Cats and RVing

[Bestworkcamper]

We fulltimed for 3 years with our cats.Yes there were some adjustments but in the end we feel they adapted very well.The biggest issue we had is they still had their claws and when content they would scratch on the furniture.Despite having scratching pads and towers.As all of us pet owners,we treat them as family and overlook faults.Unfortunatly,we have since quit RVing and now trying to sell our coach that has scratch marks. We have been looking at replacing or recovering.We wonder if anyone has had this happen and what they did.

[obedb]

I feel your pain a little. We have a neutered male brown tabby that has threaded a little of the upholstery. I think a pair of dog clippers might make it go away. We leave mid August with him and a recently adopted female. I am going to try to avoid further damage. Maybe thumb tacking additional material to favorite areas. Could find an upholstery in your area to perhaps help you. Our dinette booth cushions were covered with removable vinyl covers and it was not expensive.

[BearAndMoon]

Brad,

Thank you for a great idea on removing the washer/dryer combo. We are the second owners of a 40ft Phaeton. We were out almost three months on our first trip in it last fall. Did not use it once. When I dewinterize the unit soon, I hope to do the same thing.

Any advice you offer on the removal would be appreciated and what brand of fan do you use?

What type of door or covering would also be helpful. I guess that I could wing it, but there is no substitute for experience.

Thanks!

Byron

I work with Acrylic, (Plexiglass) as one of my hobbies, and I had a spare 4' x 8' sheet of 1/4 inch black Delrin, a nylon based product. We covered the inside of the louvred doors with EPDM rubber pond liner at first, however the cats tore it off. So I cut the extra Delrin to fit, and used stainless steel screws to hold it in place, with a thin Neoprene rubber gasket to prevent any chance of light escaping at night, and no aggravating rattles...

[obedb]

Brad
The accommodations you have given your cats are really something. With just two, I want to get the litter box out of sight and pulling the washer combo out seems the best choice. The only way to give them a private entrance is probably through the wall of the private toilet closet. Perhaps I might remove the cabinet doors, wrap them, and store them safely at home. Then I could install a spring loaded curtain rod for some privacy. After all, we have loads of oak to admire in the coach.

[JWilliams]

Teach them to wear a harness and leash so that you can hook them to something before you open the door. That way, if they do run out, they will not be able to go anywhere.

You can also take along a large,foldable dog cage to use as playpen for them so they can enjoy the fresh air. Make sure to have them microchipped so in case they are lost, they will have identification.

You can also teach them to come when called by using their favorite treats.

[bm02tj]

All our cats loved to camp and we had one that would beat us into the unit. It loved to travel and be with us.

Now we are getting a new on that will be ready to leave the mom and learn to travel in 6 weeks.

[BennieH]

Since my last post,our girl Annie finally had her last RV trip Sept 2015 as her health was failing and that time all pet owners hate arrived.

We now have 2 older cats (both 8yrs) 1 male & 1 female that we adopted (stopped to drop off excess food/etc at the local shelter - you all know how well that turns out!)

They both made the trip to Florida last October/November and had pretty well settled into the whole travel thing at the end of the 2 weeks.

For all you pet lovers, we learned that typically older cats & dogs are the hardest to place. Everyone wants kittens and puppies.

[nitehawk]

Might I suggest that when you want to introduce a cat (or a dog) to your motorhome that you take the pet out to its new abode several times for longer periods of time--while it is shut off-- until the pet gets comfortable with the environment.

Our cat gets absolutely delirious with joy when we take him out to the coach. He runs around like a little kitten (he is 14) and has to investigate everything.

Traveling? He seems to resign himself to the motion and noise just so he can get somewhere new.

[obedb]

Our two cats both dive under the sleep sofa as soon as I put the key in the ignition. They stay under there until we are safely in an RV park. We know where they are so we can quickly grab them in an emergency. The big (15 lbs) neutered male is quick to venture out. The older female is a little slower, but once out they enjoy themselves. The dash covered with rugs is a special place to look at everything.

We miss the dogs we've loved for over forty years, but it is nice to not have to walk a pet at 10PM on a chilly rainy night. Cats rule around our place.

[mikepaddack]

Our cat Cali wasn't excited when we moved her from our 2 story home to a Class A.  Our first trip out we thought we'd have to turn around after more than 4 hours of her meowing ... LOUD!  So, our next trip we bought a dog carrier and put her favorite cardboard box in it with blankets under it for more padding.  The carrier sits on the couch while we drive, and we cover it with a dark blanket leaving just a small opening for her to peak out and watch us.  She curls up and sleeps most of the trip only getting out to stretch her legs when we do.  She loves the campsites, and we have her own camp chair to sit in when we're outside.  She's crazy for campfire rings, and exploring everywhere.  She's up most nights "hunting" from various windows in the RV, and during the daytime we find her sleeping in different locations.  We wouldn't leave home without her ... she's part of the family