One of the most wonderful things about traveling in an RV is the ability to take your furry friends with you wherever you roam. This includes dogs, of course, but it also includes cats. In fact, RVing with cats is quite common and can be a ton of fun!
However, before you hit the road with your feline buddy, there are some important things you should know. The ten tips below will help ensure you and your cat are traveling in comfort and safety as you explore this amazing country of ours.
Practice Traveling with Your Cat
Before you ever hop in the RV, we highly recommend practicing vehicle travel with your kitty. Get in the car and go for a drive through the country. See how your cat reacts, and if they seem overly anxious, stop and take a break. Do this a few times and experiment with where your cat rides.
This will help your pet get more comfortable with riding in a vehicle and will help you figure out where and how your cat is most comfortable riding. It will also alert you if your cat happens to suffer from motion sickness, so you can grab some medication from the vet.
Never Travel with Your Cat in a Trailer
You may hear of people traveling with their pets in their travel trailer or fifth wheel. However we do not recommend doing this. It’s just too easy for something to fall on your cat during transit, and controlling the temperature in the trailer could also be difficult while you’re driving.
Keeping your cat with you wherever you ride is always the safest bet.
Create a Cozy Travel Nook
Your practice drives will help you determine how your cat best likes to travel. Take your cues from that and create a cozy little travel nook for them. Many cats like to hide out in a kennel or box while traveling, and pillows and blankets will surely make them more comfortable and help them settle in for the drive.
If you’re in a motorhome, make sure the nook is safe from falling objects.
Consider Containing the Kitty
If your cat tends to wander outside of his or her designated travel nook, you might need to consider containing them somehow in order to keep everyone safe. After all, a cat on the dashboard could mean you miss seeing something important out the windshield, and a cat under the brake pedal would be terrible.
A leash or kennel will nicely keep your fuzzy friend where they should be. Many mods for RVing cats are easy to do, like hiding the litter box in a creative place.
Get Creative with Litter Box Storage
One of the biggest challenges of RVing with a cat is figuring out where to put the litter box. That said, we’ve seen some pretty creative solutions. Some people put the little box under their bed and add a little kitty door to the side of the bed so the cat can get in and out. Others use the underside of a dining room bench in the same way.
However you choose to store your litter box, we recommend using a covered one in order to better contain the litter.
Install Monitoring Systems
Chances are, you’ll want to leave your cat at home to go exploring once in a while. That’s totally fine. In fact, your cat might even enjoy the alone time.
However, it is a good idea to install some monitoring systems before leaving your cat in the RV alone. Installing a temperature monitoring system and a way to change the thermostat is an excellent addition. Some sort of video monitoring system is also a good idea. Both devices can also prevent cats from escaping the RV.
Pick Up a Kitty Leash (and Some Poo Bags)
Most cats like to go exploring outside. That said, many people are not comfortable letting their kitty roam a campground when RVing with cats, and some campgrounds don’t allow it anyway. This is where a cat leash can come into play.
Go ahead and put a secure cat harness for walking and leash on your feline friend. It make take time for your cat to get used to the leash and harness, so take your time with training. With patience, your RVing cat will soon be ready to start exploring!
Remember to bring poop bags and clean up after your cat while you explore the outdoors together on a leash.
Carry Your Cat’s Vaccine Records
Many campgrounds will ask to see your pet’s shot records before they let you stay. While this is more common when it comes to dogs, it could absolutely happen that a campground wants to see your cat’s medical records. Call your campground destination to find out what if any records are required for RVing pets.
Ensure your kitty is up to date on their shots, too. Carry a copy of their records with you in the RV in case it ever comes up.
Consider Using a Veterinary Chain
Planning to go RVing with cats full time? You may be wondering how people keep up with regular vet visits while on the road.
Some full-time RVers stick with their vet in their hometown, they just make regular visits to the area. But many pet parents switch to a veterinary chain. Petco is a good example of a chain veterinary office. The benefit of choosing a chain is that the offices share your pet’s records from one to the next, making it easy to schedule check ups wherever you happen to be.
Always Know Where an Emergency Vet Is
Of course, even if you choose a veterinary chain, emergencies can happen at any time and there will be times when you can’t get to one of the vet clinic locations. Perhaps the nearest office is closed because it’s late at night. Or maybe you’re in the middle of nowhere and the nearest vet clinic is over an hour away.
In these cases, an emergency vet is always the best answer. Make sure you always know where to find the nearest emergency vet in case your cat has an emergency.
Yes, RVing with cats is a totally fun experience. Hopefully these tips help make your experience the best it can be!
