It's a Team's Life
Why have a Cat?
Having an animal in the truck is calming and a cat might just be what is needed. Getting a kitten might be easier for them to adjust to a moving vehicle and not fear the motion or the noise. Before getting a pet of any kind make sure you are ready for a life time commitment. The pet is going to depend on you for everything every day of their lives and cats live a very long time.
What is needed – a litter box with a good litter to keep down any smell and the litter box needs to be cleaned daily morning and night. A scoop and a plastic container with a lid works well to contain the litter until you are able to dispose of it. Water and food bowls that will not spill or slide all over the floor. Always make sure the kitty has plenty of water and food. Decide what food will work best as they will not get as much exercise in the truck and an overweight cat is not a healthy cat.
Food – Funny thing about cats as they age most are lactose intolerant and giving them milk can cause belly aches, diarrhea, and flatulence. Skip the milk and feed them a good dry cat food. For a treat feed them small bits of meat or a commercial cat treat.
Health – Visit the veterinary each year to get your kitties vaccinations as well as rabies shots. Have the cat neutered or spayed and checked over for health. Cats are usually pretty healthy animals and do not need a lot of extra care.
Claws – Have a scratching post or pad for the kitty. Deciding to declaw or leave the kitties claws on is a personal decision. Before declawing a kitty realize that you are taking away their only form of defense and if they are declawed the owner is now the cats defense. It is up to you to keep them safe and out of harm. The claws on a cat are very sharp and they can do a lot of damage to the interior of a truck if the cat likes to scratch a lot.
Hair – Cats shed a lot of hair and we need to vacuum out the truck more often and the cab filters will need to be changed regularly. Most cats seem to like to be brushed and that seems to help contain some of the hair.
Cab Temperature – Keeping the truck cool or warm is up to us to keep our pet comfortable. Purchase screens for the windows so that fresh air can be let in when parked in a cool climate and to keep the kitty inside. Cat live up to this saying "Curiosity of a cat" and they like to explore. Cats have a free-floating clavicle which allows them to get into or out of some pretty tiny spaces.
Toys – Cats like to bat things around and an easy toy is to wad up some tin foil and let them chase it. Some cats like to carry around little stuffed animals and other like to chase their tails. Cats like anything that moves and they like to pounce. They are fun to play with when they are in the mood to play.
Sleep – Cats sleep from fifteen hours a day up to twenty hours a day and they are crepuscular. That means they are most active at daybreak and at dusk and then they go back to sleep. If the weather is bad an indoor cat will start yawning just as if they were outside and look for a place to sleep. When they are awake, they make the most of their time.
Cats can tear up the interior of a truck if they are not declawed or given scratching posts. They are not usually "Watch Cats" and so do not warn of danger and I have not heard of a cat scarring off an intruder. Some cats will great you at the door, others will ignore you, and others will vocalize that their food dish needs to filled.
Cats are great in the truck as they do not have to go outside for walks or potty breaks. This is good and bad as we do not get out to take them for a walk. Cats can entertain themselves. They are fun companions to watch and to play with. Cats are comforting and are easy keepers. Each cat is different and our does not mind wearing a little shirt once in a while. When we wake up in the morning and it is pouring down rain we do not have to get up, get dressed, and take the dog for a walk, then bring back a wet dog to be towel dried in the truck all before we have had coffee.
Squeaky made it very clear as a young kitten that he wanted to be with us and he was not going to take no for an answer. His name says it all as he talks a lot and makes his wants very clear. Bob and I were not "cat" people, he had a lot to teach us, but he was up to the task and now he has us trained pretty well. After having him in the truck with us for about a year and a half we wonder how we managed without him bossing us around. We are now proud to say we are "cat" people and adore the little tyrant.
Bob & Linda Caffee
TeamCaffee
Saint Louis MO
Expediters since January 2005
[email protected]
Expediting isn't just trucking, it's a lifestyle;
Expediting isn't just a lifestyle, it's an adventure;
Expediting isn't just an adventure, it's a job;
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