Getting Your Pet to Adapt to the RV

DXSMac · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 619 Location: Pacific Northwest

How did you get your pet to adapt to the RV? I think I should have handled my situation differently.

My precious cat was 6 when I first got an RV four years ago. The night before I planned to leave for my first RV trip, I took my cat and let him wander around the RV. He sniffed it. I thought all was fine.

My first trip I drove about 300 miles. Well, my cat, I think, thought that I was probably going to dump him somewhere because he meowed and he wanted to sit on my lap while I drove! And he's NOT a "lap" cat and he's not really a "cuddle cat." He meowed all the way there! He stopped after I parked, but every night on my first trip, he made the full range of cat sounds: he made some sounds I did not realize cats make! The strangest sound I heard, for the first time, was something like "ordle ordle ordle..." Didn't know cats made THAT sound...

I think what I should have done was go to a local RV park about five miles away.

Going home was better; kitty finally figured out I wasn't getting rid of him.

Now, kitty does fine unless I take a winding road. Then he has problems. The three Ps: poo, piddle, puke. I have to be careful on winding roads. Even stopping every so often doesn't prevent this, poor guy...

Now, I have a cat tree with a window high perch on it and kitty can gaze out the back window when we are stopped. He rides in his carrier while we are enroute.

How did you get your pet to adapt?

JJ
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Nepsis · Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 42 Location: KS, MO

Great topic! I've just moved into my RV (this past weekend), and am still learning the ropes. When I drive down to Thanksgiving at my parent's house in a couple days, I'll be picking up my dog (finally...she's been staying with family for several months now). She's antsy, but does okay in cars, so I don't imagine the ride in the cab of a big Chevy truck will be too bad. I do wonder about the small living space for her, though, when I'm out at work during the day. She's really good about not tearing anything up, but I still wonder. I do think she'll really enjoy having evening walks in a variety of locations, though, as we travel around KS and MO.
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Filthy beast · Joined: 03 Apr 2008 Posts: 37 Location: New Mexico

Our two Damnations have never gotten used to it. They don't have their chairs, the couch is too small, the bed is too small, and worst, they have to be on leads.
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DXSMac · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 619 Location: Pacific Northwest

At home, my cat sleeps through the night. But on an RV trip, different story. He does the 3:00 AM thing. He claws the shades and I HAVE to open the shades so he can see what is out there a t 3:00 AM. Must be really exciting. And I'm in my RV in 20-degree weather! All my heat went out the window when I opened the shades.

JJ
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prisms · Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 3

For 6 years, I've commuted between WA and AZ towing in a 13' A-frame pop-up, and live in a stationary 27' trailer in the winter. My 7 year-old cat could probably make the trip on his own by now; he's perfectly comfortable everywhere. In AZ and campgrounds along the way, he walks on a leash. I tell people that the perfect dog is a cat. The first time in the car, I had him in a carrier for a little while, but now he has the run of the car (minivan). His litter box travels with him of course. SKP 23051

Jim Karns · Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 7:49 am Post subject:

Greetings,
We travel with 4 (yes 4) dogs of various sizes and breeds. All are waifs from local shelters. 3 of the 4 are great travelers - never a problem. #4 is the problem child. She's a blue tick coonhound - and slightly high strung, but not hyper. We have found that a portable cage in the motorhome somehow calms her down. She was "cage trained" as a puppy. Perhaps traveling in the cage lends a home again feel to her. Her episodes of motion sickness have been greatly reduced - and she's much happier. Also: we found that feeding only at night (when travel has ceased) made a great improvement. Hey - just my .02
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bremmie · Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 5 Location: FL/SEATTLE

I use bottled or filtered water. We found change in water supplies can cause GI upsets.
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demdds · Joined: 14 May 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Rocky River, OH

By all means, stuff all of the cracks! We found out the hard way about how far a cat can travel once it gets into the passageways for piping and ducts----unless you enjoy disassembling your rig. But kitty may not necessarily stay at that spot while you try to open up where he/she is at that moment but move to a new spot. The cat may enjoy the adventure but you, most likely, will not.

DXSMac · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 619 Location: Pacific Northwest

Even if I don't let it eat on travel day, kitty still gets motion sick (poo, piddle, or puke) if I travel on winding roads. Freeways, no problem. Even when I traveled south of Bakersfield, CA on I-5, which is HORRIBLE, kitty did fine.

