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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / December 2004The tiny explorer
The truck I drive is a 2002 Freightliner Century. It has a storage area over the driver's head (actually stretching along the entire front of the cab), and smaller storage areas on the left and right sidewalls about 5 feet off the floor of the truck. Harri loves to ride in the front overhead, and has discovered that the front overhead has a gap allowing her to sit in TOP of the left overhead. That makes a really great to place to hide when things get noisy! The other day we parked at a truck stop and didn't plan to move again until the next day. I was reading a book when Harri jumped up into the overhead. I kept reading, getting quite immersed in the book. About half an hour later I heard a muffled "meow" from the area of the sleeper. I figured Harri had jumped down from the overhead without me noticing, climbed up on the top bunk, and was playing under my clothes. I went back to be sure she was ok. Hmmm, no cat visible. I called to her and she meowed back - from *above* the top bunk! Apparently there is a space large enough for a kitten to travel through that runs from the front of the truck to the back. I was petrified - if Harri got stuck there I'd have to pretty much destroy the truck to get her out! Not to worry, though. I got out a can of tuna a made a big production of opening it. Within 5 seconds of applying the can opener to the can, there was Harri staring at me from the overhead! As soon as she came down to eat her tuna I stuffed a towel into the gap. I sure hope that keeps her out of there! DAn > The truck I drive is a 2002 Freightliner Century. It has a storage area > over the driver's head (actually stretching along the entire front of [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > DAn OMG! Yikes! I'm glad she emerged on her own. > The truck I drive is a 2002 Freightliner Century. It has a storage area > over the driver's head (actually stretching along the entire front of [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > DAn Something similar happened to Cali about a year ago. We have a storage closet in the basement, which is mostly unfinished. Cali had asked to explore the closet when I was working on a project in the basement. This is Cali's normal ritual, she'll go to all the closed doors in the basement and ask for the door to be opened. She normally goes in, looks around and exits a few minutes later. This time she did not come out right away, so I went to investigate. She had climbed up on the boxes in the storage closet and climbed into the chaseway for the heating ducts that runs along the closet wall. Before I could get her out she had squeezed behind the first two ducts and was making her way to the wall where the ducts disappear. If she had kept going, I would have had to rip the wall out to get her. Fortunately she takes direction VERY WELL and I was able to get her to turn around and show her the way out by tapping on the pipes. Needless to say, she doesn't get in that closet any more. Hey Dan, This is the first time I ever hear about a truck driver travelling with a cat. It must be nice to have a little furry companion with you when you're on the road for days on end. What's it like to keep a kitty with you in the truck? I imagine there's not much room in there; do you have a litter box for him or do you take him outside? Do you use a leash when he's outside or let him wander freely? Do you know any other truckers that have cats with them? I'm just curious, as I've never heard of anyone doing this before. I can see why someone would, though! -Z > The truck I drive is a 2002 Freightliner Century. It has a storage area > over the driver's head (actually stretching along the entire front of [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > DAn  SignatureNed Flat: "Why are you acting like this??" Yakko: "We're not acting. We really are like this." Wakko: "Aren't we lucky?" ====================================================== -- Friends don't let friends run Windows. -- Dan, my son just started a truck driving job this week. He said one of the things they told him at orientation was that they were allowed to have a small pet to travel with. I thought about you and Harri. But if ya'll remember me talking about Bosley, the grandcat, I don't think he's a candidate for swamper. But maybe if the job works out he can get a kitten. Sherry > Dan, my son just started a truck driving job this week. He said one of the > things they told him at orientation was that they were allowed to have a small [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > a candidate for swamper. But maybe if the job works out he can get a kitten. > Sherry I wish him the best of luck! It can be a good job, if you work for the right company. THere are some really bad ones out there, but some good ones as well. I talked to a bunch of drivers travelling with cats before I brought Harri on board, and they all told