Cats in motorhomes

The ultra leather wasn't a scratching post but the young one found out she could get attention by puncturing the chair when she wanted to go out.    I don't think ultra-leather has the right texture or tactile feel for claw-sharpening exercises.

John Canfield said:

The ultra leather wasn't a scratching post but the young one found out she could get attention by puncturing the chair when she wanted to go out.    I don't think ultra-leather has the right texture or tactile feel for claw-sharpening exercises.

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That's kinda' how we felt. That's why I wondered about the punctures. Are you able to clip your cats' nails to keep them less sharp?

JudyBKM said:

We just bought s ome double-sided sticky tape. I had been using clear packing tape but decide this might be better.

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My last feline friend, Nikolai (a Russian Blue) was an accomplished RV dismantler. I "did" stop any scratching by having two scratching posts set up and ready for him the first time he entered the rig. If he ever strayed to furniture or whatever, I placed balloons wherever he ventured. Once he exploded one, he rarely returned to that spot.

Bob Buchanan said:

My last feline friend, Nikolai (a Russian Blue) was an accomplished RV dismantler. I "did" stop any scratching by having two scratching posts set up and ready for him the first time he entered the rig. If he ever strayed to furniture or whatever, I placed balloons wherever he ventured. Once he exploded one, he rarely returned to that spot.

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Boy, are you mean!! 

We've used squirt bottles, but Izzy comes back from more -- granted not immediately, but nothing seems to deter him. I guess we're lucky that he hasn't actually destroyed any furniture, just kind of "injured" it. 

JudyBKM said:

That's kinda' how we felt. That's why I wondered about the punctures. Are you able to clip your cats' nails to keep them less sharp?

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Yes - we do clip nails about once a month.. except when we forget.  After chair puncturing we remember it is time for a manicure.  Trimmed nails do help, but the effect doesn't last too long.

John Canfield said:

Yes - we do clip nails about once a month.. except when we forget.  After chair puncturing we remember it is time for a manicure.  Trimmed nails do help, but the effect doesn't last too long.

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We're trying to remember to clip his nails weekly. The back nails are a much better challenge than the front though.

We're learning slowly about cats in motorhomes.  We thought we had worked out a plan on our first trip.  We put the 2 cats and dog in the front, closed the bedroom door, and brought the slides in.  Then we put the cats and dog in the back and brought the front slides in. 

Then we opened the door.

The dog, George S. Patton, Jr. walked out.

I started searching for the cats.  Arthur Pendragon was under the bed.  I captured him and removed him to the front.  But Emerald was nowhere to be found.

We realized that with the slides closed the panels separating the bed from the engine compartment had gaps.

I started pulling out access panels.  No cat.

More panels.  Finally I saw a tail sitting on some electronic modules.  I could barely reach it but successfully extracted Emerald.  We put her in the front.

Then we started up and moved the coach.  We hadn't gotten 100 yards when The Redhead said "Arthur is missing.  Pull over."

We were on a one lane dirt road deep in a ranch.  There was nowhere to pull off to except a field. 

I did.  A search turned up one area of cabinetry that might have been accessible from the area between the cabinet on the kitchen slide and the cabinet not on the kitchen slide.  Behind that cabinet was a plywood plate held in by Phillips head screws.  It was big enough to conceal a cat.

I went to the basement and retrieved a Phillips head screwdriver and returned.  Arthur had appeared magically.

Both cats have since traveled in their crate.  They do not like it.  Scratching and howling noises disturb the "silence" of a motorhome in flight.  We turn up the SIRIUS a bit.  On the other hand they're very friendly when we stop.

But then The Redhead decided to walk Arthur because he wanted out all the time.  She got him a harness and took him for a walk.

This worked once.  The next time he played Houdini cat and threw the harness over his head and ran under the coach, attempting to climb one of the leveling jacks while I was destroying knees and elbows trying to reach him on the 1-2" rocks that make up the gravel at the site.  Eventually The Redhead reached him.  He hid in the curbside sofa for the next three days, but he has recovered now.

Holes in Ultraleather?  Too busy to notice.

CurtRR said:

We're learning slowly about cats in motorhomes.  We thought we had worked out a plan on our first trip. . . . Holes in Ultraleather?  Too busy to notice.

