Larisa the Designer Cat's Great Adventure

You probably know They call me the Designer Cat, but you might not know why. I am a Siberian Forest Cat and genetically my saliva does not contain the protein that makes people allergic to cats. I lived in a cattery in Oregon until I was nearly five. I had 26 kittens in five litters and most of them are hypoallergenic too. We are a Special Breed. I came to live with Him and Her when I was finished having all my kittens.

My People - He and She - go away often. They call it traveling. Since I came to live in Their house four years ago, They have taken 38 trips. They leave me in the house with Other People who feed me and pet me and clean out my box.

A month ago a black Sherpa bag came to live in the living room. It was made out of canvas and it had mesh places to see into and a door. Usually when I would look in the box there would be two treats for me, so of course I'd go into the box to gobble up the treats. Sometimes I sat on the door which was open on the ground. Once or twice I took a nap in there.

Then two weeks ago She started putting this blue harness on me during the day. It itched a little at first, but I got used to it. A couple of days later She attached a leash to the harness and tugged on it a little. That felt odd but it wasn't scary.

On Monday last week He packed suitcases and coolers and loaded them into the blue Prius and then He and the Other He got in the car and drove away. But She was still in the house. That was different from the other traveling.

On Wednesday morning She put my harness on me. I went into the Sherpa bag for my treats and She attached the leash to my harness and closed the door and zipped it up. She told me we were going to ride on an airplane to Tucson. I have only done that once before and it was a long time ago when I was a kitten, so I don't remember much. The doorbell rang and She put on her backpack and picked me up in the Sherpa bag and we left the house and got in her Friend's car and drove to the airport. I meowed a few times to let them know I was there, but the ride wasn't so bad.

At the airport a lot of people were moving around and I got scared and pounded on the walls of my Sherpa bag. She carried my bag in a different hand then, and then all I could see was Her legs walking. She talked to a lady about me and the lady gave her a piece of paper called a ticket.

Then more walking. She carried me to a place called TSA-Pre Security. She opened my bag and reached in for me and bundled me into her arms, talking to me in her mmmmmmm-hmmmmmm voice which I know is a good sound. We walked through a machine and then she put me back in my bag and we walked some more. She sat in a chair and put me in my bag in front of her facing her legs so that was all I could see.

We walked again, down a ramp and onto an airplane. We got to go first since we needed extra time to get settled. She talked to me mmmmmmm-hmmmmm again and she slid me and my bag under the seat in front of her. I was pretty sleepy so I took a little nap.

Then a loud noise started and then the airplane started moving fast and going up in the sky. I pounded on my bag again because I was scared. After a few minutes the loud noise went away and She unzipped my bag just a little and gave me a treat. I tried to get out but She pushed my head back in.

I took a long nap then, for about three hours, and then the airplane came down from the sky. The loud noise started again and the airplane slowed down very fast. I pounded on my bag and I was really scared and I threw up inside my bag in a place where I wouldn't step in it.

We walked some more and She called a place called Thrifty Car and a van came and She got in with me in my bag. Pretty soon the van stopped and we went into a little building for a few minutes, and then we walked across a parking lot and there was a different car there. She opened the trunk and opened my bag and I got out inside the trunk. I still had on my leash. She offered me some water but I wasn't thirsty. Then she put some of my favorite food on a little cloth and I was hungry and I ate about 25 pieces of the food while She changed my bag liner and put in a clean one.

She put me back in my bag then and in the front passenger seat of the car. We were driving to a place called PetSmart. She told me they had a new litter box for me and a big bag of cat litter.

When we got to PetSmart, She got out of the car and opened the trunk again. I think She was looking for something She'd left in the trunk while I was eating. She closed the trunk and then locked the car door with me inside. It was a nice day outside, sunny and warm - not like where I live where it's usually raining this time of year and cold. I settled in for another nap now that I had eaten.

Then I saw Her face in the window. She looked scared. She ran into the store for a minute and then ran back out. She talked to someone on the phone. She was holding the phone with one hand and running her hand through her hair with the other hand. She talked on the phone for 20 minutes and She looked scared the whole time. I wondered what the problem was, but I was getting sleepy.

Then a man came to the window. He had a long thin stick and a couple of other tools and he was doing something to the door of the car. Pretty soon the door opened and She leaned in and talked to me. I looked at her and blinked. She said thank you to the man and he went away. She opened the trunk of the car and found Her keys in there. That was a good thing, She said.

Then She went back into the store and in a few minutes She came out with my litter box and litter. She put it in the trunk and we drove for about 20 minutes and then She stopped the car and got out. She came around to my side and took me and my bag out of the car. We went up four steps and into a different house. This house is small and it is called a Park Model. She let me out of the bag. I explored the new house and then I found a bed and crawled under it.

I stayed under the bed for four hours. It was dark under there and it was safe. I could hear Her moving around the house, and every so often She would talk to me. Once I came out from under the bed and I found a hole in Her closet where I could hide too. That wasn't as good a hiding place because She could reach into the hole and pull me out. So I went back under the bed.

Now I have been in this Park Model for four days. He is here and She is here and the Other He is here until tomorrow when the Other He goes back to the other house. I have new dishes for food and water right next to the kitchen. My new litter box is in the Arizona Room where it is quiet. I have a climbing thing They bought yesterday at the pet store, and four new toys, and a new collar. Sometimes there is catnip which I especially like. I sleep on the back of the new couch just like I do at home. Today I started taking my nap on Their bed instead of under it. I am getting used to the Noises outside. People walk by, and I can hear Trains sometimes. The only different thing is that I have to stay inside. They leave the screen door open so I can look out, but I can't go exploring at night like I do at home. Still, I am with Them and I am purring. We will live in this Park Model until April and then we will go home.

If you have questions for Larisa the Designer Cat, tell Her what they are and She will probably answer you.