How many out there have cats that travel in their RVs?

"Travel tags"! What a great idea! Many Walmarts and Petco/PetSmarts have the automated tag-making machines. I'm headed there this morning to make mine!

toedtoes wrote:
My advice is to get "travel tags" for the cats. Have the cats wear a collar or harness all the time with the tags. The tags should have your cell number AND your RV license plate number - that way, if one does get out and someone finds them, it is very easy to get him back to you. .

Where do you get these "Travel tags"?

My advice is to get "travel tags" for the cats. Have the cats wear a collar or harness all the time with the tags. The tags should have your cell number AND your RV license plate number - that way, if one does get out and someone finds them, it is very easy to get him back to you. I did that with my dogs - I used to use a barrel tag with a note inside on which I wrote my campsite number. Now, I put their travel collar with the tag on them and they can be reconnected to me via the plate number.

My other comment is that many cats can get startled and run. If the door is open, the cat may go out it even though they've never shown an interest in the outdoors before. The RV is a lot smaller than your home and the cat can't separate itself from scary noises, etc., as easily.

Definitely spend time in the RV at home before you start moving around with the cats. Let them get used to it stationary first. Then take short trips. ALWAYS have cat carriers for all three with you when you travel - you never know if you'll need to transport them elsewhere.

We take our cat on almost all our trips, short or long. She travels great and is largely self-sufficient. We put the litter box in the pass thru and then made a cat door in the end of the bed. As long as the cat has food and water, and the trailer is kept in the shade (or at least cool) it is no problem. We also walk ours on a leash.

Sharbysyd wrote:
Thank you for your advice. I really like the tip about camping in the driveway with them. That is a good idea.

I wouldn't let them go out unless they were on some type of harness or in a stroller. I've heard too many horror stories. So my hope would be to keep them inside. I'd have to do everything I could to ensure that.

Are they happily indoor cats now, at your S & B? If so, I'd think staying inside the rv would be fine with them.

I worried about my cat, spent months getting him used to the harness before we left, etc. But after a few months I learned to trust him. He is a smart animal, and a cautious one. If he doesn't think it's safe he does not go out.

He also comes when I call, which not all cats are into.

He loves boondockibg, for the hunting opportunities

Thank you for your advice. I really like the tip about camping in the driveway with them. That is a good idea.

I wouldn't let them go out unless they were on some type of harness or in a stroller. I've heard too many horror stories. So my hope would be to keep them inside. I'd have to do everything I could to ensure that.

I travel with my cat and he's no trouble. He goes outside, when he judges it is safe. Some places he is outside all day, even naps outside. Others, he does not go out at all or only for a few minutes after dark, when all park dogs are in for the night. He really prefets to pee outside rather than in the cat box.

I was worried, too, before I tried traveling with a cat :). I read everything I could find, here and elsewhere online.

Here are the two tips that were most useful to me:

1. Driveway camp with the cats for a while before you leave, so the rv becomes part of their home territory. I did this for several weeks. A couple of times my cat got annoyed and went back and slept in the house for a night. But I stayed in the rv, and he missed me, so he came back the next might. I knew I had won him over when he stopped letting his neighbor-friend cat in the van because it was his! Now whenever he is spooked he runs TO the van, never away.

2. Your cats will change where you camp, especially if they go outside. They want campsites with good cover, so they feel safe. Shrubs or very high grass. A park that has only mowed grass and limbed up trees, whete everyvrv has a dog, is terrifying to a cat. But a BLM campground full of gophers... that is heaven!

Gary thank you for the litter box idea. We've been wondering where we might put it.

Also thank you to Doxie for the suggestion about being careful if we get a slide. I was wondering about that. We'll have to think that true if it could be a danger to them.

I'm leaning towards getting a stroller to take the cats outside.

I saw a Youtube video yesterday from Cheap RV Living and coincidentally the lady he interviewed has a cat. She puts the cat on some type of harness and let's it outside on a lead.

I guess it wouldn't hurt to get my cats used to moving vehicles and leads starting now.

Thank you to everyone who responded and gave me some great ideas. I'm feeling more confident about doing this with our cats. We have three cats, all boys, but only one really goes near the door at all. He'd be the one I was most concerned about but I don't know if he would even try to run out given the chance. I think he might be scared since he runs into our hallway off of our kitchen but stops at the basement stairs if the door is open. If he's afraid to go into the basement I would guess he'd be afraid to go out but we would definitely take precautions anyways.

Their safety is a big concern to us.

If you have slides - make sure where kitties are before moving it in or out!

We are full-time and have met hundreds of people that full-time with cats and dogs. Last ones we met had 2 cats that loved to be outdoors. There bought a way oversized fabric with mesh sides carrier type thing, that was also much taller than normal, and the cats were put in that and carried outside to get fresh air & sunshine. One liked to go on a leash and they had a eye type fastener installed at the bottom of the door and fastened a 10 ft cable leash to that. Kitty could then walk all around the rv area and explore ( they only did then when they were outside with it -- never leaving it alone).