Help with frightened cats

[Ohiosnowbird]

We’re traveling with 4 cats. At home they are indoor outdoor cats. They come in at night and sleep, all night. They are leash trained and will go for short walks in the campgrounds we’ve been to. Everything is great when we’re the only folks or among very few people in the campground. But recently, in the more crowded “destination” campgrounds there are dogs that run loose, unleashed, or who bark frequently or constantly and now our cats are afraid to go out resulting in them not sleeping all night. The result, zoomies and yowling that starts at about 3am. Any thoughts on how to correct this behavior?

 

[Chef Duane]

Aren't ALL dogs in a campground supposed to be on a leash even if not being walked? I have one of those corkscrew augers that goes in the ground with about a 15' braided wire tether to keep my pooch in camp. Holds him pretty good considering he's only about 15 lbs and he can still roam in a 30' circle.

I know sometimes vets recommend cat sedatives but I don't know if I would want to turn my kittycats into zombie cats.

 

[John From Detroit]

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About the only thing I can think of... My cats did not like transfer between House and Mobile House (motor home) but once indoors.. 100% calm.

 

[CharlesinGA]

My suggestion, stay away from private campgrounds or ones that are, as you describe, destination campgrounds where people stay for relatively long periods of time. I have never encountered a loose dog in a public campground and most on leash are well mannered (though the couple I frequently travel with have a miniature schnauzer that barks at everything, even me.)

Of no help, but I read an article the other day that Ukrainian soldiers are keeping abandon cats with them in the trenches and shelled out houses they quarter in, to help control mice. The cats are sometimes even outfitted with camo vests with flag patches sewn on them. One soldier said his cat was not even afraid of the Russian shelling, and another said their unit's cat disappeared, only to be found several km away, socializing with other cats.

War cats: Ukraine enlists feline friends in fight against Russia

Edited to correct for a missing word in the last sentence.

Charles

 

[Kirk]

Any thoughts on how to correct this behavior?

Keep your cats at home or on a leash. Most parks that I know of require that all pets be on a leash if outside of the RV.

Aren't ALL dogs in a campground supposed to be on a leash even if not being walked?

I believe that the rule in most parks is all pets must be on a leash when outside. It certainly should be as we get very tired of other people's cats using our location as a restroom and taunting our dog.

 

[CharlesinGA]

The OP is not turning their cats loose (unleashed) in a strange campground. They are saying they cannot take them out of the RV any longer (on leash) because of the dog issue.

Sadly, cats won't change much in this respect. You will have to seek out other places to camp where there are no loose or annoying dogs.

Charles

 

[Kirk]

The OP is not turning their cats loose (unleashed) in a strange campground.

I don't want my flower beds used by the neighbor's cats, even when at home. The sad part is that loose cats sometimes become victims of predators, automobiles, and various other dangers which I'd think the owner would wish to protect them from? I have never understood the lack of concern.

 

[CharlesinGA]

I have "prissy" cats. They will come in the house, only to use the litter box, and..... go right back out. I keep a litter box in my shop should one ever get trapped in there when I close up (and yes, I make sure they are in the house for the night). Sure enough, the next door cat (who now lives with me) would walk thru the open shop, use the litter box and go on about her walk about the yard.

My cats think they are too good to poop outside, they will hold it until they get to the litter boxes.

Charles

 

[chuckbear]

Let's not turn this thread into something about loose cats in your flower bed. The OP ask a good question. The issues with dogs in campgrounds is get worse every year from what we can see. Careless owners that feel the rules don't apply to them are the biggest problem. Our cat has been attacked twice by dogs off the leash when she was on the leash. It would be terrible if something awful happened to one of these dogs because a careless owner. It has gotten so bad we try to find campgrounds that don't allow dogs or at least don't encourage them. Some now are restricting dogs to only certain areas of the campground. Many RVers now have 2,3 and even 4 dogs with them when they travel. You cat is never going to overcome the fear of dogs. We take our cat with us everywhere we go. If there are a lot of dogs or ignorant dog owners we just keep her inside and she is very happy. If the dog population is low or the dog owners are considerate of others, we will take her out on her leash and harness. If she looks upset or afraid we take her back inside until the next opportunity. If we are in one place long enough she will get comfortable and spend more and more time outside, always with a careful eye on what's going on around her. You might try a "noise machine" inside the coach to keep the outside barking down. It seems that no matter what campground we are in, the barking is constant all day and night. I don't blame the dogs, I blame the dog owners. Chuck