me it was very important to start a truck-cat young. The consensus was that they need to get started on the truck no later than 6 to 9 months old. That sounds logical to me. If your son likes cats, then I strongly recommend travelling with a cat. Having Harri on board has sure made my life a lot more bearable. And she seems to be really enjoying it. Dan >I wish him the best of luck! It can be a good job, if you work for the >right company. THere are some really bad ones out there, but some good >ones as well. Truthfully I am worried sick about him, especially with winter and hazardous road conditions. I just hope they train him well enough before turning him loose on his own. I don't think it's something he really wants to do but jobs are scarce here and it got to the point he had to do *something.* Sherry >> I wish him the best of luck! It can be a good job, if you work for >> the right company. THere are some really bad ones out there, but [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Sherry On the last trip with John, we drove 900 miles from Highland, Illinois to Houston, Texas. (He's not a trucker, but as an artist who paints some really *big* oils he drives a 22ft box van.) I spotted a big rig with a sign on the back - Student Driver. I'd never seen that before! Apparently some companies send someone out on the road with their truckers. Hopefully this will be the case with him. Jill > Truthfully I am worried sick about him, especially with winter and hazardous > road conditions. I just hope they train him well enough before turning him > loose on his own. I don't think it's something he really wants to do but jobs > are scarce here and it got to the point he had to do *something.* > > Sherry If he just finished truck driving school he'll still have to go out on the road with a trainer. The driving school helps you to get your license, while the trainer helps you learn to be a trucker. The quality of training he will get with his trainer will depend a lot on the company he's training with, but just about all of them will spend a lot of time covering the important stuff, like handling a truck in ice and snow, handling steep hills, driving in heavy traffic, and driving around brain-dead idiots. If he takes his time, pays attention, and remembers that his dispatcher can't make him move his truck if *he* feels conditions are unsafe, he'll do fine. It sounds like he's ending up in trucks the same way I did. I first got my CDL back in 2001 when one of my programming jobs ended (was one of the first in a wave of layoffs). Since I couldn't find any programming, system admin, or engineering work I got my trucking license out of desperation. I got another programming job in 2002, then when I found myself unemployed *again* back in February, I fell back on the driving. This is really an awful time to be a technical professional! Dan PS: If you or he have any questions about driving that I can answer for you, feel free to e-mail me. dan at wolf dot com > and driving around brain-dead idiots. It always amazes me when I see someone is a teensy little car cut in front of an 18-wheeler with about 6 inches to spare and then apply their brakes. Either they have cojones the size of a watermelon or a brain the size of a pea (I'm betting on the brain the size of a pea)! All you need to do is look at the height of the top of the wheels on an 18-wheeler and then look at the height of your hood. That truck can roll over you like a speed bump. And how long do they think it takes to stop umpteen tons of steel traveling at 60 MPH???! It's not like they can stop on a dime, no matter how good their brakes! Hugs, CatNipped Trucks can actually stop pretty quickly. I've seen it happen before. I imagine that when you have EIGHTEEN contact patches with the pavement, and brakes on every wheel, those many tons-of-steel can have a lot of braking force slowing them down. }:) But I still wouldn't be stupid enough to cut off a truck. I always try to make sure I can see their mirrors when I'm behind them (so they know I'm there) and when I pass I try to do it as quickly as possible and wait until I have a good amount of clearence in front of them before getting back into the right lane. Common sense! -Z > It always amazes me when I see someone is a teensy little car cut in front > of an 18-wheeler with about 6 inches to spare and then apply their brakes. