Samantha's Travel Adventures
(or Samantha goes Hawaiian)

Last updated Thursday, December 12, 2002

Our 14-year-old calico cat is making the trip of a lifetime. She is moving with us to Hawaii, specifically Kailua Kona on the big island of Hawaii. As you probably know, Hawaii has strict quarantine laws due to due the fact that there is no rabies in the islands. For details of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture quarantine, click here.

I decided to write this so that others who follow might benefit from our experience and so that our family and friends can get regular reports on Samantha's progress through the bureaucracy. I'm writing down every detail, so this will probably get lengthy. But you never know which tidbit might be useful to someone else later. We got a lot of useful ideas from the folks on the konaweb forums at http://www.konaweb.com .

If you just want to see all the photos, here is a photo album. On that page or this one, just click on the little image to see a bigger version.

June 2002: My sister, Jo, and I were in Kona and decided that a road trip to Hilo would be a good thing in order to go shopping at the mall and check out a few of the sites along the way. As part of this trip I decided to have a first hand look at the Bar-King Dog Kennel that is located just south of Hilo. Bar-King is an approved satellite quarantine station located between Kea`au and Pahoa just south of Hilo. (There are only two satellite stations, one on Kauai and one on the Big Island. The main quarantine facility is on Oahu in Aiea.)

Bar-King is better than I had expected. It is clean and airy and the cats have 5x8 "rooms". There is quite a bit of dog barking (I guess they live up to their name), but the cat kennels are not too close to them. The people were very nice and answered all my questions. They have some private, air-conditioned luxury kennels, but they are mostly for dogs and are near the other dog kennels. The noise level is pretty high due to all the barking and they "smell like dog". Samantha would be better off in the regular cat kennel building. All the cats that were there seemed to be relaxed and well cared for. Bar-King books up way in advance (months), so by the end of the month we had made a reservation for Samantha's stay for November. (I paid $218 as a deposit, which is half the expected Bar-King bill.) They sent a set of forms to fill out like her flight itinerary, her normal food and habits, and some additional information. I was able to send this information to them by e-mail.

July 2002: The fun began with paperwork and hoops to jump through. We want Samantha to qualify for the 30-day quarantine, so the timeline is quite complicated. If we do anything wrong, she'll have to do 120 days.

July 7, 2002: Rabies shot and check up. Microchip implanted ($41.50).

Airlines: We felt very strongly that she should not be placed in the cargo hold. We researched private planes (very costly) and airlines. United wouldn't take her at all. They told me they only take animals to Hawaii for the military with government issued orders. Hawaiian Airlines was fickle and kept changing their stroy - the best they would guarantee was to gate check her but still have her travel in the hold. American Trans Air is the only airline that would take her in the cabin. One-way tickets were not too expensive ($348 each) so we went ahead and booked with them, plus a $75 reservation for Sam from SFO to Honolulu. ATA mentioned to me several times that Samantha is my carryon and that I am not allowed to bring another bag, just a purse or briefcase. They have no first class sections and won't do seat-assignments ahead. We wanted 3 seats across, but since we couldn't confirm that, I bought 2 seats for now. We would have to figure out if we can get a third seat when we check in at the airport.

August 3, 2002: FAVN Rabies test blood drawn and sent to Kansas ($45 includes $10 shipping fee).
August 7, 2002: Sam got her teeth cleaned, annual x-rays, and her semiannual blood work done.
August 26, 2002: Her test results are in - she has passed with flying colors. The cat hospital gave me a copy of her test results for our records.

September 12, 2002: Quarantined animals need to have an approved veterinarian prearranged for the quarantine period. Bar-King told me to arrange it with VAI, Veterinary Associates Inc. in Waimea. Willie Joe is the quarantine manager who gave me instructions on where to send the fee (there's always a fee) and what additional information they needed. I filled out their forms and faxed them, paid the $30 fee by credit card, and sent them a copy of Samantha's medical records.

One thing that we felt was important is for her to be hand-carried on her trip from Honolulu to Hilo. She is old and has had some bouts of stress-related over grooming. Our vet agreed with us that it would be best for her to not travel in the baggage compartment if at all possible. I'd been told that she would be transported for us to Hilo in the baggage compartment, so I called the quarantine station and asked about it. I was referred to Dr. Isaac Meada and I explained the situation. Dr. Meada was very nice and he got back to me (he even called a mainland number!) in a couple days. I needed to send him a letter signed by my veterinarian explaining the need to have her hand-carried and he would submit it for approval. The approval came October 3rd. An employee of the airport holding facility would be taking her over. We would need to pay the round-trip airfare and $20 for a meal. Susan Matsusaka was assigned to take Samantha. She called me in San Jose and discussed the arrangements. She is a very nice woman who obviously loves animals and treated Samantha and us very well.

