Retrospective: Pippin Packs for a Trip

When I'd go on a long trip (several overnights), I'd pack like I was moving house, practically. I tried not to, but it seemed that everything was necessary, especially if I didn't want to do laundry during the trip (which I didn't).

So I had all my stuff, and all Pippin's stuff to pack, and I made lists to help me remember everything. But what helped the most was using my pink room, which is also my guest bedroom, to stack everything up and then pack it into the waiting suitcases. His stuff took up a whole suitcase by itself; as bad as traveling with a human baby. I had to bring food, litter, a litter box, litter box liners (because I'm not going to put a litter box back into a suitcase after it's had dirty litter directly touching it, so the liners helped with that. I didn't usually use liners but gratefully Pippin handled the difference with aplomb.) And also I had to bring water, so he didn't get a tummy upset from different water (like humans going from the US to Mexico; cats are affected by a smaller geographical difference in water). And toys and brushes and all that kind of thing.

Jan 15, 2008: Pippin investigates

Suitcases are just fancy boxes. I've never met or heard of a cat who didn't like boxes, and Pippin was no different. Boxes were lovely fun.

But suitcases meant a trip, which was a source of anxiety for him. See, he'd rather go with me than stay by himself, but he'd really rather we all just stay home!

One time I was doing this packing and Pippin was enthusiastically helping. But every ten minutes or so, he'd leave the room. Then he'd come back a few minutes later and help some more.

After several repetitions of this, I decided to follow him to see what was going on. I thought he'd gone to get food or use the litter box, but like four times in a row?

He was going into the bedroom where he had a potent catnip toy on the floor, rubbing on it till he calmed down, and then coming back to help me. Apparently when his anxiety got too high from the suitcase=trip problem, he was self-medicating to calm down!

He liked catnip; it didn't make him go nuts like some cats I've seen, but it didn't make him instantly sleepy like Pizza and Tiger (they were no fun with catnip toys!). I thought it was incredibly smart of him to figure out that the catnip made him mentally feel better, so he could go rub on a catnip toy when he was feeling upset.