I have seen queries on this topic from gjaaa1 and Cowboy7307 from January and March, both having received few responses. Anyway, I'll see how I go and hopefully some of you out there will have some experience and good advice for me.
I have 2 adult cats, which were great pets to have in a townhouse and they kept each other company while I was away at work. Now, I have retired, sold the townhouse and bought a caravan so the cats are going to have to come with me and we are all going to have to adapt to the change.
My questions are ...
Is it better to carry the cats in the car or inside the caravan whilst travelling?
Would I have the cats in separate enclosures or together in the same one?
Is is better to have them travel in a smaller pet box where they have quite restricted movement, or are they better travellers in a bigger enclosure where they can move around more?
What type of travel enclosure can anyone recommend?
If the maximum duration of travel before a rest stop is two hours, should I nevertheless provide water and a litter tray in the travel enclosure(s)?
After feeding the cats in the morning, how long should I wait before we head off along the travel road?
When at the camp site, what type of collapsible and light weight enclosure could people recommend (or advise against) that I could use to allow the cats to climb in and get some outside exposure beyond the caravan and annex?
Many years ago I had a cat who came everywhere in my car. It was a nightmare if she escaped when away from home though, she'd be scared and difficult to find, or to coax out of wherever she holed up.
Yes carry them in the car, it will be a smoother ride for them.
Practise a few times and see how they manage, my cat was comfy in her cage, if they are used to it either together or singly that's ok.
Ours would use the litter tray at stops only. Later I tried travelling with a different cat and he got the "runs" out of fear, and made the car stink! Litter tray was no help, he wouldn't use it, had to dose him with vets prescription valium. ( overdose is fatal, so be careful) The best way to have a cat who is happy to travel is start when they are kittens,,, sorry.
Hope this is of some help, Rivor. Best wishes to you and your cats!
I thought of this query when I found a booklet in the Seniors paper the other day. Here goes..... Bright Life Australia (www.brightlife.com.au) which is like a mail order catalogue has in their July catalogue 088 a soft-sided and portable 'Pet Playpen'. 'It expands instantly into an octagonal-den-like play area.' says the description. It folds flat for easy storage. Small 45cm tall 85cm diameter. Regular 58cm tall 114cm dia. It might be worth looking at.
Hi, Our experience has been that cats like to feel secure. So no loud noises & vibrations. One of ours stopped coming for rides after a noisy trip to the post office.
In answer to your questions
*Best to travel in the car in a soft collapsible pet carrier.
* I think it would be best if they are together as they are used to each others company
* Fairly large one so they have room to move & get comfortable
* No water or litter as that could get messy & restrict their movements
* Feeding at the start of the day would depend on how they travel. Nothing worse than a sick animal in a confined space.
*You can get a collapsible mesh enclosure. Looks like an oversize yabby trap. I'll see if I can scare up a photo.
* Try to train them to wear a harness. One of our rag dolls just lies there & doesn't move when in a harness. The other just carries on normally.
The moggie just lies on the dash & watches the scenery.
It is a challenge travelling with cats. Best to start them young. We had a rag doll that thought she was a dog. Had to go for a walk with the
dogs twice a day & was a dream in the car. Curled up & slept while travelling. Wore her harness no troubles most of the day.
Animals restrict where you can go but they are part of the family. Bill
Hi Bill, Thank you for that information addressing my questions. It's all good stuff that I can use. I have started training the girls to wear a harness, which seems not to bother them after a short while. I have seen the carriers that you mention and will get a larger sized one to accommodate them travelling together. The animals certainly do add some substantial constraints but they are a responsibility I took on when getting them and, as you say, they are part of the family. Regards, Robert
I have seen queries on this topic from gjaaa1 and Cowboy7307 from January and March, both having received few responses. Anyway, I'll see how I go and hopefully some of you out there will have some experience and good advice for me.
I have 2 adult cats, which were great pets to have in a townhouse and they kept each other company while I was away at work. Now, I have retired, sold the townhouse and bought a caravan so the cats are going to have to come with me and we are all going to have to adapt to the change.
My questions are ...
Is it better to carry the cats in the car or inside the caravan whilst travelling?
Would I have the cats in separate enclosures or together in the same one?
Is is better to have them travel in a smaller pet box where they have quite restricted movement, or are they better travellers in a bigger enclosure where they can move around more?
What type of travel enclosure can anyone recommend?
If the maximum duration of travel before a rest stop is two hours, should I nevertheless provide water and a litter tray in the travel enclosure(s)?
After feeding the cats in the morning, how long should I wait before we head off along the travel road?
When at the camp site, what type of collapsible and light weight enclosure could people recommend (or advise against) that I could use to allow the cats to climb in and get some outside exposure beyond the caravan and annex?
Hi, sorry I have only just read your post but I do have a lot of experience with traveling with a cat, although she is a Siamese and therefore not typical. My girl has traveled off and on for most of her almost 17 years and mostly enjoyed it. I have only ever had motor homes so she has always been free inside it, no cage, and when younger she was always ready to jump out and explore a new place when we pulled up. Back then we had a Rottweiler too, and he kept a close eye on her in case of other dogs - she learnt that when the motor started up it was time to jump back in (learned that the hard way when she got left behind accidentally in Tasmania for a couple of hours). Always left a bowl of dry food and water so she could help herself, and she would let us know when she needed to go out for doo doos. I could throw her into the car too, and take her on trips - same deal, she mostly came back from exploring when called ... mostly, depending on how much fun she was having.
