We have 4 cats but they don't travel with us. I think we would do more traveling if we could take them with us but with a 5th wheel I think it would be more difficult. First putting them in the truck them moving them to the RV them moving them back when it is time to move. All our cats are former feral cats so they are skidish around people. Also, the only time they go for a ride is when they go to the Vet. What do others do? Where do you put the sandbox?
Thanks,
Stan and Joanne
Luvglass said
03:24 PM Aug 17, 2006
Hi,
We have 2 cats that we travel with. They were strictly house cats that only went out to the vet. They also were strays we adopted, so are very skittish. As an example, my daughter who used to come and take care of them when we went on vacations, never saw the male, Hemmingway, in 2 years.
We were very nervous about taking them on the road, but since we sold the house, had no choice. In the beginning, moving day was a trial, starting with getting them in their boxes and whining in the trruck for the first half hour. But that changed quickly and now, with a little prod, Hemmingway actually walks in his box, and neither of them whine in the truck.
Best of all, going from a 2400 sq ft home to the trailer, they seem to be happier, and are much more affectionate with us. They love to sit in the windows and watch the birds and wildlife.
The litter box is no problem, we put it in the rear, next to the sofa, which we moved from the slide out. We've read of some people who have put it in the basement, with an opening by thge doorstep. We also bought a small box for the truck.
Go for it, I'll bet you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Fred
leelare said
11:47 PM Aug 17, 2006
We don't have a cat but you said fur so I guess that would include a dog right! As you can see from the pic we have a black dog named Onyx. She is 3/4 pomeranian & 1/4 poodle. She is 3 yrs old & spoiled rotten! We got her at 6 weeks and she was just a handful. We hoped she would stay around 10 lbs because her dad was small but no such luck! She is around 18 lbs now but seems to have finally stopped growing. She was accustomed to a 2500 sq ft home with 1/3 acre back yard & a doggy door. Now she has a 35 ft, 400 sq ft home but she has adjusted beautifully...in 3 months she has not had one accident, even when we leave her to do a bit of sight seeing.
The problem is she loves to go & she screams like crazy when she finds out she has to stay behind today. We have the back seat made up for her with an extra bed & of course food & water & she is as good as gold. She also loves watching out the window & has become a real expert at locating the wildlife & announcing it loudly! All but the buffalos! Seems she lost her voice then! LOL. But, when we say do you want to go bye-bye, she knocks us down getting to the door! We are very fortunate in that we have made some very good friends here in Custer Park & on the few days we have been gone just too long to leave her alone, they have checked on her for the food, water & potty thing. And she has grown to love them sooo!
So, for our first 3 months of fulltime RVing it has worked well for us. But, the 3 of us are perfectly good natured so that helps! Seriously, I wouldn't hesitate to bring your pet along. It seems like it will work out well & we are very happy she is in our rig journeying with us. You never know when a bark alerting you might come in handy also. The rules are, pick up after her, keep her on a leash & let her visit with the neighbors when they feel like it & take her home when they don't! Works for us!
Larry, Lee Ann & Onyx too
Darrell and Judy said
07:49 AM Aug 18, 2006
Crazygramma.
Next to RVers, katt lovers are the greatest people (this'll start up the dawg lovers I'm sure). Katts make excellent RV pets 'cause they're pretty much self reliant (no walking a katt in the rain with a pooper scooper). We have two Ragdoll Katts that travel with us. They love to ride and really enjoy the RV better than a house. We have a Cedar Creek, our third one, which has an area between the bathroom vanity and bedroom dresser where the litter box fits. We even had a wall with sliding doors build between the bathroom and bedroom, so the litter box fits nicely next to the dresser. Another key to RVing with Katts is to feed them a good diet. We use Nutro because there are no by-products and also use bottled water. A good diet with consistency in the water keeps down the odors. Also, a quality scoopable litter is required. Our katts are trained to use a scratching post so they leave the furniture and carpets alone. They get groomed several times a week and get their nails clipped at least once a month. They are great pets and a lot of fun to have around (ragdolls have a Catonality (personality) more like golden retrievers - they have to be involved in everything that takes place in the home).
For what it is worth,
Darrell
Readytogo said
01:01 PM Aug 18, 2006
Ok you got a dawg lover started. Actually, we take 2 dogs and 1 cat with us. We have always owned dogs and taken them camping with us. My son insisted on having a cat. Three years ago we took in a kitten my nephew rescued. She is a CH kitten (cerebellar hypoplasia). Since she has a balancing problem, we thought it would be best to take her with us. After about an hour in the truck crying she does settle down. She does great in the camper along with the dogs. I agree a cat is easier to take care of while camping. You can leave all day and not have to worry about them needing to go potty.
Crazygramma said
02:17 PM Aug 18, 2006
Maybe we will start off taking a couple and see how that works. The old one and the young one get along pretty good together and are small and easy to handle. The two "big boys" will have to wait. Now we just have to find a spot for the sandbox.
Thanks for all the advise.
Joanne
dreamjosie said
03:17 PM Aug 18, 2006
I see my husband (luvglass) already posted about our traveling with our 2 cats, but I wanted to add some advice. (Don't I always )
Before we started RVing, we attended an RV show which had some good seminars, one of which was about traveling with pets. We had the same issue as you do, which is that our cats never traveled in a vehicle unless they were going to the vet, an unpleasant experience.
The advice we got, which served us well, was to aclimate them to recreational traveling before we hit the road. You start by putting them in the car/truck and going around the block and coming home. Everyday you add a little more distance/time. It helps them ease into it, and they realize that not every trip in a vehicle ends at the vet. It seemed to work well for us. Our first couple of trips as we got on the road were a little stressful for them, but by about the 3rd time, they pretty much settled down and took naps. Now they only seem to get agitated if it's an unusually rough or bumpy ride. Sometimes one or both will lay on my lap for long stretches, which I actually quite enjoy.
They seem to love living in the RV even more than they did in our 2400 sq ft condo. I know it may seem difficult to find a place for the litterbox in these small quarters, but if you want to bad enough, you will. Although with 4 cats you would probably want 2 boxes, and that is a little tougher. We used to have 4 cats, but last year our 2 oldest passed away, and it was a no brainer with just the 2. We use a box that has a cover over it so it wouldn't bother us no matter where we put it. We put it next to the couch along the back of the coach, and put a decorative tray on top so it's almost like an end table.
Good luck,
Jo
Judy said
04:34 PM Aug 18, 2006
We travel with 2 dogs one of which is 80 lbs and one that is 15 lbs. They do very well and travel in our truck in the back seat with it down. No complaints from them and they sleep most of the time. When we get to a campsite they cannot wait to get out and smell new scents. They truly love it and have adjusted well. We do many walks with them.
Judy & Bob & 2blackdogs
-- Edited by Howard at 14:25, 2006-08-19
Takadare said
12:43 AM Aug 19, 2006
Moved to dog central...LOL
Sorry Howard:
-- Edited by Takadare at 02:44, 2006-08-19
-- Edited by Takadare at 01:06, 2006-08-22
DJ Wannabees said
10:14 AM Aug 19, 2006
Although we are not RVing now, one of the sixteen million reasons this is what we want to do so is because of our sweet precious 3 1/2lb Yorkie. She is named Gypsy because we knew we would hit the road. Having taken a 2,600 mile trip this past summer in a car, I was so surprised at the number of motels that won't take animals. Well, they just don't get it, she is our baby and we go NO WHERE without her. I can sneak her in in my purse, but don't like to do that, so we just look for the right spot for her. We can not wait to find our MH and travel with her. She is happy anywhere that includes us, but does love to go new places. I will gladly pooper scoop in the rain just to have her! How fun to chat with animal lovers AND RV lovers!
-- Edited by DJ Wannabees at 11:23, 2006-08-20
Paul and Bonnie said
08:30 PM Aug 19, 2006
We moved our Gizzy story to the dog topic!! Sorry Howard!!! All these cats were hissing at him over here in the cat topic-- Edited by Paul and Bonnie at 11:02, 2006-08-20
-- Edited by Paul and Bonnie at 11:07, 2006-08-20
Howard said
06:38 AM Aug 20, 2006
Okay, dog folks. We want to hear about your pooches and traveling with these wonderful family members, but we need to always keep in mind the original questions "Crazygramma" submitted when she opened this topic.
Please move your posts to the Traveling w/ Dogs topic or to a new topic such as "Tell us about your pets" or something like that. It is so very important that we stay "on topic" and keep the topic starter's questions in mind. It's fine to say "I travel with a Great Dane and here is my opinion on your cats" , but always put yourself in the shoes of the original topic starter when posting replies. Thank you so very much!
Tony and Eileen said
12:08 PM Aug 21, 2006
We had never taken our 13 yr. old scaredy cat Bud any place but to the vet and he meowed loudly the whole way. Thank goodness the vet is only 5 mins. from our house. We had 3 cats before and I had a pet sitter feed and check in on them twice a day for many years when we would travel but then Bud became diabetic and required insulin shots twice a day and there was no way my pet sitter was going to be able to deal with that so when I read The Wandering Wishnies blogs and found out they had cats I contacted Jo and she was so very helpful in telling me how to go about dealing with Bud on the road. Our other 2 cats had sadly passed away so it was just Bud. Just this past July we traveled about 2100 miles for 2 wks. from So. Ca. to Oregon and Bud did GREAT....I couldn't believe how well he did. I agree it will be a bit harder with 4 cats but maybe try out a short weekend trip and see how it goes. You might be surprised as I was. I would have never believed that Bud would be such a great little traveler.
Good Luck,
Eileen
Paul and Bonnie said
06:28 PM Aug 21, 2006
Hi DJ Wannabees,
My story about Gizzy was in response to your post. I thought you might be interested in the car seat idea and also the website, petswelcome.com, that you can check with while you are travel and staying in motels. It also list campgrounds tht accept pets (dogs or cats)
Bonnie
(sorry Howard )
SoCalToolGuy said
08:38 PM Jan 7, 2007
Barb and I are going to be joining all you fulltimers this year and we will be traveling with our 3 cats. We have traveled with cats for many years while just vacationing but this will be our fulltime home so we are looking at ways to make a smooth transition. We are interested in finding out if any of you are using an automated self-cleaning litter box. If so how do you like it? We saw them on sale at Walmart last week for about $80 and almost bought one but didn't. Probably should have. Anyway, please let us know what you think. Thanks and bless all you animal lovers. Ray.
Tim & Robyn said
05:30 AM Jan 8, 2007
I can't speak to what it would be like in an RV, because we aren't there yet. But I can tell you about the experiences I've had with the automatic litter boxes. You'll probably get all kinds of opinions, pro and con, and this is just mine, so here goes.
I don't like them - for us it was a waste of money. Mind you, this was when they first came on the market, so I don't know if they've been improved or not since then.
Prior to trying one of them we used to buy standard cat litter and place the bottom part of the covered litter boxes completely inside large, heavyweight garbage bags before adding the litter. When it was time to change the litter all we had to do was peel the bag out, turning it inside out as we went, kind of like pulling off a tee shirt over your head from the bottom up. Bingo, all the litter was in the garbage bag, no muss, no fuss, no cleaning of the box itself required (except for occasionally washing the box cover).
With the automatic litter box, which uses scoopable litter, we found we were continally having to wash the rake and the pan, especially on those occasions when things were a little 'looser' than normal, because on those occasions the rake would get clogged. It was a lot of hassle, lots more than before. Plus, with multiple cats, somethimes one would use the box, and a few minutes later when another one wanted to use it, the thing would wake up and go through it's cleanout routine and scare the daylights out of the other cat, who then didn't want to use it at all.