Here is a copy of letter and approval I received in return. Whenever I needed a letter written, I found it easier to write a draft myself. It is far easier to get someone to tweak a letter than to get them to write one from scratch.

October 21, 2002: We sent Samantha's $300 state fee in the form of a cashiers check and her notarized pet owner declaration to the quarantine station in Aiea via certified mail, return receipt requested.

Getting down to the wire

November 2002: We tried not to pack so that it would disturb Sam. I cleaned closets, cupboards, drawers etc. while she slept and tried not to leave a mess. I'll be going back to California for a week to complete more packing of things to ship over.

November 6, 2002: Sam went to the vet in California for one last time to get her health certificate for flying and to get her remaining paperwork in order. Her health certificate cannot be more than 10 days old in order to fly. They checked the microchip, gave her an exam, and repeated her geriatric blood work. Quarantine wants to have arriving pets treated for fleas and our vet said Advantage flea control treatment would not harm her in any way. I left there with her health certificate, rabies & FVRCP vaccination certificates, and the completed Dept. of Ag. rabies shots details form.

Advice: Get them to do two of everything so you have 2 originals. Always have the same vet sign every paper. I have heard of folks having problems if different vets sign some things.

November 9: Jonathan bought inter-island coupons at the Cut Rate Tickets kiosk on Palani Road - two on Hawaiian for Samantha's caregiver, Susan, to fly her over to Hilo in the cabin and two on Aloha for us to fly from Honolulu. (We wanted the United miles for Aloha.)

November 10: Jonathan flew over to San Jose to help get Samantha ready and to travel back with us.

November 11: We packed her stuff in the garage so she wouldn't notice. She is very good at hearing the door to her carrier. We packed the following items in her usual hard-sided carrier - cozy cup, lap throw, used pillowcase from our bed, canned food, dry food, dishes, toys. We used plastic wire ties to seal the door shut.

In our carryon we put a small plastic container of dry food, and 4 cans wet food, labeled with her name, a couple paper towels and a couple Ziploc bags, just in case. All her paperwork - originals in one envelope, copies plus all my notes in another - were put in Jonathan's briefcase.

November 12: Samantha woke up when we did just like any normal day. By now she'd figured out we are going on a trip, but not that she would be going along. We waited until the last minute to spring it on her. She got wind of it when we closed the bedroom doors to keep her from getting under a bed. She was very good though and we put on her figure-eight harness. We put the leash in the pocket of her Sherpa bag so we would have it handy when she goes through security.

We drove to the short-term parking at SFO and just took in Samantha in her Sherpa bag, her hard-sided carrier filled with her stuff and our one bag to check. This was Jonathan's idea so that we would only have her and our ID/tickets to deal with when going through security. We left our carryon and laptop in the trunk in the garage for now.

We forgot her paperwork in the car and had to go back and get it. We checked in and asked for a third seat if we can get three across. The ATA agent seemed flustered and it took her a while to figure things out. She ended up putting "Sechrist, Pet" as the name for the extra seat. Then she couldn't figure out if we had already paid her $75 fee to travel in the cabin (which we had).
Hindsight: they expect you to pay this fee at the airport. I should have either waited to do that there or brought my American Express bill showing it was already charged to me.

The agent told us that this new ticket is flagged for extra security because it was purchased so close to flight time. We appreciated the fair warning.

Going through security

We put Jonathan's wallet and keys in my purse so his pockets were empty. We unzipped the top of the Sherpa bag just enough to put a hand in and clip the leash to Sam's harness. We waited until the guards are ready for us and took her out. I went first and put her bag and my purse on the belt. Jonathan carried her through the metal detector with one hand on the back of her neck in case he would need to scruff her. The bag took a little longer than we'd hoped to get through, but Sam was very good. No need to scruff her. Her eyes were very big! Just as Jonathan got to the other side of the metal detector, the guard thought her little white foot sticking out toward him should be stroked. This is NOT a good idea. Sam hates to have her back feet touched. But Jonathan deftly skirted him and got to the table to put her back in the bag.

