Transportation And Pets Within Argentina

[Girino]

My bf's family has a small apartment in Mar del Plata, and we would like to spend some time there once the nice season starts.
Plus, since we are going to be with this kitty for the next 10 years (or more, hopefully), she will likely have to board a plane at some point.

I saw at the Carrefour in Vicente Lopez that they sell portable cat litters, basically it is just a cardboard box to unfold open which has some sand on the bottom. It was sold for less than 100 pesos - I can't remember exactly - but it looks like a convenient option.

 

[nlaruccia]

My friend traveled here with her dog who weighs around 18 pounds. She has a little doggie bag that she travels in and we went into restaurants all over the place with the dog inside her bag and put her under the table and no one noticed. She has been all over the world with her dog: airplanes, boats, trains, buses, and subways with anyone ever noticing that her pet inside the carrier. I think if the cat gets accustomed to accompanying you places, it shouldn't be a problem. Many taxes have no problem if you carry a pet, as long as you let them now beforehand, and if it's in a carrier.

 

[ElQueso]

I am allergic to pricks, but I don't complain and live along with them.

I don't know that I would call taking a cat on a bus irresponsible, but possibly slightly inconsiderate, depending on who is around.

I think people who don't have cat allergies don't realize how painful it can be for those of us who do have them.

As an example, I just came back from a friend's apartment. It was the first time I'd visited there, he almost always comes over to my place or we meet for coffee/lunch/dinner. After about 5 minutes I began sneezing like crazy. My eyes puffed up. My sinuses started burning, nose running, the whole nine yards.

My friend asks me "you need a tissue?" I responded "Yes please, thanks. By the way, do you have a cat you never told me about?"

You can probably guess what the answer was. And I completely cleared up about a half hour after I left his pad.

See, it's not just sneezing that allergy sufferers feel. It can actually be quite painful, with all the symptoms put together. I suffer something similar in spring and fall from the environment itself (here not nearly as bad as I was in Houston), but animal allergies (particularly cat, to me) are much tougher on me than seasonal allergies.

So probably 99% of the passengers on a bus with a cat near them won't react, but that 1 in one hundred (I'm just throwing a number out there, maybe it's less) will not be so happy.

 

[nlaruccia]

That's why someone with a cat who is considerate would distance themselves from the person with allergies.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

That's why someone with a cat who is considerate would distance themselves from the person with allergies.

The problem is that it's difficult or impossible to know until it actually happens. Apart from simple public health concerns, dog owners don't know whether someone might slip on that sorete, so it's their responsibility to keep the sidewalk clean.

 

[citygirl]

Cats are terrible travelers and taking them anywhere for a short time causes *considerable* stress which can lead to medical problems very quickly. If you're going to be anywhere less than a month, do your cat a favor and leave him/her at home. They don't deal well with changes in routine. There are plenty of services that will come and feed/water/play with your animal while you are traveling.

 

[nlaruccia]

Cats are terrible travelers and taking them anywhere for a short time causes *considerable* stress which can lead to medical problems very quickly. If you're going to be anywhere less than a month, do your cat a favor and leave him/her at home. They don't deal well with changes in routine. There are plenty of services that will come and feed/water/play with your animal while you are traveling.

I agree. My cat won't even go in the hallway of my building. He's scared of the elevator. I've seen people walking cats on leashes in the parks here, but the owners must have trained them from birth.

 

[Girino]

Curiously enough, today we were forced to take an unexpected day out due to heavy maintenance in our apartment (hours of jackhammering).
First, we spent 3 hours in our bathroom (the only place not interested by the works), with litter, food, myself and our safety blanket, during which Serafina was on my lap the whole time.
Then they started jackhammering downstairs, and she jumped and was VERY scared, so we arranged to go to a family member's.
We took a 15 mins ride by car, went to a new and big apartment with our litter box, our food plates, etc.

The car ride was okay (anyway it was very short). At the new place she was curious and scared at the same time. After a short exploratory trip she came on my lap and she has been sleeping like a baby for a solid hour.
We will be back tomorrow and every day until Friday at least. She is mostly scared by the new persons she is meeting in the apartment. Now that it is just the two of us, she doesn't seem too scared.

I am not happy of this arrangement, and I am also worried that our place won't be the same for the next THREE WEEKS. They put cardboard on the floor and to cover the kitchen cupboards, then they taped plastic sheets all over, from the ceiling to the floor. They taped the wardrobe, the fridge, the washing machine, the bed, EVERYTHING.
She won't be able to play and the house will be filled in dust (they segregated also the vacuum cleaner - jeez!)

Back to cat-travelers...
Let's see how this goes, we don't plan on making Colonia runs with her, but it would be nice to take her to Mar del Plata with us, provided she is cool with that.
I agree with all that citygirl said, provided that the cat was not accustomed in tender age.

Cat on a leash - I believed it was an all American thing - I researched about it in the past because we were going to fly to Argentina with our beloved cat who passed before our departure date. We bought a cat harness in the US which is TSA compliant (meaning it has no metallic parts and won't alert the security scanner). I am not sure they have such harnesses in Argentina (we returned our since we no longer had a cat).

The idea of taking her out on a leash to enjoy some lawn time is tempting, but 1) I don't know a safe and quiet place suitable for a cat 2) the harness would be pretty annoying when running and chasing bugs.
Thank you all for your inputs.

 

[nlaruccia]

I've seen cats on leashes in Parque Rivadvia where there are no dogs allowed in. My cat likes dogs, and hates cats. If you get your kitten used to dogs early, she shouldn't have a problem with them in the park.

 

[Girino]

I think a lot depends on the cat's own nature. A cat won't trust his master/owner in a scary situation (a dog would), and Serafina is pretty scared by noise (even traffic noise in distance scares her).

Apart from the safety I could provide her (leash, no dogs, no cars), she should also able to enjoy the experience - that's the whole point!