We've switched back to the standard covered litter boxes with the HW garbage bags as liners, except we've also switched to using scoopable litter. This is even less hassle than it was originally, because if you scoop out the boxes daily, adding fresh litter occasionally, you don't have to completely change them out as often as often as before with standard litter. I also use metal scoopers with wooden handles that I found in the kitchen doodad section at WalMart - the plastic scoops kept breaking.
I do sometimes have to put the whole thing into a second garbage bag when it becomes apparent that the one used as a liner has been torn by the cats' digging, but all in all this is the closest thing to a hassle-free method that I've been able to come up with, and believe me that's important since cleaning the boxes is my job.
Pets... ya gotta love 'em. It's just like having children, except they never grow up, get a job, and move out - but then they don't outgrow their clothes or ask for the car keys either .
Let me know how it goes with the critters on the road... we're going to have a few when we are finally able to get out there fulltime.
Tim Fansler
dreamjosie said
10:52 AM Jan 8, 2007
Ditto to what Tim Fansler said about scoopable litter. If you scoop daily and occasionally add fresh, you don't have to completely change it more often than maybe 3 or 4 months. Also buying the metal scooper with wooden handle in the kitchen section makes a world of difference, not only because they don't break like the plastic ones sold in pet department, but it actually makes the scooping process easier.
We use a completely hooded litter pan and put a large decorative tray on top so it looks like an end table and isn't so obvious to the casual observer. I put a few family photos on it and it's easy to just lift off the tray and the top to scoop. In these tight spaces I think it's important to not have the litter box out and obvious.
Donna162 said
10:24 PM Jan 8, 2007
We're not full timing yet....I don't retire til the end of April and we still need to sell the house. We have a dog and a cat that have been with us for too long to let someone take care of....dog of 8 1/2 years and the cat for 14 1/2 years.....and besides, I can't live without them. We've never travelled with them and I know this sounds gross, but, in our stick house, you can't leave the cat litter down where the dog can get into it, no matter how much you scold him. We currently have the cat litter placed on it's own table about the height of a coffee table with room for the cat to jump up on the table and located in the basement out of sight. So, location of the cat litter has been causing me some concern. If anyone has any ideas, I would appreciate them.
P.S. Agree totally about using the scoopable litter and scooping daily. Works great!
bjoyce said
11:31 AM Jan 9, 2007
We use S'wheat Scoop, a scoopable little made from wheat. It works and we don't mind shaking the excess out of the mat outside since it is edible (yuck!).
We have a motorhome and the litter box goes under the steering wheel when we are stopped and braced beside the bed while travelling. We use those grey fake grass mats under the litter box to contain the excess, our cat does throw it out as she buries her business.
Darrell and Judy said
12:56 PM Jan 9, 2007
Well, here's a humorous story. We had two dawgs and two katts when we lived in Maine. The dawgs kept getting into the katt box for a "treat" so we bought a covered katt box. The entry hole was still big enough for the dawgs to get into so that didn't take care of the problem. I then used duct tape and carboard to make the entry smaller (big enough for the katts but too small for the dawgs). The Golden then left it alone but one day we heard a crashing and trashing coming from the downstairs bathroom. Upon investigation we discovered that the Shepherd had stuck his head in, but couldn't get it back out. So there he was backing up and shaking his head back and forth with the katt box stuck on it. Needless to say, he left the box alone after that. Dawgs do learn from unpleasant experiences.
bjoyce said
09:01 PM Jan 9, 2007
Now you know why dog owners call them "cat cookies".
While growing up my wife's family used Litter Green for litter, made of alfalfa. They would dump it on the edge of the pasture but the pile did not get any larger. Then they saw the horses were eating it so the pile stayed small.
cksck said
02:21 PM Jul 4, 2007
Hi, this is my first posting.... being a cat and dog lover, of course I had to post in a pet thread first. :)
We have traveled with our 3 dogs and 2 cats (the avatar shows the dogs, I included some pics of the kitties below). The cats adjusted MUCH faster than the dogs to the RV travel. About 1 day and the cats were used to it (the dogs took a couple weeks- D'oh!). The cats love when we are actually driving the motorhome. We assumed they would be scared of the noise and motion, but they are not. As others mentioned, our cats were originally feral kittens. They have been indoors since we adopted them as kittens, so are not as "wild" as our other 2 outdoor cats we adopted a year ago. Before traveling for the first time in the RV, we spent a number of days hanging out with the cats in the RV. We also let them sleep in there a few days. I think this helped, as cats really need to be comfortable that they know all the ins-and-outs of their environment or they get way too stressed.
Anyway, the question about the litter box... We store our covered litter box in the shower stall. We have a bracket that keeps the shower door open enough for the cats to get in (while either driving or when camped) but keeps the dogs OUT of the kittie cookie box! :) :) We also keep the bowl of cat food in the shower stall, as it also keeps the dogs away from the treats. Storing the litter box in the shower stall has been great. We just move it into the separate toilet room when we need to use the shower. I should admit that we don't shower in our RV shower every day when camping, so this is not an inconvenience for us. I suppose if you used your shower every day it might be a drag to have to move the box each time you used it.
The only thing we need to be careful about is not letting the clumping litter scatter and spills get down the shower drain by accident. We are just careful and keep the drain covered at all times and that works. Hmm.. the other issue with clumping litter in an RV is that you notice the dust MUCH more than in your house. We switched to using the "crystals" litter for a while. That works great, but it's just too expensive. We are currently trying S'wheat (mentioned by bjoyce) at home in an attempt to get a natural and "dust free" alternative. So far, S'wheat works and is MUCH less dusty. We're going to experiment w a few other similar brands before hitting the road again for a couple+ months in September.
We've travelled long (max 10 weeks) and short trips with our cats and dogs. So, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. :)
Here are some pics of the kitties enjoying the RV: Pixie enjoys the view as we drive down the road:
Punkin lazing around. We were outside the RV and took this through the window. I think we can all agree he is NOT stressed! :)
Punkin loves the dogs... Here he is relaxing with our Golden (Caper) after a long, hard day...
And, here he is sleeping with Oreo in her collapsible crate...
Hope you enjoyed the pictures. c-
-- Edited by cksck at 15:24, 2007-07-04
Weaverworks said
07:55 PM Jul 4, 2007
C- the pics are awesome! Gotta love these cats! I can't wait to see how our cat takes to traveling. Hope she's as skittish as yours.....lol
Paul
fishinpair said
07:50 AM Jul 5, 2007
C- Your pictures are wonderful! We are the proud owner of Fathead, our 3 yr. old cat. He was born in my lap, and means as much to us as our children. I was VERY worried how he would react to being in a MH full time, seeing as he goes crazy every time we put him in the car...to go to the vet of course. Hopefully letting him spend time in the MH before we begin will help, and I have followed the advice of cat owners who have said to put him in the car to just drive around, so he will realize that a moving vehicle does not mean the vet every time. Thanks again for your advice, and the wonderful pics. They brightened my day!
cksck said
11:05 PM Jul 5, 2007
Glad you liked the pics. :)
We are the proud owner of Fathead, Haha... I LOVE his name! :)
It's funny, we thought our cats would freak out when the RV was moving. They had only ever been in a car to go to the vet -- always in a carry-box, of course. So, the first time we drove the RV, we put the cats in a new collapsible crate that we bought for them. We bought various sizes of these crates for our dogs, since they are all crate-trained at home. You can see part of one in the last picture of Oreo and Punkin sleeping in Oreo's crate. Anyway, we put the cats in this nice, large, soft-sided crate/carrier and left the house for our first trip with them. They had a FIT! :o Yowling and scratching and trying to get OUT of that carrier/crate! It was so awful, we lasted maybe 10 minutes max and decided to let them out to do what they wanted in the RV. :)
Well... that was much better! They calmed immediately and got comfortable. Pixie usually sits on my lap while we're (Jeff!) driving. Punkin likes to sleep on the bed or recliner (or next to a dog) while we're driving. They eat, use the litter box and everything in motion. When we first stop the RV, they get more nervous and run to hide in the bedcovers. But, after about 15-20 minutes, they come back out and act normal again. Who knows why they react more to stopping than starting?? LOL.
Pixie is *extremely* high-strung and skittish. Punkin is *totally* laid-back - as you can tell from the pics. :) So, we have one of each kind of personality but they both do great in the RV. I have no idea if driving them around in a car would be the same as driving them around in the RV. ?? I guess whenever they are in our car they are in a box and are not happy. We can't let them run around loose, it's too dangerous. In the RV, it's easy for me to make sure that neither cat climbs on Jeff or anywhere in his way when he is driving, so there is less risk there.
From our experience, I'm going to guess that they acclimated faster because they had lived some number of days in the RV before we ever drove off in it. That's just my best guess, but give it a try. I know you all will love having your kitties with you on the road. :) :) :)
PS - our cats adjusted *so* much better than our dogs. Hmmm... I might need to post that harder experience on the dog thread some day. c-
Darrell and Judy said
07:37 AM Jul 7, 2007
Here's a website that I recommend everyone traveling with katts should read. They have quite a bit of helpful information, their goal is to help katt owners solve behavioral problems. http://www.catsinternational.org. Moving around as we do can cause kitty to have anxiety which could lead to behavioral problems, many of which can be resolved if their loving parents have the right information. Do Fluffy a favor and read this site before he/she has a problem and then take steps to resolve the issues up front. This will result in a purrfect relationship. Meow, Meow and thank you!!!!!
Terri and John said
08:31 AM Jul 15, 2007
We have loved reading all the comments about traveling with a cat and the pictures! Our boy, Raleigh, is a large mellow housecat and has never traveled other than to the vet so all the comments about preparing him for travel are appreciated and will be tried. However, my question really pertains to the logistics of traveling. We will be in a crewcab truck and fifth wheel. For those traveling in a truck, how do you travel with the cat to insure access to a litter box and safety of the cat and everyone else in the vehicle while traveling at the same time?
Tony and Eileen said
04:08 PM Jul 15, 2007
We part time travel with our 16 lb. cat Bud and we also have a crewcab and 5'er. We put the back seats down so the whole back seat area is flat and I put a blanket or mat down and we have a carrier, big enough for Bud to sit up in comfortably, and we found a wonderful litter box by Jonny Cat, it's about 12" W x 19" L., already has the litter in it. I never thought Bud would use it because of its and his size, but he does. It's plastic, gray in color, found it at the local supermarket. It disintegrates the pee so you only have to scoop if he poops. Luckily Bud usually does that in the 5th, in his regular large size litter box. He doesn't like to be in the carrier for very long, so he is either laying on the mat in the back or rests between us on the console. I also have a water dish available at all times. I never thought Bud would be a traveling cat, had only been to the vet, but he requires medicine now in his old age, he's 14, so leaving him home with my pet sitter was not an option anymore. I carry a roll of paper towels also, just in case of accidents, and only give him bottled water. yes..yes...he's spoiled rotten. Hope this helps. I'm sure others will let you know what they do also. Eileen
Terri and John said
08:39 PM Jul 15, 2007
Thanks Eileen for the information. I hope others will respond as to how they handle the transport of their cat because we'd rather not wing it if there is a better way than we have thought of so far. Raleigh's one big cat (18 lbs) and we can't expect him to be a happy traveler unless he is comfortable. We'd love to hear from more of you in like situations; please give us some ideas.
Darrell and Judy said
01:01 PM Jul 16, 2007
Hi Raleigh,
My name is Katie and my brother Alex and I travel in the back seat of a crew cab truck while our home is being towed down the road. Alex, who is about 20 pounds, tends to ride in the back seat while I like to ride on the console (I wanna see where we're goin'). Our parents put a towel on the console to make it more comfortable. They also have a litter box on the floor in the back seat with the same litter that we use in the house. Also, they bring our water dish (bottled water only please!) and our food dish so we can have a snack along the way. They try to travel only four hours max and not on back to back days (Alex hates traveling two days in a row and will complain about it). We are not spoiled, just a little pampered. So, Raleigh, you don't have to be nervous about this traveling thing, it's a great gig - you get to have a new back yard every so often and see different types of birds (bird watching is one of our favorites). Just play along with your humanoids and they will do just about anything you want them to.
