Hi everyone. We have been having problems getting a prescription diet for our diabetic cat. We have tried dealing with local vets, with vets and distributors in Curacao and San Juan, and with the manufacturers (Purina) in the states, with no success so far. Does anyone know of a regular container from the states to Bonaire (every 6 months or so) that we could get a small shipment on (six 6lb bags)? We could then have a friend in the states buy the food and mail it to Miami or wherever. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Susan.

I changed it in the preview, it looked OK before I posted. I give up! Susan.

I have an idea. How about asking some of us (BT'ers) who are coming down to bring you down some cat food. You could make these arrangements with the volunteers directly. I would like to be the first to help out. I have already have brought down some stranger requests in the past( 20 lbs of rabbit for was a good one , my husband just shakes his head, he knows me all too well).Even if a few lbs of cat food arrives monthly.(I packed the rabbit food in zip lock bags and fit it in between things. Let me know, we'll be down the middle of may.

Hi Susan and Alex. Have you also checked with Jan (the newer vet)? He has brought in special diet food for our cats (for gingivitis) - maybe he can help? Otherwise, Peter (formerly of Consales) has US containers coming in and does take special human food orders. Find him next door to the rice mill. (Facing rice mill...it's the two story brown building to the left...no name on the door yet as its fairly new.) He may be able to help :-)

Bye and see you Wed.

Annette

Thanks Lorraine, we talked to Jan when we first got here and he couldn't help.

We have a 4 month supply now, so we don't need to take you up on your kind offer Annette this time. Hopefully we can work out some kind of regular shipment of it so nobody has to carry heavy bags (20 lbs of rabbit food!!you're very nice!).
Susan.

Sorry I got your names backwards - no coffee yet - susan.

Like anything else you might want from the US, you can have it sent to Amcar Freight in Miami. They have containers sailing every Thursday, arriving the next Thursday. You pay for only the space you use, plus regular paperwork/gov't charges. Rocargo, their handling agent here, can take care of clearing customs for you. I order my cat food at Petsmart.com & have it shipped there (Pro Plan Indoor Cat Formula), along with any other on-line/catalog orders I've purchased (Nordstrom, Lands' End, Spiegel, Office Depot, etc.). If I remember correctly, import duties on pet food are 18% plus 5% sales tax. There is a Science Diet distributor on Curacao, but by the time he orders/imports for you, you might as well use Amcar. Just go to Rocargo (Kaya Industria, next to Lisa Gas) & they'll explain the details. And since you do have a 4 month supply, make sure it's in good, airtight containers, or your freezer--otherwise you'll get yucky wormy bugs.

RUTH!! Great info.- it seems that this will be our easiest option - many thanks, Susan.

Glad it helped--Rocargo/Amcar's weekly shipments are a true blessing here, and they took a big risk to guarantee containers sailing every week (they sail whether full or not, to keep their promise). Between their weekly sailings, and on-line shopping, I'm a happy camper here, as opposed to how it was 14 years ago when I moved here (containers every 2 weeks, and then only if full, etc.). Try finding a nice bed pillow here...you won't believe what some stores try to pass off as a "pillow" (Lands' End pillow is on its way)!

BTW, what does all this have to do w/the Lear jet proposal?

Hey Ruth - wish we knew about this months ago, we certainly plan to make use of it in the future, for more than cat food too.
This topic in fact has nothing to do with a lear jet, but for some reason that subject (from a thread we started 7 months ago) got automatically put in, despite the fact that we were at "start a new thread", and despite changing it in "preview"- twice! Fortunately some people, like you, read it anyway!
Thanks again, Susan.

I've learned to live without a lot of stuff here, and must always look like a slack-jawed peasant when I get to a supermarket in the US...(a Super Walmart is my Disney, and a store I probably wouldn't shop at often if I lived in the US, but after living here, ah, truly a paradise found!), but there are just some things I'm not willing to live w/o anymore (nor do I expect my cats to), like really good linens, comfortable furntiure, Whiskas Temptations, Savory Salmon flavor only, etc. Now, if I could figure out a way to have a regular supply of Krispy Kremes...well, nevermind. Then I'd be ordering new clothes every 3 months!

Here's another shortcut: When I know I'm going to the US, to family/friends, I shop on-line first, and have my orders sent to them--mostly shoes, especially from a place like Nordstrom's, because their return policy is excellent, and you can get sandals year-round. (Try finding white sandals in any store in September--not even Florida.) So I order a bunch, sometimes in both a 9 & 9.5 if I'm not sure of the brand/fit, then, after I get to the US, try them all on & send back the ones that I don't want (Nordstroms covers postage on returns).

Susan,

Just a thought......we have a beautiful 3 year old Pomeranian that we rescued from a pet store as a baby who was quite sick. No problems a little TLC couldn't handle. At about her one year birthday we noticed her breath smelt of "heartburn" and she went through several months of on again, off again stomach problems. We tried every type of food out there and nothing seemed to help, all the tests were done and it was just deemed "high acid" and a weak constitution(doesn't take after me). At this point I started doing some research and came up with a recipe for making our own homemade food. We make a large batch and freeze it in a couple of containers and it lasts for about a month. There are many recipes on line and with the help of your vet maybe you could come up with something that helps your availability problem and also is better for your beloved pet. Zoe has not had any stomach problems for 18months now, her breath is much better, and the condition of her teeth and coat is noticably improved.

Anyway....just a thought

Big Ed

Ruth, it amazing what one can learn to live without!I have friends who live on St. Croix and had the nerve to complain about their K-Mart and Home Depot--if only! We don't plan to go back to the States very often but do have visitors fairly regularly, and they must pay a toll . Our brother's wife is also kind enough to send us a monthly box.

Ed, so glad you found something that works for Zoe, and good for you to make her food from scratch--a lot of people wouldn't go to the trouble. Unfortunately we looked into that when we were running low on Max's food a few months ago. We couldn't find a vet who could help. Part of the problem is that changing his food (to anything else) would involve a lot of experimentation, checking his blood sugar 24 hours a day, etc. Given his age, it would be a big risk. But thanks for the idea and we hope Zoe keeps doing well.

Thanks to all! Alex Brown (for Susan who tried to post yesterday but wasn't 'allowed'...)