TRAVELING WITH A CAT

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JamesWalsh

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Hello

I hope I am asking this question in the right place.  My husband and I are new to RVing.  We will be travelling mid July to end October in our newly purchased Coachmen Freelander 21QB.  Due to circumstances we have to take our 10 year old cat with us.  He has only been in a car once when he was 6 months old.  I am learning how to aclimate him to the RV but my main concern is him overheating/getting heat stroke.  We had planned on leaving him alone for a few hours while we are seeing the sights.  We would leave him on the floor of the RV in an extra large nylon dog kennel with his food, water, bedding and litter box and a fan on blowing at the kennel.  Is this enough, what do other people do?  I have been reading about preventing cat's from overheating on the internet and am concerned that what we plan to do may not be enough or will not work.  What do other RVers do with their pets.  Do they leave them alone. What is the maximum time they would leave them. What is the highest temperature they would leave them alone at.  Should we also have the RV windows partially rolled done.  Should we leave a hot water bottle filled with cold water in the kennel for him to lie on if he gets hot.  Any advise or information would be greatly appreciated.

Thankyou

Leanne and James   
 
We started traveling four years ago,  We have two cats.  At the time, one was 13 and the other was 9.  They ride in the truck with us.  After an hour or so, they usually stop crying.  Then they're OK for a bit.  Probably tired from crying.  When we're at an RV Park, we always leave the windows open a couple inches.  We have the crank open type.  We also leave the fans on and plenty of food and water.  We don't like to leave them during the hottest part of the day and usually try to do our sight seeing or whatever early.  If we're at a park with hookups, we also leave the AC on along with the fans and open windows.  Don't mind cooling the park for the benefit of the kids.  So far we haven't had any problems. 

You should consider updating their rabies vaccines.  New York State parks will not let you spend the night if your animals don't have current certificates.  In 10+ months of travel, that's the only park where we were denied entrance. 

Good luck     

 
Our cats have traveled with us for the last dozen years. They handle heat better than dogs, but it's never been a problem with us anyway. If it's really hot we leave the a/c on (generator); otherwise a window or two open and the roof vents on exhaust.

How hot do you think it will get inside?  I wouldn't want to close it up tight when parked in the hot sun - and enclosed box can go well above 100 in the direct sun. That's why we ventilate as  minimum. But the cat isn't even going to raise a sweat at 80-85. They just sleep!
 
c\I have been a full timer for the last 9 years. I have had two cats living with me for the last three years. I rescued them as kittens. You don't have anything to worry about with cats and heat. All domestic cats are descendants from African Wildcats. They were originally from the Sahara Desert. This is why cats bury their waste in sand. You really don't have to do anything special for the cats, they will handle the heat, if not love the heat.

I lived in Kingman Arizona from July to January last year and then in Buckeye Arizona from February to April. In Kingman last summer they had a record heat wave. It was 105 or so every day. My RV at the time was a 1985 Allegro 27 foot with one roof A/C. It kept the inside of the RV around the mid to high 80s. They would even lay on the dash in the sun during the day. I know it sounds crazy because they have this fur coat on, but they will have no problem. It is the cold that they don't like. When it gets down into the 50s at night one of my cats crawls under the covers and cuddles with me and the other cat cuddles up against my feet.

BTW - My cats own this motorhome, I am merely the driver. You know dogs have owners and cats have staff. ;D Here are some shots of my two cats, Tarzan and Jane in their motorhome.

https://picasaweb.google.com/SeilerBird/TarzanAndJane?authuser=0&feat=directlink
 
When we traveled with our dog, we always left the generator running and the A/C on. I purchased an electronic oven thermometer with a temperature alarm and a couple FRS radios.
I set the thermometer sensor in the A/C vent and monitored the highest temperature under normal conditions, then set the alarm to be 10 degrees higher. I set one of the FRS radios to be voice activated and set it in front of the thermometer base so when/if the alarm went off (indicating a failure of some sort), it would sound through the radio we took with us.


We used this setup a lot, and only once had to return to the RV due to a failure. The actual temperature had risen to about 80 degrees in the 10 minutes it took to get back. As I recall, it was a 90+ degree day and we were in the Painted Desert. Due to the load, the breaker to the A/C had popped.


Joe
 
I agree with Tom, nothing special is needed with cats as long as they have food  and lots of water in the heat.  Yesterday it was over 90? here and the cat laid in the sun for quite a while, then move under the patio table which is covered by a plastic cover.  I have no idea of the temp under it but I stuck my head in and it was HOT under there.  As Tom said, he loves laying on the dash in the sun even on Hot days.