Good luck,
Katie
Darrell and Judy said
01:06 PM Jul 16, 2007
Oh yes Raleigh, I forgot to mention that we have a fleece lined blanket and a round kitty house on the back seat. Alex sits on top of the kitty house so he can see out - he also lays on it, but is so big that he hangs over the sides. Hope this is helpful. Katie
sonny said
05:25 PM Oct 26, 2008
Has anyone travelled with a 30 lb. Maine Coon cat? Maine Coons are very affectionate but also very skittish. We were wondering how to keep kitty happy as he doesnt care for motion or loud noises. Have you found it to be better to just let cats roam about while in motion and would that be a safe thing to do? Has anyone used sedatives for travel? (for the cat) We wouldn't object to some type of safe natural remedy as long as it didn't knock him out or make him non-functional.
bjoyce said
09:16 AM Oct 27, 2008
Look for Rescue Remedy in a Health Food store. It helps with anxiety and you rub some drops in the cats ears and it helps them cope with stress. It also worked great for a friend's dog around fireworks.
She-Nist said
06:25 PM Feb 1, 2009
I've had one automatic litterbox...what a piece of poo it was. Don't waste your money. The rake would get jammed up...AND sometimes it would take off while the cat is inside the box (which would freak me out if I were a cat!).
You can get a good quality scoop litter and they make plastic liners that you can stack up on the bottom of the box then peel them up as you need to.
I use a plastic storage bin that has walls about 6" high and a metal scooper. I think I've spent $20 on both (mostly the scooper).
Have fun! She-Nist
sand38 said
06:06 AM Mar 16, 2009
I had been leaving my old cat at home because even the trips to the vet were crazy. Anyhoo, one time I decided to take her with me to Ruidoso, New Mex. She hollerd and screamed the whole way, and did you know they can run upside down across the roof in a truck? She and I decided this was way to stressful for both of us and that we didn't need to do that ever again.
LeslieW said
12:27 AM Mar 17, 2009
Our cats hate riding inthe truck. I thought that they would ride safely in a large crate that we designed, with an upper and lower level (bed upper, litter box lower). It didn't work for them. (Our prior cat was okay with this.) I've tried and tried to explain to the cats that they have been adopted by travelers and that's life. They just refused to adjust (like kids.) I think it may be that the turbo in the diesel engine bothers their ears.
Last summer in Alaska we traveled many times on the ferry boats and the cats had to remain in the 5th wheel. They were so happy! So we've changed our procedures. I have snuck into the 5th wheel while we travel and found them sleeping comfortably on our bed. If the weather is too hot or too cold, they have to travel in the truck but otherwise I have allowed them to sleep in the 5th wheel. I never thought that this would be our plan, but for these cats, it works best. --Just an idea.
(FYI-- because I'm neurotic about my cats I also have a remote thermometer to monitor the temperature in the rig and have run a digital recorder to see (actually hear) that they don't scream when we're driving.)
Also, if you have slides you must institute specific procedures to ensure that a cat doesn't get caught in a slide mechanism when you extend or retract the slides. (Our procedure is that only I ever touch the slide switches. Before I touch the slide switches both cats are in sight (downstairs if I'm moving the upper slide or upstairs if I'm moving hte downstairs slide) and remain so as long as I have a finger on the switch. Alternatively I put both cats in the toilet room until the slides are completely extended.
Good Luck! Fur-kids are a challenge.
jdelaneyh said
09:03 AM Sep 11, 2009
We've always taken our kitties traveling with us. Our first cat, Dinah, loved going camping, even in a tent and then a pop-up! She enjoyed lounging on the beds in the sunshine and watching birds out all the huge windows.
Since Dinah loved it so much we figured what the heck with this bunch. We keep our four kitties in carriers (two per carrier) while traveling, but use larger carriers and put a small litter box in each one, then set them up on bins so the cats can see out. Being able to see what's going on and going by seems to calm them once we're underway. We stop every couple of hours to give water and plenty of attention. We also have a harness and leash and let them out a wee bit to walk around if there are no people or dogs around. Some have liked it others have not. Otherwise they are indoor kitties. We always take extra bottled water with us for them. Once we get set up on our camp site they will eat, but want nothing to do with food while in transit.
We've moved cross country numerous times. I know it'll be easier for the kitties with shorter jaunts when we get our TT. They enjoy being along with us and we love having them along too. They're actually happier with us tent camping (we have a larger cabin style tent) than being left home and cared for by some one else. You should have seen the dirty looks we got when came home after only one night away! They don't even like us leaving for afternoon shopping exursions unless it includes bringing them a paper bag to play in and some of their favorite cookie treats! We pack their "kitty condo" and plenty of their favorite toys for camp outs. They are part of our family. They are going to love having a home that goes with us as much as we will!
Louie said
05:38 PM Dec 22, 2010
We will start full-timing in our 5th wheel in June. We will be taking our 2 cats, of course. Since we are not experienced RVer's we are concerned about leaving our cats in the RV while we explore the parks , towns and places that we visit, plus we will be working as well. It is our goal to not visit areas that get too hot but wonder about the best way to keep them safe from the heat/weather when we are not there. We have heard of generators that start automatically if power is lost or down. Can any experienced RVer's out there tell us what they do to enjoy themselves without worrying about their cats/pets being in danger of heat/cold in the RV? Thanks
Luvglass said
07:44 PM Dec 22, 2010
We leave Fantastic fans running to keep the animals comfortable on even the hottest days.
We often forget that everybody, animals included, have survived quite nicely without air conditioning until about 40 years ago. You definitely don't want to leave them in a buttoned up rig, but if you open a few windows and have exhaust fans pulling in fresh air they will be just fine.
2riker2go said
05:04 AM Dec 23, 2010
That's a good point, Fred. I was wondering the same thing about leaving our two cats when we leave for a few hours. I like the fan idea as well.
desertnurse said
02:36 PM Dec 29, 2010
We travel with two dogs and a cat, which works perfectly for us. Dogs love it, and our cat is awesome-he hides under the couch in a safety spot when the rig is moving(we are in an RV), but then when we make camp he comes out, gets love and uses litter box,dinner and then goes exploring. I know many will disagree with letting him out, but he stays right around the coach and doesn't stay out very long.
Of note; we also have a feral-ish 14 year old cat at home in New Mexico. We agonized about bringing her, and finally decided to eave her in the house she has known for 10 years (we rent to a dear friend who looks after her). We made this decision based on these points; she hates being cooped up and would be miserable, and she would be constantly looking for a chance to bolt- and then would be lost and in danger(she,unlike our other kitty,roams far and wide and would certainly encounter other animals).Most importantly, we wanted her to be happy, and uprooting the old gal from her routine just didn't seem right.
Ultimately, just do what you feel is right.
EelKat said
10:09 AM Jun 24, 2011
Crazygramma wrote:
Brought this quote over from another topic;
We have 4 cats but they don't travel with us. I think we would do more traveling if we could take them with us but with a 5th wheel I think it would be more difficult. First putting them in the truck them moving them to the RV them moving them back when it is time to move. All our cats are former feral cats so they are skidish around people. Also, the only time they go for a ride is when they go to the Vet. What do others do? Where do you put the sandbox?
Thanks,
Stan and Joanne
I don't have my RV yet, but hope to have one before fall. I used to live on a farm which doubled as an animal rescue and at any given time we had 500+ animals from cats to dogs to roosters to horses and everything in between. The area I specialized in was feral cats. This was my full time "job" for over 20 years and than in 2006 in the blink of an eye everything was gone, when a flood came through and took out everything. This event left me and a lot of animals homeless. I lived under a 6x8-tarp and most of the animals found emergancy homes. Because I have Autism finding a "regular" job has been next to impossible and becoming homeless made it that much harder. In the end after the flood it was me 2 dogs and 9 disabled feral cats (blind/deaf/etc) living under that tarp.
At first I worried about them running off, us living in a make shift tent-thing, but they stayed right with me and burrowed down into the sleeping bag with me, which was good for all of us seeing how we lived under that tarp through 3 blizzards. (It's not exactly warm or dry in Maine and winters on the shoreline, where we happen to be, can reach -48F in winter.) I see a lot of people mentioning worrying about cats in an RV because of the heat, but where we live we have to worry about the cold instead. Travel is not our RV goal, getting a warm, dry roof over our heads is.
Originally I had planned to rebuild, but my Autism and having never gone to school and knowing more about cats than people and laws, caused me to not take into consideration that it was going to cost some $2million dollars to rebuild my great-grandparents farm, and so those plans slowly faded and trying to find a way to get in a house on a less than minimum wage income. A tent was the only solution for a while, than I got a car and we lived in that. Than I realized I could get a cheap RV off craigslist and have a roof over my head again.
It's been 5 years and 400+ job applications later, my income has not increased as no one will hire an adult with Autism, it is frustrating as it means saving up to buy an rv off craigslist could take me years, as I'm living right now off selling my art online, while I try to get a "regular" job. Very frustrating.
Today it is me and 14 feral cats looking for a place to live, out of the rain and out of the snow - the cats are staying in a friends barn (on the agreement tat when I take mine back, I take the ferals that were already in the barn too, thus why I went from 9 cats to 14 cats) and I camp out in my car in their driveway.
Anyways, in looking for a motorhome, my plans have changed a lot over the past 5 years, and it is because of the cats, and I will tell you about it.
Crazygramma wrote:
First putting them in the truck them moving them to the RV them moving them back when it is time to move.
When I first started looking for an rv, I was looking for a travel trailer, something small that I could tow behind my car. I looked at a lot of them, before I realized 2 things:
1: The size trailer I could tow with my car was going to be 15' or less (under 4k lbs) and after looking inside one that small, there was no way more than 2 cats could live in it, just not enough room. I would have to look for a truck & trailer combo instead.
2: After looking at truck and longer trailers, including a few 5th wheels, for about 2 years, someone asked me what my living style was going to be and I explained the situation as I just explained it above, and they told me "Oh, full timing with cats. How you gonna put 14 cats in the truck when you drive?"... wait, what? Why am I going to put 14 cats in the truck? They explained to me the laws about NO LIVING BEING can ride in the trailer while it's on the road. Okay. Well, I didn't know that, maybe I should have, but I suppose there are a lot of things I should know and don't, my Autism does make me rather slow to pick up on things. So I had to rethink what I was going to do, and that meant looking into motorhomes instead of trailers.
----
Now in your case 4 cats COULD be taken in the truck with you, provided you have a passenger cab truck. A big dog crate would fit all 4 cats in it, or 2 large crates would fit 2 cats each.
I will tell you, my experience with crating cats for car rides, esp feral cats, which I have done for 20+ years and with over 250 feral cats, has told me NEVER crate a single cat alone by itself in a crate.
The reason is, feral cats tend to live in small packs in the wild with 4 to 6 cats staying together in a den/log/tree/trash-can/shed/etc. The litters grow up, move out and stay together, and when you adopt a feral cat all hell breaks lose if you can not adopt the whole family group. Taming a feral cat can take up to 3 years, yet taming a group of 4 to 6 feral cats can take only a few weeks. The difference? The single cat has been separated from it's family group, it is scared of people to begin with, but a people capturing it and breaking up it's family traumatizes it beyond comprehension and it now views people as predators. Anyone whose had a cat knows that cats form close bonds to their "family" wither that family is their owners, or other family pets, a cat NEEDS the family it knows and trusts and feral cats are no different.
