traveling in RV with cats

The safest is in a secured carrier.

That being said, there are many laid back individuals that will safely ride elsewhere. Our Henry spent our travel time curled up on the bed in back. He was more like a dog than a cat and was easy to manage.

We stop fairly frequently for ourselves and the dogs (every couple of hours) and always put the litter box and water out.

Doug, DVM

Ours would ride fine in the motorhome without a crate but I wouldn't have wanted to leave them in a tow behind camper.

Our new to us cats go everywhere with us in the car. It takes a month for them to settle down and to learn that they cannot be up front with us. From then on they are happy campers - car, MH or boat.

No cage period. When driving the cat has a 6' red leash so we know where he's located. Especially when moving the slide outs since they love small places.

If you have slideouts, definitely secure the cats in their carriers until the slide is in place. Cats have been killed when the slideout traps them. Personally I recommend the cats stay in their carriers until safely in camp and the rig is hooked up. There's a lot of going in and out of the rv during set up and take down and it's very easy for them to make a dash out the door and be gone. Cats are fast! Just ask Spotacus! It's better to be safe than broken hearted.

Our cat loved to sleep on the bed of the MH while traveling. If he needed a potty break, he would come up front and let us know. We then would pull over soon as was convenient, open the bathroom door so he could get to his litter box that we kept in the shower. He was 4 when he started camping and we taught him right from the start that he could not go in the driver's area. He would often ride with me (passenger) - he was a smart cat and we never had any issues with him. He always went out with a harness & leash. He would sit at the open door and wait to be "dressed" before going out. We had the perfect camping cat - he lived to 16+ years. We miss him every day.

Out cat is completely free to roam in our truck camper.

He's free to roam because I made a "cat Tunnel" between the truck cab and the camper. His littler box is in the back seat of the crew cab truck. He goes up there for his business. Stays out back at all other times.

He prefers the bouncy, horrible ride in the back of the truck camper in the bed to the easier ride up front, but my girlfriend forces him to stay up front on longer rides. He sleeps in between us on the front seat in those cases.

He's a little bummed out though because we had him on the boat most of the winter. He loved the space, being able to go outside and all the different levels of the boat. However... He seems to be able to adjust to anything.

Our cat gets car sick, very fast, and it's very messy. He runs at both ends, and that's absolutely no fun at all when you're dragging 35 feet of train behind you and you just can't whip over to clean up a stinky mess.

After MUCH trial and error we found a solution that works very well for us.

We put a towel in the bottom of the shower. We put the cat litter box in the shower. We put the cat in the shower. We then lock the shower door. Cat cannot get out of the shower.

Once we start moving, he can vomit and poo in the litter box (which he does) until he's past it all. It takes about 30 minutes for everything to be finished. So usually on our first stop, we then bring him forward into the cab of the truck. As long as he stays on the passenger lap, he's fine. Turn him loose and he'll crawl under the back seat and vomit again.

We now, after 10 years, have him accustom to traveling enough that, sometimes, we can start the day with him in the cab of the truck, as long as he is sitting on the passenger's lap and covered with a towel or blanket, he's fine.

This simple method took years for us to figure out, and we tried everything.

Also, we have a wireless indoor / outdoor thermometer. We put the outside sensor in the bathroom and the unit in the truck. When temperatures begin to rise and the inside of the trailer hits 90 degrees, we always bring the cat forward into the cab.

When we stop, we always put the cat into the shower immediately, so he's confined in a small space and easier to retrieve when we return to the truck to continue our journey. Of course, when we reach our destination for the night, he's free to roam the camper.

By the way, the cat loves the camper. We use it 24x7 from end of March through December in the drive way or at home when not camping. Because we live in the country, the cat runs free via a doggie door in the house. He spends more time in the camper than the house, same as us. He sleeps in the camper every night with us, and will often sit on the trailer steps waiting for us to open the door for him. He knows this is "home". And when camping, he knows we are somewhere different and is actually terrified to step outside the door. He knows the difference. Except for his car sickness, he's a pretty good kitty.

Good story about a Spotacus and the slideout area here.

Spotacus rides in his carrier, behind the Class A passenger seat. We don't put the carrier door on it, so that he can use the litter box as needed, without us having to pull over and open the carrier. In fact, as soon as I start the engine, he goes to his carrier.

This is the longest trip he's been on, so there have been a few "OMG!" issues, but we just add that situation to the "where's Spotacus?" routine we go through in setting up, breaking down, on the road, and going in/out of the door.

All in all, he's doing very well.

Our two ride in a cage on the back seat floor of the CrewCab. Cage has two levels, lower for food, water, and litter box, top floor with pad for sleeping.