Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and meet my five funny cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
When I came to the UK in 2012, it must have been a year or two. I will take locum work and travel, and eventually return to Australia when the travel bug stops biting. Well, as I write to you here from Cornwall, UK, you can probably tell that life has other ideas. The problem with traveling is that the more world you see, the more you want to explore, so I made my departure even longer. Along the way I picked up a stray cat (Clutch), a husband (Reece), and started collecting cats and dogs. In 2016, my parents began to suspect that I wouldn’t be coming home anytime soon, and, while they were looking to move to a ‘retirement resort’, they thought it was time for me to get my tabby cat, Sullivan, back. (aka Sully).
Now, Sully was 14 at this point, so I wasn’t convinced it was the best plan, but since I had accidentally abandoned him for the past four years, I felt I couldn’t say no. And so began the logistical nightmare of transporting a pet abroad. Good thing he’s leaving Australia, not coming in, because the land down there isn’t getting any easier – just ask Johnny Depp!
A Stressful Journey (for me)
I was obviously worried about Sully moving abroad; not only will she spend 24 hours on a plane (with a convenient stopover in between), she’ll be moving into a house with 3 dogs and 3 other cats, with only one other cat. It will be absolute chaos.
Well, I shouldn’t have worried!
From the moment we got home from picking him up from the airport, he went out of his carrier to a bowl of food and never looked back.
Okay, it took him a few weeks to get used to sharing a house with dogs, a species he had never encountered before, but with food as a shared interest, Sully realized that he and Labradors had something in common!
New World, New Wildlife, New Times
Despite being primarily an indoor cat, I occasionally take her out to explore the garden. One morning, I was stunned when I heard his “I caught something” sound, which used to be reserved for when he brought his favorite toy, Fishy. There he was, looking proud and surprised, with a dead vole in his mouth. I wasn’t too happy that he just killed a pretty little creature, but I also wasn’t entirely convinced that the pretty little creature wasn’t dead when Sully ‘caught’ it. Still, I’m glad to see that my old world-weary cat has clearly found his way to his new home.
Having grown up in the tropical climate of Brisbane, Queensland, adjusting to the colder British weather was another hurdle Sully overcame. In early 2018, “The Beast from The East” hit us, with unprecedented levels of snow covering our world in a thick white blanket; something of a novelty for me as well as Sully. But out he goes, tiptoeing into the winter wonderland that our garden has transformed into, like another day.
Sully’s successful journey showed me that we should never underestimate our feline friends, even when they are growing up.
An Unforgettable Life
In July 2018, my parents came to visit – Sully wasn’t looking the best after his plane ride I might add – and they were delighted to see how happy and healthy Sully looked, and how well he was settling into his new life. I know they’re anxious about sending him here, and it’s great for them to see how well he’s doing.
Two weeks after my parents’ visit, Sully died in his sleep.
He was not ill, and showed no sign of being ill or ill. He lived a wonderful life, including two years in a strange new home, and although I was devastated, I couldn’t help but feel relieved that he was happy until the end. He was able to spend his last years with me, and he was able to say goodbye to Mom and Dad before he left.
As life’s journeys go, his was a good one.
