cats ....

We are heading to Florida soon, with our pets, and we'd like to make the transition as smooth as possible.  We have one cat who hates being in a carrier.  We are towing a 25' Keystone Zeppelin and plan to keep the pets in it while driving.  The cat would torment us with incessant howling, otherwise!  (the other two are large house rabbits, and they will be confined under the couch or the dinette while driving, still working on that)

I've researched "cat" on this forum and am not really finding the advice I need ...

We intend to ultimately cut a hole with a cat door  into the storage bay for her litterbox, but we also need to block off access to the rest of the bay, so I'm not sure how quickly that can be done.  I don't like the idea of keeping the box in the bathroom, due to smell concerns, but I'm considering using the bathtub as her "nook" while driving, so she can be in a small space.  But maybe one of the kids would let her hide out in their bunk ... how worried should I be?  In our stick house, she has a hiding space in the back corner or our closet, but the trailer is MUCH smaller than our house!  not a lot of spaces to dedicate to a shy cat.

Also, can we put cat poop in the toilet/black tank?  We don't use clay or clumping litter.

thanks
--janis

We take our cat with us quite often. Rides in the truck with us, sits on the console about 90% of the time. He rides in the crate quite well, but that can be a little stuffy for many hours at a time. The only strange thing is that when we take off, if he is in the carrier, no noises. When he sits on the console some of the howls coming out of him will make your hair stand up! Sometimes this goes on for 2 minutes, most was half an hour. Then he curls up and sleeps for most of the duration. I have a enclosed cat litter pan, I put it on the floor of the truck with clean litter, but he's yet to use it in the truck. The last couple of trips I have put the carrier next to the back door and he will sit on top and watch the cars go by.

You can put the cat poo in the toilet, just make sure there's no litter with it. Just straight poo.

No problem with flushing the poop, but don't dump the litter in there, regardless of type. It's like pouring in sand.

I'm not sure what advice you are looking for re traveling.  Left to themselves, cats will choose their own hidey hole for traveling, and also when parked. They may burrow into something you wish they hadn't!

Personally I would not put a pet in a moving trailer - they will really get thrown around back there. It is going to be very stressful at best and dangerous at worst. It really bounces around back there.  If you do it, I'd say the more confined the better.  If the cat is not a good traveler in the car, maybe you should leave it at home with a friend or family member.

If they get thrown around they could get hurt and you would never know it until you went back to the trailer.  Also, if they're at all prone to motion sickness I can imagine them getting sick and making quite a mess.  I wouldn't leave any pets I cared about in a moving trailer.

ArdraF

I live with two cats full time in my motorhome. I keep the poop palace right in the living room and smell is never an issue. I have asked about a dozen people who have entered my motorhome if they could smell the litter box and everyone has said no. I use an enclosed litter box just like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Van-Ness-CP7-Enclosed-Litter/dp/B0002ASCGM/ref=sr_1_6?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1325512902&sr=1-6

About $20 at Walmart. I use scooping litter that costs about $7 for 28 pounds. I scoop the litter box every morning and put the little presents into a baggie that I toss into the trash. Once every two weeks I throw away the litter and replace it with a fresh box. Right now the litter box is located less than three feet from my nose, it has not been scooped since yesterday morning and there simply isn't an odor. If there was an odor problem there is no way I would be traveling with cats.

We don't travel on a regular basis with any of our cats but we did survive a 19 hour drive (moving) with 3 of them in tow. Each had their own harness and they worked beautifully.  http://www.petco.com/product/110969/Coastal-Pet-Black-Mesh-Cat-Harness.aspx I did get some funny looks and a few chuckles at the rest stops while exercising them. I am a firm believer in having all animals constrained in vehicles for the safety of the driver, passengers and the animals themselves. I would really hate to have an animal become a flying projectile if the event of an accident. Our dogs currently have their own harnesses too and when they come out the dogs know they are going on a road trip. Doesn't matter if it 5 or 500 miles ,LOL  http://www.dogcollarsboutique.com/Tru-Fit-Smart-Dog-Harness-p-558.html
You might also talk to your vet about getting something to help your cats relax. Benedryl is inexpensive and works quite well. Sometimes a sleepy animal is a happy animal.

On another topic, I know a lot of people travel with their animals or fulltime with them and I am curious how many have an emergency first aid kit? A quick visit with our vet and we left with a list that has become our onboard first aid kit. Bugbites, bandages and skunk rememdy

Lowes or Home Depot will have some plastic lattice fencing, easiily cut and "Shaped" if you need to, it's ideal for making a "Cat Cage".

When I first started camping with the kitties I built a large (4 by 5 cage 4' tall) out of this stuff. built around the dinette it was the cat's travel home.

Since they have found their own cubby which is fairly safe and secure and that's where they stay.


