Camping with a cat
Hi all.
My daughter and I have recently adopted an older rescue cat. She likes to be with us, has some health issues, doesn't spend a lot of time outdoors and is happy to wear a harness and lead. So we are now debating what to do about our motorhome camping and are thinking we'd like to take the cat with us. Just not sure of the practicalities of going in and out without losing the cat! We are looking into fitting a folding dog crate where the table goes in the hope it would be big enough for a litter tray and bed while we are driving. I guess we could also use this in short stints if we need to be going in and out with furniture/toys etc. Has anyone got any handy hints for camping with a cat?
Many thanks
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We have been taking our cat camping for 10years now, from a kitten. He will only travel on the lap of the front seat passenger, usually the wife. He sits on a memory foam cushion and is attached to the seat belt via his harness. He is not spoilt. He has an en suite litter tray under one of the front seat boxes. We cut a hole in the end panel behind the cab seat so he can access it. He is not spoilt. His food and water bowls live in the cab once on site. He has dried food and we keep it topped up so that he can graze when he wants. He is not spoilt. We usually give him some treats when we return to the van and sometimes when we leave. He is not spoilt.
His harness goes on in the morning and comes off at night when we go to bed. That way we have something to grab if he tries to escape, collars break away. We can leave him in the van all day and he is perfectly happy with access to the whole van. When we return to the van we open the door just wide enough to grab his harness before we enter.
We walk him on a lead and allow him to hunt where appropriate. He will quite happily sit outside the van when we are there but he is always tethered. He has his own chair, he is not spoilt.
We know people that let their cat wander free without a problem, but, we also know people who have lost their cat by doing this. We wouldn't risk it.
He also has some toy mice to play with and, his favourite toy, a ball in a circular track. He is not spoilt. He also has an oblong flat scratch pad so he can prune his claws. He is not spoilt, this ones for our benefit.
When space permits I run him on a very long lead ( about 30ft), where he can run free but I still have hold of him. He is not spoilt.13 -
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Friends have some sort of transponder on their cat. It goes out hunting and when they want it back they switch on the tracking app on their phone and go looking for it! No idea where they got it or how much it cost. It amuses all the rest of us as they go seeking it on rallies.
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We would be interested in something similar as we want to take one of our cats with us. We would have her on an extender lead, but just in case as one day she leapt up through the open skylight an that was from jumping off the front bunk seat. Unfortunately the other cat has too much wild in him and tends to wander far and wide so we will probably never be able to take him with us even thouhg he is neutered.
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Many thanks for the suggestions...gratefully received! Hadn't thought of a tracking/locating device and am now researching those. We wouldn't intentionally let her loose but in event of an escape it would be a reassuring item to have on her. Feel free to say hello to us if you spot us chasing a white cat round a campsite over the summer ;-)
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You could look at TrackR they do a device works on gps and blue tooth, useful for finding keys and phones ets by using mobile phone to locate the device.The device is small and not heavy , cost about £19 off the universal internet site that we all know......I have three for phone, hearing aid controller and in the caravan... Works ok for me
worth lookingat.... SG2
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I've caravanned with several different cats over the decades, without problems, though success very much depends on an individual cat's temperemt. Caravanning isn't for all of them. Except for short breaks in bad weather, we erect a porch awning, using a small one in winter, because it gives him more roaming space and allows him to self medicate by eating grass which helps him with his irritable bowel. His litter lives in the shower tray, his food in the bathroom and he sleeps in a large shoe box by choice. We had ave a cat scratching panel attached to the end of a bunk, which he has used instinctively since day one. He travels in the car with the door of his carrier open and tends to return there after an initial inspection of the car. An important purchase is a third/ matching chair for the awning which saves one of his human slaves from sitting in the shoe box when he's taken their warm seat. We unzip the upper half of awning windows to create ventilation while maintaining security. He treats to space under our fixed bed as his cave, so we leave a locker door open to remit access. Without doubt, we have always needed to be vigilant to attempted breakouts, but I've only ever had one venture away and he was quickly spotted with the car headlights. This one isn't keen on his harness and when taken out with it, soon wants to return. It should be mentioned though, that he confined to the house/garden at home.
A major concern is to ensure that the caravan doesn't overheat if we go out in summer. Lowering blinds and opening roof windows, supplemented with a fan has worked well for us.
While staying at a campsite at Glastonbury, a few years ago, a neighbour erected a gangplank up to one of those bunk windows shaped like a letter box so that their tabby could roam freely.
I hope that your cat is compatible with vanning. Like dogs, they complete the family.
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Our kitty comes away with us when in the UK. We keep her litter tray in the shower.
She does go out when we are in the caravan and likes to explore. She always comes back to the van after an hour or so.
unlike dogs I can't see what the problem is.
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Sorry Amanda Catmum, but this thread is older than most cats !! if you look at the head of the next post above yours you will see that it is dated 20 Jan 2017 !! Thats five and a half years old . You might, just might, get responses if you try such threads as there are on Caravan Clubs FaceBook stuff.
Good look !
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We take our cat with us, but can't tell you what the make of her harness is. It's one that has 2 "loops", one round her neck and the other behind her front paws, going round to behind her shoulders. The 2 loops are connected as well. Sorry, not very good at explaining and can't post pictures. It's nothing special, just an ordinary cat harness. Our cat likes walking on a lead, and also we "peg" her outside the van on the pitch, as she loves sitting outsde looking round. We visit CLs mainly rather than main club sites, and you usually have much more space on those, so she can be on a longer lead and have more grass to inspect! She's even managed to catch mice on a few different sites from underneath hedges, all on a lead! We don't ever let her roam by herself.
Of course it does depend on the cat's temperament, as to whether they'll tolerate being cooped up in a caravan/motorhome and also travelling.
I always mention the fact we bring a cat when booking. One owner, a CS from the C&CC actually, where we've stayed about 3 times now, comes every day with treats for her and to have a little "chat" with her. Most CL/CS owners are quite interested in the fact we bring a cat, rather than a dog.
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Thank you InaD for your reply.
Our cats are house cats, they get supervised outside time in the garden (very small garden), so in the van they should be fine, as long as they have food and somewhere to sleep lol!
I have started to harness train them, now have to be brave enough to try the outside on the harness. This will be where I find out if they will escape or not.
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