Rving Cats Options

[Texasrvers]

I just read the post about New England in June which mentioned RVing with cats about which I have some comments. We have RVed at one time or another with 4 small dogs; 3 dogs and 1 cat; 3 cats; and right now 2 cats. Although we really loved our dogs, we think it is easier to travel in an RV with cats. However, we are lucky that all of our cats have been good travelers. Many cats aren't, and that may be why you don't see more of them in RVs.

The pluses are you don't have to get up in the middle of the night or go out in the cold and rain to walk them. They can use a litter box all by themselves, although many people would not like to deal with that in an RV. Also you can leave cats in the RV while you are sight seeing. I know you can leave dogs also, but you have to come back every few hours to walk and/or feed them. Cats can stay by themselves all day, and will sleep most of the time. Also we have never known them to bark while we are gone.

Minuses are most cats cannot be leash trained so you can't take them on strolls with you like you can do with dogs, and it is usually not a good idea to let them sit outside with you especially if there are dogs around. If you have an RV that must be towed (trailer or 5th wheel) it might be a bit of trouble to move a cat from one vehicle to the other, and I certainly don't think it would be a good idea for them to ride in the RV alone. We have a motor home so that is not a problem for us.

When we are driving down the road one cat rides on my lap and the other sleeps back in the bedroom. (When we had our third cat he rode on the couch.) We don't even have to stop to walk or feed them. They can handle either of those tasks while we are driving--even at 60 mph. When we set up for the night we put a pad on the dash and that becomes their den.

Finally I have to confess that our pets are the reason we decided to get an RV. We wanted to travel, and we just couldn't think of leaving them behind. We would miss them too much. An RV seemed like the best solution, and now 7 years later we're still having fun!

[Eric&Rita]

We have a pot-bellied pig and a bird, and we also bought the RV for them to travel with us. The pig is a real challenge to get in and out of the bus. A 7 foot ramp had to be modifed a few times, added rubber slats so he could get a grip and he still has trouble going up. It's all worth it for the looks and conversation a pig starts. The pigs name is Frank Pignatra and he's almost 2 years old. Our bird is a Golden Capped Conure and is about 16 years old and my little sweetheart. It's definitely a lot of work and trouble to take your pets along, but we couldn't see any other solution if we were going to travel. Sometimes I wish we had just got a small dog like everyone else, but then we wouldn't be who we are. We love our pets.

[nicki]

We have a pot-bellied pig and a bird, and we also bought the RV for them to travel with us. The pig is a real challenge to get in and out of the bus. A 7 foot ramp had to be modifed a few times, added rubber slats so he could get a grip and he still has trouble going up. It's all worth it for the looks and conversation a pig starts. The pigs name is Frank Pignatra and he's almost 2 years old. Our bird is a Golden Capped Conure and is about 16 years old and my little sweetheart. It's definitely a lot of work and trouble to take your pets along, but we couldn't see any other solution if we were going to travel. Sometimes I wish we had just got a small dog like everyone else, but then we wouldn't be who we are. We love our pets.

Just wondering about the pig--my daughter is getting a miniature pig for Christmas and it never occurred to me to take him camping with us. We have somewhere to leave him when we do go camping, but just in case we decide to try to take him w/us, I was wondering--do you mention to the CG owner that you have a pig? If so, what are the reactions? Have you ever not been allowed at a CG because of your pig? Does he affect your ability to go out sightseeing? Just wondering...thanks!