Here kitty, kitty, kitty

[LittleMoose]

Cat people, please explain to me everything regarding traveling in MH with your cats. I have never had a cat, so know little about their needs, habits, or benefits. I have a mini-dachshund now who needs very little except walking twice a day, or 3 times counting bedtime #1. I think she would find a small kitten very entertaining and fun to have as company when I am not in MH with them.

[CampingGator]

Has your dachshund been around cats before? Does your dog like cats? Although most dogs and cats I have introduced to the household have learned to tolerate, if not like, each other, my daughter's dog chases my cat. Needless to say, the cat is always on the look-out when the dog is around. That is not a very relaxing or comforting way to live in one's home. If your dog has never been around cats, introduce it to a friend's cat who likes dogs to see how your dog will react. A motor home is a small space. You do not need to have your dog chasing your cat and terrorizing it. You do not need your cat trying to scramble out the door, trying to avoid the dog. If they get along, great. Just my 2 cents worth.

[JennVio]

It depends like humans, some are kind and friendly but some are rude.

[Oakman]

Why would you want to buy a cat to entertain your dog? That makes no sense at all. I would suggest buying another dog or puppy for your dachshund.

[Cmessmore]

I guess I don't understand why you want a cat. I agree, get another dog if you think your dachshund needs a playmate. How old is your current dog. If an older dog, it may not want the energy of a puppy in that small place. And getting a cat just for the dog is not the best idea. If YOU like cats and WANT a cat, fine... get one that your dog can accept as a housemate, NOT as a toy. And then you need to decide how you would handle a litter box in the MH. That can be a problem with a dog. Also, are you going to keep you cat cooped up inside the MH all the time? Will you leash train the cat so it can get some outdoor time ? At 1st glance I think you're making a mistake in your idea to get a cat. JMO

[youroo]

Don't do like a NEW MH owners did at a Major FR Rally,they had Several Cats and just poured Cat Litter into the Large Pot & Pan drawer in the Kitchen area of their MH,with NO LINER as if that would make it any Better! They also ask "What Time is the Carry In Pot Luck",we didn't attend that "Pot Luck"! You never know! Youroo!!

[rjshiflet]

We have a mini Doxie that loves our three OUTDOOR cats here at home. The cats stay...the dog goes with us on every trip we make. We are both dog and cat people, but intentionally rescue cats that are experienced with being outdoor and leave them outdoors.

It's a lot easier to train a dog to stay off the table and counters (especially a very short-legged one) than cats.

Also, I wish other campers would do what we did and train their dog DO NOT BARK. If someone knocks on the door of our fiver, she'll give a very low volume "woof" just to make sure we heard it. Otherwise, she never utters a sound. Too bad I can't always say that about my camping neighbors. It drives me crazy when they're sitting outside with a barking dog and grin like they think it's cute.

It's not cute - it's RUDE! Tell 'em to shut up or take 'em inside.

Thank you - (getting off my soapbox now).

[DSurette]

We travel with three cats and it is not difficult at all. Just remember to be careful when opening the door that the cat doesn't get out. Our MH is a bunk model and we have taken the mattress off the lower bunk and added it to the top where the cats spend a lot of time looking out the window. The litter box is in the lower bunk area and cleaned as often as needed. We also have a temperature monitoring system from Ideal Sciences that will alert us via cell phone if the temperature in the MH goes higher that a set limit. Before getting the monitor we used to worry about power failures or some other problem that would result in high temperatures inside when we left them alone.
I think you will enjoy the company of a cat and hopefully your dog will too. They're really not that much trouble. And one more thing. Make sure you know where the cat is when opening the slides. Ours don't get on top of them but you never know...

