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Written by Jimmy Frost
This past Christmas, I had what I thought was a stroke of genius. I needed to make a quick overnight hop down to Florence, South Carolina, than up through Charlotte, North Carolina and then back home. My brainstorm was to take along a feline companion for Zoey, because I was sure she missed out not hanging around with her pals- Sari and Misty at home. I know that Sari (one of our Persians) and Zoey had been playmates since Zoey was a kitten, so why not just take both cats on this little adventure. What could go wrong? Before I get to the answer to that question, let me tell you a bit about our Sari...
Sari is our second cat. She's a Tortoiseshell Persian, with a timid, sweet and loving nature. Soon after my wife brought Sari home, Misty (our first Persian) had to spend a few days in the vet hospital fighting a urinary tract infection and struggling with a sinus infection as well. Kimberly had to travel to Florida for Christmas holiday so there I was alone with Sari.
Sari spent the majority of her time under the china cabinet, looking out at her new home. I'd see her venture out exploring, but when she realized that she had been spotted, she would dive for cover. I did discover that she loved chasing the laser pointer around the house so I used that to coax her out of hiding.
Although I have always loved our first cat Misty. Sari has held a special place in my heart from the very start. Sari helped me realize I held a true love for cats. The first night we spent alone in the house, Sari climbed up onto my bare chest, kneaded her spot and settled down to purr me to sleep. The only problem was, Sari was only 4 pounds and I'm almost 300. Should I have rolled over and accidentally squashed her, I would have been hard-pressed to explain to my wife what happened to the new cat! Therefore, I lifted Sari off my chest, placed her alongside of me and rolled over to try and fall asleep. Sari didn't like that program much, so she proceeded to climb on my back, found a nice comfortable spot where she passed the night. I woke up the next morning with a crick in my back and a love in my heart for this cat and her spirit. So, that is Sari, still timid and shy, but accepting of love on her terms. The perfect companion (or so I thought) for Zoey on this short jaunt I had in mind.
I brought Zoey in the house and spent a few hours there preparing to leave out again. Zoey is familiar with this routine, and takes it all in stride, waiting for the time when she knows that I will scoop her up, place her in the carrier and off we go. Only this time, it was different, because I put Sari into Zoey's carrier. At first I thought Zoey might be upset because we were leaving too quickly. But on the short drive to where I park my truck while I'm home, Zoey's mood turned from bad to downright foul. Sari was in her carrier in the back seat and Zoey sat on the dashboard glaring at her carrier. Zoey also had planted herself stubbornly on the dashboard obstructing my view of the road refusing to move, or even allow me to pet her.
We arrived at the truck and I put Zoey in first. Then I brought Sari aboard and Zoey was absolutely livid. However I'd wasted so much time at the house, I didn't have time on my schedule to address the issue. I had to get going. All critters were on-board; we were ready for launch and had to roll, so off we went.
When it became apparent a few miles later that this might prove to be a difficult trip, I tried to call Kimberly to meet me and take Sari back home. To bad for me, that my Wife was unavailable, so I had no choice but to turn westward and press on. Had the trip just been me and Sari, I think Sari would have enjoyed the experience. But evidently Zoey left her hostess badge at home. Once released out of the carrier, every place that Sari would try and perch, Zoey would claim. Every nook and cranny that Sari wanted to explore, Zoey would interfere. Sari tried to sit on the dashboard directly in front of me for protection, but the cold December air blasting against the windshield proved more of an enemy than her friend Zoey and Sari became too cold and retreated.
After several hours of Zoey establishing her position, poor Sari did what many women at the end of their wits do, she retreated to the "bathroom" or in this case, the covered litter box. I knew that a long-haired Persian who lies in a litter box will track more cat litter out than she left behind. I also knew from past experience that in the dead of night, stepping on kitty litter with bare feet is a very effective wake up tool. I dreaded the thought of chasing displaced litter granules across the carpet of my truck, and my apprehension grew as we rolled down I-95 towards Florence, South Carolina. Zoey stayed on the top bunk, glaring at the litter box intimidating Sari and Sari stayed put. I'd gotten as far as the North Carolina/South Carolina line and found a truck stop where I could get a few precious hours of sleep for what I knew would be a LONG day ahead. The Navy S.E.A.L's have the following motto: "The only easy day was yesterday." This saying also can apply when you have two cats aboard a confined space. One of the cats is mad at the world, and the other cat has planted herself in the litter box refusing to budge.
In the morning, Zoey was growling at the occupant of her litter pan, and there was a battle ensuing at the entrance. Then the thought struck me that Zoey hadn't been able to use the litter box all night and she had to GO! I decided to surrender a personal drawer to her, emptied the contents and filled the drawer with litter. I can imagine how delighted Zoey was to do her business in what used to be my sock and underwear drawer.
If bringing Sari along is any indication of my bright ideas, I'm in no danger whatsoever of being invited to Stockholm, Sweden to accept the Nobel Peace Prize any time soon. Maybe next time I have a brainstorm like this Kimberly will be next to me reminding me that sometimes I don't always come up with the best of ideas.
I did learn a few things on this trip however: I learned that two cats that get along together in a large space are hard-pressed to get along in a smaller one. I learned that Persian hair is a great magnet for clay litter. I learned that sleep is elusive when you have two cats warring all night, and the most important lesson I learned is this: never mind who the name on the door or the registration states owns this truck. Crete Carrier tractor 27326 belongs to Zoey-and she'll make that fact clear to anyone human or feline!
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