Taking Cats to Brazil - Part 4: The Conclusion!

Curitiba to Pato Branco

I’ll start off with some geography for those not familiar with the south of Brazil.  Our destination of Pato Branco is a small town of less than 70,000 people in the southwest of Paraná.  It is 438km (272 miles) from Curitiba, the capital of Paraná.  This takes approximately 5 hours by car or 7 hours by coach.

Pato Branco, showing the driving route from Rio de Janeiro via Curitiba

The first step in planning this leg of the journey was checking whether the coaches would accept the cats.  Only one company would accept the cats – Cattani.  They operate two services from Curitiba to Pato Branco: “Executivo” – business class or “Leito” – first class sleeper coach, with very comfortable, fully reclining chairs.  We could take the cats in their carriers and they would go in a small cabin where a second driver (for longer journeys) could sleep.  The other company said they would go in the luggage compartment and only if we signed a document absolving them of all responsibility for the welfare of the cats.

So obviously, we decided to go with Cattani.  The executivo departs at 10pm and the leito departs at 10:30pm.  As our flight was due to arrive at 8:30pm (outside the city – the bus station is in the city centre) we resolved to find a hotel; preferably one where we could leave the cats until it was time to get the coach (the earlier coaches are all operated by the shove-them-with-the-luggage-and-don’t-blame-us company.)

Sheila called around various hotels to find one that would accept cats.  The story of one of these calls will stay with me forever:

•          Hello, do you accept cat’s in your hotel?
•          Madam, this is a hotel for people…
•          I’m sorry, you don’t understand, I want to stay here with my cats!
•          Madam, you need to take them to a cat hotel.
•          But I can’t stay with them in a cat hotel!
•          Aaaaaaahhhhhhh…. I’m sorry, we don’t accept cats.

She found one eventually though, Novo Vernon Hotel, directly opposite the bus station.  For an additional R$50 we could have cats, which is perfectly reasonable when you think of the extra mess from hair, food, litter that needs to be cleaned up.  What’s more, we could have the room until 6pm for half the daily rate, which was also very reasonable (after that time, there would be no one to clean the room which would mean they could not let it out.)  In addition, we could leave our luggage as long as we needed – they were extremely helpful.

It did not take us long to see that it would have been impossible to catch the coach the night we arrived.  After collecting our luggage, passing through immigration and customs and having had the cats’ paperwork inspected, we were met my two of our friends from the area (any friend that meets you at the airport with a bag of pão de queijo is a true friend!) and we proceed to fill the car with luggage and cats in a way that should not have been possible!  By the time we were finished, it was already approaching 10pm.  There was no space for passengers, so three of us took a bus to the bus station and we all met at the hotel.

Kiwi's first experience of
Curitiba

We unloaded at the hotel and left the cats for a while to relax in peace (it was only a fringe benefit that we had a few beers and something to eat, honest!)  When we returned, the cats were hiding under the beds, but they purred happily when they realised it was us and there were no more boxes!  We felt sorry for them knowing we’d be putting them through it again the next day, but for the time being, they were free and happy and we were exhausted!

When we got to the bus station, we were told that the cats would be travelling with the luggage.  We weren't happy about this, but by this point we had little choice.  They were in the hard carriers we bought for the flight and the luggage was arranged such that it wouldn't become loose and hit the carriers.  When we finally reached Pato Branco, shortly after 5am, we had two tired, scared but healthy cats, ready for their new life in Brazil with my mother-in-law and her cat, Dunga.  But that’s another story.

If this whole saga has taught me anything, it’s too avoid travelling long distances with pets.  Aside from the cost and hassle of arranging flights, hotels and buses that will take cats, it is incredibly stressful for the cats.  Unless you absolutely cannot leave the cats with someone, don’t take them!  And if you must, avoid American Airlines!

Pretzel taking in the sights and sounds of Pato Branco

Kiwi surveying his new domain

Taking Cats to Brazil - Part 3

Chaos, Confusion, Incompetence and Lack of Care

Economy class reaches
its logical conclusion!

So the plane is coming into land, out the window, Miami is creeping ever closer and one of the flight attendants came over to my seat.  I should wait until the end of disembarking and then take Pretzel off the plane.  A wheelchair (???) had been requested to help take the cats to the gate agent (again, ???)  When I pointed out that the cats were supposed to be in the hold, I was told that I was responsible for getting the cats to the gate agent.  Ok, maybe she’s referring to the agent at the arrival gate then.  They can’t seriously expect us to make our way through a busy airport balancing two cat carriers on a wheelchair???

