Sonny Bunny's Adjustment

Sonny Bunny’s Adjustment

This is how he deals with workers being in the house!

You already know that I’m a crazy cat dad, so bear that in mind as you read this.  This is for those who may be thinking about bringing their cat to Ecuador OR for those who want to know how Sonny is adjusting.

As you recall, we jumped through a lot of hoops in the US to get Sonny to Ecuador.  Turned out that 99.99% of those hoops were not used by Ecuador when we arrived in-country.  Better safe than sorry, and still complete all those requirements JUST IN CASE you are the one they decide to challenge.

After flying with Sonny Bunny, I have a whole new respect for those of you who fly with kids.  I worried about him eating, drinking, going to the bathroom, throwing up, getting cold, etc.  I flew with extra bedding, hand wipes, wash cloths, food in plastic containers, etc.

We sedated him for the flight.  He did great!  The sedation started to wear off about 1 ½ hours prior to landing in Guayaquil.  That gave him time to eat his dinner as we flew over Panama.  He stayed very calm and quiet as we made our way through the Guayaquil airport and in the van to the hotel.  He did very well at the hotel – I think he was just glad to be out of the SleepyPod!  I had placed a disposable cat litter box in my carry-on.  Good thing I did, because our checked baggage didn’t arrive until the next morning.

We sedated him again the next morning as we drove the nearly 4 hours over the mountains into Cuenca. The 4 hours went by very quickly, but there were several hairpin turns.  Without the sedation, I’m sure Sonny would have become car sick – he did sometimes as we drove through the mountains back home in North Carolina.

Cuenca is at about 8,400 feet above sea level.  That altitude affects humans and animals.  For the first week or so we were in Cuenca, Sonny took a lot of naps.  I’m sure his body was adjusting.  (I can tell my own body is still adjusting!)  Of late, Sonny is getting back into his normal routine:  napping from 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM. I made sure he had his familiar bowls, food, bedding, toys, snacks, etc. to help make the transition smoother for him.

We tried two different kinds of cat litter here. Litter and food is quite expensive – and good quality of both is hard to find.  We’re using a clumping cat litter, “Klin Kat”  So far, it does a good job of clumping and odor control. 

A couple of weeks ago, I walked over to a veterinary office with Sonny.  The purpose was to get Sonny established as a patient.  The doctor spoke about as much English as I do Spanish, but we communicated just fine.  He’s a young doctor that many fellow ex-pats use.  We can see his office from our condo – talk about convenient!

Sonny turns 16 in July.  This has been a very big change for an old cat! I hope that all of my planning has made it easier for him to adjust.