So Sesame and Mustard are coming back by plane, a week before Tina touches down into SG. We were contacted by her to visit her two precious while they were quarantined at SAQS. As most of us would already know, pets imported back into SG are to be quarantined for 30 days at the station. Sometimes I really wonder what's the fuss about it. But protocols being protocols, we have no choice but to abide.
It was our first time there, despite living so near the station (10 mins drive). Tales we've heard about AVA before were anything but bad. So prior to stepping into the Station, I've imagined it to be a run down, dirty place with dogs howling and cats growling. Plus unfriendly and grumpy staffs.
To our pleasant surprise, we were quite impressed with the station. On the outside, it was clean, green and serene. The front desk staffs were friendly like your good old neighbor. They even guided us to the cat kennels because it was our first time there. While walking we were reminded on some house rules such as no touching or disturbing of other cats.
So let us describe abit on the cat kennels. Sesame and Mustard were bunked in at the air conditioned kennel. Now, as we entered the cat kennel, we were even more in awe. The air conditioning was comfortable, set at 24 degrees. From the entrance, you can already see that the kennels were clean and dry. There were cat litter boxes for them, food and drink bowls placed tidily at the corners. You would still encounter the usual cat scent while inside, but it was almost negligible. And best of all, there was radio broadcast for them. Seemed like a better life than ours!
And finally, we were so happy to see Sesame and Mustard looking good, like they were before. When we saw them on the first day, they were clearly stressed out. Most probably by the long flight back. Guessed it was normal. The two of them were hissing and growling at us, fearing that we would be taking them to another flight I suppose. To appease them, we even asked Tina to do a recording of her voice and played it for the cats. They came out of their carriers and started looking around for the source. How sweet was that! They really do missed their owner bad.
By Day 3 they were already accustomed to us coming into the kennel, fighting for our attention (or just simply looking for food ?). Got to put on some clothes for them just in case they were feeling cold.
Day 4: They were already at the windows waiting for us to come. A pity that SAQS is closed for visits on Sundays, another rule that I can't make any sense of.
(Sunday = Family day, but you can't visit your family? Rubbish.)
We took the chance to visit the other areas of the station. There were grass patches for dog owners to walk their dogs and to have some outdoor play. Grass patches were trimmed and the dogs were enjoying their timeout.
We've heard from friends who brought their pets back from overseas that their pets had a total change of character after their stay at SAQS. From this 4 days of visits, we can safely say that the effects from the stress created by the flight back and quarantine period would be greatly reduced if the pets were given enough human interactions.A little human touch goes a long way to healing your pets from this stressful transition.
On our way out from the office, we saw a wall of "Thank You" cards written by the pet owners. Looking at the amount of thank you's on the wall, it gives us more confidence that Sesame and Mustard will be well taken care of during their stay. 3 weeks more to go for them!
Signing off,
Travis
www.pawmart.com.sg
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