You might wish to make a field trip to your cat-family vet and make sure their shots and papers are up to date before traveling...

Our cats have always traveled with us in the motorhome or truck when we pulled trailers. Smell was never a concern.  I'll grant that the howls of an uncomfortable cat can be unnerving, though. However, tey usually quit it after awhile.

We would never travel with our pets in the trailer, they would be terrified and could easily get hurt. The cat doesn't travel with us, she hates being in a vehicle even for a short distance. She has probably figured out it usually means a trip to the vet ;D OTOH, we can't go anywhere without the traveling dawg.

Cats don't have great vision, they hunt by seeing motion. When a cat is in a vehicle if the cat looks outside the motion literally drives the cat nuts. It is a sensory overload. I got both of my cats when they were young and got them used to driving in a vehicle right away. I would take them on short trips many times per day till they got used to the idea. Both of my cats are suburb travelers and never give me any problem.

seilerbird said:

Cats don't have great vision, they hunt by seeing motion.

Click to expand...

Not sure what you are basing your information on, but to my knowledge, cats have very acute sight, hearing, and smell.  At least both of mine do. 

Alot of people let their kitties out at night to roam the neighborhood.  They usually always find their way home come breakfast time.  Most times before the sun comes up.  I doubt it's by GPS.  And although both of my kitties are declawed and indoor cats, they find their way around the house just fine in the total darkness of the house.

Cats are predators by nature.  A kitty with less than average eyesight would go hungry.  Motion would not be enough to convince a cat that their prey is acceptable or not. 

However, cats do need training to travel.  A couple of tricks that may help...

Approx. a week before leaving, put a bath size towel in the cats bed so the kitty gets used to the new bedding and leaves their scent on it.  When beginning your trip, put the same towel into the RV in the spot where the cat will be bedded down.  The familiar scent and texture of the towel will provide comfort.  Telling the kitty that the spot is a safe haven.  After a few trips, the kitty should get the hang of it.  You can also try using the same towel trick by putting the towel into a carrier.  As with our cats, putting them into a carrier usually equates to taking them to the vet.  And sometimes that is not a enjoyable experience.  Kitty will remember that experience.  A familiar "towel" may calm kitty down in transit.  Even for a shy cat.  Kitty needs to feel safe and secure in unfamiliar surroundings.  You can help with that.

Another tip is don't feed the cat/cats just before beginning the trip.  A snack or two during the trip until destination is achieved will be just fine.  Some cats get nervous enough to get sick during the trip.  A relatively empty stomach will help with that problem.  Water to drink and a snack along the way should be just fine until you get to FL.
Litterbox would be a necessity.  Keep it in their comfort zone as the cat is learning.  Even if it means a little more work for you during the trip.  It's worth it over time and the cats get used to traveling.

These are just a couple of tips.  Our family has had pets consisting of Ferrets, to Parrots, to the cats and dogs we still currently have.  Although you may doing everything possible to keep the pet comfortable, sometimes their bellies just aren't up to the trip.  You will have a mess to clean up.  They are animals after all and you have to remember that fact.  Just like you would clean up after one of your own children when they were toddlers.

I have found in time they get acustom to taking trips.  Now the German Shepard sleeps on the back seat and the two cats take their favorite napping spots in the car/truck on the way to the RV.  One likes to lie in the sun under the back window and the other in the lap of whoever will have her.

BTW...works for puppies too!

Maybe you would should reconsider using a kitty litter that clumps up.  Even if just for the trip.  Makes clean up a lot easier and easy disposal along the way.  To be sure, not down the toilet of the RV!

A lot of info.  I know.  Hope all goes well.

Well, tough one here, cause 'our way' does directly conflict with others, sorry about that.  However, for years we had 'Lenard' in the TV with us, poor guy was a mess.  He would be so stressed out in the TV, howling endlessly, we tried everything, inside carrier, outside, nothing worked.  We tried the pills from the vet, went through his uncontrolled vomit and poop... not pretty with him in the TV.  He's part of the family, so was hard to see him so stressed out.  Last year was the turning point for us!  Decided to put him with his litterbox, food, water in the 5Ver.  Wow, what a difference this made for everyone, most importantly Lenard.  Now, Lenard sit's on the couch, is happy and has his litterbox, food and water when he want's what-ever.  When we stop, there he is when we open the door, half n' eye open, sleeping on the couch, much less stress than all the years we tried to force him to stay in the TV.  Last summer on the way to Myrtle Beach, we stopped at our usual Walmart in Emporia, he was normal when we put the slide out, purring and walking around immediately, vs the hiding under what-ever like previous years.  Lenard's a happy traveler now.  BTW, yea, what I don't do for that cat.... had a generator running in the back of the TV so king Lenard had aircon all the way to Myrtle.....

