Traveling with cats in a camper van

[walmarl]

We want to travel in a camper van with our two cats. Does anyone have experiences to share with us, both pros and cons?

[markopolo]

I thought a few cat owners would have responded by now.

Here are some poll results that you might find interesting:

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=458

The link above does show that dogs seem to get to go travelling more than cats.

[julievojo]

We have cats too but leave them home or with one of our kids because we're afraid we'd never get any sleep with the nocturnal cat in the B. There are plenty of folks that do travel with them though. We met a few cat travelers at the B Social in Moab last fall. I wish I could be of more help!

[Ron J. Moore]

We started traveling with a cat this January - to FL. He got out an open window in Manatee SP and we spent about three hours coaxing him back. We stopped at a Rest Area on the way out of FL....and somehow he slipped out. We didn't know he was gone until we were well into GA. That was 25 Feb - today we got a call from FL Humane that he had been turned in (has that microchip)..we're underway early in the a.m. to retreave him. In future travels he will be caged or left at a "Cat Sitter." Hope you have great success in your travels...but cats do demand attention in their own way. Ron

[Davydd]

We have a cat. I've taken her on a couple of trips around town in the B and spent one night with her in the driveway at home as a test. I found I make a good stool for her to look out the window at every new sound. We haven't done any RV travel with her yet and don't plan to this spring going to the BEE Social in Lafayette, LA and the B6 RV.net rally in Ohio. But this June I might take her on the road for another test.

[yvonjovi]

I have travelled with two cats, camping in a tent (before the RV days). For their safety and your sanity, a travel crate is a must, and a place for the litter box (someone on this site put the litter box under the bed in the 'basement' storage area) but this depends on your rig. The enjoyment for all, depends on the cats as some are more high strung than others. A stressed cat will urinate, throw-up and an hour or so of non stop meowing. The alternative is to give the correct dosage of tranquilizer to keep them calm but not knock them out completely. Some animals are disturbed by the road noise, engine and wheels on pavement.
If your cats are escape artists then a harness with leash may prevent unexpected escapes. I spent over an hour once retrieveing my cat from a highly wooded campground. Thankfully, she didn't get eaten, beaten by other woodland creatures (squirrels are thugs) or permanetly lost. I can't tell you the unhelpful comments that came from on-lookers. I think you'll know in a few days if you'll be travelling with them again. Plan a short trip and see if they make the RV their new home away form home.

[Mike]

Here's a link to another thread about trying to travel with pets/cats.
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=975&p=3258&hilit=cats#p3258
I would think dogs would be a better bet overall as traveling companions.
We've since pretty much given up on the idea of taking our cats with us anywhere.
I'd think if you can try a short overnighter or maybe a two-nighter and see how it goes
that'll tell the tale. We tried an overnighter and there was litter everywhere in the morning.

Good luck.