am
I remember when we sold our house in Seattle, packed up what was left, shipped it to Japan, and followed it at the end of the month. Big move, big job, big relief to get it done. All the best to you in your new Arizona life.
Susan Finlay said:
April 4, 2016 at 1:26 pm
Thanks, George! It really is a big job to make any move, but more so when it’s a long distance move like yours and mine. I can’t imagine what you went through moving to a different country.
marlenelee said:
April 4, 2016 at 11:48 am
I know you’ll like Arizona, Susan. Best wishes always.
Susan Finlay said:
April 4, 2016 at 1:26 pm
Thanks, Marlene!
Cheryl Steimel said:
April 4, 2016 at 2:33 pm
Welcome to Arizona! I can’t wait until we move into our new place, and I can finally get a cat!
Susan Finlay said:
April 4, 2016 at 7:44 pm
Thanks, Cheryl! Good luck with your new place. I’m sure you’ll love it.
Mary Enck said:
April 4, 2016 at 4:37 pm
I’m so happy you made the transition with little difficulty. The kitties must have been so pleased in their new home. Congratulations. 🙂
Susan Finlay said:
April 4, 2016 at 7:45 pm
Thanks, Mary! I think the kitties are happy.