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We have 3 cats at home and I can sympathize with the zoomie problem, but I don't think you can fix the cats biorhythms and it's not their fault if the parks lets dogs run loose. Best I can say is "don't take them to those parks". Either go somewhere else or leave the cats at home if you must go there.

You might try a "white noise" machine - cats are highly aware of sounds and it might mask things that trigger responses. It's a shot in the dark, but maybe worth a try. We've tried the off-the-shelf aromatics that supposedly calm cats down but with no useful effect, and tablets or food additives weren't practical. Anything that works is vet-prescribed and an actual sedative or results in zombie cats.

 

[LMHS]

We give our dog chamomile treats at night so she will sleep thru the night. It helps her not get the "zoomies" in the middle of the night. We give her the treats during the day if something happens and she gets overly anxious. They are safe for cats as well. We get them from Amazon. I think you can get similar "calming" treats at most dept stores as well as places like Petco and Pet Smart.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Unlike dogs, cats are "crepuscular", which means semi-nocturnal. They are naturally active for a few hours after nightfall and again in the pre-dawn hours. If they stay active during the day they will sleep through much of that, but if they sleep much of the day (normal for cats) they often raise hell inside at night (since they can't go out on the prowl). That's what they call the "zoomies". It's not stress; it's their natural activity pattern. And maybe some boredom...

 

[Onyrlef]

Your cat would eat your face if it could, remember that.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

So, to revisit this. Our cats are always leashed and were excited to get to go for a walk, with all the dogs around, they now cower inside. “Destination” campground to us is our final destination, not like Disney world. In this case we’re at the beach, a state park, luckily with a Petsmart and a lowes nearby (well 20 minutes). We’ve loaded up on toys, so we have a kitty play session at cocktail time then just before bed. This has reduced the nocturnal activity from 3AM to now begin at 5AM, an improvement. We have also acquired foam mats from lowes (they love to scratch on these at home) and placed them around the camper to let them scratch (which is usually what the walk sessions end up being about). We had 1 scratching post and have added 2 more and this has helped as well.

Our next plan is to take the 2 most outgoing to a deserted part of the park, near the beach and take them for a walk to see what happens. We have also acquired the pheromone dispenser @John From Detroit recommended, but it says it can take up to 7 days to have any effect, if there’s going to be any, we’re skeptical, but game.

It’s All about learning our way.

Thanks for the help again!

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

Your cat would eat your face if it could, remember that.

No he wouldn’t

 

[ziplock]

I saw this blog and thought of you guys:

RVing with Cats: What To Prepare

Searching for basic life tips on RVing with cats? Read this article to learn the do's and dont's of traveling with your furry companions.

www.letstravelfamily.com

Probably nothing in there you don't already know, just thought you might like to look.

 

[Ohiosnowbird]

I saw this blog and thought of you guys:

RVing with Cats: What To Prepare

Searching for basic life tips on RVing with cats? Read this article to learn the do's and dont's of traveling with your furry companions.

www.letstravelfamily.com

Probably nothing in there you don't already know, just thought you might like to look.

Thanks! Would love to have that catio!

We took two of them to a deserted part of the park where they could walk on the beach, one was afraid the other had a ball. It was a high surf day, so the waves were loud. The one was happy to retreat to his carrier the other was a little more brave. They both enjoyed the grassy area away from the beach. Needless to say the both slept all night!