[BooBoo23]

One suggestion when you travel with cats, we have 2. Do not leave any compartment, storage, pantry doors open. Cats love to crawl up in tiny spaces to take a nap and they like to explore new areas. We thought one of ours got out while camping and we thought he was gone. A storage door was left open and he got in it and went through a hole in the back of the compartment (water and electric services) and went behind the converter under the Frig and from there into the storage area for the power cord. His sister kept going to a wall panel and would not leave it alone. I removed the panel (screwed on) an out he came, like "what's all the fuss about, I'm hungry".

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by youroo

Don't do like a NEW MH owners did at a Major FR Rally,they had Several Cats and just poured Cat Litter into the Large Pot & Pan drawer in the Kitchen area of their MH,with NO LINER as if that would make it any Better! They also ask "What Time is the Carry In Pot Luck",we didn't attend that "Pot Luck"! You never know! Youroo!!

Why not attend the potluck? What they brought may have been a litter better that the rest.

[mdstudey]

You have to be carefull if they can get under the slide while it is in. That is what ours did and I was freaking out that he got out the door. I always kept a leash on him and would take him out for walks. He loved traveling ever since he was a baby. Kept the litter box in the bathroom. He was not a problem at all, other than hiding under the slide. I also would not suggest getting a kitty to keep dog company. I am sure your dog will do just fine on it's own.

[Skip51]

There are very few differences traveling with a cat vs a dog.

1 Cats clime, one of ours loves to sleep on the dash brd, the other likes to get under my feet when I'm driving, then jump into my lap, on to my shoulder and then leap onto the top of the slide out. Can be very distracting when driving.
2 They need a litter box, most dogs think its a snack tray.

[kcdelan]

Originally Posted by LittleMoose

Cat people, please explain to me everything regarding traveling in MH with your cats. I have never had a cat, so know little about their needs, habits, or benefits. I have a mini-dachshund now who needs very little except walking twice a day, or 3 times counting bedtime #1. I think she would find a small kitten very entertaining and fun to have as company when I am not in MH with them.

We have have always travelled with a cat since owning both TT's and a 5th. I must admit that each (2) of them were Burmese and this breed is renowned to be very adaptable and a "peoples cat". My advice would be to get the kitten used to travelling as early as possible. We trained ours to "like" the vehicles right from the start. Some years back we had an SPCA cat which would fight like crazy if you attempted to get it anywhere a vehicle. It made for some very interesting trips to the Vet!!! The next cat we got (Burmese) was taken out in the car or the truck every chance we got right from the start and we never had a problem. We did the same with our present cat and as soon as he hears our truck start-up, comes running thinking another trip is coming up!! Another thing we did with both of them was to train them from the start to be on a harness and leash. Both of them you could take for a walk just like a dog. One major benefit is that when travelling you don't have to keep stopping to walk a cat. We have a canopy on our present truck with a sliding front window (truck has a sliding rear window) so litter-box can be kept in truck box. Using square block foam squeezed around the opening between the truck and canopy keeps the wind rush noise to a minimum plus we can still keep the trucks rear window closed until the cat asks to use it's "toilet"! Saw another vehicle with a similar setup and they were using a small inflated bicycle tire to cut down the draft. Tried it but there was still more noise than the foam. We enjoy travelling with our cat. He sleeps most of the time curled up in his bed or on my "Warden's" lap. As said the trick is, start a cat travelling early and often.

[GlennSchau]

As cats are night prowlers they can be all over where you are sleeping etc. We did it once and haven't since.

[Vince and Charlette]

Stopped at a Flying J for gas and a coffee today. We heard this faint, little "meow, meow". You guessed it...an unwanted hitchhiker. One of our young barn cats had hopped up inside the undercarriage and was too terrified to jump as I pulled out of the driveway this morning. 65 Miles per hour when viewed from under the MH must be quiet a sight. After attracting an audience at the Flying J (I-71 south of Columbus, OH) we coaxed her out. Free kitten anyone?

