Traveling with pets

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Copperhill

Copperhill

Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Posts
16
Location
New Hampshire
Ok odd question.  Please do not consider or call me cruel.  This is only for informational reasons and need to know if people do this or not.

We travel with our dog now, he sits quite comfortably with my boys in the back seat of my pickup.  But we are coming to a stage where we may be traveling not only with the dog but our cats because we will be going to warmer climates on winter.  The cats are self sufficient when we camp for the weekend, but obviously we want to take them with us.

So question is, is it ok to have the cats travel in the fifth wheel?  Do people do this or do I need to devise a different plan.  There is no room in the pickup for large size cat carriers ( I need one for each cat)

Thank you
 
Cruel?
I see no problems with what you propose. As long as the cats are not subject to undue temperatures, have food and water, what's the issue? I see people traveling with pets all the time.
 
It is awfully bouncy in towed trailer, be it a 5W or TT. if you have to leave your cats in a carrier while traveling, make sure the crates are right over the hitch instead of farther back. I actually would like you to think about why you need a carrier at all if they are going to stay in the 5W. Why not let the, roam so they find the most comfortable spot? After all, I assume they will have the full run of the place while you are stationary.

My cats travel in our truck without their carriers. DH has made some great cat towers that fit on the back seat, held with straps. The cats settle into one of them in about 10 minutes. Very easy traveling.
 
I'd like them to be free in the 5th.  The crates was only if they were in the truck (but I couldn't fit them with all of us)

I was thinking about leaving them in the camper to roam, but wasn't sure if that was cruel, or illegal
 
Cats don't experience "bouncy" as humans do. They'll find their spot and be fine.
People rolling in the 5W are illegal. Cats are not.
My wife is a cat person; I am not. However get a few beers in me and I'll grudgingly admit to liking the little rodents.... ?
 
Just be VERY careful opening the trailer door at rest stops and campgrounds. They bolt, and you are going to spend a lot of time chasing them down.

You should take something they recognize (blanket or clothing work) out to the trailer and get them used to it while you are still at home. Get them to understand that the trailer is now part of their turf.
 
Cats do get motion sick...we've had to clean up cat vomit numerous times and that's just been doing long trips in an SUV (4 different cats, in their crates). I think that being in the back of a bouncing trailer would be a pretty distressing experience for them even if you let them roam free. We've also seen 2 of our cats panic inside of a moving vehicle when we tried letting them out of their crates -- one tried to claw himself out -- if this happened out of your sight, it would be really bad.
 
massspike said:
Cats do get motion sick...we've had to clean up cat vomit numerous times and that's just been doing long trips in an SUV (4 different cats, in their crates). I think that being in the back of a bouncing trailer would be a pretty distressing experience for them even if you let them roam free. We've also seen 2 of our cats panic inside of a moving vehicle when we tried letting them out of their crates -- one tried to claw himself out -- if this happened out of your sight, it would be really bad.
Click to expand...

A couple of points.  When we had a trailer we carried the cat (we only had one then) in a cage and the first few trips she would vomit quite a bit making a low thoated noise before vomiting.  Then a friend mentioned that she was told by a vet that cats in a cage should be carried with the cage facing side to side instead of front to back. We tried it and it worked perfectly - no more vomiting.

Next, when we bought the motorhome we tried the side to side positioning and it worked but it was obvious the trips would be longer so we decided to let both cats out and my wife would monitor them closely.  Things have been pretty good.  Sometimes they will both huddle up under the passenger seat. Sometimes one will go under the  passenger seat and the other under the drivers seat. Other times, the older cat will crawl up on the passengers lap while the younger one always stays under the seat.  An on our last trip the older cat has decided that to sit right on the flat dashboard in front of the passenger is a nice observation point.  Now just to confuse everything, both have on occasion decided that the best thing to do hide next to the queen bed at the rear of the coach. Cats - who can figure the out.  LOL
 
My suggestion would be to try a short test drive and see how they do, what their reactions are as they may or may not be freaked out by all the bouncing.  I agree with securing them in a crate over the kingpin where it will be more stable.  The crate for their protection in the event of an abrupt stop, evasive maneuver or worse an accident as in such situations they would become projectiles.
 
I couldn't even guess how many thousands of miles I have driven with two cats just loose in the truck. We keep a small litter box on the floor of the back seat. I have never experienced the slightest problem. Contrary to what some people believe, cats can be trained. Our know that they are not allowed near the driver. Actually, there is one problem. One of the two gets car sick. So far, I have been unable to train her to barf in the litter box.

Once in camp, they enjoy sitting outside with us. When told GO HOME, one will go straight to the door. The other one will run under the 5er to the other side. When I go around to get her, she darts underneath again. By the time I circle back, sh will be sitting at the top of the stairs, looking smug.

Joel
 
Great Horned Owl said:
The other one will run under the 5er to the other side. When I go around to get her, she darts underneath again. By the time I circle back, sh will be sitting at the top of the stairs, looking smug.

Joel
Click to expand...

Contrary to what some cats believe, humans can be trained. ;D
 
kdbgoat said:
Contrary to what some cats believe, humans can be trained. ;D
Click to expand...

I thought everybody knew that. The cats believe that we are the servants. We drive them around. We brush them. We feed them. We scoop their litter. I think they may be right.

Joel
 
I traveled thousands of miles over many years with three cats in my class A. Never had a problem. They were all raised in the RV and periodically it moved. When it would move they would all run and hide until the moving was over. The only problem is when they would attempt to crawl under the dash so I erected a cat dam under the front of the dash to keep them out. Periodically one of them would want to walk on the dash while I was driving but they soon learned that was not allowed. Never had one vomit, poop or meow while I was driving.
 
I'm with Seilerbird--our orange and white tabby has been across the U.S. 13 times (soon to be 14 and 15) in our motorhome and our black and white lady 9 times.  As soon as I start the engine she goes in a closet and hides until we stop.  Rusty will howl for about 30 minutes when we first leave the house but then he is OK.  I figured Rusty has close to 60,000 miles traveling in the RV.
 
The only thing is does your AC run in the trailer while its hooked up? If you're somewhere warm i would think it would get very hot in there very quickly.

I tried this only once with my cat when he left me no choice...I was moving about a mile down the road to a new spot and he would not come with me when I asked politely. When I opened the door at the new spot he hadn't moved from the closet and acted as if he didn't even know the camper had been moved... ::)

 
Little known fact: cats are actually alien observers.  They sit, watch and listen to everything we do, constantly reporting to the aliens in outer space that are very curious about humans.  One of the questions they are trying to answer is why do we want weapons in orbit around our planet that are aimed at ourselves?  ;)
 
The least bouncy place in a towable is directly over the axles.  Most folks with a front or rear kitchen figure this out eventually.
 
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