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > at 60 MPH???! It's not like they can stop on a dime, no matter how good > their brakes! SignatureNed Flat: "Why are you acting like this??" Yakko: "We're not acting. We really are like this." Wakko: "Aren't we lucky?" ====================================================== -- Friends don't let friends run Windows. -- > Trucks can actually stop pretty quickly. I've seen it happen before. I > imagine that when you have EIGHTEEN contact patches with the pavement, > and brakes on every wheel, those many tons-of-steel can have a lot of > braking force slowing them down. }:) Especially when we're fully loaded. It seems that the additional braking force caused by all those tons of weight acting on the wheels has a greater effect on braking distance than does the additional kinetic energy. > But I still wouldn't be stupid enough to cut off a truck. I always try > to make sure I can see their mirrors when I'm behind them (so they know [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Common sense! And belive me, driver who exercise common sense are VERY MUCH appreciated by truck drivers! They are a rare enough occurence. For example: when I am coming up on a freeway onramp and see a car headed for the freeway, if there's a reasonable chance the car will reach the bottom of the ramp before I do I'll ease off on the throttle to open up some room for the driver. But 9 times out of 10 the driver gets almost to the bottom of the ramp, finally looks at oncoming traffic, sees me and thinks "Oh, god, a truck!" and jams on the brakes. That engangers him/her (nobody can anticipate what fool thing he/she will do next), the people behind him/her (who have to brake suddenly to avoid a tail-end accident), and me (I can't predict what the driver is going to do when panic sets in). But when I see a driver head down the ramp, look over his/her shoulder and spot the oncoming truck, judge the available space, and accelerate into the open space I've left I damn near feel like cheering. It's a beuatiful sight! > It always amazes me when I see someone is a teensy little car cut in front > of an 18-wheeler with about 6 inches to spare and then apply their brakes. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > at 60 MPH???! It's not like they can stop on a dime, no matter how good > their brakes! Unless the car fell out of the sky, the trucker shouldn't be as close as that. > > It always amazes me when I see someone is a teensy little car cut in front > > of an 18-wheeler with about 6 inches to spare and then apply their brakes. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Unless the car fell out of the sky, the trucker shouldn't be as close as that. No, no. I was talking about a car pulling over from one lane into another in front of a truck - the truck has no control over how close the other driver gets if the driver of the teensy car is crazy enough to cut off the truck unexpectedly. Hugs, CatNipped William Hamblen <wrhamblen@comcast.net> had some very interesting things to say about Re: Trucking with a kitty (was: The tiny explorer): >> It always amazes me when I see someone is a teensy little car cut in front >> of an 18-wheeler with about 6 inches to spare and then apply their brakes. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >> their brakes! >Unless the car fell out of the sky, the trucker shouldn't be as close as that. I take it you failed to read the part about the car *cutting in front of the truck* that close. Signature"The universe is quite robust in design and appears to be doing just fine on its own, incompetent support staff notwithstanding. :-)" - the Dennis formerly known as (evil), MCFL >> It always amazes me when I see someone is a teensy little car cut in front >> of an 18-wheeler with about 6 inches to spare and then apply their brakes. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >Unless the car fell out of the sky, the trucker shouldn't be as close as >that. Every driver, I mean *every* driver, should give the truckers the utmost courtesy. They are the ones that keep the stuff in this country moving and we'd all be in piss-poor shape without them. It's not as easy to whip in and out of traffic in an 18-wheel truck as it is in a Honda. Sherry >>and driving around brain-dead idiots. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > at 60 MPH???! It's not like they can stop on a dime, no matter how good > their brakes! That's one of my favorite occurences. Another good one is when I'm in the slow lane and come up on a car driving slower than me. When you're running a vehicle weighing just under 80,000 pounds, slowing down costs a lot of momentum. So I'll approach the slower vehicle and at a safe distance behind will pull into the next lane over to pass. At which point the a**hole driver speeds up and cuts me off! So I return to the slow lane, and within a couple of miles the idiot has slowed down again. A matter of 5 MPH doesn't make much difference to most folks out driving to the mall. But when you're getting paid a certain number of cents per mile, having someone make you slow down costs you money. Not to mention being rude and EXTREMELY irritating! I'm a pretty mild-mannered, calm guy, but when I get behind one of these jerks it only takes a couple of slow down-speed up iterations to get me fuming. Maybe you should get a train horn installed on the truck. They use compressed air, and let's just say that you'll scare the living soul out of those idiots. }:) Not sure of the legality, though... -Z >>> and driving around brain-dead idiots. >> [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > guy, but when I get behind one