And in reply to stuffing the cracks, my cat loves to get himself in the back of the sofa. One time I left my RV to do some stuff, came back; couldn't find kitty anywhere. Then I heard a meow and kitty had squeezed behind the sofa. I feared getting clawed to death if I tried to pull him out, but kitty cooperated, let himself go limp, and I pulled him out.

As for water, my kitty has always had bottled water I used to live in an area where the water wasn't the greatest, vet insisted on bottled water in that area, and when I moved, I kept with the same water. OK, spoiled kitty....

I make kitty travel in the carrier, but it's a larger carrier meant for a small dog. Gives it room to stand up and turn around. Carrier sits in the dinette area. I do try to stop at rest stops and let kitty run around, but sometimes kitty just runs to the back part of the RV and "hunkers" in the bed.

JJ
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Desertthorn · Joined: 15 Nov 2005 Posts: 263 Location: Western Washington

I always suffered from car sickness when I was a kid and I didn't grow out of it as much as grew up and could look out the window. I wonder if you could rig the cat carrier someway so that it wouldn't fly around in an accident but let him/her look out at something. Cats probably don't have the same issue but worth the try.
My other solution would be ginger tea, but I don't know if cats can have ginger.
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DXSMac · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 619 Location: Pacific Northwest

Thought about that.... tried putting pillows up on the passenger seat so kitty could look out the window from the carrier, but it was too unstable.

JJ

demdds · Joined: 14 May 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Rocky River, OH

Yes, being able to relate to the outside prevents motion sickness. This is the secret to riding in a boat. If you can see the horizon and things about you, you're OK. But if you are concentrating on something inside the boat (putting bait on a hook, etc.) you will begin to feel motion sickness setting in.

Getting your pet to keep looking outside is the hangup---unless they're sleeping, which is another solution to motion sickness. In cases of non-violent motion sleepiness often comes before nausea.

kat31m · Joined: 08 Nov 2005 Posts: 9

I did what you thought of in hindsight. I took my 10 yr old cat on a short rv trip to a local cg. That was after we sat in the rv parked in the driveway on several occasions, just letting him get used to the setting and sniff to his heart's content. I was concerned because whenever I took him by car to the vet (only time he travels) he never stopped meowing-he would be panting by the time we arrived - 10 minute ride!!! Back to the rv- I started out by keeping him in a large carrier on travel days- but in 3 days he escaped twice and broke the zipper on the carrier!!! So now he roams on travel days-usually settles on the rocker/recliner and sleeps until we arrive at our destination. We been fulltiming for 1 1/2 years and the cat loves rving!!! I do confine him whenever I operate the slideouts!!!

Have you discussed kitties car sickness w/your vet? Maybe there is some medication available ? Good luck, Kathy
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goofycat · Joined: 03 Dec 2008 Posts: 131 Location: Santa Rosa, CA

We are leaving on a trip in a day or two in our first RV and have been putting the two cats into the rig on a daily basis just to get them used to the idea. Favorite place so far is behind the couch. We bought two collapsible cat carriers that are small enough for them to curl up inside. So far, they seem to love the carriers, made by Sturdi Products at www.petcarrier.com. The bottom of the carriers have a great mattress that provides what seems to be a lot of comfort. We bought the Sturdi-Totes that sit upright with enough room to fit under the couch. They are very well-made with good ventilation.
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DXSMac · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 619 Location: Pacific Northwest

I tried one of those "soft sided" carriers, kitty REFUSED to go in. He will go in a hard sided one.

I have TWO carriers, a smaller one for trips to vets and a larger one for the RV. Kitty knows the difference! He will GRUDGINGLY go in the RV one (I have to shove him in), but when the vet one comes out, kitty is suddenly nowhere to be found.

One time on an RV trip, I had to take kitty in for emergency vet care. All I had was the RV carrier, so I had to use that. I apologized over and over to kitty for that. Kitty seems to have "forgiven" me because I have used the RV carrier for the RV since then with no problem.

JJ
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Please check out my blog on RV'ing without a tow car:

http://rvingtoadless.blogspot.com/

Feel free to leave me any comments.