RV Cats - How To Travel With Cats While Maintaining Your Sanity

The RV cat - where to begin? We certainly didn't intend to travel the country with our kitties, but our quick decision to leap into full time rving left us no other options...they are family, and they were packing their little suitcases and coming with.

We knew from the start that our finicky felines were going to need a lot of help from us, to make this a smooth transition...not only for them, but for us. Visions of shredded furniture, tripping over the litterbox and their escaping out the front door terrorized us into spending countless hours of problem-solving, before pulling out of the driveway. Of course we also pictured them running immediately under the bed, never to be seen or heard from again.

Well...they adjusted quickly and, as usual, run the household on their terms. No adjustment problems here! In fact, we have an older lab mix, Hannah, and they dictate to her where she can lay...and swat at her when she gets in their personal space (which is the entire length of the motorhome).

Before sharing our tips on what you will need to prepare for with your camping cat, we will say that, with the exception of pet hair, they always make us smile. Our gigantic rv cat, Spot, is always entertaining and definitely rules the roost. They seem happier than ever, in this smaller environment...we like to think it is because we are around all the time, too...but we know they will never admit it.

Though we stand by cheap rv living, there were some purchases we had to make, which you will see further down in our article. But first, we will begin with the easy tips, which we've implemented inside of our motorhome.

WHERE TO PUT THE LITTERBOX IN AN RV?

This is always one of the first questions on an rver's mind - and we have it solved! We have owned a travel trailer and motorhome, and it has worked in both campers. We buy two rubber storage bins for pennies at thrift stores, and stack them together. Then we fill it halfway with a large bag of kitty litter. The bins fit perfectly in our shower stall. The cats love the privacy shower curtain. Our bathroom has a vent with a fan, for "odors." You needn't change it often, due to the amount of litter, but when the time comes we simply dump the one out, grab the clean one underneath and fill it, rinse the other bin out, let it dry and stack it under the new litter bin. The only downfall is the weight to pick it up when you shower daily. If you have weight restrictions, you could put just a little litter inside so it is lightweight. Honestly, this works like a charm and the dog can't get into it either! One other tip, to help your cat get into the shower, we put a sturdy floor mat over the shower edge to assist with getting in and out.

FUR, FUR, FUR ON BEDS AND FURNITURE...AND SCRATCHING

We are big into custom decorating our rvs with our own style, from ceiling to floor, including painting, flooring and curtains. Often, you can find wonderful, funky fabric at thrift stores, to throw on beds, couches, etc. Just find fabric that pet hair doesn't stick to. We have slate blue and gray in our bedroom, and we stumbled on a metallic gray fabric for $1.00/yard. Sewed it together and it is a beautiful throw over our gray quilt...but hair doesn't stick and it can be shaken off in an instant. So be on the lookout for throws that are easy to shake - washing is tiresome. Also, we ripped out all carpeting and laid different vinyl flooring in each room - plus kept the living room floors "wood" and painted them a deep, chocolate brown with porch paint. Makes cleaning easier...just some area rugs to wash now.

Because we feel certain that declawing cats is inhumane, we had to find other alternatives. We have found that just putting loose throws over dinette cushions and chairs keeps scratching at bay, because there is no resistance to hook on to. Also, you might consider Soft Claws nail covers for cats, if your cat has a bad shredding everything he/she sees type of problem.

LEAVE A LITTLE "UNDERNEATH" SPACE

Storage in an rv is tight, but don't take up all potential cat hideaways with your gear, Dedicate under the bed or couch for times they need peace. If your rv doesn't have any underneath space opportunities, leave the dinette area open or buy a little cat cube for a safe little space for your cat. When a motorhome starts moving, for example, they will often look for a place to hide because, let's face it, it is a little creepy for your house to be rolling!

GIVE THEM WINDOW SPACE

If our cats could talk, they would say that what they love most about rv life is that rvs are full of windows...everywhere!! Our motorhome has a huge dashboard, and when we are parked we put their cat bed on it...they spend most days sunbathing in the spot you see in our photo. But the top of the couch, counters and so many more sunny spaces are also available to choose from...so give your kitties a few perches, to keep them happy.

SAFETY

Screen doors on rvs can be easily pushed on and opened - be sure to either add a hook inside or block the exit if you have a cat that is an escape artist.

MUST HAVE CAT PRODUCTS

Below you will find a list of cat items you will need while rving, including our favorite outdoor cat enclosure, the folding playpen. While browsing, keep in mind that COLLAPSIBLE IS KEY!!! You just won't have storage space otherwise. Here are the items we could never live without...an initial expense, but a necessity that has made our lives so much easier. We hope you've found these tips useful - camping with cats can be a very rewarding experience...as long as you keep on catering to their every need!

NOW SEE BELOW FOR OUR "MUST HAVE" RECOMMENDATIONS