Looking for help for keeping a cat in a Class B

[Ahoy]

I am considering buying a Winnabago Travato and have a cat and will travel for a long time in the van. I have some questions for people who have done this.

1) Where do you put the litter box?

2) Her food and water too. Where do you put that?

3) She currently goes outside for hours each day. How do you replicate that after moving to a van?

4) In general how do you make life pleasant for a cat in a van?

[Phoebe3]

We don't have a Travato, so I can't help with the litter box location.

As far as having our cat outside, you should get her accustomed to wearing a harness, which you can then attach to a lead. More importantly, you have to train her to understand that the VAN is her safe place. I saw a post from someone who used a Tile Mate on her cat's collar and made it buzz whenever the cat got a certain distance from the van and kept it buzzing until the cat went inside. Before long, the cat learned the boundaries and headed for the van when threatened.

Our cat doesn't go outside. I see too many unleashed dogs at campgrounds to feel safe having her outside. Plus, there's the whole flea/tick thing.

Good luck.

[MsNomer]

Couple on the PM forum travel with two Maine Coons. They carry a hitch box with extra litter—we joked about disappointed thieves. The cats have harnesses and there is a heavy-duty mosquito curtain for the slider. Your cat could shred the Travato screen in short order.

I recall someone online putting the litter box in a lower cabinet and venting to the outside with a small fan. It would be just my luck to go to all that trouble, then the cat decides to use the front seat instead.

[magicbus]

We bought one of these, what I call a cat condo: https://outofsightlitterbox.com/

W have an ERA 170A and I pulled out the sofa and installed the condo. Our cat took to it pretty quickly. His litter went into top and you can just open the lid to clean it. Good storage in the bottom. I velcroed a small rug to the lid and he often hangs out up there while traveling or he lays inside the entrance on the mat (to stay out of the way of our two labs). He shares their water and we keep his food on the rug on the lid so the dogs don't get to it. Ours likes to be outside but we keep him in when traveling.

Depending on the model you choose, I would imagine you could pull the bench seat and replace it with one of these (assuming the seat isn't hiding a water tank or something else useful).

Here is a shot looking inside the sliding door.

[Roadtrek Adventuous RS1]

Originally Posted by Ahoy

I am considering buying a Winnabago Travato and have a cat and will travel for a long time in the van. I have some questions for people who have done this.

1) Where do you put the litter box?

2) Her food and water too. Where do you put that?

3) She currently goes outside for hours each day. How do you replicate that after moving to a van?

4) In general how do you make life pleasant for a cat in a van?

You have two issues.... water and litter box.
Put the litter box on the floor between the sofa and the side seats if you have them......then, there's the water bowl.....

We had cats for many years and I love them, but, it will be quite a challenge when you are driving....to keep the things from shifting and leaving the cat alone when you go out for dinner or shopping.....

Good luck.

[magicbus]

Guess I forgot to mention the water bowl. It is right next to the cat condo on a mat so it doesn't slide. It is one of the spill-proof ones and works great for a cat and two labs. It took us a bit of explaining to get the cat to stop trying to shred the screen door, but eventually he got it. It's the labs that have a problem with it when it is dark out. During the day they respect it, but at night the can't see it. We learned that lesson.

[NAZCamperVan]

The folks at the FITRV blog travel in a Travato with their cat. https://www.thefitrv.com/

[NFRicaS]

Originally Posted by Ahoy

I am considering buying a Winnabago Travato and have a cat and will travel for a long time in the van. I have some questions for people who have done this.

1) Where do you put the litter box?

2) Her food and water too. Where do you put that?

3) She currently goes outside for hours each day. How do you replicate that after moving to a van?

4) In general how do you make life pleasant for a cat in a van?

I was thinking that the bathroom might be the best place for the litter box..Purina Tidy Cats Breeze System is great!! Easier than getting litter all over floor!! I ordered bed pads and cut them to fit instead of buying the Purina pads..cheaper..Harnesses do work well, agree w/ that..like the buzzer idea, will have to try that in the future..I also built a “cat condo” on the roof w/ PVC and chicken wire..they accessed it from inside RV, they could go up the ramp and look around, but enclosed so the neighborhood feral cats couldn’t get them (this was in Key West..1000’s of Ferals).

[Davydd]

I custom designed a passage way under our beds to slide out from under this enclosed kitty litter box. I can access it from inside or from outside via the back doors. What I didn't show in this photo is there is a black strip curtain in front of it that the cat can pass through easily.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by Ahoy

I am considering buying a Winnabago Travato and have a cat and will travel for a long time in the van. I have some questions for people who have done this.

1) Where do you put the litter box?

2) Her food and water too. Where do you put that?

3) She currently goes outside for hours each day. How do you replicate that after moving to a van?

4) In general how do you make life pleasant for a cat in a van?

Welcome to the forum Ahoy!

We don't have cats or a Travato, so I have no specific advice to offer, but you may want to try a few short driving trips and see where your cat picks to ride. Plus, being outside less may not be a big problem. Don't know your cat's age, but we've found as our pets get older, they don't mind being inside the majority of the time.

Good luck.

[DUTCH in Atlanta]

There is a Facebook Group dedicated to RVing with cats.