Cat in an RV?

[kaitykaity]

Me and kitty have been in the same apartment for
11 years together.

I have the opportunity to go on the road in an RV
for about a year, maybe more. (Work through the Internet
and can connect in most RV parks these days.)

Any advice from any of you wonderful people on how to
help kitty make this transition with me? She's never
known another home than this place, and she's wonderfully
content here. I'm having huge guilt pangs about taking
her away from it, but my feet are itching bad and
I gotta go.

Thanks in advance.

[demnan]

1. Once all your stuff is in the RV

and you are content I'm sure your kitty will be too. It doesn't seem to be a territorial issue involving other cats or anything. An apartment kitty won't be that concerned with what is going on outside, that's my 2 cents anyway.

[Trailrider1951]

2. Go for it, Kaity!

I currently live full-time in my 30 foot motorhome with my cat and two dogs. Your cat will adjust to the RV just like any change in residence. The hard part is finding a place for the litter box! Also, you don't have to worry about mice in the RV (they will move in!). Just be sure you keep Kitty inside at all times. There are coyotes and other critters out there that will make a meal of Kitty if given the chance. You may find the following links helpful:

www.rv.net
http://www.escapees.com
http://www.workampers.com
www.koa.com

Good luck and I'll see ya on the road!


edited to fix links :silly:

[kaitykaity]

4. Thank you for the links.

She's just the best kitty. I'm planning on sitting
in one place for a month to get her used to the trailer.

When you travel, are your pets in the truck with you or
do you cage them in the trailer?

[Trailrider1951]

5. I don't have a truck - trailer combination, I have a motorhome

that looks similar to this Winnebago:



I have a motor scooter that I carry on a rear platform for general transportation when my motorhome is parked. It looks like this:



My cat really does not like it when his house moves, so he rides it out in the back on my bed. One dog sits beside me in the "navigator" position, and the other rides behind me on the couch. For your set-up, I would recommend a roomy cat carrier positioned in the truck cab beside you so that Kitty can see you, and will be less freaked that way. Please don't leave him by himself in the trailer or in the truck bed when you travel, and always remember to stop every 3 hours or so, so that Kitty can get a drink and use the cat box. He will get used to traveling. Have fun!

[kaitykaity]

6. Did you need a special license for that scooter?

I want one of those. The truck a gas guzzling hog, maybe
12 mpg or something.

So I guess she's gonna ride in the pickup cab with us. oh
fun, fun, fun.

[Trailrider1951]

7. Check with your local dept of transportation for the license

requirements. My scoot is an older version of the Honda Elite, and has an engine size of 49cc's with a top speed of 35mph. It gets 80 miles per gallon, and is soooo much fun to ride. I bought it when I was up in Colorado two years ago, and paid $1000 for it. Colorado considers the 49cc and smaller vehicles to be "motorized bicycles", and requires no title, license plate, insurance, or operator's license. Here in Texas, however, it is considered to be a "moped", and I am required to have a title ($15), license tag ($45), safety inspection ($12), and insurance ($135/year). No special operator's license is required. All in all, it still is very cheap transportation, and since it weighs less than 200 lbs, I can load and unload it by myself with the aid of a ramp. You could carry one in the back of your truck. One thing I would caution you on is to buy a Honda or other Japanese brand, rather than the cheaper knock-offs that are coming from China. The Japanese (or Italian-made Vespas) are much better quality and are extremely reliable. You can also get parts for them if you need them. Have fun, and let me know if you have any other questions. :hi:

[kaitykaity]

8. Thanks, I appreciate it.

:hi:

We're going to be in so many states, but I guess
I'll check with Oregon and do what I need to do
with what they say.

Oh fun.

:evilgrin:

[Trailrider1951]

9. That's right, check with your home state.

Full time RVer's have to choose one state in which to license every vehicle. That is called your domicile state. That way, one state gets all the tax and fee revenue, and no state can charge you with tax evasion. I hear California and New Jersey are just a bitch to deal with on this matter. Many full-timers choose Texas because it is easy and relatively cheap to establish domicile here, especially with the help of the Escapees RV club. This is all explained on their website, and can be found by following the link I posted above.

Also, another thing you might check into, especially if you plan to park for long periods at a time without electrical hookups on state or federal land (called "boondocking" in the RV vernacular), is a solar panel set-up for your trailer. This will charge your batteries so you can run lights, water pump, computer (with an inverter), and other small appliances. And, it costs nothing to generate your power after the initial investment (about $400 or so if you are frugal with the power). It will not, however, allow you to run your air conditioner, microwave, or vacuum cleaner, as these draw too much current to be powered by a small inverter (300 to 500 watts). The following link has lots of good information:

www.phrannie.org

Again, Have Fun!!!

Edited: Oopsie, confused my watts and amps again!

[kaitykaity]

10. Texas? No, uh-uh.

We got a UPS box a couple of weeks ago that is our
permanent address. Oregon is home, even if I won't
be here for long from now on.

Yeah, I bought a baby solar panel so that if the pickup
battery ever dies on the road, I can get it charged in
about 12 hours. Lol.

We still have to get a hitch, finish out the yard sales,
figure out the TV thing. But I have my wireless laptop,
my XM radio. I'm ready to go.

I just worry about that my cat. She's such a picky
little creature, and bossy. Last time she had to live
in a small area, she neurotically groomed herself until
her butt was bald. (My mom's older queen kitty kept
mine locked up because of mine's bad attitude.)

I have to get her used to a leash, for sure.

[Eurobabe]

3. she'll adjust, think of it this way,

she'll be happy being with her mom, even in close quarters. Try the Rescue Remedy to ease the transition. All you can do is try, maybe she'll surprise you!

Bon voyage...!!

[demzilla]

11. Our cat has been from Nova Scotia to Oregon

He loves to travel and see new places. When we set up camp the first night he bounds around the trailer and purrs. We lived full-time in a fifth-wheel trailer for over a year with him and have taken numerous shorter trips since. We also have a suction-cup, stick-on bird feeder that we put on the window while at camp -- he can sit and watch birds up close and personal, with no harm done. (It's fun for us to watch as well.)

When driving, we put his cat box inside our pickup, as well as dry food and water, so he has all the comforts of home. Often he sleeps on the passenger's lap, or sits on top of a box and looks at the passing scenery. (One time we left him in the trailer and he was terrified at the end of the trip; our presence reassures him all is OK, so he is much happier riding with us. If it's just you, and the cat is skittish, or has a propensity to do things like run under brake pedals, keeping the cat in a carrier may be an option.)

Our cat enjoys new RV parks and campgrounds -- new things to explore, new smells, etc. Once, we left an RV park and returned to the same park after a week. We parked across the aisle from where we had parked before. The cat jumped out, walked across the aisle, sat down next to where we had camped the week before, and meowed. Clearly he was reminding us silly humans that we were in the wrong spot!