Class C or TT to RV with cats? Crate or no crate?

[karyj]

Hi, everyone!

I'd like some general info about RVing with cats, please. We're a family of three, plus two cats. Even with a pet-sitter he knows, one of the kitties pines himself straight into kitty ER if we leave him for more than a weekend, so we're looking at travel options that will allow us to take the cats with us. Since we're currently tent campers, this means a Class C or a travel trailer.

We don't have a tow vehicle, so a TT means we'll have to upgrade one of the cars, too. Current vehicles are a '11 Sonata and an '05 Prius. We'd probably trade the Prius, but that's my car and I like it.

I can't imagine leaving the cats in the trailer while it's on the road, so they'd have to be in crates in the car, right? How does that work for long drives? I'll be investing in new, larger crates that they don't associate with going to the vet, but it seems like an 8 hr. drive would be a pretty miserable experience for a cat in a crate.

If you travel in a Class C, do your cats ride loose? Do they get under your feet or try to walk across the dash?

Which would you recommend for traveling with cats, a Class C or a TV+TT?

We travel where the weather is mild, but what's recommended if you have to leave the critters in the RV while you go out hiking, go to town, etc?

Does anyone have suggestions for making sure cats don't bolt out the doors or chew through window screens? (one of ours is a sneaky bolter, the other's a chewer :S )

Any other general info would be very welcome. 🙂

Many thanks!!

Kary

[PennyPA]

Personally, I think an 8 hr. drive would be a pretty miserable experience for humans, too. Where are you going that you'd be in such a hurry??

[Justicette]

Thank you so very much for posting this info. One of our new kitties crawled into that space at the bottom of the bedroom slide area...no idea where it goes, but it took two hours to get him out....does it go to the storage space under the bed?...and, of course, we couldn't open the bed platform because the slide was in the closed position.

We used one of those laser flashlights (they love to chase the red dot), to entice him out....then stuffed that area with pillows!

Any other advice anyone has for RVing with active kitties would be much appreciated. Our 20 year old died in February and she loved RVing and was well behaved, but these year old male rescues are terrors!

I am just glad we were parked at home in our driveway, and had decided to let them explore the RV before we actually travel anywhere.

[Opie431]

Our cats traveled in the truck with us. He usually laid on my lap. Sometimes he would lay or sit on his blanky in the back. Any time we drove thru woods he thought we had arrived at the campground and was ready to get out.
He always had his leash on when we traveled so we could grab it if he made a run for it. He never did but we were always prepared. And we only had one cat at a time so there was room on my lap.

[Geobiker]

Just got back from 2 month trip, which was the first long trip for our cat. We have a Class C + toad. First thing we did was to bomb proof the MH to make sure she couldn't get into the bedroom slide area. We used the "heat" cushions people stuff into the roof vents to keep her out of the very small space on the floor and side of the BR slide. Second we put an old fashioned window latch on the screen door so she couldn't inadvertently push the door open. Once we are at the campground, the cushions come out of the bedroom slide area and are used in the ford cab area to keep her from getting under the dash.

She is always under someone's control when the slides are being moved in or out. We've heard way too many horror stories to take a chance on an accident involving the cat and the slideout.

Traveling was a bit of a challenge for her to begin with. After getting loads of recommendations, we decided to let her have the freedom within the MH (not the cab area) so she could find her comfort zone while traveling. The first week was tough, but finally she settled in and decided she was comfortable laying next to the bed
on the side table under the window and next to the headboard. Her second choice was in the clothes closet. We used our pillows to keep the door securely open.

Lastly, our vet recommended a "calming" spray; Feliway, which we spray in her two comfort areas about 15 minutes before we leave. It is expensive but seems to help.

We do stop regularly to let her comfortably visit the litter box, drink and eat if she chooses.