It is important to remember that feral cats ARE NOT strays. A stray cat is a domestic cat that became lost, or is the kitten of a domestic cat which grew up in the wild. A feral cat was NEVER a stray nor a domestic cat. Only 1 in ever 30 or so feral cats will EVER tame down enough to be considered adoptable as a house pet. Taking a truly feral cat into your home is like taking a wild bobcat into your home, it is no different. Feral cats are very dangerous, they can and will kill other cats, small dogs, rabbit, and birds you already have, if they were not properly tamed prior to coming to you. These cats have never seen cat food or litter boxes, they killed to survive, they grew up fighting skunks, coons, and coyotes. These cats live by the belief it's kill or be killed so it tries to kill every thing it sees, humans included. Dealing with feral cats straight from the wild is dangerous. I deal with feral cats straight from the wild. I deal with feral cats who can never become house pets.
A truly feral cat, is not a stray cat, nor a domesticated cat - they are a wild cat, born wild to a wild cat, who was also born wild. Often you can have 10 or 20 generations all born in the wild, and that kind of blood line makes them even harder to tame. The cats I deal with are this type - they are not the kittens of a former stray, they are the multi-great-great-great grand-babies of cats that were wild since the 1960s, meaning their is no instinct for domestication at all. As adults, each litter of kittens lives together for their entire adult lives.
If you are dealing with a truly feral cat, and not a stray cat, than you do have to take your cats' past history into consideration when moving it into an RV with you. Feral cats do not have the same expectations as strays or domestic cats and can not be expected to respond as a stray or domestic cat would.
Years of experience has taught me that when trying to get a feral cat in a crate and in a car, keep the ENTIRE FAMILY UNIT (in you case 4 cats) in ONE single crate. In separate crates the cats scream, hiss, howl, claw, chew the bars, lash out, vomit, diarrhea, have convulsions, chew their paws and tail off, hyperventilate, pass out, have strokes, and/or have heart attacks.
Years of experience has also taught me that getting a big dog crate (large enough to fit 6 cats or one full grown great dane in it, and putting the ENTIRE cat family into the crate, results in a big ball of cats wrapped around each other at the back of the crate, huddled together and scared, but licking and comforting each other and not throwing tantrums and hurting themselves. They are scared of their situation, but they are together. They feel safe together. Often they will curl up and purr themselves to sleep.
Domestic cats are raised differently than ferals, they are often left alone in the house when their people are at work, they are often alone in a crate on the way to the vet. But ferals are NEVER alone. The pack stays together, sleeps together, hunts together, mother cats nurse each others kits, when kits are born all the females in the litter raise all the kits together. From the time they are born til the day they die feral cats live in family groups and are never alone, and this is something you must take into consideration, esp when traveling. Traveling causes anxiety. Being separated from their family unit causes anxiety. Both events happening at once causes major panic attacks and often serious injuries both to the cat and the people.
It is precisely because my cats are all feral cats, that I crossed travel trailers and 5th wheels off of my list and started searching for a motorhome instead. I know these cats, and I know there is no way they are going to deal with being crated in a truck every few weeks. They do okay riding in the back seat of a car uncrated, fears of being in a moving vehicle is not a problem for them, they lay on the seat and purr and are oblivious to the fact that the car is moving. Being in a crate in a car, they do not like however.
A lot depends on your particular cats. How long have they been domesticated? How long were they ferals? There's a big difference between adopting a 6 month old feral cats and a 6 year old feral cat. The 6 month old feral would be easy to tame and get used to crating and car rides. The 6 year old feral may never become hand-tame and may never be able to ride in a crate or car.
Each cat is different. Personalities and temperaments vary widely. It is quite possible your cats will adjust to the whole moving in and out of the truck fine with no problems at all. Some cats enjoy such things. I once had a deaf cat that was like a puppy, she loved car rides and couldn't wait to get in the car. I've had several that acting like rabid coons at the sight of a car. Most cats are somewhere in between. Look at your cats and do a few test runs down the street and back and see what they do, than adjust accordingly. If your cats become holy terrors you may have to think about trading the 5th wheel for a motorhome.
My biggest worry about moving the cats from the trailer to the truck and back again, is not so much the ride itself, as the fact that they (my cats at least) are exceptionally smart when it comes to safe-breaking and getting the latch of the crates unhooked and suddenly I'm spending the next 3 or 4 days hunting down a cat that started running and didn't stop for a mile or two later! Mittens, Bela, Cleo, and Emily all do this. In doors they are fine. In the car they are fine. Outdoors as soon as their feet hit the ground they just start running and don't stop. Pip, Kit, Herbie, and Mowglie also run, but will stop and come back on their own. George and Dog just calmly sit on the ground and never leave my side. The rest run up trees! One cat escaping during transfer would be hellish, and several cats escaping would be a total nightmare. I decided after giving it much thought and knowing how my cats act, that a motorhome will be a safer option than a trailer for me and my cats.
Also, when I do get the motorhome (hopefully this fall) I plan to move the cats into it straight away, but than not move the moterhome for several weeks to give the cats time to get used to their new home, so that they won't be as scared when their home starts up and drives away. I did this with my car too and found that if you let the cats lounge around in the car for a few weeks while it's parked in the drive way, they are not so scared when one day the car is driving down the road. It's not the fact that the car is moving that scares them so much as the fact that they do not know the car itself. Letting a cat get used to the vehicle before they go for a ride in it goes a long way to having happier travels with your cat.
Also, keeping the cat carriers in your house open, and letting the cats come and go freely from them every day, helps as well. Cats can see the crate as a cozy safe den to sleep in or they can see it as a terrifying prison to escape from. I keep my crates open at all times - doors removed, and the cats often sleep in them during the day. This make is VERY easy to get the cat in the crate once the doors are back on, and helps lessen the stress of travel, because the cat is in a place it feels safe to begin with.
In any case, in my own situation, I don't plan to be moving the RV very often, if at all, so it's not too big of a worry for me, as I have the land to live on and park it, just no house to live in as that got taken away by a flood, so I'll kind of be full-timing but not really traveling much at all, but I will have to move it once in a while, and personally, in my case, I feel having a motorhome over a trailer is going to just be easier for me and my cats. I also have the advantage of these cats have had many, many, many car rides the past 5 years, seeing how we lived in a cat together between the tent and the barn and so they have been "conditioned" to knowing their is more to car trips than vets. They like watching out windows, laying in the sun, and sleeping to the vibrations of a moving car, so moving them into a motorhome is going to be much easier now than it would have been 5 years ago. It does take time for cats to get used to being inside a moving vehicle. You'll just have to look at all possible things that could go wrong a decide for yourself what is best for you and your cats.
I should probably point out that while this will be my first RV, it'll not be my first time full-timing with cats. My family were Scottish Travelers who settled down to farm life in the 1970s, so in my childhood until I was 9 years old, I lived on the road with my family and our 2 dogs Cookie (a Collie) and Fluffy (a Maltese), and with our 4 cats Fluffy (the deaf cat that loved cars rides), Tiger, Rusty, and Princess. In my experience, most cats adjust well to life on the road, if given the time to get used to it a little bit at a time.
Crazygramma wrote:
Where do you put the sandbox?
Because of my special situation, I require a special motorhome. As I said, I have 14 cats. All ferals. The oldest is 14 years old, the youngest are under a year old. Most are between 5 and 7 years old. None of them found homes with people for various reasons: blind, deaf, 3 legs, kidney failure, bladder disorders, horribly scarred, deformed, and one that thinks he's a man eating lion and refuses to be tamed. These cats are hard for most people to love. They are cats that most shelters would have put down. They are cats that require several hours of special care each and every day. They are each special needs cats, making them unadoptable to begin with, and the fact that they are ferals in addition to being special needs, makes them a full time job to care for.
The motorhome has to be no less than 30' long. It MUST have a bedroom in the back and there MUST be a walk through bath room with a door separating the back bedroom from the rest of the motorhome. Why? Because even in a motorhome while on the road the cats will have to be crated if their is no way to prevent them from being in the ****pit. Less crating time is better, and so, a back bedroom with a door is required. The door shut while on the road, and while parked the cats have free range of the place.
This back bedroom, will not stay a bedroom. First thing I am doing is ripping the bed out, and putting a small twin size bunk-bed instead...not for me, but for the cats. Their carpeted jungle gym cat trees will be moved in and bolted to the floor, as well be the chicken coop wall hung nests (EZ-coops). I use hen nests because they make deep caves/dens up off the ground are are similar to the den conditions these cats lived in when they were wild and living in hollow trees in the woods. (It has proved easier to tame feral cats, if you recreate living conditions similar to what they had in the wild, and my cats came from a deep wooded area behind a campground where they scavenged RVs for food... meaning my cats in particular are also used to being around RVs and campgrounds as well... I started out rescuing feral cats from the neighboring campgrounds, that's how I got into feral cat rescue to begin with.)
Well, getting to your question. The little box. Yes, 14 cats means I have a GIANT litter box. It's a Rubbermade roll-under-the-bed-tote, about 5x3' I think. It holds 50lbs of cats litter and I have to use special multi-cat-apartment strength clumping formula made by Tidy Cat, and scoop it out twice a day, and be sure to do a complete box change once a week, and add Arm&Hammer Pet Order Neutralizer powder to the litter, otherwise the smell would be unbearable. When I had a house (before the flood) the cats had their own room, a full size bed, and the litter box rolled under the bed. They slept on the top, they pooped underneath. It worked fine.
In the barn they are in now, they have a bed, with the litter box underneath. Still sleeping on top and pooping underneath.
Remember I said when I get the motor home first thing I'm doing is putting a bunkbed in the back room? Well, that's why. Cats are creatures of habit and the less I change their living conditions, the better, less stressful the move will be for them. The bunkbed is for the cats to sleep on at night, and the giant litter box will roll right underneath. This is what my cats know, this is what they expect, and if I don't provide them with a bed and a box underneath, I know my cats well enough to know that they will poop under any bed they find in the RV no matter where else I put a box for them. Past experience with these cats tells me this.
Luvglass wrote:
Best of all, going from a 2400 sq ft home to the trailer, they seem to be happier, and are much more affectionate with us. They love to sit in the windows and watch the birds and wildlife.
Yes, what you say, is true. In my own experience with cats, I have found that the larger the space/house/room the more fearful and skittish the cats are. By nature cats live in small cozy dens, packed full of other cats wrapped around each other to stay warm, so when in a house/room they feel more comfortable in a smaller house/room than in a larger one. Why? Less places to territory mark, less places to watch for danger, less places where predators can hide and sneak up on them, in other words: less space = less stress for the cats, and so most cats should (in theory) adapt well to living in an RV, because the smaller space gives them a sense of safety.
leelare wrote:
Seriously, I wouldn't hesitate to bring your pet along. It seems like it will work out well & we are very happy she is in our rig journeying with us.
DJ Wannabees wrote:
Well, they just don't get it, she is our baby and we go NO WHERE without her.
I agree. I would never leave my cats behind. I've devoted my life to these cats. They are part of my family. They are like children to me. I could not imagine getting a motorhome and NOT taking them with me. Yes it causes difficulties and requires sacrifices, but for me these cats are worth all the difficulties and sacrifices required. Me and these cats survived a lot together: a fire, a flood, homelessness, and now the motorhome. While they do not like people in general, they have accepted me as part of their family group and alone with me, these cats act no different than any other house cat, and at night, I have 14 purring balls of fur curled up with me.
fishinpair wrote:
I was VERY worried how he would react to being in a MH full time, seeing as he goes crazy every time we put him in the car...to go to the vet of course. Hopefully letting him spend time in the MH before we begin will help, and I have followed the advice of cat owners who have said to put him in the car to just drive around, so he will realize that a moving vehicle does not mean the vet every time.