Do yourself a favor and Google cat vision and you will see what I am basing my statement on. Cats have excellent night vision but lousy day vision. Most cats hunt all night and sleep all day and have no need for good daytime vision.

In summary, the cat?s eye is specialized to see in dim and changing light. To achieve this it sacrifices the ability to focus close up, detail vision, and some color vision. It is the vision of a hunter active in both day and night, enabling it to detect movement under any lighting conditions, to use binocular vision to gauge distance, and to aim correctly to catch prey.

When my ex and her cat were traveling with me we were lucky and the cat adjusted immediately to the Southwind.  Sometimes she'd curl up on my left shoulder as I drove and she would look out the driver's door window.  Most times she preferred the flat area on the dash in front of the passenger seat where we laid a towel out for her, that was HER space and she sure looked like she enjoyed watching traffic.  When we returned to our home base in Ohio she would get antsy as we got within five miles, I had to wonder if she smelled her home territory.  We used a covered litter box under the dinette table so very little litter wound up on the floor.

We have 2 cats and they travel with us in the MH.  We didn't really know what to expect and had no previous experience so we learned how to travel with them by trial and error.  We began by putting them in cat carriers under the dinette - that didn't last long because they complained bitterly and constantly about it.  They both tried to hide after letting them out of the cat carriers.  One found his way under the bed because there is a hole when the slide is out.  It's not a storage space in our MH and it's dusty and greasy because of the slide mechanism.  We now plug up the opening with pillows while trying to figure a way to permanently seal the opening.  Next, he crawled up under the dashboard.  I thought he had gotten out and searched the campground and the entire MH before he came out looking for food.  That has been another challenge to seal up - hubby put fiberglass screening underneath but it won't stay up so that's another problem to solve.  Third hiding space was in the space under the wardrobe when the slide is in.  We could hear her crying but couldn't find her and figured out where she was - slowly letting out the slide so as not to hurt her - she finally came out on her own - silly cat.  Litter is in a litter box in the bathroom and scooped when somthing yucky appears - into disposable bags - we've never had an odor problem.  We now put the cats in the bedroom area when traveling, close the hall door and let them sleep on the bed or under the counter at the end of the bed - they seem happiest there and they don't howl.  They have access to litter in the bathroom and we put their water bowl in a non-splash pet bowl back there.  So far that's worked best.  It's been an adventure but so far we've done a 5 week journey without a problem.  What we don't do for our 4 legged furkids!

Our cats also like to hide under the bed.. However in our case it's not so dusty or greasey (different slide system, ours are Accu-Slide cable cars).

The problem is with the slides all the way out, The cats were stuck there.

I ended up cutting an opening 1st so we could see they were there and encourage them to emerage and the 2nd so they can come out (under the foot) even when the bed is fully out.  They love it, they are more or less secure there and safe.


Orignially I used a cage built around the dinette, it was 5 feet long, 4 feet wide and high.  Made of plastic lattice fencing.  I used removable pin hinges to hook the ends together and replaced the pins with spring pins (The kind that come with hitch pins which you should replace with somethign locking very fast, only smaller) worked good for the first year, then we let 'em roam.

The cats are now used to travelling,  They only time they really complain is when we move them from house to house (Fixed to motor) and since we went full time, we don't do that any more.

Now the only problem is the female (Well fixed female, or is that broken female) likes to get in my way and play "Kitten on keys" (8 years old kitten?)  Really improves my typing when she hlelps

Thanks for the feedback.  We are going to start our trip with all the animals in the truck and see how that goes.  We have a harness for the cat, and we're thinking she might actually do well in the cubby space behind the back seats, if she hates the carrier too much.  (megacab - toddler can fit back there - we usually just stuff coats back there - nothing "hard")

I know it's safer for pets to be in carriers - just like kids in car seats.  I'm just trying to balance their safety with their comfort and stress level.  I've known of pets who have suffered serious injuries in minor accidents in a pet carrier, so I'm not actually convinced that a pet carrier is always the safest place for a pet.

Just like the kid's car seat,, Unless the carrier is properly secured by a seat belt, and most of them are NOT designed for that kind of securing, it's no better (in fact can be worse epically with cats) than loose.

Biggest danger with pets is if they get under the brake pedal.. I actively discourage them from coming near me when I'm driving.  So far, it has worked,, Of course since I gave 'em permission to hide under the bed, they go there when we move and keep clear of said pedal.

The carriers didn't fly in the two car accidents I'm referring to.  The pets slammed into the front end of the carrier and suffered head injuries and died.  No amount of securing the carrier would help.  Those accidents were very very minor rear-ends.

When we have to use a carrier, we use the smallest possible size or pad it with hay or towels or squish two pets together.  *and wedge the carrier on the floor or use a seat belt.  No matter what, when you get into a car, there is always a risk.