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Cute(?) stories.

We once "lost" Izzy (if you access this link, scroll down to see Izzy/motorhome pix). In the middle of the night, there was a thunderstorm. Izzy does not like thunder and ran under the dashboard. The problem was, when Stu took a flashlight to look for him, he was nowhere to be found. While I'm sure it's not logical that there would be an opening from under the TV to the engine -- because we simply couldn't find the cat, Stu went out in the rain and opened the hood. He got very wet -- but, of course, no cat. Finally, when the thunder subsided, another look with the flashlight yielded two eyes. Before we traveled again, our RV tech rep constructed a screen to prevent Izzy from hiding . . . wherever it was that he was hiding. 

After that experience, we were at a rally, and a couple arrived for dinner very upset. They had parked their MH . . . and couldn't find their cat. It was quite clear that the cat had not "escaped" because he was deemed missing before any doors were opened. So Stu/hubby told the story about Izzy hiding behind the TV and went back to their rig to help them look for kitty. They opened drawers, closets, etc. Finally, when just about ready to give up, Stu turned a swivel chair to its proper position, and there, sitting on the chair, was the cat (probably giggling to himself at all the commotion). They decided that thte cat had probably been under the chair behind the "skirt" and eventually decided to come out.

Don't you just love cats?

Howdy, Judy.
Glad to C U back here. How are you and Stu and Izzy?

Our cat Oreo can put her claws in real leather, found that out the hard way. UltaLeather is a lot softer. Fergedaboutit.  ;D  ;D

Oreo travels in a really nifty crate and has her own pseudo-sheepskin pad to sit or sleep on.  This crate does collapse and we keep it behind the navigator's chair when we are parked.

What's new with y'all?  RVing to Florida?

Best regards,
Liz

Jackliz said:

Howdy, Judy.
Glad to C U back here. How are you and Stu and Izzy?

Our cat Oreo can put her claws in real leather, found that out the hard way. UltaLeather is a lot softer. Fergedaboutit.   ;D   ;D

Oreo travels in a really nifty crate and has her own pseudo-sheepskin pad to sit or sleep on.  This crate does collapse and we keep it behind the navigator's chair when we are parked.

What's new with y'all?  RVing to Florida?

Best regards,
Liz

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This seems to be a repeat message. See my reply: "Reply #15."

The new question, however, refers to Florida. No, we're going to Arizona for two weeks in mid-January. Then we may drive to Florida in March, as we have several stops to make. However, we don't have a new RV yet -- so we'll be traveling by car.

Hope you have both been well!

JudyBKM said:

No problem. Actually, it's nice to be welcomed. 

Keep in mind that it's much colder in the northeast than in FL -- "cool" isn't as bad as "cold," especially when it's windy. 

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55 this morning at 0730. Will be 73 this afternoon.

Jim Dick said:

55 this morning at 0730. Will be 73 this afternoon.

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Thanks for the reminder. 

When people ask me how many cats we have ??  My answer is 2!  Two Many.  We have resently rescued 2 Siamese and won't answer the door or look out the window if we think there might be another basket of joy waiting for us.  Susan is still working and although I've been retired for several years, our kitty population has grown to 5 inside cats and  Wallace "the HUNTER" outdoor cat.    We have learned that the only  way to travel with the girls is to count them at the breakfast table, lock them in the toilet room and then bring  in the slides.  After we have done all prep and run through the checklist, we let the girl out for the trip.  I had to make a cover for the controls on the left side of the dash because one of the RV bandits can sit on the air break and release us to whatever would be in front or in back of us.  Isn't that special?  We, like all rv pet owners love our pet and make arrangemnts for them to be part of our family.  However, our famiy is full.  WE NEED NO MORE HELP!
Please pray for Bev and Bob
joe Bee

Our cat hates the crate.  He loves freedom when he rides, but mostly falls asleep under the desk.

Smoky said:

Our cat hates the crate.  He loves freedom when he rides, but mostly falls asleep under the desk.

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Same here -- but Izzy used to like to "sleep" on my headrest -- not a very safe place to be. He also liked the step area, though, which kept him out of the way. We didn't like it when he would sleep on the table -- too easy for him to slide off if we stopped fairly quickly. (No one wants to stop FAST in a MH!!)