Well, we have a long history of traveling with all kinds of pets, including cats. Some cats traveled very well, never a problem. We always have them ride in the cab of the truck and never had a problem. We just have to watch very carefully opening the door getting in and out.
However, all that changed with our current cat. Now, he's not a very good traveler, great camper, but horrible traveler!
He gets car sick. We tried originally putting him in a pet carrier. The cat was so hysterical in the carrier, he cried and cried and cried until he made himself sick, vomit, poo all over the carrier, and himself! What a mess.
We talked to our vet, who gave us tranqualizer pills. Now that didn't work either. I think it made him even more hyper, and them more sick from the pills. What a mess! Constant barfing, pooing, and pee! Smell, awful.
If we let him loose in the truck cab, he'd crawl under the seat and .... yep! vomit, poo, and pee! Talk about horrible experiences!
So we tried letting him run loose in the travel trailer while in transit! BAD, BAD, BAD mistake! He vomited all over the camper, from one end to the other, cat poo everywhere (and I mean the runny stuff), and cat pee, which is VERY VERY hard to eliminate that odor.
Still, we continued.
We even tried putting the cat litter pan inside the truck, but he'd only go in there if we locked him in (it has a cover). I think he felt like he was in a crate that way, and just paniked.
We tried one of those Thunder Jackets! NOT ON THIS CAT! And then we found what worked best was when the passenger simply held the cat in their lap and the cat was covered with a blanket or towel. AH!!! we were on to something!
Until one day, he vomited anyway! But we were finally on to something!
I came up with the idea (eventually) of putting the litter pan in the shower stall in the camper. It has a glass door and can be secured. We also put the cat in the shower stall and hit the road.
Now if the cat vomits, or whatever, he can either jump in the litter pan, or it can be flushed down the shower drain. At least he's not doing it on our bed or the couch!
Well, actually THIS worked! He never vomited or pooed on the floor of the shower, he DID do it in the litter pan! AH.... success!!!
Until.....
The weather outside got too hot and the inside of the camper would heat up too much for any living thing when traveling.
So, we'd leave the cat in the camper, in the shower, and keep a wireless thermometer in the bathroom and the other end in the truck. When the temperature in the bathroom reached about 90 degrees, we stop, take the cat out, and bring him back into the truck. By now he's all vomited out! And sitting on the passenger, covered with a towel or blanket, he did fine!
Now we have a win-win situation! FINALLY.
Our routine now is to put the cat in the shower for the first 20 minutes of wherever we are going. This gives him opportunity to (literally) get everything out of his system, and then bring him into the cab of the truck where he sleeps contently on the passenger lap, under a blanket for hours and hours and hours!
For us, this is the ONLY way to do it with this cat!
Once at the campsite, the cat absolutely loves the trailer. He has absolutely NO desire to go outside!
That's how we do it!
However, all that changed with our current cat. Now, he's not a very good traveler, great camper, but horrible traveler!
He gets car sick. We tried originally putting him in a pet carrier. The cat was so hysterical in the carrier, he cried and cried and cried until he made himself sick, vomit, poo all over the carrier, and himself! What a mess.
We talked to our vet, who gave us tranqualizer pills. Now that didn't work either. I think it made him even more hyper, and them more sick from the pills. What a mess! Constant barfing, pooing, and pee! Smell, awful.
If we let him loose in the truck cab, he'd crawl under the seat and .... yep! vomit, poo, and pee! Talk about horrible experiences!
So we tried letting him run loose in the travel trailer while in transit! BAD, BAD, BAD mistake! He vomited all over the camper, from one end to the other, cat poo everywhere (and I mean the runny stuff), and cat pee, which is VERY VERY hard to eliminate that odor.
Still, we continued.
We even tried putting the cat litter pan inside the truck, but he'd only go in there if we locked him in (it has a cover). I think he felt like he was in a crate that way, and just paniked.
We tried one of those Thunder Jackets! NOT ON THIS CAT! And then we found what worked best was when the passenger simply held the cat in their lap and the cat was covered with a blanket or towel. AH!!! we were on to something!
Until one day, he vomited anyway! But we were finally on to something!
I came up with the idea (eventually) of putting the litter pan in the shower stall in the camper. It has a glass door and can be secured. We also put the cat in the shower stall and hit the road.
Now if the cat vomits, or whatever, he can either jump in the litter pan, or it can be flushed down the shower drain. At least he's not doing it on our bed or the couch!
Well, actually THIS worked! He never vomited or pooed on the floor of the shower, he DID do it in the litter pan! AH.... success!!!
Until.....
The weather outside got too hot and the inside of the camper would heat up too much for any living thing when traveling.
So, we'd leave the cat in the camper, in the shower, and keep a wireless thermometer in the bathroom and the other end in the truck. When the temperature in the bathroom reached about 90 degrees, we stop, take the cat out, and bring him back into the truck. By now he's all vomited out! And sitting on the passenger, covered with a towel or blanket, he did fine!
Now we have a win-win situation! FINALLY.
Our routine now is to put the cat in the shower for the first 20 minutes of wherever we are going. This gives him opportunity to (literally) get everything out of his system, and then bring him into the cab of the truck where he sleeps contently on the passenger lap, under a blanket for hours and hours and hours!
For us, this is the ONLY way to do it with this cat!
Once at the campsite, the cat absolutely loves the trailer. He has absolutely NO desire to go outside!
That's how we do it!
Yes. Just before I hit the road full time the person who was going to adopt my cat backed out. 'Literally' on the day of my closing on my house! ๐
I had to get cat/RV smart real quick. And for me, ALL animals are contained for their safety and mine when on the road.
He absolutely did not like the airline crate. And the dreaded cat litter box WAS a problem for me.
Here, after purchasing many different crates,is what Sam the Siamese said he would travel in without screaming about it.
A soft sided crate. Screen all the way around. AND the litter box fits in it at the end. Far enough for him to sit up front while we were on the road.....AND I left it in there when parked. All the litter dust stays 'inside' the soft craft and not in my MH.
If you have family or friends going in and out of your RV your cat WILL get loose. This crate put near a window will keep your cat happy and occupied when you need to make sure he won't get out.
I built a removable wood shelf along side the bed where I place this crate up against the window. He rides secure in it and when we park I open the front end so he has access to the litter box.
When not in use this soft side crate folds down into a flat 12 inch circle!
Buy the large one. They are made by SportPet, very inexpensive, and can be found at Walmart way on the top shelf folded so you got to look hard for them.
I had to get cat/RV smart real quick. And for me, ALL animals are contained for their safety and mine when on the road.
He absolutely did not like the airline crate. And the dreaded cat litter box WAS a problem for me.
Here, after purchasing many different crates,is what Sam the Siamese said he would travel in without screaming about it.
A soft sided crate. Screen all the way around. AND the litter box fits in it at the end. Far enough for him to sit up front while we were on the road.....AND I left it in there when parked. All the litter dust stays 'inside' the soft craft and not in my MH.
If you have family or friends going in and out of your RV your cat WILL get loose. This crate put near a window will keep your cat happy and occupied when you need to make sure he won't get out.
I built a removable wood shelf along side the bed where I place this crate up against the window. He rides secure in it and when we park I open the front end so he has access to the litter box.
When not in use this soft side crate folds down into a flat 12 inch circle!
Buy the large one. They are made by SportPet, very inexpensive, and can be found at Walmart way on the top shelf folded so you got to look hard for them.