of these jerks it only takes a couple of > slow down-speed up iterations to get me fuming. > Maybe you should get a train horn installed on the truck. They use > compressed air, and let's just say that you'll scare the living soul [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > -Z Would probably scare the heck out of little Harri, too! Jill >>>> and driving around brain-dead idiots. >>> [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] >> jerks it only takes a couple of slow down-speed up iterations to get >> me fuming. >> Dan, my son just started a truck driving job this week. He said one of the >> things they told him at orientation was that they were allowed to have a small [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > >Dan I'm wondering, if you do get home for Xmas, how Harri will enjoy that. Will she take a look around at the comforts of home, and say "Hey Dad, I want my truck!"? ;) Theresa Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com > I'm wondering, if you do get home for Xmas, how Harri will enjoy that. > Will she take a look around at the comforts of home, and say "Hey Dad, > I want my truck!"? ;) We got home for three days at Thanksgiving, and she did very well in adjusting to Nancy and the other 4 cats but was *very* ready to return to the truck. I never heard of trucker kitties, either. I will definitely keep my eye out for cats in cabs now. Go Harri! I briefly dated a guy 1000 years ago who brought his kitten down in his van to meet me on a brief vacation in Florida. We walked the streets of Key West w/her on his shoulder. People stopped us everywhere we went. I do my traveling in a micro-mini-motor-home (Toyota van). Soon after Abelard joined the family, he was going on trips with me because he was on eye meds. We went first to Arkansas for a few days, then later, a week in Iowa. He was a tiny baby at the time and loved being the *only cat* in the vehicle. Ever since then, I take him with me whenever I go on a long drive, and he absolutely loves it. > Hey Dan, > > This is the first time I ever hear about a truck driver travelling with > a cat. It must be nice to have a little furry companion with you when > you're on the road for days on end. It does indeed! We've been staying out longer than usual before. This time out, it's been since the day after Thanksgiving. I used to stay out a week to 10 days, but I guess there's more freight to move now. > What's it like to keep a kitty with you in the truck? I imagine there's > not much room in there; do you have a litter box for him or do you take > him outside? Do you use a leash when he's outside or let him wander > freely? Do you know any other truckers that have cats with them? There's actually more room than most people think. Think about the size of a large broom closet. The cabin is maybe 4 feet deep, and Harri likes to explore on the dashboard, on the floor, and in the overheads. Then the sleeper is another 4 feet deep or so. And both the cabin and sleeper offer enough head room for me to stand up easily. I keep a litter box on the passenger footwell for Harri. And I take her outside on leash and harness fairly often. We try for once a day btu the weather lately has been a little too cold to do that. Harri still gets terrified of other people, so we have to find walk places that aren't too crowded. In the months before I brought Harri on board I used to see 4 or 5 trucks with cats a month. Since I've brought her on board, though, I've only seen one other. The most memorable was back in June, when I parked beside a truck with 4 cats on board! > I'm just curious, as I've never heard of anyone doing this before. I can > see why someone would, though! Kitties can be excellent travelling companions! Having Harri on board has sure made life more bearable. Dan > It does indeed! We've been staying out longer than usual before. This > time out, it's been since the day after Thanksgiving. I used to stay out > a week to 10 days, but I guess there's more freight to move now. Yep.. Don't get me wrong, though, I appreciate your work. It's the truckers that bring us our food, toys, and.. well, pretty much everything. }:) > There's actually more room than most people think. Think about the size > of a large broom closet. The cabin is maybe 4 feet deep, and Harri likes > to explore on the dashboard, on the floor, and in the overheads. Then > the sleeper is another 4 feet deep or so. And both the cabin and sleeper > offer enough head room for me to stand up easily. Sounds like you have your own little home on the road; that's pretty cool. What do you do for Internet access? Do the truck stops have wireless access? Or do you have some sort of a satellite rig? > I keep a litter box on the passenger footwell for Harri. And I take her > outside on leash and harness fairly often. We try for once a day btu the > weather lately has been a little too cold to do that. Harri still gets > terrified of other people, so we have to find walk places that aren't > too crowded. Growing up with only