why carry a pistol when you can carry a cat?

[seconds]

This happened about 5 years ago, and having told this many times to friends, it is not embellished at all. I promise.

Wife and I are happy with our one cat and several fish. One halloween night a stray mostly orange calico (no, the cat kind of calico, not the one you want on gun broker) come up and mews at me. I pet it, it doesn't freak. Okay I think, calm cat, looks hungry, doesn't have tags or anything. Fine, here is some food. Mind you we are still out in the front yard, with trick or treaters coming by. Cat eats, purrs, lies down, and all is zen. About 9 PM we pack up the decor and start moving stuff inside. Guess who decided to follow us in. Long story so far: WE were adopted by this cat, and being orange and halloween, she is now Punkin. Doesn't exactly get along with the other cat, but okay enough.

I'm heading up to the folks house in NW Arkansas in a week, so wife thinks it may be a good idea to keep the cat, but give them space when we can. Great. The new cat is now coming with me to Arkansas (we live north of Houston, so 9-10 hours travel). I drive an 02 Camaro and with a subwoofer and after a little bit of luggage, there isn't much room. It is decided that a filled litter box should come along for the trip and while and Mom and Dads. It is carefully placed in the back seat behind me so we can have kitty potty breaks as needed. I am already envisioning used kitty litter spilled in the back of my car. Punkin is in her carrier and has started mewing incessantly. My larger suitcase has nowhere else to go but in the front seat, right next to me, leaning up against the glove box. My fanny pack is on my side floorboard with a wallet inside and a 1911 keeping it from sliding around.

Fast forward an hour on the road. The cat is still mewing (seems louder now) and although I could really blast the music, I don’t feel like it. It’s a nice day and the windows are halfway down. Compromise then: roll windows up to just an inch or two, let the cat out of the crate and hope for the best. And it worked. Cat climbs around then takes up residence and silently sleeps on the front passenger floorboard. I can’t see exactly where she is because the suitcase is there. But, all is back to zen, and it being a delightful day, I decide to take Texas 19 (mostly divided 2 lanes in each direction) up through Athens, Palestine and Paris (a world tour) before crossing OK border in Hugo and hopping on Indian Nation Turnpike. In case you are wondering, the police interaction is coming.

North of Paris on 19, there isn’t much at all. Trust me. Not even much traffic. Found three good ol’ boys in pickups doing 10 or so over the limit and so, I bump it up and we are heading north. Did I mention it was a fine day? So anyway, there is very small town (NO Dairy Queen) called Powderly where the speed limit drops to 55 for about ¼ mile before coming back up. No problem. Radar detector has been silent most of the way. Me and my boys do not slow down. No problem thinks I, then, with no sound from the expensive little black box on my dash, I see a black and white heading south on the other side the good sized median. “Shoot” says I. Actually that’s not true, I said something else.

All I can figure is DPS was in stealth mode and trolling for trouble. Turned around and caught up with “us” but let’s see, 3 F150 beaters and a late model Camaro. Hmmm. Yeah, let’s stop that Camaro. I still believe that he had no idea exactly how fast we were going, but…

The cat. The cat could go absolute berzerko in the middle of nowhere and conceivably escape if this doesn’t go well. This is just great thinks I, how would I explain to my wife how the cat got run over by an 18 wheeler. But, I tempt fate anyway (I *believe* Punkin is still asleep on right floorboard) and roll down my window to about 4 inches. Hands where they should be, and my wallet on my lap. 1911 still in fanny pack by my feet. I await The Law. Looking in mirror I see 2 troopers not one. The driver (I’m guessing mid 50’s veteran) gets out, walks slowly to my driver’s side, looks inside the car and says:

“Where’s the cat?” He has seen the kitty litter and the open crate.

And that was not what I expected to hear first off. Fumbling for words, I tried to explain that I wasn’t sure, but thought she was under the suitcase next to me. And that she might get skiddish, so please bear with me. Here is my DL and CHL, there is a pistol in the fanny pack at my feet. “I’ll have to move the suitcase to get my insurance, and I don’t know what will happen then” says I. Not sure what my face said, but it seemed to be in line with my words.

He smirks behind Raybans. “Don’t worry about the insurance, I’ll be right back.” And he takes my plastics back to the cruiser and returns a minute later. “You need to slow it down a little, where you heading?”

I explain the parent and cat bit a little better and he responds by knowing exactly the route I’m taking and cautions me about some construction that turn out to be true. Wow. Other trooper is left in the car as we strike up conversation – off to a bang since we both have old school preferences in pistols. 10 minutes later, I am on my way at 55 mph, and not weighed down by a pink slip of paper.