He is a dark seal point Siamese so he really absorbs the heat of the sun.  Hates winter!!
 
Thankyou to everyone for their responses.  I really appreciate them.  They have helped to make me feel a bit calmer about taking our cat and exposing him to a situation where he may overheat.  We are looking forward to our trip but at the same time it will be a huge learning curve.  It is nice to know there are so many kind people on the RV forum who will be willing to help us along the way with advice and information if we need it.

Leanne and James

P.S.  I enjoyed the photos of Tarzan and Jane
 
Two cats - two years fulltiming - zero problems....what everyone else said goes for us. After an adjustment period, they have learned to ride in the seats like everyone else.  8)

It is important to have some ventilation, though, whichever way you choose to provide it. Ours get mad when we come back because we just woke them up.

We have actually used electronic feeders and automatic waterers and left them for several nights without issue. You can usually always find a park friend who will check in on them if you feel the need.
 
About 6 years ago, my ex and I, along with our cat Daisy, were returning to the States from Guatemala in our Class B.  The AC went out somewhere near Veracruz, Mexico, and the trip through the desert of NE Mexico was HOT and DRY!  The only ventilation came from the windows and our speed.  The cat took it pretty hard.  My ex constantly kept Daisy cool with a washcloth dipped in a cooler that we had between the seats...then again, maybe the cat was faking it and enjoying the attention.
 
Our cathas travelled with us since we got our first class C.  We always left her free when we went away (just like at home), but, weather permitting, left the screened windows open and also left a fan running on the floor that she could lay in front of if she needed cooling.  She liked the C better than the A because she loved crawling up into the cabover area which became heir own private sanctuary.
 
We have 2 cats that travel with us.  One has been across the US 7 times in our motorhome.  We never leave them in a kennel.  They always have the run of the whole MH, even while we are driving.  Make sure you leave PLENTY of water for it/them to drink.
 

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On traveling with cats, where is the best place for the litterbox to be? Should we have a covered one? Carroski
 
Kinda depends on their accuracy!  :eek:

We have a male who is target challenged, and a female who could use a cigar box. Our solution is a standard open box in the shower stall, keep kitty litter out of the drain, and deal with the inconvenience.

The shower arrangement makes cleanup much easier when locking on the target is not their first priority.  8)
 
"dogs have owners and cats have staff"

I like that!  I've heard it said different ways but never more accurately.  And if you've had both, you understand.
 
carrotski said:
On traveling with cats, where is the best place for the litterbox to be? Should we have a covered one? Carroski
Click to expand...
I always stay in RV parks that have showers, so I don't use my shower for showering. That way I save money on propane used for heating the water, and I don't have to hook up my drain hose and fresh water hose except for about once every two weeks when I dump. So my shower is the place I put the cat litter box. However I don't have a glass shower door, just shower curtains so it is no problem for the cats to go in and out. I now have three cats and I clean the box once a day and replace the litter once every two weeks. Odor is never a problem.
 
Tom, Three cats?  Did I miss a post?  Where/when did 'cat 3' join your family?

Jennifer
 
ferfer said:
Tom, Three cats?  Did I miss a post?  Where/when did 'cat 3' join your family?

Jennifer
Click to expand...
Yes you did miss a post, but it was posted a few weeks ago when I was still using my zzyzx handle. The third cat is Cleopatra, I got here two weeks ago. I am staying in a town in northern California that has a feral cat problem. I had been wanting to get a third cat for sometime now and I decided this would be an excellent place to do so. I assumed that the local shelter would have an abundance of kittens and I was right. Any size, sex and color is available. I got a beautiful tortoise shell female. Of course she is a female since all tortoises are females. She is super friendly and super sweet. Here is the link with her first photos:

http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?topic=56198.0
 
carrotski said:
On traveling with cats, where is the best place for the litterbox to be? Should we have a covered one? Carroski
Click to expand...
We had a cabinet right under the refrigerator that was not used for anything.  I removed the cabinet door, made sure there was nothing in there that would endanger the cats, and mounted a curtain rod and kitchen towel as privacy over the opening.  Cat box slips right in with room to spare.  It is just high enough for them to get into the box and out of sight for us.  We empty it every day when on the road and in campgrounds.  I've read that others put them in the shower.
 
Thanks Tom for the link - I read right buy it first time around.  Cleo is a cutie.  I am sure (hope) we will hear lots more about her and her pack.  ::)

Jennifer
 
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