I also spent a good portion of the time I was home worrying about bringing Gus back to China with me...but luckily he and I both survived the stress and he made it here in one piece. I have to say that bringing a cat to China, is easy, albeit expensive, but easy logistically speaking considering I know very little Chinese. Here is what we had to do to get him here:
• updated rabies shots, distemper and microchip, USDA health certificate completed by the vet within 7 days of travel and signed by USDA office in East Lansing.
• I had to get a kennel large enough for him to be able to sit up and move around without hitting his head for Delta, which by the way they were AWESOME but I guess that's why I paid them $200 extra so they would take the best care of him possible!
•I had to provide copies of the health certificate, rabies certificate and my passport to Delta and to the Chinese government when we arrived.
The only moment where I thought I was going to lose it was when the TSA agent came over to swipe the inside of his kennel and test for drugs or who knows what and the test kept coming back irregular. I literally thought, well this is it I can't bring him but after several torturous minutes of waiting for approval while holding my cat in the middle of the airport, whose paws were sweating he was so nervous(!) the TSA agent just said its fine put him in and away Gus went with a guy named Dave to wait in a heated van until it was time to board the plane.
Once I got to China, I picked him up at the excess baggage area which was a moment of truth because I had decided if he could survive the 15 hour flight he could survive 7 days in quarantine. He of course survived the flight and was waiting for me next to the other piece of oversized baggage, a trombone. Then we went and picked up my luggage and found the customs office where they spoke English and again were very kind. I filled out paperwork, had my photo taken with Gus and walked away trying not to cry or feel guilty about leaving the little guy at the airport overnight. The next morning he got transported to the quarantine facility and I called every single day to check on him. They spoke English too and told me everything was fine including updates such as "he's eating and he peepee poopoo okay!" The experience culminated in a trip to the quarantine facility which is located in the middle of nowhere, I had a cab driver who was awesome and waited for me while I went in to get him. I sat in a little office waiting and then stepped outside to see Gus being peddled up on the back of bicycle with a cart looking at me like where the heck have you been?! Before I left they took our photo again, I did ask for the photo of me holding him in the airport because it was awkward and would have really made this story better but the guy told me no when I asked, sorry to disappoint! Before we embarked on our hour long ride home, literally to the other side of the city the cab driver kindly offered to put Gus in the trunk, I declined. He has settled in very well, he still manages to terrify Ella just via Skype when we're catching up with my parents she hears him meow she apparently perks up! If you know anyone who is planning on bringing a cat or dog to China please let them know they can get in touch with me. You do not need to hire a relocation company, unless it is part of your expat package it is an unnecessary cost in an already expensive venture! Or if you are reading this and planning on bringing your cat to China, feel free to comment with questions, I would be happy to help in any way I can.
Here are photos of my trip from home and all the crafting we did. In fact it was the month of Pinterest projects completed from yarn wreaths with felt flowers to the yoyo poppies on a canvas and then we did paper quilling and turned those into little magnets, we also did feather nails and newsprint on our nails. Then of course I threw in my other yoyo projects for good measure, the table runners and yoyo button flowers. Plus maybe this little heart could be your own Pinterest project! We just traced a piece of cardboard using a heart shaped cookie cutter and cut out the heart from there and then cut fabric hearts slightly larger than the cardboard. We used modpodge to glue the fabric to the cardboard and put the ribbon down between the pieces of fabric before modpodging. Then hot glued white buttons of various shapes and sizes to the front and added a little something extra with the purple owl button! They would be perfect gift tags, or you could use them as actual valentines and write to and from on the back with sharpie!
Also, no trip to Ypsi is complete without a stop at the Tap Room, be sure to ask the bartender to tell you the history behind the bar it is quite interesting! Heather and I put feathers on our nails, but she couldn't stand the texture so she had to put my mittens on hehe. Another idea to use, vintage luggage as a book shelf, Heather put her Amelia Earhart luggage to use and it looks so cute in her place!
