Cats

[DAN L]

we live in our moho full time. our 2 kitty furkids are 16.5 years old and have been living in the moho for 4 years. they never go outside. they usually sleep all day.
when the slides start coming in or we retract the jacks in the morning for travel, they head for their traveling hiding places which are either behind the couch or behind the bed. slide movement doesn't endanger them in either place. they are usually together in the same place. they hide when we run the vacuum cleaner too.
to my knowledge, they do not come out until we stop for the day and extend a slide.
this is good. i do not want them roaming around the coach while it is moving. their signal to wake up seems to be when a slide comes out. i have 2 wide angle mirrors stuck on the bottom of the front overhead tv to monitor the coach.
bubba and sissy's food and water is always available under the dinette. their litterbox is always available in the bathroom shower. the bathroom door is open about 4 inches on the ''cat latch'' all the time.

[AKwanderer]

I feel quite lucky with my cat. She just LOVES the mobile life. As soon as she hears the engine firing up she runs to the front, jumps in the passenger seat, and gets ready for the ride. I take her out for walks all the time on her leash, I get a few odd looks but she gets to be an outdoor cat for a while. She never hides in the camper, always out in the open. The only thing that drives me crazy is her meowing! When she rides up front he usually sits on her back two legs, front legs on the window edge, looking out the window. But she constantly meows when the engine is running, as soon as it stops so does she. Oh well, it's the little things we have to put up with to keep our pets with us I suppose

[suz]

I tried a harness once on my 3 1/2 yr. old she freaked out and somehow got out of it. I think it's for a small dog so perhaps a proper cat leash would work - just don't see her as the walking on a leash type. New cat 8 mo. old may be able to get trained. My only concern of course is them hiding under the bed when the slide is in and not being able to get them out. Thanks for your comments!

[WheelingIt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by suz I tried a harness once on my 3 1/2 yr. old she freaked out and somehow got out of it. I think it's for a small dog so perhaps a proper cat leash would work - just don't see her as the walking on a leash type. New cat 8 mo. old may be able to get trained. My only concern of course is them hiding under the bed when the slide is in and not being able to get them out. Thanks for your comments!

It's totally normal to see a freak out when you first try the harness. Also kitty can't balance and will fall over at first. It took me about a month to train both my 4 yr old cats going really slowly and using lots of positive encouragement (catnip, going outside, doing only a few mins at a time, doing it in a calm place etc.). Two things I'd suggest are getting a proper cat harness (not a small dog harness, but something like the HDW Cat Walking harness) and taking it really, really slow. My cats love to walk now (even my super nervous cat) and will actually sit by the door and wait to be taken out. My one cat prefers nighttime walks.

[majorloser]

I've got three cats ranging from 2 to 3 years old that I'm now trying to get them used to being harnessed. I've only tried it for a few minutes at a time so far. The harnesses are still new to them and I don't want to deal with freaked out cats (got the scars to prove it).

I'm hoping I can get them used to wearing the harnesses for extended periods while they are traveling in their carriers.

I'm also using Sturdi Car-Go shelters in the folded down back seat of my Ram Megacab to transport them in when driving. Each cat has their own shelter space and plenty of room to move around. I've had cats before that simply loved to travel. These three are going to need some more time getting used to it. They don't get car sick, just don't like new experiences so much.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by heresoscar I will be traveling with 5 cats and 2 dogs (!) and so far your suggestion of putting the litter in the tub seems to be the best. Is it safe for the litter to go down the drain if (when) the cats scratch it out of the box? I was thinking of laying a tarp down under the litter box, and lifting the whole thing out when I need the shower.

No, I sure wouldn't want litter down the drain, at least no the clumping kind. I could easily plug up the drain. I leave the stopper in ours, it's a small tub with shower, sides are about 18" high and contains the litter too.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by suz Just curious - do cats ever get used to RVing or is it all about the owners having them along for their own satisfaction? Mine have a tough time of just going to the vets which is only 10 minutes away. 5 - 7 hrs. a day may be pretty stressful. Dilemma.

Ours do just fine after we get them out there!
I back the MH out the day before, then when I come home after midnight I grab the oldest (Sadie) and Angel and put them out. The rest we kind of carry out as we can. The JBT's will trip you trying to get out there.

[RVRon]

My avatar tells our story....in our case the issue was keeping him off the dash rather than out from under it.

We keep our Kitty box in the Bedroom corner at the foot of the bed on a astroturf mat (to catch the flying litter, of course)

[FC Ontario]

Another Maine Coon cat owner here.
I stuffed the openings under the dashboard with loose fiberglass insulation and they do not like it, so no more problems with climbing under. We too stuff a pillow above the main slide when its in to keep him from climbing onto it. We also enclosed the two sides of the bedroom slide to stop him from getting into where the motor is. As you can see Maine Coon Cats are very inquisitive and they will find a hiding place. We have a carpet and a plastic sheet in the shower with a covered litter box and it works very well. He rides under our recliner rocker when we travel and he loves to go in the MH. He is an indoor cat, but he has put his claws into trees in many states and provinces.