Wife has 3 cats

[kickstart]

Wife has 3 cats, 1 about 6yrs old never been outside, 1 Siamese about 2
yrs old, never been outside and a 1 yr old federal cat she captured on our porch when it was about 6 wks old, what would be the best way to travel with tem in a 35' motor home? And where to put the boxes?
Thanks for any advice. And yes we have to take them.

[Opie431]

We had a bunk house so our cat had a bunk with a section for litter box, a section for food and a third section for napping. And did we get told we had made a mistake when we got them in the wrong place. The litter box sat in a larger low box to keep the litter contained.
We introduced our cat to a leash after being an indoor cat and he loved to go for walks at the campground and sit, while tied up, around the campfire with us.

[kickstart]

Our first long trip coming up next month going to the east coast.two ferry rides involved 1 from Con.to long island the other one going back the other way. Told DW we need to get dispatches for them so we can have pirate cats while a sea.
DW bought 3 litter boxes, you roll them to empty them, work well in sticks and bricks might be a little harder in mh but it'll be an adventure.

[ToadHaul]

We have an old (95) Allegro with no slide-outs. For our sweet Jazzy (who took her last trip with us in the winter) we put the cat box under the bathroom sink. In order to make room for this we replaced the original sink with a vessel sink that, since it set on top of the new counter, left a bit more space underneath. We also took down both the cabinet door and the bathroom door. I just used a tension rod with curtain for privacy.

Jazzy was a very timid rescue cat but she took to RVing like a duck to water. We started with her when she was 12 years old. To encourage her to want to be in the RV she got special food and treats. It must have worked because she was ready to hop in every time the door opened. We got a pet stroller for her since she did not like being in the kittywalk.

Our newest family member, Gatsby, is much bigger than Jazzy was (she was 8 pounds, he is 17) so we will just have to see if he can use the litle box under the sink. If not, I may just take the door off the area under the bed and put his box there. I pretty much scoop as soon as they deposit anyway and like an earlier poster I worry about litter getting down the shower drain.

I hope you have many fun, safe trips with your furkids. 😉

[2lazy4U]

A good book that covers a lot about travel with cats is "RVing with Pets" by Sunny Skye on Amazon (Kindle only). Very helpful and covers litter boxes and that sort of thing, how to train them to walk on a leash, where to buy cat tents so they can be outside, etc.

[srdeane]

We have two have geriatric cats who first traveled with us in a MH about 3 years ago (they were 12 and 13 years old at the time). They hated the MH. We now have a TT that they seem to be much more comfortable with. The litter pan worked well in the shower in the MH, and now we have it in the TT shower. We use a storage box with a snap on lid, and it works great for traveling. No mess. When at the campsite the lid just stands up on end behind the litter pan. I have found the super-clump litter works best and keeps down the odors as well.

Our cats are microchipped and wear collars with ID tags. They also are in harnesses when we travel. We found if they try to run you have a much better chance of catching them before they get out a door. In the MH we also put a leash on the harnesses and attached the leash to something solid when we were going to be going in and out of the MH door at rest areas, gas stations, parking lots, etc.

We use a Feliway diffuser for a couple of hours prior to travel and then for the first hour or so in the truck (connected to an inverter plugged into the 12V plug in the back seat console. It seems to calm them down.

Now we have a more substantial bedroom door, so we feel more secure and don't put leashes on them (they still travel in a harness). In the truck we use a mesh enclosure made for decks and patios, and it fits nicely on the floor of the truck's back seat. They can move around freely but not get out. Seems to be the ticket for us.

Good luck with your (and DW's 3 cats!)

[toedtoes]

cyntdon2010 wrote:
Wife has 3 cats, Why do I have to be the wise-ass?

I think it time to get a new wife.

one that like Dogs!!

Well, I was going to suggest that the way to a happy marriage is to say "the wife and I have 3 cats"...

[Code2High]

Never had a problem keeping mine in the tt. You do need to to have eyes on them or secure them somewhere safe when the slide moves. They can get into the space and get crushed.

Food is usually the easiest way to get a cat to go anywhere.

[Handbasket]

For my 14 year old part-Maine Coon house cat, the litter box in the shower works fine. But it's a non-standard litter box, a plastic storage box from s'Lowe's. Smaller footprint, higher sides, better 'handles' than ones from the pet store. Works fine in my unusually small wet bath; litter doesn't get kicked out, and it's easily removed when I use the toilet or shower.

I use clumping litter. Just remember to bag it, not flush it.

I reduce odor by giving Miz Plush only non-fish food, and no milk.

To get the cats accustomed to RV travel, sit with them in it (parked) for an hour. Next day, two hours. At the end of each, give them a major treat, or their daily feeding. Next day, drive them around the block, then the treat or food. Next day 1/2 hour drive, treat or food. See how it goes. From the start, find a gentle way to teach them that the driver's lap & footwell are off-limits; I used a water pistol and 'No!'.

Miz Plush is a very timid cat despite being a husky-built 14 pounder. She never 'rushes' the door. I keep her in a harness and leash for safety when when carrying her out and back in from the house. It paid off when I took a hard pratfall on the icy steps one morning last winter.

I keep a soft-sided pet carrier folded up under the couch, for use in RV emergencies. I have a short leash tied off in the overcab bunk so I can slip her harness on and restrain her during things like ferry inspections.

Even after 8 years, she still get her treat (canned food) sometime during any trip. Her purr is louder & longer at night in the camper than at home, so I think she likes it. We've traveled for as much as 3 weeks.

Hope this helps. Happy travels!

Jim, "Mo' coffee!"

[kickstart]

Wife and I both like dogs just haven't got one after our lab died.
Also spell check made it a federal cat I typed in a f word that is a nice way of saying wild cat, didn't want to hurt the cats feelings.

[CA_POPPY]

memo to self: Do not post while asleep...

[cyntdon2010]

Wife has 3 cats, Why do I have to be the wise-ass?

I think it time to get a new wife.

one that like Dogs!!

[amandasgramma]

If you don't have a washer and dryer area, you can put a litter box under the couch (sometimes). Ours goes under the couch and the cats don't have any problems. I don't like putting them in the shower.......no matter what we do about it, one of our cats will kick the litter out. I worry about it going down the drain. And yes, I've lined the shower with papers. We shower every morning in our rig (that's why we bought it!!!!).....and hated the work involved with removing and replacing the litter box.

BTW -- start by taking the cats out to the rig and sitting with them for an hour or more. Keep increasing the time, then after a week, take them for a short ride......then increase that. To just toss older cats in a rig and driving off will scare the bejeebers out of them!

[DrTanTodd]

If you want to put the cats outside go to kittywalk.com we use those with the cats outside when we are around. We also place the litter box in the washer/dryer area of our camper as that is just an extra storage area. We just keep the door open on it so they have their own little bathroom.

[buta4]

2oldman wrote:
Federal cats usually come with a lot of paperwork.

LOL