My Cat Clio

This is a bad time for lefty bloggers and their cats...

I am moving to Texas. I need to get out of my place by the end of month, from which I will be a bit nomadic until I start my job at Southwestern (and get paid!!).

I have two cats. Torvald is the sweetest cat in the world. He'll adjust fine, so long as I don't kill him first for pawing me in the face at 4 in the morning and demanding that I pet him.

My other cat is named Clio. This is a disaster. Clio is nearly 5 years old. When she was 4 months old or so, my ex-wife grabbed her and threw her in the house. That was the beginning. We wanted to adjust her to living with humans, but that never really happened. I suppose if we had worked with her intensively she might have adjusted. But we didn't, for a variety of reasons I guess. Anyway, I took her when we separated, mostly because my wife wouldn't. So I was stuck with her. Now, she gets along great with the other cats. At the time, she was the 4th cat. The other 3 were all whores for petting. You'd think she would have learned from the other cats that this pets thing isn't such a bad gig, but she didn't.

Along the way, we acquired a live trap, in which I've moved her 3 times now. The last time was close to a year and a half ago. I figured she would have forgotten the experience by now. I guess not.

I was supposed to be in Texas right now to deliver the cats to Lyrad for the summer. Clio won't get in the trap. She hasn't eaten in nearly 48 hours now. The food is in the live trap. If she wants to eat, she knows where it is. But this doesn't seem to be working.

I don't know what to do. I called a vet today. His response was pretty much, "Good luck with that." He suggested I throw a blanket over her, pounce on her, and throw her in a cat carrier. This doesn't seem too likely to work. But if she isn't in there by the time I get home this evening, that's what I'm down to. I can't see her not eat for any longer than this. I feel terrible as it is.

I have to take the cats to Texas this week. If I can't get her by Thursday, I have no other choice than to just put her out. I don't think she'll survive very long. But I don't know what else to do. It's a terrible situation. I don't actually like her, or really have any affection for her at all. But I don't want her to die.

Basically, this really sucks.

UPDATE: I wish I had thought of the idea of taking the other cat to the vet for the tranquilizers. Sadly, it is too late for that. She still wouldn't go into the trap last night. I tried to catch her this morning, with particularly disastrous results. I need to leave for Texas in an hour or so. I'll make one more attempt to catch her. Otherwise, I guess she's out. Sigh.