Miss X

The answer came fairly soon that, not they don’t.  Wheelchairs (as is obvious to me) are only for disabled passengers, I was told by a member of the ground crew, getting the cats to the departure gate (yes, departure gate) was my responsibility.  I could get a trolley once I’d left the air bridge.  I’m expected to pay for it?  It’s only about $5…  This response surprised me, after all I had paid $150 apiece to carry the cats.  The flight attendant (I can’t remember her name, but I’ll call her Jane, to make things easier) pointed out to the member of ground crew (I can think of plenty names for her, but they’re not particularly savoury, so let’s call her Miss X, and you can replace the X as you see fit) that the cats were supposed to be in the hold, the fact they were here was American Airlines’ fault.  “Not my problem,” was the sarcastic response.

Still waiting...

So Jane and I headed off the air bridge to speak to a panicking member of gate staff (let’s call him panicky Pete) about how to get the cats across to our gate.  The first problem was that there were no trolleys. Secondly, no one around would use one of the carts to carry them.  Jane again asked Pete to call someone and he responded by shouting that he was doing what he could.  Eventually, Sheila appeared – someone had finally realised that as the cats were supposed to be in the hold, they could be transported to the next plane by the same people that would have taken them had they actually been in the hold.  Crisis averted, but it had taken almost an hour of panic and shirking responsibility until the problem was resolved.  Not the most professional conduct.  Jane was particularly helpful though – if she hadn’t argued our case, we may well have been brushed off, and then would have had further problems when we turned up at the departure gate with the cats.  Jane told use to ask the flight attendant on the next flight to remind the captain that there are animals in the hold (to ensure it is pressurised) and ensure that the cats made it to the plane. 

Our departure gate was some way from the arrivals one, so we had to use escalators and a monorail – that would have been fun with the cats…

The plane was a surprise.  I’d been on some old planes before, but I’m sure this was older than me.  With all the flights I’d been on, I have become over-familiar with the repeated mantra of “luggage must go into the bins wheels first,” which of course only applies if there is space to do so.  The only way it could actually fit was by putting it in sideways – I’ve never seen so little space in a plane used for long haul, international flights.  Then there was the entertainment system: three small screens at the front of each compartment and manual dials for audio channel and volume.  I wonder whether all long haul American Airlines flights have the same low-tech amenities or whether it’s special for the Miami to Curitiba/Porto Alegre route.  The in-flight service wasn’t too great either.  I’ll stop complaining about United, as it turns out they’re ten times better than American (though that isn’t saying much.)

After one of the most boring long haul flights of my life, we arrived in Curitiba – the one positive thing I have to say about American.  It is so much easier being able to fly directly to Curitiba than flying to São Paulo, going through immigration and customs there, then connecting to Curitiba.

Inspection area in Curitiba
Airport

I was surprised to collect my luggage before going through immigration, but this actually worked out quite well for us.  We collected the cats, loaded up some trolleys and headed to the short immigration queue.  (So short in fact – as people only went through as their luggage arrived – that there was no need for separate queues for Brazilians and foreigners.)

Arrival in Curitiba with full food packets

This is the part where I explain why we’re never flying with American Airlines again (sorry, I know I promised that in part 2!)  The food bags for the cats were intact.  You may remember I pointed out that  one of the requirements American has for taking cats in the hold is providing a food and water dish and a packet of food.  Secondly, the water dishes were bone dry.  Knowing how the cats behave when they are stressed, I can’t see them drinking the entire dish dry, let alone catching every last drop.  There was no sign that it had spilled either.  Maybe it evaporated?  If so, they temperature would not be suitable for carrying animals on a 9-hour flight.  Is it just me that thinks that failing to give food (which was on hand in a zip-lock bag) and water in such a long trip is not only a breach of the trust that we placed in the Airline but irresponsible and cruel?

Thankfully the cats were in good health, though thirsty.  When we got them to the hotel and they began to relax.

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of the "Taking Cats to Brazil" story, in which our intrepid heroes finally reach the Promised Land...  I mean Pato Branco!