Yes! This is exactly what I was saying earlier. Getting the cat used to the vehicle is important. If they only go traveling to get poked by a vet, they will think ALL travel is to go to places that hurt them. Just taking a drive to the beach, once a week will do wonders. Or if your cat allows it put on his leash and harness and drive to a local nature walk trail and take him for walks every week. (I've only had a few cats that would do this, most dislike leash walking.) My Utopia did this. I used to take him to the beach (which is a mile away) and he'd go for long walks and sometimes I'd take him to the woods on hiking trips. Utopia loved going for car rides because it meant going someplace fun. He acted more like a dog than a cat.
But if you plan to live in RV parks and campgrounds, it'd be very good if your cats were trained to go for leashed walks in the woods. A cat trained to do so (like my Utopia was) will not run off when you open the door, he'll wait for his leash to go on, than walk with you.
sonny wrote:
Has anyone travelled with a 30 lb. Maine Coon cat? Maine Coons are very affectionate but also very skittish. We were wondering how to keep kitty happy as he doesnt care for motion or loud noises. Have you found it to be better to just let cats roam about while in motion and would that be a safe thing to do? Has anyone used sedatives for travel? (for the cat) We wouldn't object to some type of safe natural remedy as long as it didn't knock him out or make him non-functional.
My Mittens is a Maine Coon. He's the worst of the lot when it comes to skittishness. EVERYTHING terrifies him out of his mind. It took 7 years to tame him to being hand tame (hand tame = allowing people to pet him without scratching your face off and biting off the ends of your fingers.) Of off the feral cats I have ever tamed he was the hardest and even today there are only 2 people (me and my brother) who can safely get near him (safely as in, without being attacked and needing stitches.)
Mitten's brother Frodo, was nearly as difficult to tame, but eventually he and his 2 sisters found a home together and are today happy house cats (I check in on all my ferals from time to time to make sure they have adjusted to their new families well, and in the rare cases there is a problem, I always take the cats back, they never get sent to shelters or put to sleep. When I was running the rescue full-time -before the flood - it was a no-kill operation, that was the life time home for the cats if they could not find families.)
Mittens was never able to be adopted out and still lives with me along with his brother George and sister Emily. Though George and Emily could have been adopted out, Mittens depends heavily on them for his sense of safety so the 3 remain together and were not separated.
Mittens is the one I worry about most when we actually move into the motorhome, because he's the one who runs up walls hissing and spitting and violently attacks everything that he has never seen before. Every sound and every shadow triggers a panic attack. We do know that Mittens was attacked by a pack of coyotes when he was about 6 months old and it was the trauma from this attack which caused his horrendous phobias. Mittens requires calm, quite, peaceful surroundings. He takes about 3 or 4 months to get used to a new place and new surroundings and he has yet to get used to car rides. He requires a special box to sleep in, as it is his "safety zone" hiding spot. When we get the motorhome, Mittens will be the last cat to move in, and he will move in, carried in this box, and it'll be placed under the bed where it is dark and quiet, and hopefully this'll make the move less stressful for him.
When he is calm and relaxed Mittens is a wonderful lap cat who spends hours purring and grooming his long fur, but the slightest sound or movement sends him off into a screaming, howling, hissing, clawing, biting fury, so extra special care has to be taken not to startle him and to keep his surroundings are stress free as possible.
Ironically, Raisin was also a Maine Coon and was the easiest feral cat I ever tamed and quickly adapted to being a wonderfully loving house cat.
I do agree that this breed seems to be more prone to nervousness than other breeds.
As for letting the cats roam while driving. I don't know about the other states, but in Maine that is illegal and your pet has to be "confined". "Confined" can mean in a seat belt harness, in a carrier/crate, a wire cage put up across the back of the driver's seat, or if you have a door which separates the back of your motor from the front of your motor home, the cats have to be behind the door and the door locked. Whatever you do, the cat CAN NOT have access to the **** pit (driver's seat, passenger's seat, and dash board WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION. The cat could get in your face, on the steering wheel, jump out the window, or worst of all get under the gas/brake pedals and cause an accident.
As for myself, this is why I am looking for a motorhome with a very specific floorplan: the back bedroom, with the walk through bathroom and the door partition separating the front of the RV from the back. This will allow the cats to roam free while the vehicle is in motion, without the cats getting hurt or causing an accident. You have to think about the safty of you, your cats, and the other cars on the road. Keeping everyone safe should be your top priority.
I will point out that if you crate your cats while the RV is moving, the crates have to be bolted PERMANENTLY down to the floor of the motorhome so that they don't slide. It is a consideration to consider (and I will be doing this as well).
I have never used sedatives on any of my cats. I don't believe in them. I have found that putting dried cat nip flakes in the crate, before putting the cat in, does AMAZING WONDERS for calming the cat down. They focus on the catnip and often never notice they are moving at all. I NEVER travel with cats, without a bag of dried catnip. I also bring their cat toys with them, and line the crate with the blankets they sleep on at night. Being surrounded by things that are familiar helps ease the stress.
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Sorry, to be so long winded here, but, my cats really are my favorite subject and once I get started I can just go on forever about them. LOL!
-- Edited by EelKat on Friday 24th of June 2011 10:18:39 AM
cherylbrv said
01:04 PM Sep 26, 2011
Forgive me if the answer was already here and I missed it... I'm getting very close to f/t'ing (as soon as the house sells). I've been agonizing over what to do with my 3 kitties (one 12 yr old, two 3 yr olds). I've been leaning towards finding them new homes, but would prefer not to if I can avoid it. Some suggestions here may make life somewhat bearable (like odors from the litter box).
My questions: 1) for 5'ers or trailers -- when you're driving, can the kitties stay in the trailer or do they have to come into the truck? 2) they love to play "tag" - chase each other around the house. Will they be miserable with so much less space to do so? 3) they are all indoor cats (although not declawed). Will I be able to let them outside?
Thanks,
Cheryl
LeslieW said
08:21 PM Sep 26, 2011
Don't give them away.
Our cats prefer to stay in the 5th wheel. We've tried every possible alternative but in the 5th wheel they sleep on our bed while we travel. In the truck, they cried the entire time.
We call "tag" the "cat 500". They run from the bedroom to the back of the 5th wheel in loops. I actually think they prefer to be in the 5th wheel than in a 4000 sq ft house. They are closer to us in the 5th wheel.
I would never allow a cat outside: too many dangers, too many diseases, too great a risk of a cat disaster.
2riker2go said
04:43 AM Sep 27, 2011
We have just started traveling with our cats. They have adjusted really well, more easily than I thought they would actually. I know a lot of people let their cats just hang out in the truck, laying on the seat or whatever, while traveling. We intended to do that, but so far we have just used their carriers, and they seem to be comfy, so we might just leave it at that. Haven't figured that out yet. They have had a great time running around the fifth wheel and watching the critters out the window, and don't seem to mind the smaller space at all. I'm with LeslieW; we keep our cats inside.
cherylbrv said
06:00 PM Oct 1, 2011
Ok, where do you put the kitties' toys? I have a scratching post, a round "thingie" that has a ball on the outside and scratch pad on the inside, and each of the 3 enjoys sitting in a box. There's hardly enough room to walk around a fiver, let alone have the kitty furniture taking up the extra space! (yes, this should be the worst of our problems!)
cherylbrv said
06:01 PM Oct 1, 2011
In regard to keeping them inside, what about outside attached to a leash? Or some kind of mesh "pen"?
LeslieW said
07:21 PM Oct 1, 2011
We got rid of our sofa. For awhile in the rear we had a multi-level cat post but they didn't seem to use it so we got rid of it. (Same rule applies to the cats as to us; if you don't use an item, out it goes!) We also carried two fleece cat beds for awhile, same answer -- they didn't use them enough to justify carrying them. Our very spoiled cats have one scratching item (a 10" x 24" approx. cat scratching box) and they each have a carrying case. They have random toys that exist around the floor. When we travel the carrying cases rides open on the bed; they often sleep inside.
No, I would never allow them outside. There is no reason to do so; it only encourages them to consider escaping to the outside, and there are fleas, etc. outside.
(When I was a child we had an "inside" cat that had been allowed outside on a leash for limited time periods. When we tried to impose "inside only" rules, the cat rebelled. Every time anyone went through a door, Houdini the Cat (not his name, just an accurate description) darted out the door. The household rule was, "if the cat gets out on you, you stay outside until you capture the cat." I spent many hours trying to capture the cat. I never want another cat that has any taste for the outdoors!)
Brought this quote over from another topic;
We have 4 cats but they don't travel with us. I think we would do more traveling if we could take them with us but with a 5th wheel I think it would be more difficult. First putting them in the truck them moving them to the RV them moving them back when it is time to move. All our cats are former feral cats so they are skidish around people. Also, the only time they go for a ride is when they go to the Vet. What do others do? Where do you put the sandbox?
Thanks,
Stan and Joanne
We don't have a cat but you said fur so I guess that would include a dog right! As you can see from the pic we have a black dog named Onyx. She is 3/4 pomeranian & 1/4 poodle. She is 3 yrs old & spoiled rotten! We got her at 6 weeks and she was just a handful. We hoped she would stay around 10 lbs because her dad was small but no such luck! She is around 18 lbs now but seems to have finally stopped growing. She was accustomed to a 2500 sq ft home with 1/3 acre back yard & a doggy door. Now she has a 35 ft, 400 sq ft home but she has adjusted beautifully...in 3 months she has not had one accident, even when we leave her to do a bit of sight seeing.
The problem is she loves to go & she screams like crazy when she finds out she has to stay behind today. We have the back seat made up for her with an extra bed & of course food & water & she is as good as gold. She also loves watching out the window & has become a real expert at locating the wildlife & announcing it loudly! All but the buffalos! Seems she lost her voice then! LOL. But, when we say do you want to go bye-bye, she knocks us down getting to the door! We are very fortunate in that we have made some very good friends here in Custer Park & on the few days we have been gone just too long to leave her alone, they have checked on her for the food, water & potty thing. And she has grown to love them sooo!
So, for our first 3 months of fulltime RVing it has worked well for us. But, the 3 of us are perfectly good natured so that helps! Seriously, I wouldn't hesitate to bring your pet along. It seems like it will work out well & we are very happy she is in our rig journeying with us. You never know when a bark alerting you might come in handy also. The rules are, pick up after her, keep her on a leash & let her visit with the neighbors when they feel like it & take her home when they don't! Works for us!
Larry, Lee Ann & Onyx too
Crazygramma.
Next to RVers, katt lovers are the greatest people
(this'll start up the dawg lovers I'm sure
). Katts make excellent RV pets 'cause they're pretty much self reliant (no walking a katt in the rain with a pooper scooper
). We have two Ragdoll Katts that travel with us. They love to ride and really enjoy the RV better than a house. We have a Cedar Creek, our third one, which has an area between the bathroom vanity and bedroom dresser where the litter box fits. We even had a wall with sliding doors build between the bathroom and bedroom, so the litter box fits nicely next to the dresser. Another key to RVing with Katts is to feed them a good diet. We use Nutro because there are no by-products and also use bottled water. A good diet with consistency in the water keeps down the odors. Also, a quality scoopable litter is required. Our katts are trained to use a scratching post so they leave the furniture and carpets alone. They get groomed several times a week and get their nails clipped at least once a month. They are great pets and a lot of fun to have around (ragdolls have a Catonality 
(personality) more like golden retrievers - they have to be involved in everything that takes place in the home).
