Does anyone bring their cat camping?

[Topher24]

We have a seasonal spot for the summer, therefore we will be taking the cat with us.

Anyone else take their cat camping? If, any tricks/tips for the litter box?

[tlhdoc]

I don't, but I have 2 friends that do.

[Farmer Dave]

We took one of our kittens camping last year. We drove the 100 miles to our favorite camground at the lake, backed the camper in the spot unhooked and were setting up when I saw the kitten jump out from under the truck. The wife caught her and we made a makeshift cage, called one of the kids and met them half way to take the kitten back home. I guess she really wanted to camp.

[Albertaguy]

We have brought out old girl camping for years. We have a carrier which we use for the initial drive down the road because she sounds like a siren with all her wailing, but after a few miles she settles down and likes to sit on the center console and sleep or watch out the window. When we get to location she has a harness and a long rope so that she can explore and then find a little shade, we also hook the rope onto our clothes line which gives her lots of room to explore. We have a deep dish litter pan which is easy to locate on the kitchen area floor and is kept clean, with no mess or for that matter smell as we use a good litter deodorant.

[FPM III]

Our Purrscilla camps with us.



One of her favorite spots is in the storage cabinets above our bed.



When we're not using it ourselves (the bathtub, that is), we keep the litter box in the bathtub. It's out of the way and gives kitty some privacy. The tub also acts as a "litter box within a litter box" by containing any litter that gets tracked/kicked out.

Tidy Cat clumping litter is used. Pees go in the trash. Poos go down the toilet. I've had some replies from folks expressing concern as to possible damage/problems to the plumbing system caused by the kitty litter. Our kitty has been camping with us since 2009 and I have not seen any issues. Besides, the only litter actually going down the toilet is what has attached itself to the stool, and I consider it minute. When I inspect the inside of my black tank after rinsing, I see nothing but the black bottom of the tank.

Like ours, your first cat camping outing will be a learning experience. One thing we learned was that our cat needed places where it could have an unobstructed view out a window. Our trailer has venetain blinds on all the windows so we had to raise them and just use the curtains for privacy. This way, the cat can just go underneath the curtains and see its outside world.

Another thing we discovered is that pet loops in campgrounds bother our cat because the sites are predominately occupied by campers with dogs. Our cat is actually more relaxed when we disobey the rules and camp in a non-pet loop because there are NO dogs. When camping in pet loops, Purrscilla growls and hides when people with (especially lively) dogs pass by. You don't have this activity in a non-pet loop. I'll take my chances with the park ranger/management. So far, no one has ever challenged me on it. To me, camping with a cat isn't much different than camping with a hamster, turtle or goldfish.

[altar1]

Originally Posted by cdembek

We have a seasonal spot for the summer, therefore we will be taking the cat with us.

Anyone else take their cat camping? If, any tricks/tips for the litter box?

We take our cat all the time. In a carrier in the back seat of the TV. He loves camping. He likes to look outside, so keeping a window available is a must. Cats also like high places, so he sleeps in a cat bed up on the higest shelf over the coat closet in the bedroom. We NEVER let him go outside, where he would just be coyote bait. Litter box in the bathroom next to the john, with door left slightly ajar. Food and water beside the couch next to the kitchen cabinets.

Tom

[chillywilly]

Yup, we started to bring our old girl with us last year after learning about her early stage kidney failure. Don't want to leave her home alone. We use a covered litter box that has the swinging door. She just loves to be on our beds with the windows open.

[Mike and Rose]

We just left Cherry Hill Campground in Maryland and I took some pictures of a motorhome with a detachable cage suspended from a rear window. The window was customized with a built in pet door. I have pictures of their cat sitting in the cage taking in some fresh air. I will try to download the pictures but usually have problems doing it.

[Jrmay25]

Don't take ours camping with us, however, we origionally found and brought him home while on a camping trip.

[David472]

We don't take ours with us. She is an indoor only cat, 14 yrs old. She loves the sleep-overs at our friend's place, so she's always cheerful when we get back.

[Topher24]

And our cat is a happy camper...

[Murphie]

Our cat is 20 years old and probably would not want to take on camping. When I went thru chemo she logged a lot of hours at the foot of my bed. My doctor was afraid of her scratching me but that never happened. She follows me everywhere and I love her dearly.

[Topher24]

Let's try this again....

[TeamFoxy]

We took our 18 year old cat for the first time this week. She had to have a growth removed so needs bandages changed daily. She seemed right at home and gave us no problems.

We have 3, so have always had a pet sitter watch all of them when we travel. I'm not sure how 3 in the trailer would be. Does anyone else travel with several cats?

[LongIslandCamper]

I'm a dog person myself. Some CG's around here specially have signs saying no cats allowed. There are a lot of dogs in the park though. I guess they don't want any problems.

[bccber]

Install a cat door on the pass thru wall from the bedroom,put the litterbox in the storage compartment and kitty has his or hers private facilities. No more mess in the bathtub. You can even open the compartment hatch,install a removeable screen and they have their own patio.

[Down the Road]

We full timed with 2 cats in our Jayco fiver covering 44 states back in 92-94 during what we called our sabatical. One was 5 and one 12. They loved it and also were a great help in determining what was outside our 5th wheel at night! When they ran from the screen door we made sure we had a campfire if we sat outside to look at the stars.

Currently have 3 siamese one is 1yr, and (2) are 11 yr olds... and they love to camp. We modified the washer/dryer area for the litter box, for privacy... complete with carpet to help contain the litter and a 12 volt light so clean up is easy. They ride in our fiver and seem comfortable enough and look forward to treats and fresh water when we stop for fuel....meeting us "at the door".

I saw a great screened in cat porch last time out. It unfolded to 6 feet long and 24" x30" that the owner set up on saw horses and then connected to the basement which he modified to connect to the living area. The 2 cats could go and come as they wanted to and of course it had a vinyl roof to keep the sun and rain out. Saw them enjoying their cat naps on their porch. I'm going to come up with a plan to do the same thing!

[RickAE]

Just got back from our first trip and our Maine Coon's first trip. She seemed to really have a good time and was totally relaxed in the TT. Only problem we had was the ride there and back. Seems she gets carsick and the nausea makes her drool pretty seriously. She did better on the way home so we are hoping her tummy will grow accustomed to riding in the truck the more we take her. Would be interested to hear if anyone else has a cat prone to carsickness and, if so, do you have anything that helps?

[Knickerbocker]

Originally Posted by RickAE

Just got back from our first trip and our Maine Coon's first trip. She seemed to really have a good time and was totally relaxed in the TT. Only problem we had was the ride there and back. Seems she gets carsick and the nausea makes her drool pretty seriously. She did better on the way home so we are hoping her tummy will grow accustomed to riding in the truck the more we take her. Would be interested to hear if anyone else has a cat prone to carsickness and, if so, do you have anything that helps?

My vet gave me a tranquilser for our cat that worked well. Doesn't knock them out - just helps relax them. He recommended it because of our cats being carsick when going anywhere. They don't camp with us.

[Topher24]

Well we are on our second weekend away with our cat. Again, she cried the WHOLE TIME in the car, however was back to herself when we arrived.