Our son headed back to Toronto from Yellowknife early in January, this time with a cat handily packed in a pet carrying bag that looked like he was travelling with a duffle bag which moved. Weather delays in the North West Territories  (surprise surprise) meant he missed his flight from Calgary to Toronto. He was offered standby but in Thomas’ words “the airport was no longer an option because of the howling cat in my possession.” So Air Canada put them both up at a hotel in Calgary where apparently the weary feline settled right down and enjoyed the amenities.

Smoother sailing, so to speak, the next morning except for an over-zealous security guard. Determined to protect the Canadian West from the dangers of pet-loving students from the Canadian north, he insisted on taking the cat out of her cage and “scanning her” [insert cat-scan joke here]. The incident ended with the security guard begging Thomas to put the cat back in her cage. We assume that the guard then promised his supervisor not to attempt the manoeuvre again—ever.

Late Saturday afternoon, we picked them both up at Pearson International Airport. The first thing the poor cat did after arriving at our house was to empty herself in a litter box. It had been a little over 36 hours! Good kitty. What impresses me is how well-adjusted she was, considering her trip.She’s a sweet cat with very soft, dense fur, as you can imagine from an animal that’s only lived in Yellowknife. Our two cats quickly set out the ground rules—stay in the basement and no one gets hurt. The rule also applied to Thomas.

Thomas and his cat left for the last leg of their trip, by car to London, Ontario where at least one of them will continue their studies at Western University.