My husband and I are originally from the Pacific Northwest, but moved to Saint Louis, Missouri, when I finished college. I had a teaching job lined up that I was very excited about, so we agreed to move to the Midwest for a couple of years, and then move home to Oregon.
When we moved to Saint Louis, we had one cat, and she moved with us. We returned to Oregon frequently for short visits, and stayed longer a couple of times a year, around the holidays and in the summer. As a teacher, I had a couple of weeks off in the winter and a couple of months in the summer.
While our cat was fine alone in the apartment for a few days, she couldn't be left unattended for weeks or months on end. As such, twice a year, we took her with us back to Oregon. We had to pay the airlines a fee, and her pet carrier was considered my carry on piece of luggage. We had to take her out of her carrier at security, and walk with her through the metal detectors. After a few times at this,... read more >>