[kittlecat]

I have camped with cats in excess of 20 years with very little trouble to include camping in tents with cats to a pop up with cats to my current TT with cats. I also have experience camping with a cat and a dog at the same time in tents and pop ups. My animals always did relatively well together. I have found that cats are much easier to camp with than a dog as they are content to be in the camper and looking out on the world. I also have an enclosed pet playpen for my cat, my cat has an enclosed pet stroller and he goes out regularly to walk and hike with me. We have even gone to craft shows with the cat in his stroller. My current cat prefers to be outside the TT with me and will not go in the TT to even use the litter box unless I am staying inside. I don't do anything special for my cat other than he has his assigned spot on the bed, he knows where to find the litter box (in the shower) and his food and water dish is always placed in the same spot. He has lots of catnip toys that I rotate through to keep things interesting for him.

If you are interested in getting a cat to camp with you and a dog, I suggest looking at kittens as you might have more of an opportunity to help the kitten settle into camping more easily than an older cat. Once cats are accustomed to riding in a motor vehicle (I put mine in a crate), it does not have to be the terrifying experience it can be for a cat who only goes to the vet by car once a year.

Another suggestion is, and I know this is a touchy subject but here goes, get the cat declawed. Your upholstery and furniture will thank you and save you much aggravation.

Other than that, go for it! Cats are great companions generally in a different way than dogs and I have had 4 cats over the years (not at the same time) who have come to love camping as much as me. People are fascinated when they see my cat in his stroller as it is definitely not something one sees very often.

Good luck and happy camping!

[kralspace]

Having raised a lot of kittens I can tell you, dog issues aside, that kittens are maniac curtain climbers! I love them to death but they climb, claw into places you couldn't imagine and do some damage. I had a very old house with the old fashioned wallpaper hung on canvas and I would come home to find the kittens high up on the wall. They used the claws to get up there and couldn't get back down

[pmsherman]

We've traveled almost exclusively with two cats in our class A. The litter box is kept under the table and there's still room for both of us to sit at the table for meals and other activities. The cats love travel but I've needed to make some accommodations for them.

We have a medium size collapsible wire cage that was intended to be used during on-the-road servicings. Unfortunately, one of the cats loves to overturn the water dish so we keep the cage assembled and have the water dish bungy corded to it so it can't be tipped over. The cats run through the motor home and jump up onto the dashboard using the steering wheel as an intermediate launching platform. This was a problem at 2am when the horn sounded so I installed a disconnect switch for the horn on the steering column. Cats love to chew on things so we can't use the day/night shades because they would chew up the edges of the shades. The blackout shades I had to install for my hobby keep it dark and are easier to repair/replace that the FR supplied shades.

I'm hoping we can continue to take the cats with us in the future. Starting with our next trip, I'm mandated, for medical purposes, to keep some portion of the rv cat free. I'm working on how to do this and not restrict them from being in half of the rig. I'm hoping to use the bathroom for this.

Phil

[OscarsMom2]

We traveled with 2 cats in our Rockwood Mini-lite and found that there were too many places for them to get in to, so we ended up trading it in for a Wildcat Maxx. We specifically looked for places where they could get into trouble and found none. We've added another cat and went camping for the first time this spring with all 3 cats and they were great. They were no trouble at all. In the past when traveling with just 2 cats, we found that the first night they didn't settle down, but after that they slept just like they do at home. We also travel with a senior dachshund who tolerates the cats.

[JimOneil43]

After we got our new Forester MH, we tried taking 3 of our cats with us....what an adventure! One of them got herself wedged under the dashboard above the steering column. We had to pull her out by her tail, which was not fun for us or her either. After several other events, we decided that we needed something to keep them out of the cab and also prevent them from jumping out when we open the door. After considerable thought and measuring, I came up with what we call "Kitty Korrals."
A visit to the home center store (actually several visits) I built these barriers, using vinyl lattice panels and mouldings. Both have swinging gates for human access. The only miscalculation was that on the fence behind the cab area, I didn't allow for the fact that when our full slide is in, you can't open that gate. But, other than that they work great. No more cats in the cab and no more worries about escaped kittys when the door is opened.