Jimmy Frost (Uncle Fester) is my HERO!

hissy

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Jimmy just called from Lousianna. He was at a paper mill waiting to load, and while he waited he chatted with another trucker there who was admiring Zoey. The trucker said he wished he could have a "Zoey" in his cab.

Jimmy had noticed some stray cats hanging around, and since he delivers to Master Foods (9-Lives) He always has "spare" cat food. So he started feeding the cats and one little black one was super friendly. The others weren't. The security guard said something negative about the black cat, causing Jimmy to be concerned for the cat's welfare.

Well to make a long story short, Jimmy ended up capturing the black kitten, and presented her to the other trucker! LOL The trucker tried to back pedal, saying he had no "supplies." So Jimmy loaded him up with a litter pan, cat food, bowls, toys and I believe a cat bed- LOL So Jimmy saved a stray, made a trucker happy (at least we hope so, and put one more Road Cat in a cab!!!


Way to go Jimmy!!!!!!!
 

purrfectcatlove

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WOW , this is a man of action .
I am glad he took the kitten , who knows what would have happend to the poor thing . I do hope the other Trucker is happy and will take care of the kitten . Is there a way Jimmy can check on him and the kitten ???
 

pamela

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That's GREAT!!! Is there a way Jimmy can follow up with the other trucker and make sure the kitten's okay cuz the trucker tried to back pedal? Just to be safe....
 
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hissy

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kiwideus

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Awesome! Lets hope there are more truckers on the road who want cats!
 

adymarie

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Truckers around the world unite and take a kitty on board! This way you won't be talking to yourself all the time.
 

kimward34

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ROTFL!!!!! What a wonderful story, Maryanne! I'm sending Jimmy a virtual "Five Five" -- Jimmy's a sweet
heart

 
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hissy

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When he calls me it's on his cell phone and he is usually in the mountains so he breaks up and the conversation is hard to piece together. So here is what happened "in his own words"

Howdy all!
I had a pretty interesting experience tonight.
Sitting at a paper mill out in the sticks of Louisiana, I got to chatting with another Driver about, what else, Zoey.
He mentioned that he was thinking about getting a cat to ride with him and I encouraged this idea, telling him all of the things I've told all of you about how I enjoy the company. I also invited him into my truck to show him how I had things set up and what worked best for me. I encouraged him to adopt a kitten from a rescue or pound and make sure he spayed or neutered it as he would get no rest with a cat in heat aboard the truck-I know from whence I speak!

Several hours later, I noticed two strays walking towards the line of trucks, which was odd since usually strays go away from trucks with their motors running. I broke out some food and bowls to offer it to these two, the black one vanished and the gray went under another truck. I tried to get closer, but he/she ran off and I left the two bowls on the ground and hoped he/she would come back for it.

A few minutes later, I got called over to the guard shack to get a dock assignment where I found the black kitten (About 6 months old) and she was quite social. In fact, she was downright LOVEABLE! This cat was rubbing against anyone who cared to pet her and when I bent down to pet her, she started kneading her front paws and purring. I told the few folks that were standing around, one of which was the driver I spoke with earlier and said that I had some extra food I could give her as she was quite thin.

One of the rent-a-cops would have been a good looking woman if she'd have learned some manners, tact and compassion at some point in her life. A Wal-Mart engagement ring told me that there was some poor, unfortunate who was foolish enough to marry her and spend the rest of his life regretting it. Too bad for him! She said she wouldn't allow me to feed the kitten because she "Didn't want that thang 'round here no more."

How many of you think I obeyed her idiotic order?

I opened a can of food and gave it to the cat when I was trying to decide if I should take her myself. I glanced over towards Zoey, sitting on the dash, watching my infidelity and killing that idea.

I moved my truck over to the dock and called Steve from Va. Beach Cat Rescue for advise. Truck too small, Jim. Disease, sickness, cats might not like each other.
I ran back to the gate, (Fat guy, 150 yards, 2 packs-a-day smoker, warm, muggy evening, not a pretty sight) and said security-wench had taken the food and thrown it away.

The other driver I'd spoken with was still there and I asked, "Hey, you were thinking about a cat, weren't you?"
He himmed and hawwed like most truckers do and I pressed, "C'mon, man, this one's a beauty, she's young, affectionate and she needs a home."
He himmed and hawwed some more, "Naw, man, I ain't set up for a cat yet.

For a small statement, this was very telling. He didn't reject the idea and his only reason for saying no was a lack of supplies. That was about to change because I smelled blood in the water!
"Dude, I'll hook you up, I've got more than enough, I've got cat litter, I've got toys, flea medicine, a brush she can have, nail clippers and enough food to feed a regiment!"

He cracked!

I ran back to my truck, got all the supplies I promised him and ran back to his truck where the kitten was checking out out her new home. I gave the driver all the supplies and now that he had the stuff he needed, he began to really be excited about the new friend he'd made, I was excited, too. I told him that he could find a PetSmart and they take walk-in's, get her cleaned up, checked out and her first shots and he was surprised to know that there's a pet hospital inside PetSmart's that take walk-in's with convenient hours. I told him to make sure the manager knew he was there with his truck and they wouldn't bother him for parking his rig there.
He was almost relived to know that there was a place that was easy to find where he could get to a Vet's office WITHOUT an appointment.

