Travling with a TC and a cat

[WANA__B]

Searched but could not find.. what would be the best way to travel with a cat? Put him in the TC? Get a boot between truck and TC? What do some of you do?

[bka0721]

Can't find it now, but if you search btggraphix posts, you will find a thread on how he built a cat area in his Lance camper. Also, the Truck Camper Magazine people, Angela and Gordon, travel with this Great Dane sized cat named; Harley. Maybe I exaggerated a bit on the size of their cat, but not much.

b

[HMS_Beagle]

We routinely travel with the cat. I made a boot between the camper and truck window, mostly he likes to travel in the cab but he will change his mind from time to time. When we stop we can push him through the window into the camper and shut it so we can open the doors in traffic etc. without worry.

I even added a bathroom for him: cut a cat door through an inner wall and dedicated an outdoor accessible compartment. Easy to service, out of sight inside.

[R2D1]

We have traveled with 2 cats and have a similar setup to Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli. We have a crew cab and made a custom “hammock” that covers the entire back seat and wraps up to about level with the top of the front seat backs. The hammock has sides that go up to about window level to protect the door panels. This setup keeps the cats somewhat confined to the back seat yet we can still reach over to pet and feed them. We don’t allow the cats up to the front seats unless the passenger is awake and monitoring them at all times. The last thing we want is to have one of them getting into the driver’s foot compartment and potentially behind the pedals. We have a “Pet Tube” that we keep a litter box in which resides behind the driver’s seat and their carrier sits behind the passenger seat with a pillow on top. The cats can hide in the carrier or tube if they feel they need comforts of a more confined space and they can hop onto the top of the carrier if they want to look out the window. We also made a boot so the cats can travel from the cab to the camper at will and we keep a second litter box in the camper. If you have any slides, be sure you know where your cats are before operating them.

[narcodog]

Wayne, thanks for allowing it. This is a timely subject for us.

[bfacklam]

We carry two cats in our tc. We also have a pass through window, so they can roam as they wish. The older cat spends most of the day on my wife's lap. They younger one roams from front to back. Their food, water and liter box are in the back. They enjoy watching the scenery as we go down the road, and watch everything when we are parked and outside. Both cats like to sleep with us in our tc bed. They provide great company, and are great travelers. They have been to almost 30 states and Canada.

[jimh406]

We use a leash with harness when outside, a crate on the way, and a small litter box when the cat comes along. She likes the camper OK, but she's old at 17.

[Reddog1]

Camper_Jeff_&_Kelli, great detailed and informative post.

I will leave this thread in the TC Forum for now, but will probably move it to the RV Pet Stop forum, for more input.

Wayne
Moderator

[Owyheedog]

We did the same as Cruiseruser. He stayed in a carrier in the backseat while traveling then had the run of the camper when we were stopped. One lesson learned.... don't put a cat box on the floor next to the propane detector unless you want to be rudely awakened in the night.

[Wagonqueen_Truc]

awwwww so CUTE. He looks like my cat, Marley...

[cruiseruser]

Hello,
We have traveled with a cat and dog for several years. The dog has his spot in the truck behind the front seat (super cab). The cat is housed in a small crate between us as we drive.
When we stop anywhere for an extended time, the cat is taken to the truck camper, uncrated and allowed to relax until we return. This has worked well for us. We are lucky that both of our animals travel well.
Good luck.

[Camper_Jeff___K]

We keep the window pass through between the cab and TC open. Litter box goes behind me and we have 3" foam padding level on top of the box at side door window level for him to look out. We keep his large carrier with bed pad on the other side of the rear bench so he has a dark place to hide if he wants. We leave a little food and water on the seat between those two items. That really takes care of his needs. It's easy to clean the cat box when needed. He likes to get up into the bed at night with us or he'll go do his cat thing. We move the food into the camper at night to encourage him to spend time with the humans. In the daytime if we go anywhere, we open the TC cab over windows and turn the Fantastic vent to draw air outside. He can also get into the cab if it gets too hot. The cab never gets hotter than the ambient temperature as it is always fully shaded by the TC so we don't worry about him getting too hot. He will also lay next to the window and the fan draws in a decent breeze across him so that keeps him cool too. Heat has never been a problem. Winter camping we leave the furnace at 60 but he will also climb under the bed blankets so he's seems smart enough to stay warm. He's trained to walk on a leash. He knows the only way he's ever going to get out that TC door is on leash. When we walk him, we keep a close eye out for dogs and other problems before they become problems. If crossing borders, be sure to get the needed shots and keep the papers with you. For us, it's worked out really great to take Charlie along. He's more like a dog than a cat so that makes him easier than some other cats. Take the cat camping for a night in the driveway and see how it goes for a couple nights. Give kitty a couple nights under the belt and I bet it'll work out.





We added the opening pass through window since this picture was taken just for him but it also made the truck rear view mirror easier to use since I didn't have to look at traffic through three darkened glass layers, now just the TC door window.


Charlie leering at us walking away. You could see how bad he wanted to go with us.


Charlie before his morning cup of coffee.


Everybody gets their spot around the campfire.


Wakeup one.


Wakeup two.


Wakeup three.


Wakeup four.

It's been great fun taking Charlie along.