She is an indoor/outdoor cat at home, but we have been training her to walk with a holster and leash, and she did great on our trip. She was very comfortable at some RV parks and not so much at others. If she wasn't comfortable, she just returned immediately to the MH steps and we didn't force her.

Good luck. We loved having our girl with us and you will too.

[DodgieDan]

We bought a large size dog crate, it is soft sided with bars that are spring loaded that keep it in shape. It fits nicely into the back seat of our pickup and our two cats travel nicely inside it together. We have noticed that one of them doesn't like windy bumpy roads and gets car sick. Went to the Vet and got some cat sized carsick pills give him one and he is lights out for most of our trips. They do wake up when we stop anytime and we make sure we limit our travelling to stops at least every 2 hours. It gives them a chance to take a break as well as me. They might get a little noisy but usually settle down when they realize they are not going to the Vets.

I also made some minor mods to our TT so they can use the litter box in one of the storage areas that we have outside access to. It is the one that goes completely across the front of our TT and is partially under the bed. I made a whole in the panelling the size of an average cat door. One of our cats is a little skidish so often uses it as a hiding place when company arrives. I also divide the space so it keeps the litter contained to a small area as the youngest cat is a real digger.

I wish you good luck and happy trails.

[karyj]

Thanks, everyone!

We started out leaning toward an older Class C (e.g. Chinook), but now we're leaning toward new TV+TT, something like a Ford FLex plus a HiLo.

I really appreciate everyone's suggestions. 🙂

Here are some Oreos for your trouble. @@@@@@@@ 😄

[WandaLust2]

karyj wrote:
Hi, everyone!

I can't imagine leaving the cats in the trailer while it's on the road, so they'd have to be in crates in the car, right? How does that work for long drives?

We tow with a van so our cats ride in two large cat ages complete with small litterpans. They are in these cages for no more than 6 hours at a time, usually less.

I'll be investing in new, larger crates that they don't associate with going to the vet, but it seems like an 8 hr. drive would be a pretty miserable experience for a cat in a crate.

That is a long time unless you get something like the Midwest crate and add a water dish and litterpan. But why 8 hrs? That's not healthy for people to sit that long and would be rough on any children.

If you travel in a Class C, do your cats ride loose? Do they get under your feet or try to walk across the dash?

The problem in leaving them loose in a Class-A or C is it's very easy for them to escape. All you have to do is forget and open the cab window or one of the doors. Children are great for allowing both cats and dogs out of RVs. You can confine the cats to the bedroom if your rig has one. That's what we plan to do with our 4 cats. We have both a TT and a Class-C. When in the Class-C we plan to keep them in the rear bedroom with water and litterpans untill we're settled in for the night. Then give them the run of the RV. 🙂 We've been taking them out to it to get them used to it before taking them camping with it.

Which would you recommend for traveling with cats, a Class C or a TV+TT?

We travel where the weather is mild, but what's recommended if you have to leave the critters in the RV while you go out hiking, go to town, etc?

Do you plan to tow a small car with a Class-C? Both will work if you can make sure no one opens a door and lets the cats escape. And no one moves the slide unless the cats have already been confined.

Does anyone have suggestions for making sure cats don't bolt out the doors or chew through window screens? (one of ours is a sneaky bolter, the other's a chewer :S )

And this is the problem .... bolting cats when doors are opened or screens torn or somehow come loose. We only leave our cats when we can leave the A/C on and windows closed. But we do have those MaxAire vertical vents on 2 of the windows. They're 6' wide X window height and the cats, even if the screens tore or fell loose, could not get through the slats/louvers.

