I WAS BORN in Manhattan, New York, so I am used to island life, though I must admit that living in Penang Island is somewhat different from being in Manhattan. Here, it feels like summer all the time, which suits me just fine. No need for huddling close to the radiators during winter. Before this, I had also lived for five years in Nairobi with my human.

It is not common for cats to be as well-travelled as I am. So, I was asked to share my travelling experiences.

Well, the first principle of being a global diplomat is to have the right papers. I know that humans need visas and passports to cross national borders. So, it was important for my humans to obtain these documents, and luckily for them, both work for the United Nations, allowing them to accompany me on my diplomatic missions.

To ensure that there is no hassle with various requirements, I had to remind my humans about preflight health checks. During the Covid-19 pandemic, international travel for humans were restricted and they were only allowed to board the plane if they had taken a PCR test with a negative certificate. Cats have been required to do this for many years; we always have health certificates testifying that we are free from rabies and other viruses.

My human advises that it is good to check with authorities both at the exiting and arrival points what their exact requirements are. Being quite lazy and not very bright, he hired professionals who have the right contacts in the US, Kenya and Malaysia to ensure that I had done the right medical tests and had all my papers ready for travel.

Next, comes my identification. Of course, being from Manhattan means that I already have a microchip implanted in my body which provides a basic history of my birth, upbringing and good character. Humans too have the chip, but they carry it with them in their passports. This is all very inefficient, especially if you do not have pockets and when your human travelling companion is incompetent like mine.

Before I left Kenya, the vet who examined me checked if my chip was still working. This is to allow other human helpers to locate me if my human were to lose me in the airport or if I left my carrier out of boredom. In addition to the chip, my human also attached an additional tracking device to my collar so that he could geo-locate me with his iPhone.

Since not many airlines will allow a cat to travel with other humans, it is important to choose the right airline and class of travel. When I left Manhattan in 2019, I was put in the cargo section. Luckily, my human provided me with a very spacious travelling carrier with water, dry food and a toilet pan. While not uncomfortable, I preferred not to be separated from my human.

En-route to Penang from Nairobi, I insisted that my human travel next to me. We found Turkish Airlines to be one of the most pet-friendly airlines with an amazing flight network. So, it made sense to book a seat for me from Nairobi to Istanbul and then to KL. I travelled business class and, out of pity, allowed my human to tag along as well.

To avoid being put in cargo, get your human to choose the right kind of carrier bag—i.e. it must be small enough to fit under your human’s seat. In my case, I told my human to ensure that I was in a Louis Vuitton travel kit with all the relevant treats. But for goodness sake, do not give me any catnip as the last thing a cat needs is too much excitement on the plane. Some cats, like my brother Lanun Bahati, have to take pills to stay calm. I, on the other hand, am a professional traveller and did not need such things.

At the airport, get your human to alert the authorities before arriving so that they know an important passenger is about to use their services. My human had the same travel agent send a representative to help me check in like a VIP. Just as my human had to have all his luggage scanned, they also had to scan my carrier. So, make sure that your cat’s water container is small enough to meet airport requirements. Humans should know that cats get most of our water from our food so no need to pack the whole swimming pool when travelling! When going through the body scan, make sure your human is ready to take you out of the carrier.

At the business class lounge at Istanbul Airport, my human was thoughtful enough to take me to a special toilet for me to relieve myself. After all, I had been confined to my carrier for most of the six hours from Nairobi to Istanbul—although I did escape once. The stewardess was so kind and helped me back onto the lap of my human, who had dozed off! I almost decided to fire him there and then!

It was important that I got enough rest at Istanbul as it was another 11 hours to KL. The airline was very kind to us and allowed me to come out of my carrier every now and then to rest on my human’s lap. I think he was very nervous about flying and frankly, all the good food and services were wasted on him. Next time, he should not be allowed to travel in business class as it is well above his station in life.

Finally, we arrived in KL and my human met with my agent’s representative near carousel K. They took my human to the Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia in the airport where he presented all my papers including the health check, my pet passport and my rabies certificate. It all went seamlessly.

Upon being given the stamp of approval, I spent seven days in quarantine near the airport in a small pod arranged by my travel agent while my human got the apartment in Gurney Drive ready for my arrival. I was able to check in on him every day to monitor the work. Being an emotional wreck, my human also needed to see me every day to be reassured of my wellbeing. We arranged for a dedicated car to take me from KL to Penang, which was quite comfortable.

This is the story of how I travelled from New York to Nairobi and from Nairobi to KL. I hope that this is helpful to humans who want to accompany their cats on their global missions.