I gave Jonathan back his wallet and keys and Sam & I headed off to the gate area. Sam visited her first public restroom with me. Her eyes were wide, but she was not freaking out. And amazingly, she was quiet.

It took about a half hour for Jonathan to go take the car to the long-term garage (I'll be going back to get it November 20th), get through security with our laptops and carryon bag and find us at the gate. He sat with Sam while I went to find us some coffee & pastries.

Sam in her Sherpa bag at the airport

Boarding: Jonathan took the laptop and carryon bag and I took Sam in her Sherpa bag. Sure enough, we got pulled out for extra screening due to the new ticket. They wanded me down and made me take my shoes off while Sam in her bag sat on the table. Next the guard started to open her bag! I emphatically told her for the fourth or fifth time that there is a cat in there and she will get out if they open it up. I offered to put her leash on and take her out. But they just zipped it up tight, checked the pocket and gave her back to me. They did, however, thoroughly search my wallet. Then they let us go on board.

At the door I told the purser that I have a cat and she told me to be sure to mark that down on the department of agriculture declaration form. We got to our seat where Jonathan was waiting for us. I put Sam's bag on the middle seat. She was allowed to stay there until the final check before takeoff when the flight attendant made us put her on the floor under the middle seat.

Once we were airborne, we put her back up there and clipped the seatbelt through the strap on the bag that's made for that purpose (actually it's for a car seat belt). We were able to keep her there on the seat between us for the entire flight until it was time to land. Then she had to be put back on the floor.

Samantha was very quiet during the flight. She didn't sleep, but after a while, she did put her head down. Once, Jonathan put his hand in and petted her, but then she knew there was a potential opening for escape. We zipped it back up and a couple times she tried pushing really hard to see is she could get out at that spot. So we just let her rub her nose on our fingers through the mesh sides and left the zippers alone from then on.

We dutifully filled out the agriculture declaration with "one cat, 14 years old, calico female" and turned it in. Later, the purser came to ask us for our form. Apparently, it got lost (?) so we had to do it again.

When the plane landed, a woman came on the PA and asked for Nancy Sechrist to meet her at the door. She had come to take our Sammie away to the airport quarantine holding facility. We waited until the throngs had deplaned since many were pushy and anxious to get their Pleasant Hawaiian Holiday started. So when we got to the door, we had to give her up. That was a little hard for me - I'd been running on adrenaline a bit all day and it was hard to relinquish control of her. I guess it's the instinct to protect her. The woman told us to go get our luggage and she gave us directions to the holding facility so we could check in on Sam there.

Honolulu Airport

So that's what we did. We made a pit stop and went to baggage claim, got the bags and a cart (the cart was very useful, it was a good hike to the holding facility). Then headed off to find the holding facility. You have to go past the international terminal, outside and around the corner. We found the plant inspection place okay, but had a little trouble finding the animal quarantine. We found a door marked Humane Society, but it was locked. I stopped at the corner while Jonathan went further down and found it. There is a sign above the door, but from where we were standing, a couple JAL signs are in the way.

We got to the right door and rang the buzzer. A gentleman came and let us come in. He took our paperwork. Since these were the originals, it made me a little nervous that he took them away. That's why I had wished we'd gotten duplicates with original signatures. Susan Matsusaka came and met us then. She is very nice. We signed in and showed our ID. We handed over $20 for Susan's meal voucher for her hand-carry trip to Hilo on Thursday and received lots of receipts. Then Susan took us in to see Sammie. The cats are put in a room with stacked metal cages like you see in a vet hospital. Each one is about 3-4 times the size of a medium pet taxi. They had already taken Sam out of her Sherpa bag and put her in her own cage with water and a litter box. Sam seemed none the worse for wear. She came to the bars and rubbed her cheek on my fingers. Susan assured us she would take good care of Sam when she took her to Hilo on Thursday. Then we had to go.

Jonathan handed over the two Hawaiian Airlines coupons that Susan would use to take Sam to Hilo and received another receipt. Susan told us they would be transporting Sammie to the main quarantine facility in Aiea at 3 pm and that we should plan to be there around 3:30 to get all our paperwork checked in and get a visiting pass.

It was a little before 2 PM at that point, so we figured we had just enough time to check in to the hotel in Waikiki and drop off our stuff before heading over to Aiea. So we were off to get our rental car at Avis. We drove down the Nimitz Highway and got to the Outrigger Waikiki. They only have valet parking so we left the checked stuff (the carrier and our suitcase) with the bellman and went to check in.