Did I mention it was a beautiful day? My advice: when traveling, carry a pistol, and carry a cat.
-------------
seconds

[AEA]

I carry a pistol (sometimes 2) and normally my GSD. I have not been stopped since She accompanies me.

But I don't normally speed either (in the pickup anyway) so I really don't know how it will go if I get pulled over for anything.

The souped up Mustang is another story......

[SATX-Scrub]

Enjoyed the story! Would read again!!!

So what you're saying is I need to adopt a cat. Ha!!

[mikeintexas]

I guess I'd have to believe you. I have had my dog and my pistol on a cloudy, rainy day and got a speeding ticket.

But then, I don't like cats, so I'll take the dog and the ticket!

[goofwrench]

A large dog works well too when dealing with the boarder patrol. This was twenty years ago when it was much safer to go to Mexico. I had taken my part rot mut, think the other part was great dane. He usually hit the vet scales at 120#, and the vets never considered a diet for him. I had a rig set up in the back of my truck to where he could reach the sides and hang his tung in the wind but not get close enough to go over. My wife and I were coming back from a visit with her family. There was the normal four or five officers standing around and a couple with dogs. The one walks up to my window and starts to ask questions. Bear was snuggled between the luggage in the bed snoozing like he usually did on long rides. The two officers with dogs are getting dragged over to the truck by their K9's, their dogs smell Bear and want to check things out, I suspect. The two officers are looking at each other and I bet they had bust on their mind. They get their dogs somewhat under control and both lead them to the front, one walks left one walks right and they proceed to walk their dogs down the sides of my truck. I realize Bear is not visible and they probably have no clue he is there and how large he is. Just as I start to warn the officer at my window about my dog, he starts to wake up and pokes his head up from the bags in the bed. The officers dogs both hear him moving and really want to meet him. All three officers around my truck see Bear at the same time and the one at my window exclaims "Holy Crap!" Both handlers start yelling to him "GET HIM OUT OF HERE NOW!" Bear is getting excited that other dogs want to meet him and is jumping back and forth with excitement and barking his massive greeting. The officer throws my ID back at me and tells me to leave now. Both the officers with the dogs are straining on their leashes to restrain their dogs. Bear has really got the truck rocking at this point as I put it in first and start to leave. A couple miles down the road as my wife and I digest what all just happened, we turned to each other and burst out in laughter. Bear is still facing backwards wanting to meet his new buddies.
Lesson learned on that trip, announce the presence of my dog before their dogs notice, to avoid problems on both ends.

[johnson0317]

I carried a cat from Maryland to Texas, in the back of a big Uhaul truck. I mean in the back, where all the furniture was. Loved my cat, but the cab was going to be too small for a cat that loves to get all over me, all the time.

Didn't go too bad. No LEO interactions.

The cat was back to normal in about a year.

[KRM45]

This gives a whole new meaning to CCL - Concealed Cat License...

[Thomas]

This gives a whole new meaning to CCL - Concealed Cat License...

[tbrown]

If you get attacked you can throw the cat at the BG and then spray them both with water.

[texasag93]

I had 3 cats that made a one way trip to Ohio in 2001.

Our Vet gave us a couple of pills that made them not care.

[texasag93]

I had 3 cats that made a one way trip to Ohio in 2001.

Our Vet gave us a couple of pills that made them not care.

To clarify, the cats did live with us for up to 6 years (2 died) and the pills did not kill them on the trip.

[Rex B]

Some years back our mama cat was having litters faster than we could get her to the vet, so I was doling out kittens most of that year. One needed to go to Jacksboro, where one of my customers wanted to adopt it. So as I left to make my sales calls that day - Ft Worth to Bridgeport, Chico, Jacksboro - I took the cat with me, in a pillowcase. At the time I was driving a 1976 Lancia Scorpion, which was a mid-engine sports car, 2 seater.
I got just past Rhome when the little bugger really started working to get out. Then I stopped for gas, checking he was still in the pillowcase. Filled the car up, got back in. No cat in the pillowcase. I finally figured out he had gotten up in the center part of the dash, between dash and console. And he wasn't coming out. My banging and cursing ensured he was NOT going to come out.
I just knew I'd wind up driving down the road and he'd come out right behind my pedals, so I would not be able to stop without crushing the cat. I ended up getting back out and waiting for the critter to come out. After about 30 minutes he finally emerged. Back in the pillowcase he went, and on to his new home.
I guess he like the car ride. For years after that I'd see the cat at the store, and I knew they lived about 20 miles outside town. Seems every morning, when they headed out to the van to go to work, the cat would run under and hop onto the frame rail and ride to work. He'd get home at night the same way. Did that every day for years.

[Deltaboy]

LOL this is the best thread I have read here.

[Maxwell]

texasag93, I've taken those pills, but I was back to normal in about a year...