For what it is worth,
Darrell
Ok you got a dawg lover started. Actually, we take 2 dogs and 1 cat with us. We have always owned dogs and taken them camping with us. My son insisted on having a cat. Three years ago we took in a kitten my nephew rescued. She is a CH kitten (cerebellar hypoplasia). Since she has a balancing problem, we thought it would be best to take her with us. After about an hour in the truck crying she does settle down. She does great in the camper along with the dogs. I agree a cat is easier to take care of while camping. You can leave all day and not have to worry about them needing to go potty.
Maybe we will start off taking a couple and see how that works. The old one and the young one get along pretty good together and are small and easy to handle. The two "big boys" will have to wait. Now we just have to find a spot for the sandbox.
Thanks for all the advise.
Joanne
We travel with 2 dogs one of which is 80 lbs and one that is 15 lbs. They do very well and travel in our truck in the back seat with it down. No complaints from them and they sleep most of the time. When we get to a campsite they cannot wait to get out and smell new scents. They truly love it and have adjusted well. We do many walks with them.
Judy & Bob & 2blackdogs
-- Edited by Howard at 14:25, 2006-08-19
Moved to dog central...LOL
Sorry Howard:
-- Edited by Takadare at 02:44, 2006-08-19
-- Edited by Takadare at 01:06, 2006-08-22
-- Edited by DJ Wannabees at 11:23, 2006-08-20
-- Edited by Paul and Bonnie at 11:07, 2006-08-20
Okay, dog folks. We want to hear about your pooches and traveling with these wonderful family members, but we need to always keep in mind the original questions "Crazygramma" submitted when she opened this topic.
Please move your posts to the Traveling w/ Dogs topic or to a new topic such as "Tell us about your pets" or something like that. It is so very important that we stay "on topic" and keep the topic starter's questions in mind. It's fine to say "I travel with a Great Dane and here is my opinion on your cats"
, but always put yourself in the shoes of the original topic starter when posting replies. Thank you so very much! 
I can't speak to what it would be like in an RV, because we aren't there yet. But I can tell you about the experiences I've had with the automatic litter boxes. You'll probably get all kinds of opinions, pro and con, and this is just mine, so here goes.
I don't like them - for us it was a waste of money. Mind you, this was when they first came on the market, so I don't know if they've been improved or not since then.
Prior to trying one of them we used to buy standard cat litter and place the bottom part of the covered litter boxes completely inside large, heavyweight garbage bags before adding the litter. When it was time to change the litter all we had to do was peel the bag out, turning it inside out as we went, kind of like pulling off a tee shirt over your head from the bottom up. Bingo, all the litter was in the garbage bag, no muss, no fuss, no cleaning of the box itself required (except for occasionally washing the box cover).
With the automatic litter box, which uses scoopable litter, we found we were continally having to wash the rake and the pan, especially on those occasions when things were a little 'looser' than normal, because on those occasions the rake would get clogged. It was a lot of hassle, lots more than before. Plus, with multiple cats, somethimes one would use the box, and a few minutes later when another one wanted to use it, the thing would wake up and go through it's cleanout routine and scare the daylights out of the other cat, who then didn't want to use it at all.
We've switched back to the standard covered litter boxes with the HW garbage bags as liners, except we've also switched to using scoopable litter. This is even less hassle than it was originally, because if you scoop out the boxes daily, adding fresh litter occasionally, you don't have to completely change them out as often as often as before with standard litter. I also use metal scoopers with wooden handles that I found in the kitchen doodad section at WalMart - the plastic scoops kept breaking.
I do sometimes have to put the whole thing into a second garbage bag when it becomes apparent that the one used as a liner has been torn by the cats' digging, but all in all this is the closest thing to a hassle-free method that I've been able to come up with, and believe me that's important since cleaning the boxes is my job.
Pets... ya gotta love 'em. It's just like having children, except they never grow up, get a job, and move out - but then they don't outgrow their clothes or ask for the car keys either
.
Let me know how it goes with the critters on the road... we're going to have a few when we are finally able to get out there fulltime.
Tim Fansler
We use a completely hooded litter pan and put a large decorative tray on top so it looks like an end table and isn't so obvious to the casual observer. I put a few family photos on it and it's easy to just lift off the tray and the top to scoop. In these tight spaces I think it's important to not have the litter box out and obvious.
We're not full timing yet....I don't retire til the end of April and we still need to sell the house. We have a dog and a cat that have been with us for too long to let someone take care of....dog of 8 1/2 years and the cat for 14 1/2 years.....and besides, I can't live without them. We've never travelled with them and I know this sounds gross, but, in our stick house, you can't leave the cat litter down where the dog can get into it, no matter how much you scold him. We currently have the cat litter placed on it's own table about the height of a coffee table with room for the cat to jump up on the table and located in the basement out of sight. So, location of the cat litter has been causing me some concern. If anyone has any ideas, I would appreciate them.
P.S. Agree totally about using the scoopable litter and scooping daily. Works great!
We use S'wheat Scoop, a scoopable little made from wheat. It works and we don't mind shaking the excess out of the mat outside since it is edible (yuck!).
We have a motorhome and the litter box goes under the steering wheel when we are stopped and braced beside the bed while travelling. We use those grey fake grass mats under the litter box to contain the excess, our cat does throw it out as she buries her business.
Now you know why dog owners call them "cat cookies".
While growing up my wife's family used Litter Green for litter, made of alfalfa. They would dump it on the edge of the pasture but the pile did not get any larger. Then they saw the horses were eating it so the pile stayed small.
We have traveled with our 3 dogs and 2 cats (the avatar shows the dogs, I included some pics of the kitties below). The cats adjusted MUCH faster than the dogs to the RV travel. About 1 day and the cats were used to it (the dogs took a couple weeks- D'oh!). The cats love when we are actually driving the motorhome. We assumed they would be scared of the noise and motion, but they are not. As others mentioned, our cats were originally feral kittens. They have been indoors since we adopted them as kittens, so are not as "wild" as our other 2 outdoor cats we adopted a year ago. Before traveling for the first time in the RV, we spent a number of days hanging out with the cats in the RV. We also let them sleep in there a few days. I think this helped, as cats really need to be comfortable that they know all the ins-and-outs of their environment or they get way too stressed.
Anyway, the question about the litter box... We store our covered litter box in the shower stall. We have a bracket that keeps the shower door open enough for the cats to get in (while either driving or when camped) but keeps the dogs OUT of the kittie cookie box! :) :) We also keep the bowl of cat food in the shower stall, as it also keeps the dogs away from the treats. Storing the litter box in the shower stall has been great. We just move it into the separate toilet room when we need to use the shower. I should admit that we don't shower in our RV shower every day when camping, so this is not an inconvenience for us. I suppose if you used your shower every day it might be a drag to have to move the box each time you used it.
The only thing we need to be careful about is not letting the clumping litter scatter and spills get down the shower drain by accident. We are just careful and keep the drain covered at all times and that works. Hmm.. the other issue with clumping litter in an RV is that you notice the dust MUCH more than in your house. We switched to using the "crystals" litter for a while. That works great, but it's just too expensive. We are currently trying S'wheat (mentioned by bjoyce) at home in an attempt to get a natural and "dust free" alternative. So far, S'wheat works and is MUCH less dusty. We're going to experiment w a few other similar brands before hitting the road again for a couple+ months in September.
We've travelled long (max 10 weeks) and short trips with our cats and dogs. So, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. :)
Here are some pics of the kitties enjoying the RV:
Pixie enjoys the view as we drive down the road:
Punkin lazing around. We were outside the RV and took this through the window. I think we can all agree he is NOT stressed! :)
Punkin loves the dogs... Here he is relaxing with our Golden (Caper) after a long, hard day...
And, here he is sleeping with Oreo in her collapsible crate...
Hope you enjoyed the pictures.
c-
-- Edited by cksck at 15:24, 2007-07-04
Haha... I LOVE his name! :)
It's funny, we thought our cats would freak out when the RV was moving. They had only ever been in a car to go to the vet -- always in a carry-box, of course. So, the first time we drove the RV, we put the cats in a new collapsible crate that we bought for them. We bought various sizes of these crates for our dogs, since they are all crate-trained at home. You can see part of one in the last picture of Oreo and Punkin sleeping in Oreo's crate. Anyway, we put the cats in this nice, large, soft-sided crate/carrier and left the house for our first trip with them. They had a FIT! :o Yowling and scratching and trying to get OUT of that carrier/crate! It was so awful, we lasted maybe 10 minutes max and decided to let them out to do what they wanted in the RV. :)
Well... that was much better! They calmed immediately and got comfortable. Pixie usually sits on my lap while we're (Jeff!) driving. Punkin likes to sleep on the bed or recliner (or next to a dog) while we're driving. They eat, use the litter box and everything in motion. When we first stop the RV, they get more nervous and run to hide in the bedcovers. But, after about 15-20 minutes, they come back out and act normal again. Who knows why they react more to stopping than starting?? LOL.
Pixie is *extremely* high-strung and skittish. Punkin is *totally* laid-back - as you can tell from the pics. :) So, we have one of each kind of personality but they both do great in the RV. I have no idea if driving them around in a car would be the same as driving them around in the RV. ?? I guess whenever they are in our car they are in a box and are not happy. We can't let them run around loose, it's too dangerous. In the RV, it's easy for me to make sure that neither cat climbs on Jeff or anywhere in his way when he is driving, so there is less risk there.
From our experience, I'm going to guess that they acclimated faster because they had lived some number of days in the RV before we ever drove off in it. That's just my best guess, but give it a try. I know you all will love having your kitties with you on the road. :) :) :)
PS - our cats adjusted *so* much better than our dogs. Hmmm... I might need to post that harder experience on the dog thread some day.
c-
Luckily Bud usually does that in the 5th, in his regular large size litter box.
He doesn't like to be in the carrier for very long, so he is either laying on the mat in the back or rests between us on the console. I also have a water dish available at all times. I never thought Bud would be a traveling cat, had only been to the vet, but he requires medicine now in his old age, he's 14, so leaving him home with my pet sitter was not an option anymore. I carry a roll of paper towels also, just in case of accidents, and only give him bottled water. yes..yes...he's spoiled rotten. Hope this helps. I'm sure others will let you know what they do also. Eileen
My name is Katie and my brother Alex and I travel in the back seat of a crew cab truck while our home is being towed down the road. Alex, who is about 20 pounds, tends to ride in the back seat while I like to ride on the console (I wanna see where we're goin'). Our parents put a towel on the console to make it more comfortable. They also have a litter box on the floor in the back seat with the same litter that we use in the house. Also, they bring our water dish (bottled water only please!) and our food dish so we can have a snack along the way. They try to travel only four hours max and not on back to back days (Alex hates traveling two days in a row and will complain about it). We are not spoiled, just a little pampered. So, Raleigh, you don't have to be nervous about this traveling thing, it's a great gig - you get to have a new back yard every so often and see different types of birds (bird watching is one of our favorites). Just play along with your humanoids and they will do just about anything you want them to.
Good luck,
Katie
I've had one automatic litterbox...what a piece of poo it was. Don't waste your money. The rake would get jammed up...AND sometimes it would take off while the cat is inside the box (which would freak me out if I were a cat!).
You can get a good quality scoop litter and they make plastic liners that you can stack up on the bottom of the box then peel them up as you need to.
I use a plastic storage bin that has walls about 6" high and a metal scooper. I think I've spent $20 on both (mostly the scooper).
Have fun!
She-Nist
Last summer in Alaska we traveled many times on the ferry boats and the cats had to remain in the 5th wheel. They were so happy! So we've changed our procedures. I have snuck into the 5th wheel while we travel and found them sleeping comfortably on our bed. If the weather is too hot or too cold, they have to travel in the truck but otherwise I have allowed them to sleep in the 5th wheel. I never thought that this would be our plan, but for these cats, it works best. --Just an idea.