Outrigger Waikiki had a kama'aina rate of $140 per night for a city-view room that included parking (with unlimited in and out privileges). The entertainment book rate was the same, but didn't include the parking. We ended up with a room on the 7th floor near the middle of the floor, which resulted in an ocean and beach view from the lanai.

We met the bellman at the room and dropped of the luggage. We took Sam's food for her Aiea incarceration from the carryon, as well as all our envelopes with copies of her paperwork with us. It wasn't easy getting there on H1 to 78 during rush hour, but we were there about the time we wanted to be.

The Aiea station was an eye-opening experience. No wonder they do not want to decrease or eliminate the quarantine requirements. The place is HUGE! This is really big business. We estimated that the rows and rows of kennels and buildings take up at least ten acres.

Our impression of the Aiea facility was not favorable. It seemed very much like a rundown military installation. It was clean and the people who work there were reasonably friendly. But the bureaucracy is amazing. Jonathan used an appropriate term when he called it "austere".

We had to stand in a line ("do not approach until you are called!") until one of the two clerks was ready to help us. He was pleasant to talk to, but all business. All Sam's paperwork was either sent ahead of time or had arrived with her from the airport holding facility. Even so, he still had to fill out about four more forms. The amazing part is that some of them were done in duplicate or triplicate with carbon paper! It sure didn't look or feel like we were in the 21st century. I had to fill out a form with carbon paper for checking in Samantha's food. The clerk loaned us a sharpee to put her name on the canned food. I had already labeled the plastic container with her dry food. We left two 3-ounce cans and her small rubber maid container of dry food with him at the desk. He gave us a paper visitor pass about the same size as a doctor's prescription. He crossed out "one-day" and wrote "two-day" on it and directed us to where you check in to get inside the kennel area.

We had to sign in on a clipboard and were given a cardboard number. We were given directions to Sam's kennel number C254 and off we went.

What struck us the most was the noise level. It seemed every dog in the place was barking. The cat kennels are spread out and are in among the dog kennels. We had to walk a ways, but found the right building. Sam was just arriving at her "cell" when we got there. She was not a happy camper and would just as soon stay in her Sherpa bag, thank you. Her kennel had a concrete floor (which was wet, I assume because it had been hosed down during cleaning). There was a metal bench with a wood top where her carrier was placed. It had a swinging door that lead to an outdoor space that was small-diameter chain link fencing. There were two wooden platforms at different heights attached to the inside walls and a ramp with cross slats (sort of like what they have for a chicken coop) for walking from one platform to the other. They already put in a litter box and a plastic dish of water. They use Jonny Cat litter there, which is what we use at home, so that was fine with us.

The dogs continued to bark and Sam did her best impression of Garbo. She wanted to be left alone. She did come out of the Sherpa bag a little bit and we were able to pet her. She's led a very quiet life indoors without dogs or strangers, so this whole experience was unsettling for her - mostly due to the noise. We still had a can of her food in my pocket since they had only taken two of them. Since her food hadn't been sent over yet, the attendant there gave us a dish and a spoon so we could give her some. She wasn't very interested. We reassured her as best we could and left when they closed up visitation at 4:30.

We were pretty tired and hungry, so after spending a while in rush hour traffic, we got back to the hotel and went straight to Duke's Canoe Club for dinner and Mai Tai's We crashed early since we had been up since 5 am California time.

Wednesday, November 13: Samantha's morning would consist of getting her entrance exam by the quarantine vet and having her blood drawn for her post-arrival rabies test. If she passes this test, she will have completed the last hurdle for 30-day qualification. Since we couldn't go visit Samantha until 1 o'clock, Jonathan & I had a leisurely breakfast at Duke's and found some lounge chairs in the shade next to the beach so we could people-watch and read.

View from our lounge chairs on the beach in front of the Outrigger Waikiki

About 11:45 we went upstairs to shower and head over to Aiea to see Samantha right at 1:00. She was still pretty scared when we got there and wouldn't come out of her Sherpa bag. The dogs were still barking and strangers were walking around. One thing we noticed is she definitely didn't like it when the electric carts would go by. They had been transporting her from here to there on those things and she must think they are coming to get her again.

The attendant told us she had used her litter box. Her food didn't look like it had been touched. We just hung out with her until it is time for them to come take her away again. She would go back to the airport holding facility this afternoon and spend the night there. She would be on a morning flight to Hilo on Hawaiian Airlines, carried by Susan Matsusaka. We stayed with her and talked to her. She relaxed more and more as time went on, but she wasn't in any hurry to get out and explore. We took turns wandering the hallway and seeing the other occupants of the "cell-block" since there was only the one bench and Sam's carrier was taking up part of it.