Now my old dog's gone and she, Sasha is old and arthritic, she chooses not to leave the motor home as she knows she can't move quickly enough to escape danger so I do keep the litter tray inside for her. Sadly, its just her and me now and I dread the day when I'll lose her too.
I'm afraid its going to be trial and error for you, Robert, depending on your cats nature, just try to stay in tune with them and hopefully they'll get the hang of things.
Hi Jennifer.
Thanks for writing to me. It's been 5 weeks now since my two cat girls have been travelling and living with me in the caravan and annex. One is around 6 years old and the other 5, just regular domestic cats. I'm very relieved to find that they have adapted very well to life in the caravan and living in caravan parks. It takes only a short time for them to acclimatise to a new site. They are then even quite keen to go exploring on a lead wearing a harness and happy to meet new people.
For travelling, I bought a collapsible kennel that fits securely on the back seat of the car, which has room for them both to move around and sides through which they can see me. Except when the roads are bumpy when they then can't settle, they cope with the travel pretty well with few complaints but after a while they start getting a restless and bit vocal. I've been stopping after about 2 hours and put them in the van to relax with water and a litter tray if they need it.
I am very happy with the way it is working out
Hi Robert, I'm so glad things have worked out for you and the pussy cats - having two of them probably helps a lot too as they can take assurance from each other. Just goes to show why cats can be such good human companions if given the opportunity and care. You are a great example to other cat owners!
Thanks Jennifer. Having the two of them does I'm sure help to give reassurance to each other. They are indeed delightful companions that respond so well to some care and affection. Robert
I am reading this thread with high interest as we will be hopefully doing this with our two boys shortly. So far they both dont seem to mind being in the car ..altho it has only been for short periods to date. One will lead in his harness quite well ..actually loves it . the other one hasnt worn a harness yet...but he will learn pretty quick I,m sure.
Our main worry atm is how where we will keep them safely when actually set up camp for an extended period. Ournew van will be an 18 footer..n thinking of maybe making a cat run out of the underneath of it.
Hello Keith,
I am still very happy with how well my two cats have adjusted to life in the caravan and travelling. The van and annex are familiar territory for them so wherever we are, one everything is set up, they are quite at home. My caravan is about the same size as the one you will be getting. It had been my thinking something like yours, to make/buy an enclosed cat run to go under the van and extend from it but I'm finding that so far, I don't need it. One day my cats got out from the annex; they stayed under or close to the van and I've gradually become more cautiously relaxed about letting them free at times during the day as they never go far and I keep an eye on them. You'll just have to see how it all goes and make adjustments as necessary.
Happy travels.
Robert
This thread seems to be where previous similar/related posts have ended up so here goes.
Since having to have our old lady cat put down several months ago we have noticed a gap in our lives as we have begun our travels and have been thinking about how we might fill this gap.After quite a bit of research and reading we have come to the conclusion that we could add two Burmese kittens to the travelling family.
Based on our research two kittens would be good company for each other and would certainly be good company for we adults. Also by starting with kittens we should be able o train them to walk on harnesses and at the same time adjust to the travelling environment including the 4WD, 21 caravan as well as a collapsible enclosure which would connect to the van allowing the kittens free reign to roam between the van and the external enclosure.
Part of the research we have done has included reading various forums for grey nomad and other traveller groups. The majority of these forum entries were from some time ago and we are now looking for some more current feedback from those of us who are travelling, or thinking of travelling, with cats or for that matter, other types of pets.
We would be particularly interested in hearing about the reaction of caravan parks, campsites, fellow travellers and so on and so on.
Hello Rod & Patricia.
As I'm sure you would realise, travelling with cats restricts you to 'pet-friendly' caravan parks and campsites. Cats are generally bundled in with dogs in this consideration. There is at least one site that I have encountered where dogs are allowed but not cats - this site is adjacent to a national park. In some locations you will be excluded from all or most of the established camping options. Using camp site directories such as Wikicamps, I have been caught out a couple of times where the directory indicates pets allowed but I have subsequently found that to be incorrect. Despite all that, I have not really had any serious inconvenience due to exclusions of my feline travel companions. I learnt that in many towns, the local showground offers caravan camping with power, water, etc and no dramas about having pets.
As for reactions from other people, whether they be the caravan park staff or fellow campers: generally it is very good, ranging from indifference, to mild curiosity through to great interest and wanting to interact with the cats. I have not experienced any negative reactions. A lot of people express surprise to see cats travelling in the caravan and will want to talk about that. Mine enjoy the attention they get from other people. Some people are wary about how their dogs will respond to the near presence of cats but my cats show no fear and after the initial sensing each other out, everything's been fine. As is the situation with having dogs, caravan park management generally expect that the cats will be kept under your control, so when they are outside it is best to have them wearing a harness with a decent length of tethered lead or to have some type of enclosure as you have mentioned. They also need a secure place that they can retreat into if they feel nervous about something.
Dogs are far and away the favoured and predominant type of companion pet that you see with caravanners and indeed the word 'pet' is used synonymously for 'dog' in most situations, however, every now and again I come across other people in the caravan parks who also have a cat with them. One man had a dog, a cat and a bird.
I think that you can be quite relaxed about your plan to travel with a couple of kittens. It seems like you are thinking very carefully and responsibly about it.
