After seven years, truck driver Karyn Marshall decided she refused to make the long journeys alone. Knowing depression affects truckers, Marshall stayed one step ahead of her mental health.
Her company, Amistad Freight Service Inc., actually encouraged pets.
So, Marshall began to look into pet adoption.
She went to PetSmart but wasn’t allowed to adopt the black cat who caught her attention. The staff learned she intended to travel with the cat in her truck and voiced concern.
Marshall told PetSmart in a later interview, “I was heartbroken… I’ve had many adopted cats throughout my life. But because my home was a truck, it wasn’t considered to be a good one. That really hurt.”
Luckily, PetSmart referred her to another adoption partner called Safe House Animal Rescue.
The shelter worked together to find the perfect cat for Marshall. They introduced her to Snickers and 
the two shared an instant connection.
Snickers was pampered immediately by Marshall as she bought him a new bed, carrier, toys and food. She said he fit right into the truck from the moment he walked in.
Not long after, Snickers gained a friend when Marshall and a few other truckers came across an abandoned litter of kittens at a California truck stop.
Each of them took one or two and Marshall came back with two kittens which she named, Pebbles and BamBam.
Pebbles found another home with one of Marshall’s friends, but BamBam stuck around, soon becoming best friends with Snickers. “The only life he knows is in that truck,” Karyn said to PetsMart. “And he loves it. He’s like a little kid – very active, and all over that truck all the time.”
As they say, opposites attract and the two cats became quick friends. BamBam’s activeness was a balance to Snicker’s mellow nature.
The addition of the two cats in Marshall’s life have added stability, relaxation and a portable alarm clock, since BamBam is an early bird.
“He’s the alarm clock,” said Marshall. “You do not go past 7 a.m. Eastern time — no matter what time zone you’re in – without feeding BamBam. He’ll meow, nibble my fingers, bite my nose – anything to get my attention.”
Marshall encourages all truck drivers to adopt a pet for the road, as long as their employer allows them.
She says both of her feline friends have enriched her life completely. Though she’s not against dogs, she asserts that cats make the best trucker pets, no constant stops for bathroom breaks.
“They’re quiet, they don’t bark and they want to be with you, they couldn’t care less about what’s going on outside. They want to be loved on and worshipped like they feel they are worthy of,” Marshall states.
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