I took the cats to the vet this morning, to get general checkups and get a health certificate so they can fly. Poor little fraidy cats, they were real champs — they meowed a lot, and did some cowering, but were fairly cooperative with the vet. Nobody likes getting the ol’ rectal thermometer, or the rabies vaccination shot in the haunch.

The vet recommended something called “Rescue Remedy” for the flight — supposedly it will mellow them out enough so it’s not 6 hours of “Mew. Mew. Mew. Mew.” Poor guys. They’re both overweight, with Trouble clocking in at 13.5 pounds and Commie at an impressive 16 pounds. So as soon as we settle in at the other end of this adventure, it’s diet time.

I took them in their old hardside carriers. We have new softside ones for the flight, but I didn’t want to create a negative memory of the new carriers just yet. The new carriers are sitting open on the floor, so they can hop in and out of them at will and get used to them.

They’re mostly back to normal now, and don’t seem to be harboring any specific ill will toward me.