The attendant came by with a dish of her wet food. It was nice of him to realize that she would be leaving in a few hours and would not be there for the normal feeding time (which seemed to be about 4 o'clock from observations the day before). Jonathan was able to get Sammie to come out and eat and she ate more than we have ever seen her eat in one sitting.

A little after 3:30, a new arrival came in via the electric golf cart so we knew they would be coming to get her soon. It was about 4:00 when they came to take her back to the airport. I actually think that spending the night in a cage at the airport was much better than leaving her in Aiea for the night. At least the airport cage is in a quiet room with no dogs.

On the way out, we noticed that the cattery just behind the administration building seamed a lot quieter and farther away from barking dogs. I don't know if you can request a specific building, but it might be worth it.

The kitties who stay a while get to have some grass.

Jonathan & I went back to the Outrigger and, since we'd had no lunch, opted for pupus and Mai Tai's at Duke's. We later met our friend, Mike, at Tanaka of Tokyo in the Ilikai Hotel for a nice dinner.

Thursday, November 14: We got up very early (4:00) to shower and check out so we could make our Aloha Airlines flight to Kona. Our car was at Keahole Airport so we flew over there to get it. We went by the house to drop off the luggage except for Sam's stuff and pick up a few things. I had spoken with the folks at Bar-King a week or so ago and was told we could bring her a covered litter box and her usual brand of litter. They usually use "Litter Pearls" and open pans. We wanted Samantha to have as little change as possible.

By about 8:30, we were on the road to the other side of the Big Island to go see our Sammie. We decided to keep track of time and mileage to see which route is best. This time we went south and it took about 2:45 to get there.

On the road again....

We had Sarah's directions to Bar-King from an earlier e-mail. When we arrived, I was glad it was as nice as I remembered. I likened it to a resort compared to the Oahu facility.

Visiting hours at Bar-King are as follows:

Monday through Friday: 10 am to 5 PM
Saturday and Sunday: 10 am to 1 PM

Sam's Sherpa bag was placed in the kennel on the far end under a plastic chair. She had apparently only been there less than an hour. They had already given her a litter box and some of her food that was sent over from Oahu. There was also a kitty house and a rug and some towels in the kennel for her. We were introduced to her "nanny" Suzanne who showed us around. I, of course, needed to know where the bathroom was located. We took all Samantha's stuff in and arranged her kennel. She was happy to see us but still wary. You could hear a few dogs barking but it is nothing like the din in Aiea.

The atmosphere at Bar-King is very relaxed. You need to sign in when you get there but they don't behave like it is a military base or prison. We were told the sign-in sheet is so they know who is on the premises. They also know which animals did not get a visit today and they can make sure those animals get some attention from the staff.

There are numerous gates and latches so that there won't be any accidental escapees. The cat building is to the right of the office. You walk past a row of kennels where the toy dogs are housed. We did see a cat in there as well, but I assume that's because the cat is used to being around dogs.

Bar-King allows up to 3 cats to be in the same kennel so that buddies do not need to be split up. We were allowed to bring in just about anything to fix up Samantha's kennel to make her more comfortable. She isn't wild about the concrete floors so we brought a remnant of Berber carpet for her that we already had. The kennel is 5x8 and the remnant is about 3x5 so it fills up a good bit of the middle. We brought her a plate for her wet food. Samantha does not like to have her whiskers touch the edges of the bowl when she eats.

Jonathan & I stayed for about an hour (until a little after 12 noon) and decided to go get some lunch and let Sam relax and get to know that her own stuff was there. We went in to Pahoa and ate at a wonderful Mexican café called Luquin's. This is by far the best Mexican food we have had on the island. We asked if they would please open a restaurant on the Kona side. The woman said they get asked that a lot.

We went back and sat in Sam's kennel with her for most of the afternoon. We had brought books and crosswords to do and Samantha began to relax more and more. When she got out of her Sherpa bag, we zipped it up so she would need to explore the rest of her digs a bit. We brushed her and talked to her. She seemed very tired, which is understandable. We unzipped her Sherpa bag and she went right in and we left to drive back to Kona about 4:00 so she could get some rest. We went back by the north route to Waimea and the upper highway over to Kailua. It was 10 miles and 30 minutes shorter than the south route via Volcano.

