We got here! But what a week! I was travelling with two friends, Doug and Alisa (my cat sitter). It started badly with me falling downstairs the night before and spraining my ankle so I couldn't drive, though the others were fine about sharing the driving. The cats adapted quickly to their cages, but Dushka hated being in a carrier so I transferred her to the cage with the boys and she was fine. But then we were refused entry at the first country we reached, Croatia, because there was NO VET ON DUTY at the frontier to check the cats. So we had to detour over three hours to the next border post where no one cared about a vet - they looked at the passports (human and cat) and waved us through. What a waste of time. No further checks till Slovenia, where a nice customs officer riffled through the passports, selected Napoleon and checked his chip number with a scanner. The cats were very hot despite the air conditioning and there was some open moouth panting, so we stopped every two hours to ensure they were hydrated. They didn't seem to want to drink the water in their cages so I gave them each a syringe full at each stop. That did the trick. We got to our hotel in Bavaria very late, but everyone was fine and the kits loved the new accommodation!
Next day was long but uneventful, and everyone was very curious, exploring all over the house. I have had to keep them in a bedroom since though, as there are workmen in the house. But now we come to the real trauma. Doug is having marital problems, which we knew, and he talked it all through on the journey. He was very upset and I won't go into the details. He and Alisa had a good time with me for 48 hours and then left. Two days later, when I thought they would be back in Sarajevo, Alisa phoned me from Slovenia, where doug is hospitalised after a suicide attempt, throwing himself from the moving van. He has a broken shoulder and broken nose as well as lacerations. Alisa was pretty hysterical though coping well. Doug's wife refused to go to fetch him for 24 hours, though they are now all on the way home. It is one trip that no one will forget.
No email at home yet, but will have on Saturday, when it wil be easier to post. Missed you all!
Next day was long but uneventful, and everyone was very curious, exploring all over the house. I have had to keep them in a bedroom since though, as there are workmen in the house. But now we come to the real trauma. Doug is having marital problems, which we knew, and he talked it all through on the journey. He was very upset and I won't go into the details. He and Alisa had a good time with me for 48 hours and then left. Two days later, when I thought they would be back in Sarajevo, Alisa phoned me from Slovenia, where doug is hospitalised after a suicide attempt, throwing himself from the moving van. He has a broken shoulder and broken nose as well as lacerations. Alisa was pretty hysterical though coping well. Doug's wife refused to go to fetch him for 24 hours, though they are now all on the way home. It is one trip that no one will forget.
No email at home yet, but will have on Saturday, when it wil be easier to post. Missed you all!