(FYI-- because I'm neurotic about my cats I also have a remote thermometer to monitor the temperature in the rig and have run a digital recorder to see (actually hear) that they don't scream when we're driving.)
Also, if you have slides you must institute specific procedures to ensure that a cat doesn't get caught in a slide mechanism when you extend or retract the slides. (Our procedure is that only I ever touch the slide switches. Before I touch the slide switches both cats are in sight (downstairs if I'm moving the upper slide or upstairs if I'm moving hte downstairs slide) and remain so as long as I have a finger on the switch. Alternatively I put both cats in the toilet room until the slides are completely extended.
Good Luck! Fur-kids are a challenge.
Since Dinah loved it so much we figured what the heck with this bunch. We keep our four kitties in carriers (two per carrier) while traveling, but use larger carriers and put a small litter box in each one, then set them up on bins so the cats can see out. Being able to see what's going on and going by seems to calm them once we're underway. We stop every couple of hours to give water and plenty of attention. We also have a harness and leash and let them out a wee bit to walk around if there are no people or dogs around. Some have liked it others have not. Otherwise they are indoor kitties. We always take extra bottled water with us for them. Once we get set up on our camp site they will eat, but want nothing to do with food while in transit.
We've moved cross country numerous times. I know it'll be easier for the kitties with shorter jaunts when we get our TT. They enjoy being along with us and we love having them along too. They're actually happier with us tent camping (we have a larger cabin style tent) than being left home and cared for by some one else. You should have seen the dirty looks we got when came home after only one night away! They don't even like us leaving for afternoon shopping exursions unless it includes bringing them a paper bag to play in and some of their favorite cookie treats! We pack their "kitty condo" and plenty of their favorite toys for camp outs. They are part of our family. They are going to love having a home that goes with us as much as we will!
Thanks
I don't have my RV yet, but hope to have one before fall. I used to live on a farm which doubled as an animal rescue and at any given time we had 500+ animals from cats to dogs to roosters to horses and everything in between. The area I specialized in was feral cats. This was my full time "job" for over 20 years and than in 2006 in the blink of an eye everything was gone, when a flood came through and took out everything. This event left me and a lot of animals homeless. I lived under a 6x8-tarp and most of the animals found emergancy homes. Because I have Autism finding a "regular" job has been next to impossible and becoming homeless made it that much harder. In the end after the flood it was me 2 dogs and 9 disabled feral cats (blind/deaf/etc) living under that tarp.
At first I worried about them running off, us living in a make shift tent-thing, but they stayed right with me and burrowed down into the sleeping bag with me, which was good for all of us seeing how we lived under that tarp through 3 blizzards. (It's not exactly warm or dry in Maine and winters on the shoreline, where we happen to be, can reach -48F in winter.) I see a lot of people mentioning worrying about cats in an RV because of the heat, but where we live we have to worry about the cold instead. Travel is not our RV goal, getting a warm, dry roof over our heads is.
Originally I had planned to rebuild, but my Autism and having never gone to school and knowing more about cats than people and laws, caused me to not take into consideration that it was going to cost some $2million dollars to rebuild my great-grandparents farm, and so those plans slowly faded and trying to find a way to get in a house on a less than minimum wage income. A tent was the only solution for a while, than I got a car and we lived in that. Than I realized I could get a cheap RV off craigslist and have a roof over my head again.
It's been 5 years and 400+ job applications later, my income has not increased as no one will hire an adult with Autism, it is frustrating as it means saving up to buy an rv off craigslist could take me years, as I'm living right now off selling my art online, while I try to get a "regular" job. Very frustrating.
Today it is me and 14 feral cats looking for a place to live, out of the rain and out of the snow - the cats are staying in a friends barn (on the agreement tat when I take mine back, I take the ferals that were already in the barn too, thus why I went from 9 cats to 14 cats) and I camp out in my car in their driveway.
Anyways, in looking for a motorhome, my plans have changed a lot over the past 5 years, and it is because of the cats, and I will tell you about it.
When I first started looking for an rv, I was looking for a travel trailer, something small that I could tow behind my car. I looked at a lot of them, before I realized 2 things:
1: The size trailer I could tow with my car was going to be 15' or less (under 4k lbs) and after looking inside one that small, there was no way more than 2 cats could live in it, just not enough room. I would have to look for a truck & trailer combo instead.
2: After looking at truck and longer trailers, including a few 5th wheels, for about 2 years, someone asked me what my living style was going to be and I explained the situation as I just explained it above, and they told me "Oh, full timing with cats. How you gonna put 14 cats in the truck when you drive?"... wait, what? Why am I going to put 14 cats in the truck? They explained to me the laws about NO LIVING BEING can ride in the trailer while it's on the road. Okay. Well, I didn't know that, maybe I should have, but I suppose there are a lot of things I should know and don't, my Autism does make me rather slow to pick up on things. So I had to rethink what I was going to do, and that meant looking into motorhomes instead of trailers.
----
Now in your case 4 cats COULD be taken in the truck with you, provided you have a passenger cab truck. A big dog crate would fit all 4 cats in it, or 2 large crates would fit 2 cats each.
I will tell you, my experience with crating cats for car rides, esp feral cats, which I have done for 20+ years and with over 250 feral cats, has told me NEVER crate a single cat alone by itself in a crate.
The reason is, feral cats tend to live in small packs in the wild with 4 to 6 cats staying together in a den/log/tree/trash-can/shed/etc. The litters grow up, move out and stay together, and when you adopt a feral cat all hell breaks lose if you can not adopt the whole family group. Taming a feral cat can take up to 3 years, yet taming a group of 4 to 6 feral cats can take only a few weeks. The difference? The single cat has been separated from it's family group, it is scared of people to begin with, but a people capturing it and breaking up it's family traumatizes it beyond comprehension and it now views people as predators. Anyone whose had a cat knows that cats form close bonds to their "family" wither that family is their owners, or other family pets, a cat NEEDS the family it knows and trusts and feral cats are no different.
It is important to remember that feral cats ARE NOT strays. A stray cat is a domestic cat that became lost, or is the kitten of a domestic cat which grew up in the wild. A feral cat was NEVER a stray nor a domestic cat. Only 1 in ever 30 or so feral cats will EVER tame down enough to be considered adoptable as a house pet. Taking a truly feral cat into your home is like taking a wild bobcat into your home, it is no different. Feral cats are very dangerous, they can and will kill other cats, small dogs, rabbit, and birds you already have, if they were not properly tamed prior to coming to you. These cats have never seen cat food or litter boxes, they killed to survive, they grew up fighting skunks, coons, and coyotes. These cats live by the belief it's kill or be killed so it tries to kill every thing it sees, humans included. Dealing with feral cats straight from the wild is dangerous. I deal with feral cats straight from the wild. I deal with feral cats who can never become house pets.
A truly feral cat, is not a stray cat, nor a domesticated cat - they are a wild cat, born wild to a wild cat, who was also born wild. Often you can have 10 or 20 generations all born in the wild, and that kind of blood line makes them even harder to tame. The cats I deal with are this type - they are not the kittens of a former stray, they are the multi-great-great-great grand-babies of cats that were wild since the 1960s, meaning their is no instinct for domestication at all. As adults, each litter of kittens lives together for their entire adult lives.
If you are dealing with a truly feral cat, and not a stray cat, than you do have to take your cats' past history into consideration when moving it into an RV with you. Feral cats do not have the same expectations as strays or domestic cats and can not be expected to respond as a stray or domestic cat would.
Years of experience has taught me that when trying to get a feral cat in a crate and in a car, keep the ENTIRE FAMILY UNIT (in you case 4 cats) in ONE single crate. In separate crates the cats scream, hiss, howl, claw, chew the bars, lash out, vomit, diarrhea, have convulsions, chew their paws and tail off, hyperventilate, pass out, have strokes, and/or have heart attacks.
Years of experience has also taught me that getting a big dog crate (large enough to fit 6 cats or one full grown great dane in it, and putting the ENTIRE cat family into the crate, results in a big ball of cats wrapped around each other at the back of the crate, huddled together and scared, but licking and comforting each other and not throwing tantrums and hurting themselves. They are scared of their situation, but they are together. They feel safe together. Often they will curl up and purr themselves to sleep.
Domestic cats are raised differently than ferals, they are often left alone in the house when their people are at work, they are often alone in a crate on the way to the vet. But ferals are NEVER alone. The pack stays together, sleeps together, hunts together, mother cats nurse each others kits, when kits are born all the females in the litter raise all the kits together. From the time they are born til the day they die feral cats live in family groups and are never alone, and this is something you must take into consideration, esp when traveling. Traveling causes anxiety. Being separated from their family unit causes anxiety. Both events happening at once causes major panic attacks and often serious injuries both to the cat and the people.
It is precisely because my cats are all feral cats, that I crossed travel trailers and 5th wheels off of my list and started searching for a motorhome instead. I know these cats, and I know there is no way they are going to deal with being crated in a truck every few weeks. They do okay riding in the back seat of a car uncrated, fears of being in a moving vehicle is not a problem for them, they lay on the seat and purr and are oblivious to the fact that the car is moving. Being in a crate in a car, they do not like however.
A lot depends on your particular cats. How long have they been domesticated? How long were they ferals? There's a big difference between adopting a 6 month old feral cats and a 6 year old feral cat. The 6 month old feral would be easy to tame and get used to crating and car rides. The 6 year old feral may never become hand-tame and may never be able to ride in a crate or car.
Each cat is different. Personalities and temperaments vary widely. It is quite possible your cats will adjust to the whole moving in and out of the truck fine with no problems at all. Some cats enjoy such things. I once had a deaf cat that was like a puppy, she loved car rides and couldn't wait to get in the car. I've had several that acting like rabid coons at the sight of a car. Most cats are somewhere in between. Look at your cats and do a few test runs down the street and back and see what they do, than adjust accordingly. If your cats become holy terrors you may have to think about trading the 5th wheel for a motorhome.
My biggest worry about moving the cats from the trailer to the truck and back again, is not so much the ride itself, as the fact that they (my cats at least) are exceptionally smart when it comes to safe-breaking and getting the latch of the crates unhooked and suddenly I'm spending the next 3 or 4 days hunting down a cat that started running and didn't stop for a mile or two later! Mittens, Bela, Cleo, and Emily all do this. In doors they are fine. In the car they are fine. Outdoors as soon as their feet hit the ground they just start running and don't stop. Pip, Kit, Herbie, and Mowglie also run, but will stop and come back on their own. George and Dog just calmly sit on the ground and never leave my side. The rest run up trees! One cat escaping during transfer would be hellish, and several cats escaping would be a total nightmare. I decided after giving it much thought and knowing how my cats act, that a motorhome will be a safer option than a trailer for me and my cats.
Also, when I do get the motorhome (hopefully this fall) I plan to move the cats into it straight away, but than not move the moterhome for several weeks to give the cats time to get used to their new home, so that they won't be as scared when their home starts up and drives away. I did this with my car too and found that if you let the cats lounge around in the car for a few weeks while it's parked in the drive way, they are not so scared when one day the car is driving down the road. It's not the fact that the car is moving that scares them so much as the fact that they do not know the car itself. Letting a cat get used to the vehicle before they go for a ride in it goes a long way to having happier travels with your cat.
Also, keeping the cat carriers in your house open, and letting the cats come and go freely from them every day, helps as well. Cats can see the crate as a cozy safe den to sleep in or they can see it as a terrifying prison to escape from. I keep my crates open at all times - doors removed, and the cats often sleep in them during the day. This make is VERY easy to get the cat in the crate once the doors are back on, and helps lessen the stress of travel, because the cat is in a place it feels safe to begin with.