Friday, November 15: We were up and on the road again by 8:30. We stopped for gas at Costco before heading north. Costco is about 2-4 cents cheaper per gallon than any sign we saw in Hilo. Today we decided to try going over Saddle Road. It is interesting, with some beautiful scenery and different perspectives on the volcano views. I would definitely not drive this road if you get carsick. The west side is in bad shape with no shoulders and lots of bumps and potholes at the sides of the road. It is twisty and has lots of blind curves and hills. The trick is to drive the middle but keep a keen eye out for oncoming traffic. The road definitely improves on the Hilo side (surprise), so you can speed up a bit. Our experience with Jonathan driving is it took about the same amount of time as up through Waimea and Hamakua.

When we got to Bar-King, Samantha was in her bag, but talkative and came right out with a minimum of coaxing. She was definitely more relaxed and seemed more able to ignore barking dogs. People walking past or slamming doors/gates still make her eyes widen and she dashes into a hiding place (carrier or bag) if the commotion lasts more than a few minutes. Today is the day we brought her the carpet remnant and she seemed to appreciate it. At one point she lay down and stretched out on her side while Jonathan brushed her.

I think the key to her settling in is to spend time in the kennel with her. Each day she seems to get more relaxed and to behave more like herself. She's definitely skittish about commotion since her whole life up to now has been very quiet.

Saturday, November 16: Since visiting hours are shorter, we tried to get there close to 10 am. We filled up at Costco again and went north through Waimea, figuring there might be more traffic on Saddle Road on a weekend. We had a short stop at Tex Drive In for a malasada and got to Bar-King around 10:30.

Samantha is getting more talkative. She came right out of the bag to get some attention. There was more commotion today. For some reason, folks visiting the dogs and an employee doing some maintenance were never taught not to slam a door. The door closest to Sam's kennel is about 16-20 feet away opens on a passageway to get to the large dog kennels further down. Everyone seems to just let go of this metal screen door and let it slam. This does not amuse Samantha. A few times she is able to ignore it, but since the visiting hours are shorter today, I think there are more people coming and going and Sam has to hide a bit more than she did yesterday.

I spoke with a woman who was moving her 3 cats from the kennel right next to Sam's across the hall to the middle. The far end of their kennel had that door right next to it and she said it kept freaking her little ones out. She is moving from Guam. She told me she had walked down and talked to Samantha earlier (before we got there) and that Sam was not hiding in her bag. She said Sam seemed pretty relaxed.

We stayed the whole time until we had to go at 1:00. Sam seemed ready for her nap. Jonathan said good-bye and went to go sign us out. While I was saying good-bye and getting ready to leave, Sam discovered her first gecko. It was walking around on the outside of her kennel near the top. She was fascinated. I think the geckos are smart enough not to get too close, but they will be providing her with some amusement.

We stopped at the mall, but it was extremely crowded so we tried a restaurant called Fiasco's that got a good review in the Big Island Revealed. It was good. Try the mango-flavored iced tea.

Exhaustion has led us to decide to skip going over on Sunday. The plan is to drive over on Monday and spend the night in Hilo. That way we can spend time with her for two days with only one round-trip drive, and maybe check out a few of the sites in the area.

Monday, November 18: We drove over a little later than usual since we had to pack a few things for staying overnight. We got to Hilo and stopped for a sandwich at Subway before heading to Bar-King We got there around 12:30 and Sammie was out and talking when she heard us coming. She seems to get more and more relaxed with the situation each day. We spent the whole afternoon with her. We started work on our Christmas cards. She is really liking to get brushed. She didn't seem to have eaten much, but seemed in fine spirits. She is getting better at ignoring the noisy dogs.

We checked in to the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel for the night. We got a good deal with the entertainment card. The hotel is not stellar, but clean - kind of old. The view is quite nice. We had the buffet dinner in the Queen's Court restaurant. It was okay, but we'd probably not do it again. It's kind of strange that they include all-you-can-drink beer and wine. I guess that's what makes the price $24 per person. The food was pretty standard. They did have some excellent beef vegetable soup that must have been made from leftover prime rib.

View from our room at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel

We walked around outside for a little while after dinner, but there isn't all that much to see in the dark. We crashed early.

Tuesday, November 19: I slept late and we went for the breakfast buffet at the hotel. They'd given us a coupon when we checked in for 25% off. Again, it was standard fare, but the waitress was a hoot. Her name is Voilet, but the folks there call her "Po PO", which she said meant "grandmother". They call her that because she is the oldest on staff. She grew up in Kona and her family used to own several of the stores and buildings on the main drag right across from the palace. Sweet lady. She said she loves her job because she meets so many new people.