Sure, it might have been a big non-event in the scheme of things, but I know that there's one cat that will have a safe place to sleep, food, clean water and an owner who will, by this time tomorrow, be completely enamored with his new companion, she was a doll-baby of a kitten and after she was aboard his truck, she got that can of food and a whole lot more. The driver's name was Eddie and he hadn't come up with a name for his new friend yet, but whatever he names her, she's got a better future ahead.

It was a damn good day!
 

purrfectcatlove

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Oh man , that is awsome
what a heart warming story . Thanks MA for sharing that with us here , I am truely touched .
I just hope the kitten knows what a litter box is , since she was outsite all the time .

MA the next time if he calls , do you think you can ask him if Jimmy has a follow up on that kitten ? I really would like to hear more about that
 

uncle fester

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Hello all, have I got some good news for you!
The driver's name is Ed and he drives for Allpoints Freight out of Minnesota.
The night I'd left Louisiana, I only made it about 200 miles, I'd hoped to make it to Memphis, but that was too far to reach, Zoey was laying in the spot on my bunk that tells me she's expecting me to join her. I had to give up and get some sleep.
I got up the next day and drove from Pickering, Ms all the way to Charleston, Missouri, about a six-hour hop. The whole way there, I was worried about the kitten and wondered if giving her to that fella was the best thing I could have done. There were SO MANY things to worry about, would he care for her? Was he some nut?
Once I arrived at the truckstop in Missouri on I-57, I fueled my rig and pulled up to the ready-hold line and went inside to complete the transaction, once I did that, I came out of the building and who should I see?
Ed.
He said that she was adjusting just fine and yes, she used the litterbox quite well, thank-you very much and she was a hungry little thing. I went over to check on her and she seemed just fine.
That made me feel better.
Today, I had started before dawn in Effingham, Illinois and rolled up to Chicago to deliver. Once I did that, I was sent a load that WAS NOT the load I was told I'd get
. I had to go BACK DOWN I-57 to Kankakee, Illinios and load after 3pm for North Carolina. I'd stopped for lunch at a truckstop in Monee, just above Kankakee and got the meal, the truck washed and then went to the truckstop across the street to transmit some paperwork to our home office via the Pegasus/Transflow system the Pilot truckstops have.
Once I parked, I made a phone call that lasted for about an hour and once I finished, I took my paperwork and headed in, when I heard a voice yell "HEY" from behind me. I turned and you guessed it, it was Ed.
We walked in and I asked him how it was going, "Fine", he said. "I clipped all the knots and nits out of her last night, I clipped her nails and she got into the bag of cat food you gave me, other than that, she hasn't tried to run away and she likes riding in the overhead storage bin."
I asked him how he was fixed for supplies and he said that aside from the dry food, he was okay.
I told him that I'd just re-provisioned last night at a Wal-Mart and I had an extra box of dry food he could have along with some canned food.
After I transmitted my paperwork off, I went to my truck, got the dry and canned food, a new plastic lid for the small cans of food(the pack had two, I only needed one) and I took them over to Ed.
I asked him what his litter status was and he said he was good. He was pleased that the litter I gave him kept the smell down.
He's decided to call her "Shadow" as she appeared to him from the shadows and he told me that he was heading Home to Kansas City and Shadow would meet her new Vet on Saturday afternoon.

I've got a good feeling about this guy. The reason I say that is, I see a lot of myself and the very same facination, affection and concern I had when Zoey came aboard my truck.
I honestly think Shadow found a good Daddy and when I went to see her, she seemed very attached to Ed.
I was glad to see that.
Several things about this whole episode struck me.
1) Shadow wasn't staying there, by hook or by crook, one way or the other, she was leaving and GOING to find a home. As much as I love my Zoey, I might have risked taking her myself because I knew where a Vet's office was in Jackson, Mississippi and I'd have been there waiting on them first thing in the morning. I could have kept Shadow in Zoey's carrier and given her a small litterbox, with a food and water dish that attaches to the cage-gate. I thought I could find something to fashion a cage with, I was in Louisiana and God knows you can find chickenwire anywhere you look. Zoey has all her shots up-to-date, but sometimes to save a life, you have to take a risk.
2)When I met Ed, he seemed very interested in getting a cat, he liked the idea and seemed to envy the company I had.
3)Shadow was a cat with a lot of love to give and she was willing to give it to ANYONE who would feed her. After hearing about some siccophants who like to cut cats up and do other henious things. They weren't getting Shadow.
4)I'm sure that God in his infinite wisdom arranged things to his purpose and that's why I was able to follow up on Shadow and Ed. I'm very comfortable with placing Shadow in Ed's care and I think that with the right medical attention, Ed and Shadow will be friends for a long time to come.
I feel better about the outcome of this situation than I have about anything in a long time.
I think Shadow will be just fine.
 

kateang

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hey Jimmy,

U made me cry with that post! You are really Shadow's saviour!
 

purrfectcatlove

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Jimmy I am in tears now . Wow , how awsome .
I was worried myself with the litter training and afraid he may get abset with her . Well you know how true cat lovers are , they worry sick about a cats life . At least I do . And then to read the hole story what you wrote , that made me feel great . One life saved . And given a man the love and companian he needet , how much more can you ask for . May God bless him for taking Shadow in and bless you in all you do .
 
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