Traveling with cats in a motor home

[CamJam1]

We have a cat and a dog who are great travelers. Our nine-year-old tabby goes into his hiding spot under the couch as soon as he hears the slide-outs come in, and comes out of hiding as soon as we stop. He's been an indoor cat his whole life, and doesn't even try to go outside any longer.

Recently we were adopted by a young cat who seems to have been outside most of his life. He's gotten to where he stays inside and sleeps most of the day and about half the night, but when he wants to go outside he gets very vocal and won't shut up until he gets his way. Therein lies the problem. How do you deal with that in a motor home? At home we do have coyotes to worry about, but at least he knows where home is. I'm afraid if we let him outside at an RV park he'd be gone, perhaps trying to find his way home. I had two cats each walk 15 miles to my old house once when I moved, so I know they have an incredible homing instinct.

Just wondering how y'all deal with your cat(s) when you travel?

[NITEHAWK]

Rocket, our ginger tabby, is 19 years old, totally deaf since last year, and walks on a leash.
He knows, because we trained him, that he cannot go outside without having his "clothes" (harness) on and a leash.
Also, he knows he cannot go out at night.
We have had him since he was a little kitten in a county shelter so we have instilled certain rules in him. Not that he doesn't try to break them once in awhile.
One rule is that he cannot sit/be on the table. So, if there is a napkin or piece of paper the size of a postcard, he will sit on it and make sure ALL of him is "not on the table". The smirk on his face takes a great amount of effort on our part to keep from laughing at him.
You must decide who is going to be the alpha in your domicile. You or the cat. Once you yield to their wishes you have started the downhill slide to being nothing but a servant. Make up your mind. Either give in or demand obedience.

[C5c5]

Originally Posted by CamJam1

I'm afraid if we let him outside at an RV park he'd be gone, perhaps trying to find his way home.

RV parks generally do not approve of letting cats roam outside unless they are secure with you on a harness.

Even if the cat is spayed or neutered, it can run around causing other cats or dogs to get upset and react. They can hide in and around other campers' RV's which is not only a nuisance but dangerous for the cat.

Keep your kitty safe by keeping him/her in your motorhome.Train him/her to walk with a harness for adventure!

[RVRon]

This is how we deal with our Maine Coon Cat’s demand to go out.....it’s called KittyWalk and he loves it. Easy setup and breakdown..takes up virtually no room in the basement.

[C5c5]

Originally Posted by RVRon

This is how we deal with our Maine Coon Cat’s demand to go out.....it’s called KittyWalk and he loves it. Easy setup and breakdown..takes up virtually no room in the basement.Attachment 295198

I've also seen some nice Catios homebuilt and premade that are nice.

[CamJam1]

Thanks for the tips. We're going to try the harness first. Perhaps taking the little rascal for walks will help. He's just under a year old and full of energy, so I imagine he'll start to get more manageable before too long. Our 9 year-old tabby was a handful at that age too and now is content just to sit in a window and watch the world go by... not much different from his owners come to think of it.

The KittyWalk sounds like it's worth a try too, though I know he goes crazy in a cat carrier and is a pretty good escape artist.

[RVRon]

Just beware...most any cat can slip any collar and most harness’.
The slippery devils collapse their shoulders in and back out of them with a little effort. Been there, chased cat.....

[777 Driver]

Originally Posted by CamJam1

Just wondering how y'all deal with your cat(s) when you travel?

I'm not a cat person, but, there was this thread: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f34/sudden-stop-71187.html some time ago that shares a cat experience.

Take care,
Stu

[Solo_RV_Guy]

Dogs have owners, cats have staff...

Since I've been off work since mid-March, I've taken to a friendly orange/buff tabby that shows up on my front porch for kibble and treats. She's in pretty good shape and likes her chin and ears rubbed, isn't freaky about her tail (I can scratch the base of her tail without getting clawed or bitten) and she tolerates being picked up for 10-20 seconds at a time. I'm wondering if she was someone's pet that got abandoned because she should be pregnant by now.. so I suspect she was spayed.

I'm trying to get her comfortable enough to take her to the vet for a microchip scan and her shots and worming. She's a good kitty and if she sticks around, may become my RV companion.

[harleyjt]

Originally Posted by 777 Driver

I'm not a cat person, but, there was this thread: https://www.irv2.com/forums/f34/sudden-stop-71187.html some time ago that shares a cat experience.

Take care,
Stu

Hilarious!
jt

[777 Driver]

Originally Posted by harleyjt

Hilarious!
jt

That's from more than 10 years ago and I almost pee my pants whenever something reminds me of that post.

Take care,
Stu

[Bigd9]

This comment is not exactly like you were asking about, but kind of is. We travel with two cats and two pups. Generally the cats won't try to go outdoors at all but we are always careful. The two young labradoodles won't go outside unless I give them the command.


The point I wanted to make was making sure your RV is safe for the pets, especially the cats. Those suckers can climb into the most dangerous and small spots. A few years ago we lost one of our cats and a day later I heard him making sounds where he was hiding way up inside the dashboard. Since that experience I have cat proofed the entire coach blocking access to places like dashboard, slideouts, under the bed cutouts for electrical and heating ducts. I have used pegboard, roller shades and special sliding partitions to block them. I also made them a covered ramp through our rear cloths closet so they can get up behind the rear TV where their 2 automatic feeders and a litter box is located.

Side note: Make sure you travel with their current veterinarian paperwork. We have been asked for it a time or to while checking into a campground. Once one of our cats became ill and having the paperwork helped get her care from a vet when we were 2,000 miles from home.

[tom3855wales]

Yravel w 2 cats. I have trained them to walk on a leash. I use a body collar so it goes under the chest and around to.the front , more like a harness, always was.afraid they d panic and squirm out of a simple collar. Has worked great last trip circumnavigated the nation. He has walked the grand.canyon, sat and playd on rewood stumps bigger than a vw. And so and so on. U r rite abot the schedule they create, sleep sleep sleep. Good luck. We use a wallyworld storage plastic bin rather than a normal sand box so they.cant pee over the edges.

[tom3855wales]

Doing same, i use a popup screen room w a floor on it, throw in a couple folding chairs and hes happy as.a cat. A little fincky folding.back up but VERY efficient.