In any case, in my own situation, I don't plan to be moving the RV very often, if at all, so it's not too big of a worry for me, as I have the land to live on and park it, just no house to live in as that got taken away by a flood, so I'll kind of be full-timing but not really traveling much at all, but I will have to move it once in a while, and personally, in my case, I feel having a motorhome over a trailer is going to just be easier for me and my cats. I also have the advantage of these cats have had many, many, many car rides the past 5 years, seeing how we lived in a cat together between the tent and the barn and so they have been "conditioned" to knowing their is more to car trips than vets. They like watching out windows, laying in the sun, and sleeping to the vibrations of a moving car, so moving them into a motorhome is going to be much easier now than it would have been 5 years ago. It does take time for cats to get used to being inside a moving vehicle. You'll just have to look at all possible things that could go wrong a decide for yourself what is best for you and your cats.
I should probably point out that while this will be my first RV, it'll not be my first time full-timing with cats. My family were Scottish Travelers who settled down to farm life in the 1970s, so in my childhood until I was 9 years old, I lived on the road with my family and our 2 dogs Cookie (a Collie) and Fluffy (a Maltese), and with our 4 cats Fluffy (the deaf cat that loved cars rides), Tiger, Rusty, and Princess. In my experience, most cats adjust well to life on the road, if given the time to get used to it a little bit at a time.
Because of my special situation, I require a special motorhome. As I said, I have 14 cats. All ferals. The oldest is 14 years old, the youngest are under a year old. Most are between 5 and 7 years old. None of them found homes with people for various reasons: blind, deaf, 3 legs, kidney failure, bladder disorders, horribly scarred, deformed, and one that thinks he's a man eating lion and refuses to be tamed. These cats are hard for most people to love. They are cats that most shelters would have put down. They are cats that require several hours of special care each and every day. They are each special needs cats, making them unadoptable to begin with, and the fact that they are ferals in addition to being special needs, makes them a full time job to care for.
The motorhome has to be no less than 30' long. It MUST have a bedroom in the back and there MUST be a walk through bath room with a door separating the back bedroom from the rest of the motorhome. Why? Because even in a motorhome while on the road the cats will have to be crated if their is no way to prevent them from being in the ****pit. Less crating time is better, and so, a back bedroom with a door is required. The door shut while on the road, and while parked the cats have free range of the place.
This back bedroom, will not stay a bedroom. First thing I am doing is ripping the bed out, and putting a small twin size bunk-bed instead...not for me, but for the cats. Their carpeted jungle gym cat trees will be moved in and bolted to the floor, as well be the chicken coop wall hung nests (EZ-coops). I use hen nests because they make deep caves/dens up off the ground are are similar to the den conditions these cats lived in when they were wild and living in hollow trees in the woods. (It has proved easier to tame feral cats, if you recreate living conditions similar to what they had in the wild, and my cats came from a deep wooded area behind a campground where they scavenged RVs for food... meaning my cats in particular are also used to being around RVs and campgrounds as well... I started out rescuing feral cats from the neighboring campgrounds, that's how I got into feral cat rescue to begin with.)
Well, getting to your question. The little box. Yes, 14 cats means I have a GIANT litter box. It's a Rubbermade roll-under-the-bed-tote, about 5x3' I think. It holds 50lbs of cats litter and I have to use special multi-cat-apartment strength clumping formula made by Tidy Cat, and scoop it out twice a day, and be sure to do a complete box change once a week, and add Arm&Hammer Pet Order Neutralizer powder to the litter, otherwise the smell would be unbearable. When I had a house (before the flood) the cats had their own room, a full size bed, and the litter box rolled under the bed. They slept on the top, they pooped underneath. It worked fine.
In the barn they are in now, they have a bed, with the litter box underneath. Still sleeping on top and pooping underneath.
Remember I said when I get the motor home first thing I'm doing is putting a bunkbed in the back room? Well, that's why. Cats are creatures of habit and the less I change their living conditions, the better, less stressful the move will be for them. The bunkbed is for the cats to sleep on at night, and the giant litter box will roll right underneath. This is what my cats know, this is what they expect, and if I don't provide them with a bed and a box underneath, I know my cats well enough to know that they will poop under any bed they find in the RV no matter where else I put a box for them. Past experience with these cats tells me this.
Yes, what you say, is true. In my own experience with cats, I have found that the larger the space/house/room the more fearful and skittish the cats are. By nature cats live in small cozy dens, packed full of other cats wrapped around each other to stay warm, so when in a house/room they feel more comfortable in a smaller house/room than in a larger one. Why? Less places to territory mark, less places to watch for danger, less places where predators can hide and sneak up on them, in other words: less space = less stress for the cats, and so most cats should (in theory) adapt well to living in an RV, because the smaller space gives them a sense of safety.
I agree. I would never leave my cats behind. I've devoted my life to these cats. They are part of my family. They are like children to me. I could not imagine getting a motorhome and NOT taking them with me. Yes it causes difficulties and requires sacrifices, but for me these cats are worth all the difficulties and sacrifices required. Me and these cats survived a lot together: a fire, a flood, homelessness, and now the motorhome. While they do not like people in general, they have accepted me as part of their family group and alone with me, these cats act no different than any other house cat, and at night, I have 14 purring balls of fur curled up with me.
Yes! This is exactly what I was saying earlier. Getting the cat used to the vehicle is important. If they only go traveling to get poked by a vet, they will think ALL travel is to go to places that hurt them. Just taking a drive to the beach, once a week will do wonders. Or if your cat allows it put on his leash and harness and drive to a local nature walk trail and take him for walks every week. (I've only had a few cats that would do this, most dislike leash walking.) My Utopia did this. I used to take him to the beach (which is a mile away) and he'd go for long walks and sometimes I'd take him to the woods on hiking trips. Utopia loved going for car rides because it meant going someplace fun. He acted more like a dog than a cat.
But if you plan to live in RV parks and campgrounds, it'd be very good if your cats were trained to go for leashed walks in the woods. A cat trained to do so (like my Utopia was) will not run off when you open the door, he'll wait for his leash to go on, than walk with you.
My Mittens is a Maine Coon. He's the worst of the lot when it comes to skittishness. EVERYTHING terrifies him out of his mind. It took 7 years to tame him to being hand tame (hand tame = allowing people to pet him without scratching your face off and biting off the ends of your fingers.) Of off the feral cats I have ever tamed he was the hardest and even today there are only 2 people (me and my brother) who can safely get near him (safely as in, without being attacked and needing stitches.)
Mitten's brother Frodo, was nearly as difficult to tame, but eventually he and his 2 sisters found a home together and are today happy house cats (I check in on all my ferals from time to time to make sure they have adjusted to their new families well, and in the rare cases there is a problem, I always take the cats back, they never get sent to shelters or put to sleep. When I was running the rescue full-time -before the flood - it was a no-kill operation, that was the life time home for the cats if they could not find families.)
Mittens was never able to be adopted out and still lives with me along with his brother George and sister Emily. Though George and Emily could have been adopted out, Mittens depends heavily on them for his sense of safety so the 3 remain together and were not separated.
Mittens is the one I worry about most when we actually move into the motorhome, because he's the one who runs up walls hissing and spitting and violently attacks everything that he has never seen before. Every sound and every shadow triggers a panic attack. We do know that Mittens was attacked by a pack of coyotes when he was about 6 months old and it was the trauma from this attack which caused his horrendous phobias. Mittens requires calm, quite, peaceful surroundings. He takes about 3 or 4 months to get used to a new place and new surroundings and he has yet to get used to car rides. He requires a special box to sleep in, as it is his "safety zone" hiding spot. When we get the motorhome, Mittens will be the last cat to move in, and he will move in, carried in this box, and it'll be placed under the bed where it is dark and quiet, and hopefully this'll make the move less stressful for him.
When he is calm and relaxed Mittens is a wonderful lap cat who spends hours purring and grooming his long fur, but the slightest sound or movement sends him off into a screaming, howling, hissing, clawing, biting fury, so extra special care has to be taken not to startle him and to keep his surroundings are stress free as possible.
Ironically, Raisin was also a Maine Coon and was the easiest feral cat I ever tamed and quickly adapted to being a wonderfully loving house cat.
I do agree that this breed seems to be more prone to nervousness than other breeds.
As for letting the cats roam while driving. I don't know about the other states, but in Maine that is illegal and your pet has to be "confined". "Confined" can mean in a seat belt harness, in a carrier/crate, a wire cage put up across the back of the driver's seat, or if you have a door which separates the back of your motor from the front of your motor home, the cats have to be behind the door and the door locked. Whatever you do, the cat CAN NOT have access to the **** pit (driver's seat, passenger's seat, and dash board WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION. The cat could get in your face, on the steering wheel, jump out the window, or worst of all get under the gas/brake pedals and cause an accident.
As for myself, this is why I am looking for a motorhome with a very specific floorplan: the back bedroom, with the walk through bathroom and the door partition separating the front of the RV from the back. This will allow the cats to roam free while the vehicle is in motion, without the cats getting hurt or causing an accident. You have to think about the safty of you, your cats, and the other cars on the road. Keeping everyone safe should be your top priority.
I will point out that if you crate your cats while the RV is moving, the crates have to be bolted PERMANENTLY down to the floor of the motorhome so that they don't slide. It is a consideration to consider (and I will be doing this as well).
I have never used sedatives on any of my cats. I don't believe in them. I have found that putting dried cat nip flakes in the crate, before putting the cat in, does AMAZING WONDERS for calming the cat down. They focus on the catnip and often never notice they are moving at all. I NEVER travel with cats, without a bag of dried catnip. I also bring their cat toys with them, and line the crate with the blankets they sleep on at night. Being surrounded by things that are familiar helps ease the stress.
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Sorry, to be so long winded here, but, my cats really are my favorite subject and once I get started I can just go on forever about them. LOL!
-- Edited by EelKat on Friday 24th of June 2011 10:18:39 AM
My questions:
1) for 5'ers or trailers -- when you're driving, can the kitties stay in the trailer or do they have to come into the truck?
2) they love to play "tag" - chase each other around the house. Will they be miserable with so much less space to do so?
3) they are all indoor cats (although not declawed). Will I be able to let them outside?
Thanks,
Cheryl
Don't give them away.
Our cats prefer to stay in the 5th wheel. We've tried every possible alternative but in the 5th wheel they sleep on our bed while we travel. In the truck, they cried the entire time.
We call "tag" the "cat 500". They run from the bedroom to the back of the 5th wheel in loops. I actually think they prefer to be in the 5th wheel than in a 4000 sq ft house. They are closer to us in the 5th wheel.
I would never allow a cat outside: too many dangers, too many diseases, too great a risk of a cat disaster.
We got rid of our sofa. For awhile in the rear we had a multi-level cat post but they didn't seem to use it so we got rid of it. (Same rule applies to the cats as to us; if you don't use an item, out it goes!) We also carried two fleece cat beds for awhile, same answer -- they didn't use them enough to justify carrying them. Our very spoiled cats have one scratching item (a 10" x 24" approx. cat scratching box) and they each have a carrying case. They have random toys that exist around the floor. When we travel the carrying cases rides open on the bed; they often sleep inside.
No, I would never allow them outside. There is no reason to do so; it only encourages them to consider escaping to the outside, and there are fleas, etc. outside.
(When I was a child we had an "inside" cat that had been allowed outside on a leash for limited time periods. When we tried to impose "inside only" rules, the cat rebelled. Every time anyone went through a door, Houdini the Cat (not his name, just an accurate description) darted out the door. The household rule was, "if the cat gets out on you, you stay outside until you capture the cat." I spent many hours trying to capture the cat. I never want another cat that has any taste for the outdoors!)