So, Wednesday afternoon I finally hit the road in the wobbling Budget truck, pulling the Toyota, with two stoned cats in their carriers stacked on top of each other in the passenger seat. Let me revise that … one stoned cat and one unnerved cat. The dose I had given Orion (the 8 year-old boy) wasn't enough to knock him out, so he cried a lot while Roxie (the 4 year-old girl that I still call "the kitten" because she's such a tiny little thing) slept peacefully. It took several more doses and about 4 hours to get Orion relaxed and sleeping.
The goal had been to get as far as Cedar Rapids before stopping for the night, then finishing up the drive into Eagan on Thursday arriving before the rental office was to close at 6 p.m. No such luck. About 50 miles or so north of St. Louis it was dark, I was getting tired, and I wasn't thrilled about driving that Budget monstrosity on state highways at night. I'd seen signs that Hannibal wasn't too much further north, so I decided I'd stop there for the night. The trick was finding a place to sleep that allowed pets. The problem was solved by a call (gotta love cell phones) to a friend back in Memphis who could do some quick online research for me (thanks again, Ryan). He found a Howard Johnson's motel right on my path that would accept my two cats (and even accept me). Rather than call for a reservation, I figured that they'd either have a room, or wouldn't. If they didn't I'd cross that bridge then.
So, with the street address of the hotel in hand, I drove into Hannibal … and drove … and drove. One of my big pet peeves is how so few building have a legible street number posted on them. Eventually I found that I'd passed my target and never seen HoJo (and how could you miss that color combo?). Rather than disturb Ryan again I used my handy cell phone to get the motel's phone number via Google and text messaging (a great FREE way to get directory assistance and other info). Fortunately they were still listed as HoJo, but had changed their name. The desk clerk told me what to look for and I retraced my steps.
As I arrived at the motel (sadly, their name escapes me now) the desk clerk came outside to greet me and help me find a place to park my miniature wagon train. The motel was "interesting." It had a small restaurant that included a drive-thru window where you could get coffee and donuts to go. Multiple two-story buildings snaked around a couple of acres. It had a large indoor pool that was closed for the night. My room was … seedy. 1950's plywood paneled walls, etc. The bedspread in this non-smoking room was riddled with cigarette burns. But it was a place to sleep and I'm grateful for that.
I set up food, water and litter box for the cats and sprayed the room with Feline Facial Hormone spray that is supposed to help keep the cats relaxed (I'd also used it in the cab of the truck before loading them up). Once the room was fully prepped I brought the cats in and opened their carriers. They were curious, but cautious. I climbed into bed, read for a little while then slept.
In the morning there was evidence that the food, water and litter had all been used, so I felt good about that. With my laptop in hand I made a quick visit to the lobby to use their wifi to check email, etc., getting a couple of donuts and coffee at the same time. Back in the room, I was packing up to depart, Orion was not to be found. It turned out that he had climbed inside the wooden frame on which the bed was sitting. I had to lift up the mattress with one hand and grab him with the other.
Cats re-drugged (this time I knew how much to dose Orion) we were on our way north again … but not necessarily on the right highway.
More on that "detour" in a future installment.
