Traveling with cats

 



Traveling with cats is  tricky. Let's be serious, most things about cats can be tricky!  We have 2 cats. Buster,  our male Tabby and Annie,  a sassy female who is the epitamy of the Calico.   The biggest challenge for them is making the change from being free roamers on our acreage in northern Iowa, being able to come and go from the house on demand, to travelling with us and being forced to tollerate a collar and 12' line when outside.

I read many blogs written by feline lovers who travel and took some great advice away to put to the test with these two.

The first hurdle was to figure out what to do with the litter box.  Many use the shower as a resting place I even met a woman home schooling her kids on the road, who had two cats and a dog.  She travelled in a motorhome and the litter box sat in the drivers seat. Not my first choice but it worked for her.  We have always been partial to 5th wheel campers so my husband made a cat door in the stairs leading up to the raised living area. We put the box in the compartment and the cats have free reign to come and go as needed.  I enter the area from the compartment door and scoop it everyday for them and we all enjoy a nice odor free indoor environment.



I'll talk about the cat condo another time. They really seem to like having their own space when they don't want to deal with their human roomates or visiting miniature humans aka preschool aged grandkids.

Once we committed ourselves to making this lifestyle change we decided to start acclimating Buster and Annie to the lifestyle.  Normally they stayed at home in their outdoor quarters and had free reign of the property and wherever else they decided while we left for the weekend.  Self feeders, numberous water sources and neighbors, for longer absenses, left them pretty free to do whatever they liked. We started taking them on the weekend camping trips close to home. Over the course of the summer and a dozen or so short trips they eventually got used to being tethered when outside, not to say they enjoy the experience but they do nap in their kitty chairs and relax after a few minutes outside.  The frustration ensues when one of them sees a squirrel, or grasshopper or other fun thing to chase and takes off only to be reminded that their travel distance has been limited. That ends the fun and they usually decide they've had enough of outside at that point.

So far we have let them ride in the camper. They have quickly chosed their spots to hunker down while the rig is in motion. There is much to consider in this regard. I read many blogs of those who that let their cats select their own travel nook.  Others adamantly promote putting them in a carrier in the truck with them or in the camper for their own protection.  I will take to position, that these are your pets and you decide what you are comfortable with.  There are some dangers, cabinet doors come open and projectiles can be a threat.  A fast stop can cause loads to shift and a sleeping cat on a couch can quickly become a projectile.  Ours hunker down under the step where their cat door is and the other tucks away between the bed and the closet, so I am pretty comfortable letting them choose their spot, that way they can move about when we stop to fuel and get a drink or use the litter box which they do. They travel quite well as long as we keep a travel day arouund 4-5 hours.  We pulled 7 hours one day in bad weather, high winds and rough roads and they were obviously stressed when we arrived at our destination. They recovered quickly and were in their positions on our laps for TV time after dinner that night. We decided not to make a steady diet out of long travel days for their sake.

It's been 10 weeks of full time camper living so far and they are adapting well. They certainly have made the camper their castle as only cats can do. They reign, pure and simple. They know it and as long as we let them enjoy their perceived status as king and queen of the camper everyone is happy!