When an older couple decided to retire and move home to Bulgaria, there was never any question that Mary, Oscar, and Stella would be making the journey with them. Their three cats were truly their babies. What felt less certain was how to manage the physical demands, detailed paperwork, and long international travel day required to get everyone safely from San Francisco to Sofia.
We worked with the family well before departure to prepare the cats and organize the documentation. On travel morning, we met early at SFO and divided the most important responsibility evenly: the husband carried one cat, his wife carried another, and Cabin Companions cared for the third.
Mary, Oscar & Stella’s Journey in Photos
Three Cats, Three Caregivers
The first flight carried all six of us to Germany for our connection. Traveling together meant the cats remained with people they knew throughout the journey, while their parents had experienced help beside them for every airport, security, and airline step.
Then Munich became the hardest part of the trip. Our second flight was delayed again and again, and the gate kept changing. The travel day stretched toward 24 hours. Mary, Oscar, and Stella handled it remarkably well, even with a few entirely understandable carrier accidents after so many hours on the move. We cleaned everyone up, kept the cats comfortable, and continued adapting as the departure changed.
A 5 A.M. Welcome Home
We finally reached Sofia in the early morning, made our way through customs, and kept everyone together until the last step was complete. At approximately 5 a.m., a family member arrived to collect the couple and their three cats for the drive to their new home just outside the city.
It was a wild, exhausting journey—but helping Mary, Oscar, and Stella stay beside their family all the way to Bulgaria made every delayed hour worthwhile.
Learn more about traveling together with hands-on pet support.
