I wish I had seen this days ago! I recently had 8 cats shipped from California to Maryland on Northwest. With the airlines, the criteria is that the temperature must not exceed 85 degrees at any point where the plane lands. You can check out the requirements at the airlines' web sites. Several airlines ship pets. We used Northwest because their hub in Minneapolis, where the kitties would change planes, rarely exceeds 85 degrees.
As it turns out, though, it's not going to be necessary. I've got some bad news and some good news...
Bad news first: On Friday, Aimee's leukemia became acute. Her body temperature dropped to 88 F, she became dehydrated, couldn't walk, and lost interest in food. The folks at the vet's office didn't let her go, though - they injected fluids subcutaneously, put her on a heating pad, force-fed her, and cuddled and encouraged her at every opportunity. When I visited at 3:30 PM she had recovered a bit - her temperature was up to 91.7 F and she was walking, albeit very shakily.
It's too early to know if she'll pull through, but she has a fighting chance, and Aimee is nothing if not a fighter. One very encouraging sign: When I visited, despite her condition she climbed onto my shoulder, cuddled up against me and started purring, and stayed there until I had to leave.
Now the good news: I've found a family for Aimee! A couple looking for a kitten to keep their FeLV+ kitty company responded to this ad. I spoke to the wife on the phone; she definitely knew cats and what FeLV meant, and she was absolutely bubbly over the chance to adopt Aimee. If Aimee hadn't gotten sick the handover would have been today; as it stands, she'll be going to her new home as soon as she can travel.
Please keep Aimee in your prayers.
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