one person will do that to a kitty. I know a kitty that grew up with only one person and is terrified of me or anyone else... I even tried to bribe him with treats, and nothing... > In the months before I brought Harri on board I used to see 4 or 5 > trucks with cats a month. Since I've brought her on board, though, I've > only seen one other. The most memorable was back in June, when I parked > beside a truck with 4 cats on board! Hopefully it's a growing trend.. afterall, your truck becomes your home for many days on end.. Why not share it with a pet? Thanks for the great story! Now when I see a semi on the road I'll wonder if there's a kitty sleeping in one of its compartments on board. }:) -Z SignatureNed Flat: "Why are you acting like this??" Yakko: "We're not acting. We really are like this." Wakko: "Aren't we lucky?" ====================================================== -- Friends don't let friends run Windows. -- > Sounds like you have your own little home on the road; that's pretty > cool. What do you do for Internet access? Do the truck stops have > wireless access? Or do you have some sort of a satellite rig? I used to make WiFi connections from the truckstops; most of the major chains now offer WiFi (IEEE 802.11b) service, though the largest service (truckstop.net) just halted service due to a legal battle with their ISP. I now make connections using my cellphone. GSM phones have a data mode called GPRS that allows connections that average 40 Kbps or so. I pay an extra $20/month on my cell phone bill for unlimited data connect minutes. > Growing up with only one person will do that to a kitty. I know a kitty > that grew up with only one person and is terrified of me or anyone > else... I even tried to bribe him with treats, and nothing... One of the reasons I want to get back to having more time at home is to help Harri get comfortable with Nancy. She's making progress, but still has a way to go. As much as I love snuggling with Harri, I know that Nancy would love the chance to do so as well when we're at home. > Hopefully it's a growing trend.. afterall, your truck becomes your home > for many days on end.. Why not share it with a pet? Absolutely! > I now make connections using my cellphone. GSM phones have a data mode > called GPRS that allows connections that average 40 Kbps or so. I pay an > extra $20/month on my cell phone bill for unlimited data connect minutes. What do you use for a keyboard and screen? Don't tell me you type out your messages on the phone pad!! Joyce > > I now make connections using my cellphone. GSM phones have a data mode > > called GPRS that allows connections that average 40 Kbps or so. I pay an > > extra $20/month on my cell phone bill for unlimited data connect minutes. > > What do you use for a keyboard and screen? Don't tell me you type out > your messages on the phone pad!! I've got a USB cable that runs from the laptop (the same one I use for my GPS navigation) to the cell phone. That way I get to use my favorite tools - Firefox browser and Thunderbird news/mail client. > I've got a USB cable that runs from the laptop (the same one I use for > my GPS navigation) to the cell phone. That way I get to use my favorite > tools - Firefox browser and Thunderbird news/mail client. Oh, I get it. Your phone is essentially your modem. Good arrangment! Joyce . The most memorable was back in June, when I parked > beside a truck with 4 cats on board! > Dan *squeaks* FOUR?!?! Holy cow, LOL. Can you imagine being in the middle of a nascar cat show in a truck? Yup yup, I hear you about some of the trucking companies out there. I won't name names but there are a few lines that DH stays clear of just because of one too many idiot drivers behind their wheels. DH drives a 2004 Peterbilt hauling hazmat. I love staying on the road with him and it would be nice if we had a pet that loved to travel as well. We took our dog on one overnighter and she shivered under the bed the entire time. Scritches to Harri! Grace >> Hey Dan, >> [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > >Dan I love hearing Harri the Truckerkitty Tails. Suz Macmoosette =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= =^..^= "People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life." --Faith Resnick |\__/| (=':'=) (")_(") > Within 5 seconds of applying the can opener to > the can, there was Harri staring at me from the overhead! As soon as she > came down to eat her tuna I stuffed a towel into the gap. I sure hope > that keeps her out of there! LOL! So glad she made it out on her own. SignatureMarina, Frank and Nikki marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki > tuna a made a big production of opening it. Within 5 seconds of > applying the can opener to the can, there was Harri staring at me > from the overhead! As soon as she came down to eat her tuna I stuffed > a towel into the gap. I sure hope that keeps her out of there! > > DAn Duct Tape! I'm glad the tuna trick worked! Jill |
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