So to all our TM camping friends with cats... - Page 2

Wavery · 12-30-2010, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OneMoBear

I think Wayne's advice is terrific but we would not have the luxury to follow it. Our Monster is an inside cat and we work really hard (he often hears the call of the wild) to keep it that way. Consequently, we take him to and from the house to the TM or truck in his crate. Our only option would be to take him out to the TM while we were working on it and hope he would take a nap and get over it. He has had an extremely stress free life but regardless, that would be our only choice. Your cat is beautiful. I hope it works out!

Malinda

Crate training is a great idea for any new pet. It gives them "Their space". You might want to do a google search for "crate training pets". There's some terrific (and varied) advise on the subject.

It seems strange to some pet owners to put the pet in a crate. The fact is, when trained properly, the pet loves their crate. It is their "Safe place".

12-30-2010, 11:47 AM

Do you take long camping trips? If not, let her stay at home where she is comfortable. We have three cats. We travel a lot. As long as they have food, water, and a litter box, they are happy. We have a daughter or neighbor check on them every other day. Now when we get back, they are all over us. Cats make great home pets for people that travel.

tgpmd1 · 12-30-2010, 02:18 PM

We do a two to three week trip out west every other year. We've missed the last two years with camp. I hope to get at least two weeks out west this year.

12-30-2010, 06:04 PM

Two to three weeks is a long time. You do need to train your baby to the TM.

I knew a camper that put a litter box in a trailer compartment that had a pet door inside and an outside access door. The litter box was out of the way and could be cleaned from the outside. The cat would stay outside on a long leash. When something scared him, he went under the trailer.

I hope you are successful.

12-31-2010, 05:29 PM

Should have read the before last year. We took a cat from a friend who could not keep her anymore. About 12 years old. Had some health issues but she is fine now with meds. We took her in our TM for a weekend camping and just put her in the car. After about 1 hr we let her out oof the carring case and gave her free access to the car. She jumped in the front seat looked out the window, let out a few sounds and returned to the back seat and slept. When we camped she went in the TM and never made much of a fuss. Because the room is tight her cat box is kept under the table (cleaned twice a day) And the bottom bunk bed is given over to her. Bed, Scrach box, and food bowls.
We just got back from San Francisco. And it was so cold she insisted on sleeping on our bed with us. First time that has happened.

tgpmd1 · 01-09-2011, 09:15 PM

Thanks for all the advice. She is only about a year old and she needs a lot of attention. She is really a misunderstood individual. I don't say, 'cat', because she really thinks she is a person. I think we may try to take her out in the TM soon just to see how she does. Not an overnight trip, but just to see how she does in a different environment. We need to let the rescue group know if we intend to keep her by the end of the month.

tgpmd1 · 03-20-2011, 09:10 PM

Well, we did it! Sasha is now an official member of the family as of 3/15. When we finally got her paperwork, we found out that she is actually about 5.5 or 6 years old! Had a health scare when they asked us to get her a rabies shot. She reacted very badly and we thought we might lose her. Poor cat has been in so many foster homes. She was rescued from a kill shelter. They put cats down after three days. Too many cats, so few people to rescue them. She needed cat free, dog free, small children free home with someone around to keep her company.

Looks like we'll have friends come over once a day to feed her and maybe try to engage her for our long trip out west. She does not do well in the car. We've leash trained her, which really helps. She can't stand being in the carrier. Been taking her out every week to get accustomed to the car, both in and out of the carrier, but she can only take short (10 minutes or less) trips before she gets upset. Short rides in a harness in the front seat is really the only way she can travel. Not going to subject her to long trips yet. Maybe when she mellows out.

**Bill** · 03-20-2011, 09:36 PM

My experience - take it for what it is worth. A carrier (i.e., cage) is as scary for a cat as it would be for you. So why do it? I don't understand the use of "carriers" (cages). Our cat doesn't much enjoy traveling, but we let him free in the car. He meows for 5 minutes at the beginning of each day, to register his displeasure. Then, having done so, and realizing that he is free, he roams around the wayback of the Explorer, and finds a comfy spot to lie down and sleep. He is then good for the rest of the day. He is not allowed in the front seat, and has come to accept that - but the back seat, plus the wayback, is big. A folded blanket, laid down anywhere back there, is a nice thing for him. Put it in a different place every day, and let him find it.

When we get to the campground, he is up and about, and anxious to get into the TM, where he takes up "his" station on the comfy chair.

One thing that seems to help. About 2 hours after we hit the road in the morning, we stop somewhere. A rest stop, a gas station, doesn't matter. We take both the dog and the cat out for a 5 minute walk on their leashes. It seems to settle them right down. Since your cat is leash-trained, it might do a lot of good.

Just my experience ...

Bill

scrubjaysnest · 03-21-2011, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill

My experience - take it for what it is worth. A carrier (i.e., cage) is as scary for a cat as it would be for you. So why do it? I don't understand the use of "carriers" (cages). Our cat doesn't much enjoy traveling, but we let him free in the car. He meows for 5 minutes at the beginning of each day, to register his displeasure. Then, having done so, and realizing that he is free, he roams around the wayback of the Explorer, and finds a comfy spot to lie down and sleep. He is then good for the rest of the day. He is not allowed in the front seat, and has come to accept that - but the back seat, plus the wayback, is big. A folded blanket, laid down anywhere back there, is a nice thing for him. Put it in a different place every day, and let him find it.

When we get to the campground, he is up and about, and anxious to get into the TM, where he takes up "his" station on the comfy chair.

One thing that seems to help. About 2 hours after we hit the road in the morning, we stop somewhere. A rest stop, a gas station, doesn't matter. We take both the dog and the cat out for a 5 minute walk on their leashes. It seems to settle them right down. Since your cat is leash-trained, it might do a lot of good.

Just my experience ...

Bill

Lost a cat once that way, since than all of ours traveled in a carrier. A little safer that way in case of an accident. No more pets for us.

tgpmd1 · 03-21-2011, 05:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scrubjaysnest

Lost a cat once that way, since than all of ours traveled in a carrier. A little safer that way in case of an accident. No more pets for us.

No more pets at all, or just while camping?