Quote:
Originally Posted by Displace
We'd like to bring our Himalayan Jonah camping w/us after we pick up a new Oakmont 26 in a few weeks. Any advice from this group of cat lovers would be much appreciated.
|
My 8-year old gray tabby loves the TM and camping, has ever since she was old enough to go. I would much rather have her with me than be boarded somewhere or have neighbors feed her while I am gone.
I don't sleep in the back bedding area so I make that her room putting her food/water and cat pan there along with a couple places to kick back and enjoy the view out the windows. I also use that area to keep stuff out of the way while in camp. I lay down large towels to keep cat litter and food off the cushions.
She has camped with me ever since she was a kitten. When I start getting stuff ready for a trip, she will go sit inside her cat carrier waiting to hit the road. She just loves it and having her around puts a nice finishing touch on making my TM my home away from home.
I really like the idea of utilizing the under seat storage area for when she gets to old to jump up to the rear bed, fantastic idea. Cats love places like that too. As it is now, I keep a small white plastic step stool on the floor at the back bed which she uses to get a boost in making the jump up to the rear bed area. However I can definitely see the day when that leap will be too high.
As for advice on cats and RVing, the only things that come to mind is watching the cupboard doors and the cat while they are open. My cat went exploring in the bathroom cabinet under the sink when I left the door opened, she managed to get way inside between the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and could have got stuck in the wiring and things way back in there. It took some effort to get her out.
Another more serious consideration is the heat inside the RV if you leave the cat alone. One Jeep trip I had was two days and one night. My cat was alone for about 2-days and one night and the daytime temps were in the high 90s. So I left the AC on with low fan speed but I also left two windows at the back bed area partially opened with the roof vent fan on low, so if the power went out, at least there was airflow at the windows easily accessible by the cat with cross flow air. And for as long as the batteries lasted the roof fan would help to move air through the RV. I also let an RV park employee know I would be gone and there was a cat in my RV should anything happen.
IF you have never tried RVing with your cat then most likely your RV will "feel" strange to them and some cats don't handle "strange" too well. A big warning in that case is DON'T let them out of the RV. Cats go into survival mode when feeling completely out of their element and they can be very unpredictable. For example, a good rule of thumb is after moving into a new house with your cat is to leave them locked in a room (or somewhere secure but comfortable) for about two weeks. Otherwise many cats will run away if they get out of the house in trying to find "Home". You don't want that situtation when camping in an RV park. If you are like many people who camp with their cats, your cat will find your new RV as their second home, if not righ a way, after giving them a little time.
Some ideas in helping your cat settle in might include brining along familiar things that usually make them happy or comfortable. For example I bring this brush that is always a big hit on a daily basis when my cat gets brushed. I can always break any bad mood or perceived concern by getting that brush out and suddenly life if good to her. Also I bring her favorite pillow, it goes in the cat carrier and then inside the RV, I suppose it's like her security blanket :O) Then just anything else you can think of that will help to provide familiar sights and smells. Cat's pretty much take care of themselves if they have food/water and a cat pan. One probably obious note about the cat pan, once you pick a spot to put it, it's best to always put it in the same place to make sure the cat doesn't get confused and "go" where it used to be.
All in all I found the TM is very cat friendly, there's lots of fun places to hang out and check out the new outside world and all the new critters.
I sincerely hope RVing works out for you and your cat. Have fun taking the "whole family" for quality time in your RV, you just can't beat it!