I dread this day. This is a cat that showed up in our yard 18 months ago and obviously had been dumped 3-6 months prior. Still a bit skittish....especially around me. No problema with DW.OK, first time in RV coming soon. Either a try out at home or a small 2-3 day trip to a CG close by.My concern is the cat crawling into a space that is hard to get her out of....or even worse....under the dash board of our motor home. I guess I can rig up some plastic mesh/fencing under the dash to prevent this.Anyone want to comment on a first time for cat ?Thank you

I'll call the cat a him.I'd let him hide wherever he wants to, unless it's behind the brake pedal or some other unsafe place. Cats need a good safe place the first time doing something unusual -especially yours being skittish already. I think walling up hiding places will be futile.. he will find a place anyway. Just let him be. He'l come out when he wants to.

Before we took our cat on its first trip, we left the RV door open and encouraged him to come inside with us. We let the cat become comfortable with the new surroundings - he was used to travel in the car already. We also introduced him to a harness so that he could go outside on a leash at c.g.'s,. He was 4 years old when we did this, but he adjusted and learned to tolerate the harness. In fact, he would calmly sit at the RV door and wait for the harness before making a dash outdoors. The cat used to sleep on the bed when we traveled and would come up front and look out the window. He adapted very well and traveled with us for 12 years. He made all the way to the Arctic and to the tip of the Baja and from the Newfoundland to British Columbia. We could not have had a better passenger. Unfortunately at 17, we had to put him down due to health issues. We still miss him.Good luck with training your new kitty.

The first few times I took my adopted stray cat in the motor home, when driving, I put him in a large wire dog crate with one of his cat beds and a soft rug. He would yowl for a few hours, then burrow under the rug. After about four trips I couldn't stand the noise anymore. I stopped at a rest stop and let him out of the crate. He strolled to the dinette and flopped down on a cushion. When I started the engine he rand to the bedroom and burrowed under the covers. That is now our routine, when I start the engine he burrows under the bed covers. When I stop for the night he comes out from under the covers and jumps on the dash to see where we are and what's out there. (I close him in the bathroom when the slides are going in or out.)

My fear would be the cat would get loose and take off never to be seen again... He would be laying in the brush watching everyone look for him and finally you have to just go without him.Cats don't do like dogs and come to you when you call them...At least none of our cats will...Roy Ken

RoyB wrote:My fear would be the cat would get loose and take off never to be seen again...That is a common fear, but I think cats are smarter than that. They know where the bed and the food are. That said, there are times you may have to wait for them to come out from under the truck!

Cat in RV....first time | Good Sam Community

13 Replies

Finally_Time
Explorer
May 14, 2016
The first few times I took my adopted stray cat in the motor home, when driving, I put him in a large wire dog crate with one of his cat beds and a soft rug. He would yowl for a few hours, then burrow under the rug. After about four trips I couldn't stand the noise anymore. I stopped at a rest stop and let him out of the crate. He strolled to the dinette and flopped down on a cushion. When I started the engine he rand to the bedroom and burrowed under the covers. That is now our routine, when I start the engine he burrows under the bed covers. When I stop for the night he comes out from under the covers and jumps on the dash to see where we are and what's out there. (I close him in the bathroom when the slides are going in or out.)
Tripalot
Explorer
May 14, 2016
Before we took our cat on its first trip, we left the RV door open and encouraged him to come inside with us. We let the cat become comfortable with the new surroundings - he was used to travel in the car already.
We also introduced him to a harness so that he could go outside on a leash at c.g.'s,. He was 4 years old when we did this, but he adjusted and learned to tolerate the harness. In fact, he would calmly sit at the RV door and wait for the harness before making a dash outdoors.

The cat used to sleep on the bed when we traveled and would come up front and look out the window. He adapted very well and traveled with us for 12 years. He made all the way to the Arctic and to the tip of the Baja and from the Newfoundland to British Columbia. We could not have had a better passenger. Unfortunately at 17, we had to put him down due to health issues. We still miss him.

Good luck with training your new kitty.
2oldman
Explorer II
May 14, 2016
I'll call the cat a him.

I'd let him hide wherever he wants to, unless it's behind the brake pedal or some other unsafe place. Cats need a good safe place the first time doing something unusual -especially yours being skittish already.

I think walling up hiding places will be futile.. he will find a place anyway. Just let him be. He'l come out when he wants to.

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Cat in RV....first time

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