Pet Articles

Travelling Companions
How to take five dogs and seven cats by car to a new home in Italy!
by Macy

Planning is imperative when travelling abroad, but when you include animals those plans are bound to go wrong.

We set the date for departure - a Friday in December 2004, possibly the 10th. We decided that a night adventure would be less difficult and less stressful as we were travelling with five dogs and seven cats, a mixture of French and British, all bi-lingual. We hired a Mini-van, Mark was chauffeur and keeper to four of the dogs: Spetsie, Bosley, Zara and Wally and their belongings, while the Fiat Stilo station wagon was home to seven cats in individual or double cages, depending on their ability to get on together, with dog Megan navigating up front with Mum.

Departure time was set for 9pm, but at 9.10 we were still one cat short. Mark waited with the five dogs whilst I scouted the neighbourhood for the missing cat, Cino. At 10pm the local police called round with complaints from neighbours of a prowler. Er – that would be me! At 11 pm, Cino arrived, totally confused that there was no food bowl at the ready. Time to go!

The Journey Begins

After pills down the neck and cats pushed in cages, we loaded the mini-van and the Fiat Stilo, hardly able to see through the rear view mirrors. It was freezing, the frost was beginning to set in and the cats started to howl in a stoned type of way. This was going to be a long night.

Heading north towards the A7 motorway in France towards Montelimar, (we wanted to avoid the 60 or so tunnels from the CDA to Genova), I felt relieved to be off. Adrenaline was flowing, anxiety brewing and thoughts of ‘what have we done?’ mounting …

Our trip was to take us to Grenoble then the Frejus tunnel, Torino, via the Asti wine region, (no we didn't stop) then Bologna, along the Adriatic to Bari and finally to our new home in Puglia. We had estimated it would take 16 hours in total, if we could keep going.

We each had a walkie-talkie. After two hours, I piped up: 'Mark, I've a cat sat on my lap!'

'Well, we've only just got going, can't you drive?

' Mark, it's Lulu!’

‘So, what do you want me to do about it?’ he replied, not so nicely.

I'd slowed down to a manageable 80km with cat on my lap and Megan next to me, taking a huge interest in the new occupant of the forward cabin. Mark really couldn't see my predicament.

‘I'm pulling over,’ I said, flashing my lights like an idiot. Fortunately, we were alone on this very snowy, totally isolated and icy road to the Frejus tunnel.

Mark came up to the window. 'Right, open the door and I'll put Lulu in with one of the other cats'.

'NO!'  I shouted.

'How the hell are we going to put her in another cage if you don't open the window?’

He was right but I left him out in the cold, cold air until I came up with a logical and reasonable plan. I told him - using the walkie talkie - (I must have been very irritating), that I would scruff her, he was to open the car door and I would put her in with Oscar, the least temperamental under normal circumstances, at 20 years old. Opening the car I panicked and promptly closed it and locked it. I'm laughing now but it really was a difficult situation to be in, believe you me!

Eventually, the job was done, but Oscar and Lulu fought for the best part of the following four hours and despite my pleas over the walkie talkie Mark didn’t stop, except to wait for the Frejus tunnel to re-open. The smell in that car was overwhelming. I repeatedly asked Mark to swap vehicles, but he thought otherwise.

Inspecting the Damage

At dawn, we were approaching Bologna and Mark was tired and hungry. After a nice cup of cappuccino and a cake, I insisted that the car needed inspecting and extra luggage removed if I was to go on. We opened the boot and there perched at the rear of the car was my baby, Cookie. Goodness knows how long he’d been there, bless his little white socks! Fortunately the pills and the cold had totally frozen his reactions, but not mine. I grabbed him and put him in the mini-van with the dogs.’ I'll deal with that one later’, I thought. On inspection, we found all but one cage soiled and poor Lulu covered in blood after a beating from the very loveable rogue, Oscar. A chap passed by at this inopportune moment, trying to sell us sunglasses. Mark nearly wrapped him around the wing mirror.

The journey continued and after 23 long, arduous hours we arrived at our new home. Electric fires were  blazing and all the windows were open. There was no water at all let alone hot water.. The paint was still wet. Light fittings and furniture from the previous owner  were strewn about the land. The place looked like a building site. The natural light was disappearing fast and our hopes fading with it, but above all we were so very, very tired.

Macy ‘s website, with a section on animal rescue in Puglia is www.pugliauncovered.com