Samantha was in a good mood when we went in to see her - talking and wanting attention. She had eaten almost all her wet food today and ate dry food several times during our visit. We stayed for about 2 hours and then left her to rest for a while.

More pictures of Sam in her kennel

More pictures of what it's like at Bar-King

We took a little driving tour of Puna. We stopped at Lava Tree State Park and walked around.

Then drove to the warm-spring and checked that place out.

Then we drove on toward what used to be Kalapana.

The lava there is very dramatic. That's where the 1990 flow from Kilauea came through and destroyed homes, the Queen's Baths and the famous black sand beach. In the distance we could see the smoke plumes where the current eruption is entering the ocean.

From there, we headed toward Pahoa and grabbed some snacks at 7-11. We were still too full from the buffet to have a full lunch. We got back to Bar-King before 3 and stayed with Sam until she fell asleep around 4:45.

Another kitty named Sam. She is 21 years old and lives at Bar-King

Scooter is a tiny dog whose kennel is right where we walk in. This dog is always wagging and happy to see just about anyone.

Thursday, November 21: Jonathan drove over to see her. I am in California doing some packing for the movers. He told me Sam was doing just fine, although she let him know that she didn't appreciate that we had skipped visiting the day before. Some new dogs and cats arrived so now the cat building is full. One of the new dogs was placed in the play yard next to Sam's kennel. He put his paws up and looked in, but didn't bark. Sam put her paws up on the other side and they watched each other. Sam has never been around dogs much, but was previously unnerved by them. It surprises me that she was curious and not upset.

Friday, November 22: It was a very noisy day. There is a contractor power-washing the kennel building roof! A loud motor driven power washer and men walking around on the roof makes for more stress on the cats. Jonathan said that in the middle of the building, there was some leaking and some kennels (and cats) got dripped upon. Samantha stayed in the safety of the cat house, but he said was not overly freaked out. She didn't come out or eat anything. When the workmen left around 3:30, it got very quiet. Jonathan went and asked for some fresh canned food. She came out and ate almost all of it. When he asked at the office if the roof cleaners would be back on Saturday, he was told "probably not". So he decided it would be best for Samantha if he came to visit to help keep her stress level down.

Saturday, November 23: No roof washers today. Jonathan got there right when visiting hours started and stayed the whole three hours. He had brought her a beach towel and folded it on one of the chairs. Sam seems to like sitting up there. She is also noticing birds and geckos.

I went back tothe mainland for 6 days November 20-26 to pack up some things to ship over. Sam will have her favorite chairs and hopefully will scratch at them instead of our new stuff. Jonathan and his sister visited several times while I was gone. All reports were pretty good except for some sad news. The other Sam (the 21 year old kitty) passed away in her sleep. It is very sad, but she certainly lived a long life and seemed very happy.

One day, I think it was Saturday, a gentleman stopped by our kennel to chat. Apparently, his cat is the one who didn't pass her second rabies test. Of course, I'm now worried about Sam's second test. I asked in the office and there were two recent test failures, but both were drawn before Sam's. I think both are dogs. No one tells you if they passed, just if they failed. I'll feel better as we get closer to her release date.

Monday, December 2: We ran a couple errands in the morning so we didn't get there until midday. They were washing the roofs again. This time the front of the cat building. Water was seeping in again. When they got close to the end where Samantha is, I went to the office and asked if she could be moved out while they did it. I was told she could not be out of her kennel at all. It didn't matter anyway, since the workers were out of gas for the power washer and would not resume until tomorrow. Once it got quiet, Sammie relaxed and enjoyed our company. We stayed until closing time and then checked into the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel for the night. We ate at Fiasco's again. You certainly can't beat their prices.

Tuesday, December 3: I am not at all pleased with the way Bar-King has handled the roof washing. We arrived just a few minutes after 10 am to find them almost done with the section right over Samantha's kennel. Samantha was huddled in the corner in the kitty house and there was water all over. Dirty, muddy water was all over her cushion, her cozy cup, her rugs and carpet, her littler box, her food and water dishes - everything. Suzanne had just discovered the problem and was washing and replacing the dishes and getting her new food. I was furious and went to the office to complain. Suzanne was great and helped us move Samantha to an empty kennel a couple doors over, then took all her things that are washable to put them in a washing machine. I let them have it in the office. This was inexcusable. All I got in return was an apology and another person came to help us clean up the mess.