[Stefonius]

Deb and Ed M wrote:
I don't have cats - but have a Class C; and can see the advantages of being able to stop for a snack break/potty break, whatever - and never having to open the door to go outside (and having a cat escape). I guess one could tape something like hardware cloth (metal screen) over the existing window screens to prevent holes (they make metal screens/grates that can go over the screen door). But if you have a cat that can bolt through an open door - you'll need good ID on the kitty - and some sort of system to make sure that never happens (like never opening a door until Houdini is in his crate). And if it was *me* - I'd be training the bolter to not do that? I'm thinking "hubby opening door at home and as cat zooms out - I blast it with a Super Soaker water gun". There are SO many things at campgrounds that are NOT cat-friendly, like big dogs/cars/wildlife/etc

My cat learned a few things early on in our relationship:
A) He is NOT faster or more agile than me
B) When the door opens, a foot follows instantly. If he is standing by the door, he will get punted like a football.
C) The great outdoors has no ceiling overhead. This makes him extremely nervous.

They make "animal proof" replacement screen material if your kitty wrecks the window screens. It's cheap and easy to install.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

I don't have cats - but have a Class C; and can see the advantages of being able to stop for a snack break/potty break, whatever - and never having to open the door to go outside (and having a cat escape). I guess one could tape something like hardware cloth (metal screen) over the existing window screens to prevent holes (they make metal screens/grates that can go over the screen door). But if you have a cat that can bolt through an open door - you'll need good ID on the kitty - and some sort of system to make sure that never happens (like never opening a door until Houdini is in his crate). And if it was *me* - I'd be training the bolter to not do that? I'm thinking "hubby opening door at home and as cat zooms out - I blast it with a Super Soaker water gun". There are SO many things at campgrounds that are NOT cat-friendly, like big dogs/cars/wildlife/etc

[Stefonius]

I've seen folks with Class C or A rigs who would create a caged off area in the basement for a litterbox, bed and food/water. Kitty had a set of steps leading up through the floor into the living area via a cat door in a "dead zone" of paneling or cabinetry on the inside. They could lock the door to keep the cat in or out of the basement. If I were traveling with my cat, I would probably do something similar. You could always tow the Prius behind your rig.

[karyj]

Thanks, everyone. You've all been very helpful. 🙂

[hotbyte]

Nice thing with MH that it is comfortable temp whenever you arrive at destination. I remember our 5'er being almost to go into when we would first stop.

I also saw a cool MH setup on television where a trap door/hamper type setup allowed cats to get down into a special area setup in the basement storage. I think I remember they even had plexiglass setup so they could open basement door (not while moving of course) and cats see out like at a window.

[CortezCapt]

My grandparents traveled with two cats, one disliked being in a moving vehicle of any kind ( my fault but we won't get into that. The other loved it and would sit where he could look out the window like a dog, but as soon as you put him in a crate he howled till he was let out. Small litter box on the back floorboard or cargo area just in case. Always kept harnesses and tags on them just in case. A trip around the neighborhood with them loose should give you an idea how well they will travel out of a crate. They did always keep 2 folding soft sided crates packed for emergencies.
The cats will react the same while driving if in a c, or a TV. Like others have said it's really depends on your cats and how adaptable they are, and what works best for you.

After shopping around, getting lots of good advice on here and from my grandparents,and time weighing our needs, wants, and budget we decided on a small TT. With a C you have all the regular maintenance of a vehicle as well as well as all the regular maintenance that goes along with and RV.

Another thing to take into account is where you'll be doing most of your camping will you want to leave the campground for day trips around the area? If so with a C you would need to tow a car.

On the other hand in a C you have the ability ( if not driving) to move around ( use bathroom, make lunch, stretch out). Also you would probably have an onboard generator which gives you more freedom in stopping over at a Walmart or truck stop while traveling.

The best advice I got which was / was not helpful was it all comes down to your needs wants and budget.

Hope you and your cats enjoy your travels

[LastOfTheBohica]

We have travelled with our two cats quite a lot.

We have a crate in the truck for them. While in the City limits, they are in the crate. This is due to the higher probability that we will be opening doors and/or windows.

Once on the highway, we open the crate. One of the cats likes to sit between us and the other sleeps on top of the crate.

Right before we get out of the truck for set up, they go back into the crate.