Traveling with a cat

[dcbrewer]

To the ones that travel with cats, do you keep them in a carrier while on the road or let them run loose in MH?? We have got to start taking our cat Bandit with us. He is diabetic and we have got to give his shots, so now when we go he goes..

[klm]

Bandit should do just fine, does he "pal" around with the other 2 when at home? i have traveled with 2 different cats, the first started his travels at the ripe age of 10. I tried the carrier thing, but he figured out how to bust out!!! Now I travel with cat #2, he started traveling as a kitten right from the get go. He is a good travler, but like others have already said - Be sure you secure your cats before moving the slides!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good luck with Bandit, hope he lives a long life and he is lucky to have such great owners who will take care of him.

[tvfrfireman]

From the time our cat was a kitten, I took her to the store, Costco, and everywhere I went so when the time came to travel, it was no big deal. She has been to Arizona with us six times from Oregon and goes on all our trips sitting in her bed on the console between our front seats. On a rough or rolling road she gets car sick and my wife picks her up and rubs her belly and most times stops her from vomiting. The cat gives us so much joy and we couldn't bear to leave her for weeks or months on end.

[dcbrewer]

ArchHoagland wrote:
I didn't know cats could be diabetic. How did you find that out?

Lost weight, took him to vet, they done blood work, called and give the bad news. In cats it can go in to remission if treated right, and aggressive. Time will tell. But we have got to take him with us, to treat him!!

[wny_pat1]

We take our cats along with no problems except during the first half hour when they are very vocal. They don't like traveling, but are okay when we get there, expecially during the winter month when we go somewhere warm and the windows can be open. No slides, so no problems there. And they both run away from the door when you open it. They are very content indoor cats.

If anyone knows where to find a battery powered cat fountain, please post a link!!! We don't take along their drinkwell fountain, and they miss it! They are spoiled and prefer running water to drink.

[FC]

We had to close in a couple openings below the bedroom slide so the cat could not get inside where the mechanism is. Check carefully for any openings both when closed up and when open. It was an easy fix. We also put a pillow in the front part of the slide so the cat cannot climb up on top of the slide when it is in.
Our cat has learned how to open the slide in the screen door and then to push down on the latch to open the screen door. We are still looking for a locking device which will stop him from opening the screen door. So far its been fun watching him do it with friends coming to watch him, but we need a permanent solution.

[gswcgi]

So many Cats so few recipes!

[sowego]

We have traveled with 3 different cats, 2 at one time in the beginning, now down to 1 younger cat. The other 2 have since passed on.

You won't know exactly how your cat responds to traveling until he's gotten used to it. At 1st he may be quite scared, hide under the couch &/or get sick. Let him find a dark cozy place to hide, we found 2 of the cats spent a lot of time under the main couch, accessed that area by "going down the rabbit hole" an opening between the corner of the couch and the counter top at the wall. If he is very comfortable in a crate that may work best for him too. Or he may find it comforting to ride on the passenger's lap.

Our latest cat hasn't been on the road much but each time she has been scared and ill at ease especially when the engine is running and we are moving. I don't think she will ever get used to traveling as much as the other 2 did.

We've been told by other cat owners the worst issue is the cat getting out the door or window. In a scary situation almost any animal's instinct is to run. It is almost impossible to get them back because they are too scared so just run and keep running and will not come to you even though they may have at home and sadly may be lost forever.

Therefore we devised a system. The whole time we are rolling the cats wear a harness and collar with a leash hooked to the collar then leave 3 -4" length then tie a 1/2 knot in the loop at the top of the harness. We found a small dog harness worked best. A cat can and will get out of a harness in just a few seconds. The collar needs to be a regular collar not a safety release collar sold for cats. Both pieces need to fit well so they won't come off easily. The leash holds it all together and the cats learn to drag the whole deal around. We take the leash off when parked. The leash gives you that last attempt to stop a cat before they get too far. Believe me we've had a few close calls when one of them would try to get out the door at a fuel stop. The leash saved their life! It worked...we traveled for almost 10 years and didn't lose one cat. In fact the younger of the 1st 2 actually would go on walks with us and the dog on her leash as long as there weren't too many other dogs walking around her.

Care has to also be taken when going out for the evening...a sneaky cat will sit at the bottom of the door step and wait for you to open it, again, looking to go out snooping around.

A good second option while you are rolling...keep the cat in a carrier until you are parked.

We put our litter box under the bathroom vanity an kept one door open all the time.
Good luck

[PCarnathan]

Our Bengal started RVing with us when we were 5th-wheeling it. She wasn't real thrilled in the beginning but she's warmed up to it now. She rides in the Roadtrek with us during travel. We have a pet carrier in case we have to leave the rig, but she roams free while we're driving. I can't imagine camping without her, although I have to admit it doesn't look very macho to roll into camp with a seven-pound cat in my lap!

When camped the dashboard is her domain.

Pat in Menifee, CA (Saving pennies for a DP)
www.patcarnathan.com

[dkreuzen]

Our last cat started RVing when she was 12, she would get motion sick usually in the first 15 minutes on the road but was fine after that, never used a carrier. Never had a problem with her, she died at 17. The next cat has been RVing since she was about 4 months, no carrier, no motion sickness, and she seems to really enjoy the RV. Both are indoor cats although the old one would try to get out and the new one we keep scared of the outdoors, and in 4 years she has never got out and doesn't try. I did a lot of work "plugging up" the holes so the new cat couldn't get places she wasn't supposed to and we get a hold of her when the slides are moved.

[JFC]

I agree with others, they are all different and you'll just need to try and see. Our two old cats found their spots and slept while we traveled and came out later. Our current cat raised a fit when we drove with her out of the carrier. Now we load her in the carrier, open the carrier door and she's fine sleeping in there the whole trip. Do watch the slides. Our two old cats loved to find a spot to hide in the slides, current cat could care less and wants to be in the windows when we're stopped. Good Luck.

[Blaster_Man]

Romer1 wrote:

ArchHoagland wrote:
I didn't know cats could be diabetic. How did you find that out?

Ours started drinking excessive amounts of water. Took her to vet and blood test showed diabetes. She has never traveled with us, but we have 2 others that do. One spends most of on the road time on wife's lap, other one under her seat.

We have a diabetic cat, too. Took him to the vet 'cause he was filling his litter box by peeing all the time...did a blood test as noted above. I give him an insulin shot at 8AM and 8PM. He was diagnosed in Aug 09, vet said he'd live a year.:)

We let him roam the coach and check to see where he is prior to moving the slides.

[Bob___Ann]

We used to let ours roam throughout the RV. He enjoyed travel. In fact he went to the rainbow bridge due to old age while we were in the Tetons. When you let them roam you have to be careful as cats like to hide. Be sure to never operate your slides until you know where your cat is.

[Turbo_Diesel_Du]

Our 3 year old female will absolutely do a number on a set of day/night shades. Just has to see what's outside as she's a hunter/killer of all things alive including fish/bats etc. Have to find someone who will install blinds in order to save the interior. Other than that, she travels well.

[Klueck]

brirene wrote:
A word of caution; make sure your cats are secured in a carrier or in your sight before opening or closing any slides. Several times each year there are threads of cats being injured or killed when they crawl into a space in the slide.

x 2

We travel with cats. Two of them ride loose because they were half wild and we couldn't catch them. The others ride in carriers which is where I prefer. If there is an accident, I feel they are safer.

They do just fine. They go right to sleep and we let them out often when we stop for a break.

Your kitty will do just fine. Sorry about the diabetes. Been there and done that. Not fun.