We stayed in the vacant kennel for a couple hours until the concrete floor dried. Jonathan swept up and I went to find someone to get us some rugs and towels for Sam to use while her stuff was still in the dryer. Her carpet wasn't soaked through so we were able to brush off the dried mud. Within a few minutes of getting her settled back in her original kennel, the roof washers climbed up on the roof again with a hose and a broom. I went straight to the office and "had a chat" with them. I think I got my point across that these guys need to be better supervised and if they are going to be using hoses around Samantha's kennel again, I insisted they hang up a tarp (most of the water had come in at her from the sides). Erin, in the office, told me they would move her and her stuff to a different kennel if they need to do more washing over hers. Not much consolation when the poor cat is stressing out. Just what she needs is to have strangers moving her around a couple times a day. Yipes. Hopefully, from the amount of apologizing, they will do a better job of preventing this from happening again. Erin talked to the guys again and they were quitting for today.

We got Samantha back to feeling comfortable and put her carpet back. She seemed very sleepy. It was almost 1:00 when we left to head back through Waimea to Kawaihae to pick up our car. It had finally arrived from Oakland 39 days after we dropped it off for shipment.

Thursday, December 5, Friday, December 6: All is going along smoothly. We visited her and she seemed relaxed. The roof washing moved on to some other building and it returned to being peaceful in the quaratine cattery. Bar-King has gotten quite busy. There are two small dogs in the cattery building. Fortunately, they are both very quiet.

Sunday, December 8: I noticed that Samantha has scratched off some of her hair on the back of her ear. There is a small dark "spot" in the center of the bare patch. Could it be a tick? Her behavior was normal and she was relaxed.

Monday, December 9: I brought over a magnifying glass to take a closer look at the spot on her ear. I also had called and asked a few questions of our California vet. So I came prepared to get it off, if it is indeed a tick, and to arrange for a vet visit. But, fortunately, closer inspection with the magnifying glass doesn't show any legs. It looks more like a small scab. Perhaps she got a bug bite and scratched at it. I will keep a close eye on it anyway. If it were a tick, it would get larger as it feeds.

Tuesday, December 10: RAIN! And lots of it. A big rain storm moved in and it rained all day - very heavy at times and with occasional blustery winds. The road to Bar-King got pretty eroded and the puddles got very deep. The front yard was also a few inches deep in water. Samantha was a bit chilled, but I think she is warm enough in her sherpa bag. However, the rain blows in from the playyard side when the wind kicks up. I put some towels up that I stuck into the mesh and that helped. Just before I was to leave, the towels were blown down and I got concerned about her getting wet over night. So I went to the office and asked for some safety pins or clothes pins. They had neither. But apparently, Sarah was on the phone and they asked her what to do. She instructed them to go to a storage shed and get out a roll-down shade and put it up on the outside with wire ties. I could tell the folks were not enthralled about doing this in a downpour. But, hey, it's my cat and she's old and she shouldn't be put in a situation (again) where she could get wet.

I can't wait until Thursday to be able to take Samantha home and not have her subjected to these situations.

Thursday, December 12: LIBERATION DAY! We got up early, gassed up at Costco and arrived at Bar-King a couple minutes before 10 am. We signed our paperwork, paid the remaining balance on our bill, and went to get her. Other folks who were already there visiting their kitties and dogs congratulated us on getting her out and wished us well. We gave Suzanne a nice gratuity and packed up Samantha into her Sherpa bag and got all her stuff. The drive back was uneventful - beautiful weather all over the island. Samantha was very good in the car.

We arrived at home just before 1 pm. We closed the bedroom door at first to let her get the feel of the rest of the place - especially where her litter box was. She wandered around a bit, in a crouch, but soon relaxed and scratched the new furniture (ugh!). We let her in the bedroom, which I think will become her favorite place. The sun is streaming in on the bed and she has relaxed. Here is a picture of her stretched out on our bed around 4 pm.

She has already used the box and had a drink of water, but only sniffed at some food. She seems a bit tired, which is understandable. She has "spoken" to the neighbor's cat, who came to the screen door a little while ago. She seems not to be upset by him at all. He was a little bent out of shape by her, though.

We are just ecstatic to have her at home with us. Thanks for reading all this. If you are planning a move to Hawaii for your pet, I hope this narrative is useful.

Aloha!

Nancy & Jonathan