RaiderGirl33
Canadohta Lake
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I have an 11 year old cat that is indoors only he has only ever been outside this house to go to the vet. He is neutered with all of his shots and is healthy. We have been leaving him alone with plenty of food and the bathtub dripping cold water (that is how he always drinks) on the weekends while we are at camp. My Mother also stops by daily to check on him but he is not liking this arrangement at all. When we get back he is obviously mad at us for the first day and afterwards will not leave our laps and cries if we are more than a foot away. I am thinking of bringing him with us for a weekend but have some concerns. Dogs-There are always dogs at the campground, they are supposed to always be leashed but you never know. I plan to keep him in the camper and not let him out but I worry about the change itself. Are we better off letting him adapt to having the house to himself on weekends or becoming a camp cat? I know that some of you camp with cats how do you do it? Do you keep them inside or put them on a leash? Have any of you started camping with a mature cat?
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magnusfide
On the Road Again and Again and Again...
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We have one the same age that is very set in his ways as an alpha male. We took him with us to a local cg just to see how he adapted to the change in environment. He didn't. He shot out the door first opportunity at the campsite. We were able to corner him under the rv and get him back in. We drove him home immediately.
While your fur child may dislike your absence, my money says he would dislike having his territory changed even more. Let him stay at home where he'll feel more secure. He'll eventually accept your mother if she feeds him his favorite treat like tuna or other food.
First law of science: don't spit into the wind.
Keep on rollin'!
Magnus
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2chiefsRus
USA Somewhere
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We used to travel with two elderly cats (passed on at 20 & 18). They were over 8 when we took them on their first camping trip. They adapted very well. Being able to travel with our pets was one of the reasons we got in to RVing in the first place. I would at least give it a try.
We used to walk our cats on leashes at home and on the road. I wouldn't try a leash at a campground until I was comfortable with one on him at home first.
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bamcote
KsMeMoTn
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Our three cats were about 10 when we first started camping with them. While we readied the TT, we took the cats individually out to the trailer and let them explore, then brought all of them out. They treated it as if it was another room in our house. They didn't like the trip in the truck on the way to the campgrounds, but once there, they settled in fine. I did always make sure they had an identification tagged collar on in the event they escaped, but we always made them unwelcome around the door, so they always moved away when we came or went through the door. Still have a 17 yr old and a younger 4 yr old and no issues once we get to the campsite.
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Joy
Henderson KY 42420
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Sam loved all of our rigs - something about cats liking small spaces, I think. She hated the trip but loved it after we stopped. When we had the truck, she traveled in a crate - in the MH she chose her spot which was under the sofa as soon as the engine was started. She only went out the door 2 times - neither time did I see her but, fotunately, she came back both times. And you have to watch slides - small spaces, remember? - always know where the cat is before moving a slide!!
See ya' down the road!
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qtla9111
Monterrey, Mexico
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Our cats love to be in the SUV. They spend most of their time sleeping in their carriers. After a gas up and we know we have a long stretch, we'll let them out, they usually drift back to their respective carriers.
We do some walking on a leash, a lot depends on how much noise and traffic there is. If it's quiet, they'll explore for quite a bit. Ours are 12 and 5 years old.
I will say that the younger one gets cabin fever. We were on the road for the month of May and I didn't feel too good keeping her cooped up for four weeks. We did walk her and put her outside in her crate. Last summer we were in the mountains taking care of an rv park here in Mexico. After the first week we let them out to roam knowing if anything happened we would be there for a while. They went out for a couple of hours but always came back home.
My fear is in an rv park with lots of rigs. They get underneath them and might get confused as to which one is theirs. Maybe I am being paranoid.
Overall, they love travel and we love having them with us.
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Code2High
One hour past Nowhere, CA
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Take him and find out! A lot of cats, I would say most cats, seem to love the rv and the campout itself from what we hear here. Not all like the ride there, but you might try a different crate for camping (that he doesn't associate with the vet) and a big fluffy towel sprayed liberally with cat pheremones and sprinkled with catnip for good measure. Throw in a few favorite treats for him to find when he settles down and who knows? He might decide he likes it. If he hates it and you don't feel like he's going to change his mind, you can always go back to what you're doing now.
Definitely you won't be wanting him to go outside. A carrier is the safest place for him to travel, and he should be secured in that going from house to TV to rig or house to rig if you have a MH type. In the TV be sure windows are up and doors closed and locked before opening the crate for any reason.
In the rig, you can do a couple of things about the door. One is to scare him away from the door. The other is to give him a specific treat in a specific place near the door when you go out or come in the door. It should be a high value treat he can't get otherwise. I did this with two of mine at home to teach them to wait on the couch by the door, rather than jumping on my shoulders to go outside. Once they know that treat is coming, they don't want to move an inch and that can be very useful.
If you can have the rig at home then having him spend time out there a few times before you go may be helpful. Mine took to it like they were born there but every cat is different.
One other caution.... You must have physical control of the cat or have it in another room where you can see it when you operate the slides. Cats will go in those tight little spaces and the result is messy and sad if the slides are operated when a living thing is where it shouldn't be.
susan
Fuzzy Wuzzy was a wabbit, Fuzzy Wuzzy had a dandelion habit! RIP little Wuz... don't go far.
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computerbug
Sarasota
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We started taking our kitty after she got diabetes (12yrs) and needed 2 shots a day. She meowed the first 2 times then she was fine for 5 more yrs. We used a jump in litter box and a good size crate to put her in when we stopped, also a large paper bag that she would climb in and sleep. Good Luck. We now have 2 kitties that we started taking at 8 wks, once the engine starts they go under the couch where we placed a small dog bed, and stay until we stop, then they go stretch out on the dash.
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Ohiojude
Greensburg PA
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We had 2 cats that we would leave at home as well. They were fine as they had each other. Then our girl passed away and we couldn't leave Napolean at home. He was older, 9 y/o at the time. We started by taking him out to the camper and just spending time in it while parked in the drive way. We were lucky,he loved traveling and made the whole experience great. We loved having him with us. I hope this helps. Good Luck.
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RaiderGirl33
Canadohta Lake
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Thank you every one for all the advise. I think that I will buy a harness and try to get him used to that first as I would like to have him on a long leash inside the trailer until I feel comfortable that he will not escape. We camp by a pond that is filled with frogs and other nocturnal noisy animals that I would like to record to get him used to the noise. I also think that I will pick a weekend when there is rain in the forecast so that the park will not be crowded with people and we will spend more time in the camper with him. Thanks again.
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