"Is Our First Blog Entry Really Going To Be About Our Cat?"

This is the question Dylan asked me yesterday when I told him that I was going to write about my day out with our cat, Noel.  Was I offended that he acted disgusted about our little feline friend?  Not really.  If anything, it made me want to write the blog even more.  So, to answer his question,...'YES!'

I'll admit.  When I've driven on the highways and bi ways of our grand country and have witnessed pets with their heads out car windows, I've gotten irritated.  When I see little dogs, cats, rabbits, or whatever other domesticated animal riding ''shotgun'' in their owners' vehicles, it blows my mind.  I think the following:  

A)  If your dog moves any more, you're going to crash into a ditch, lady.

B)  I bet you have no friends.

C) I can't believe I've never taken Noel out driving with me...

Well, Noel did  go with me yesterday!  I wanted to visit my grandmother and aunt in the Yale/Guthrie Center area and I thought it might be fun to take the cat with.  I put a few ratty shirts in the bottom of her pet taxi for cushioning, packed her treats in my purse (in case she started dying of hunger), and then shoved her in her little taxi.  Away we went!  

After 20 minutes of ''meow, meeeeeow, MMMMEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOWWW"...I finally let her out of her cage to roam free around my car.  At first, the experience was horrifying.  Noel would try to jump onto the dash.  She would want to hide by the brake pedal.  She would try to unlock the child safety locks and jump out of the car to her freedom (I swear, I actually thought that!).  But after a few more minutes had passed, something wonderful happened.  She climbed up on my shoulder, stopped meowing, and rested.  She slept and looked out the window the rest of the way.  'So, this is why people take their pets on the road with them!  This is what I've been missing!  Dylan and I are going to do this for the rest of our lives!'  These were all the thoughts that had crossed my mind.

...until Noel and I drove home.

Noel's constant meowing and my worrying about her health and bladder function sort of put a damper on my thoughts of feline travel.  We got home.  We ate.  Noel napped.  The End.  

...this story was a bit anti-climatic, huh?  Either way, I haven't decided if I will take our cat on another car ride again.  And I've decided not to judge people with pets in their cars....at least the people with dogs and cats.  If I see anymore people with rabbits roaming around in the back seat, I'll flip!