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Written by Jimmy Frost
Zoey and I have been together 24/7 as I drive the highways and by-ways of our nation. I thought that since she was the original cat for my rig, and seeing as how it is the end of the year, I would go back to the beginning and talk about what an average day together was like.
I have to admit that I’m a “solar powered” trucker. That means I would rather run days as opposed to nights. There are some instances when this isn’t always possible such as dusk deliveries, but I do try and keep to as normal a schedule as I possibly can.
My dreams come equipped with purrs. Zoey purrs so loud that oftentimes the sound invades my deepest slumber. She lays so close to me for most of the night, and in the morning when I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the black, gold and white face of a cat that is probably wondering when I’m going to get up and feed her.
My first words to her are always, “Good Morning, Precious.” Zoey will meow her response then either knead the blankets bunched up around me, or crawl onto my chest and lie there for awhile, while we contemplate the day.
After 20-30 minutes of some serious bonding time, I’ll roll out of bed to start the day. It wouldn’t be a typical morning if I didn’t step barefoot on the pieces of dry food that Zoey has left on the floor of the truck. It’s her signature greeting card for me.
I’ll empty her water dish out the window, wipe it down and re-fill it with her bottled water. Since the truck is such a confined place, her water dish gets a lot of dust and cat hair, so her water is changed at least three times every day.
She’s waiting anxiously for her breakfast. If my stomach is grumbling, she could care less; she wants her feast to begin before mine. I have several brands of canned food that I feed her on a rotating basis. While she’s eating, I’ll make my bunk up, which is a trick, since I have to reach over her to get to the bunk without disturbing her meal. If I accidentally bump her, she will jump onto the bunk I am making challenging me to finish the job which is a bit difficult.
After her Majesty has eaten undisturbed, she’ll hop on the bunk while I get ready to roll. If I’m going to fuel at the truck stop prior to departing, I’ll clean her litter box out while we’re at the fuel island. Zoey climbs up on the top of her carrier to watch and make sure I’m doing it right.
Once we’re on the road, Zoey likes to lay on the floor in front of the passenger side cabinet. The exhaust pipe warms this part of the floor, so she likes it there. At around 10:30 a.m., Zoey will start batting her paw at the gate of the carrier, I have secured to the passenger seat. I’ll open the carrier door, and she’ll jump in turn around and curl up for several hours. I usually take this time to give her a daily hairball treatment. I just slide the storage drawer out, which is right under the carrier, select what I need and close it up.
Any time I’m gone from the truck for more than 15-20 minutes, I can always count on finding Zoey commandeering the driver’s seat for her own purpose. I don’t know if it’s a sign of affection or defiance, but she usually lets me have it back with only a short argument.
If I’m only gone for a short while, Zoey is in the driver’s seat with her front paws on the door handle looking to see where I went. As she hears the key turning, she’ll be right at the window looking down to see what, if anything I’ve brought her. Sometimes she’s disappointed, but there are other times when the look in her eyes tells me she thinks she’s hit the mother lode!
Later in the afternoon, Zoey will move to the top bunk or to the overhead storage over the seats and monitor my activity from there. These are the places I will find her before we get ready to go on our afternoon walk.
In the evening, just like any normal cat, Zoey is the most active. I’ll be driving along and feel a nip at my elbow. Looking down, I see her with her toy mouse, hoping I’ll toss it for her to chase. She used to do this quite a lot, but as she gets older, I’m starting to miss this game. So I’m more than honored when she decides to play. So I play toss the mouse for a few minutes.
After I stop the rig for the night, I will break out my laptop and do some work, which is when Zoey curls up in my carrying case. I think this is her favorite place in her world to sleep. She does have three kitty-beds in the truck to choose from already! So would you call Zoey a spoiled cat? Absolutely!
Zoey is so in tune with me. If I’m upset about something, it’s at these times she will let me hold her, She usually does not like being held for any length of time. But somehow, she knows when I am upset her presence is needed in my lap, and up she will jump to comfort me.
In the afternoon when everyone who pushes as hard as I do, would like to take a nap, Zoey will lie on the bunk and mew at me. If I ignore her, she starts making a pest of herself; lying on the dash, trying to get my attention or she lies on the steering column blocking my view of the instrument panel. It is then that I realize I am really tired of driving, so I find the nearest place I can to pull over and we take a much-needed nap together.
When I try to watch television, Zoey will choose that time to sit in front of the small set blocking the picture and the electronic eye for the remote. When I tell her to move, that’s when she forgets her name and decides that grooming her front legs and paws are the most important thing in the world.
When she does move, I’m usually ready to go to sleep. I shut down the T.V. and the lights go off.
As I lie in my bunk, I can feel something hit the foot of the bed, and then four paws walk up my left leg, over my hips and abdomen and finally arrive on my chest. Zoey lays there and the last sound I hear before I shut my eyes is her purring me good night.
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