Tony Danza Update

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Apparently I've had some concerned readers wondering where we are with our kitty immigration drama so I figured I'd post an update. We've spoken to some Aussie immigrants who dealt with similar issues to get some perspective and here's what we learned:


Australia quarantine, because it has the strictest standards is also known for being the nicest. Also there are designated days where you can visit your pets. Cost is a major downside. His monthly fee is more than I paid for rent on my one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn five years ago. However, it looks like Tim's company may put us up in a hotel for a month, thus saving us a month of rent and balancing it out.

So quarantine it is. Our vet recommended an agency to us called Pet Express that works specifically on pet travel and immigration. So far they've been super helpful in making sense of the mountain of paperwork and jargon we're dealing with, and they will take TD to the airport for his journey. Again, the services aren't cheap but you're paying for peace of mind, and not having to stress about last minute problems that arise.

My only remaining concern is getting him food he likes. Not that he's one of those snobby Fancy Feast cats... he just has, well, a rather sensitive tummy. When his current brand of cat food was recalled recently and we had to temporarily switch him, the results were not pleasant for anyone. I haven't been able to find any Nutro distributors in Sydney. Does anyone know of something that might be roughly equivalent? 

UPDATE: I found Nutro distributors here!

Kind of gross to be writing about the one non-vegan product we allow in our home, but unfortunately TD doesn't have much of a taste for tofu. However, there is ONE VEGAN PRODUCT that he goes absolutely, inexplicably crazy for: So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt.

Yup, that's him with a container of it stuck on his face. The other day I had some with my lunch and seconds after I'd opened it, the delicious aroma awoke him from his slumbers. He spent the next three minutes wandering around the living room and subsequently crying because he couldn't tell where the smell was coming from. (Hint, kitty: it's always in my hands.) When he finally found it, he did his best to try to paw it out of my hands. He's lucky he's cute. This is what goes down every single time I eat this stuff. As usual he got to lick the cup afterwards and was in kitty heaven.

I wonder if they'll let me sneak his favorite treat to him in quarantine. Are there any vegan products your cat goes crazy for? Brighten my day with cute kitty stories in the comments.

3 comments:

x said...

Hooray for moving to Sydney! Just started following you on twitter and that led me to your blog :)

We do have a really strict quarantine but I am sure you cat will be ok!

My cats love raw fruit and veg plus vegan cupcakes, rice milk, cereal etc. And the brand of food they eat is VeganPet Cat Food. You can order it online - www.veganpet.com.au

Sharon said...

Hi Mandee,

Great to hear from you! I'm so excited about moving to Sydney in January. Are you one of the organizers for the Sydney Vegan Bake Sale? I hope to get involved with that when we get settled.

Good to know about the vegan cat food. Because he's a "senior" cat with a sensitive tummy I hesitate to switch him, but it might be worth trying to supplement what he eats with some vegan stuff. He also like lentil soup! Won't go anywhere near fruit though.

x said...

Hi Sharon, sorry I forgot to check back!

Yes, I am one of the SVBS organisers and we would love for you to join us when you get to Sydney! We're probably going to skip Dec/Jan as it's just too hot so hopefully we'll start up again Feb/March!

Keep in touch and good luck with the move :D xox