help for traveling with cats and dogs and kids!!!

[aeriqua]

Hi all! We are looking for advice for our first long trip with our '91 Excella 25', which we got last fall. We have a nephew graduating from West Point, so we have decided to travel cross-country to see it, and many other sites along the way and back. We have three kids under 10, 2 dogs, and 2 cats. We expect the trip to take three weeks. Our question regards bringing the cats along. We considered leaving them with gravity feeder/waterer and occasional check by a neighbor, but it seems too long, both for the cats to have no family contact and to impose on a neighbor. Boarding both cats also seems long for no family contact, and expensive. So, at this point we're resigned to taking them with us. Three weeks traveling long distances with three young kids and the 2 dogs seems like it will be a CHALLENGE, but fun. We're concerned that adding the two cats may ruin the trip for all of us. Any suggestions? Can we, should we do this? Has anyone been crazy enough to do anything like this? Can the cats go in the Airstream while driving - or will that traumatize them? Any help you all can provide would be most appreciated.

[markdoane]

I think if you leave the dogs loose they will find a safe and comfortable place to wedge themselves in.

The cats should be placed in a burlap sack and tied to the table leg.

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by aeriqua

Three weeks traveling long distances with three young kids and the 2 dogs seems like it will be a CHALLENGE, but fun.

I think that you will be traumatized
Alot depends on how the pets travel. Our dogs did not travel well (threw up) when they were under 2 and we needed to medicate them on trips. They have grown out of that problem and I am glad. They were not themselves for quite a while after the trip. I can not say much about cats. My dogs like them and they give them alot of exersice (they never catch them)
It sounds like a great trip. The mid hudson valley in new york is a very nice area to visit.

[Chaplain Kent]

Please do not let your dogs ride in the trailer. Besides the bumping around, the trailer can get very hot without ventilation. You do not want to drive with the windows open due to the dirt and dust. I can not speak for having cats since I only have a dog. Good luck to you on this wonderful trip.

[ZoominC6]

We travel with our two dogs and a cat but NEVER put anything alive inside the trailer. Nuff said!? We have the luxury of crating the dogs in the bed of our pickup truck and the cat finds a niche under a seat or in our lap. Travel with pets takes a little extra work like picking up scat, finding a place for the cat box (usually in the shower), stopping for exercise etc. but it can be done. In mild temps, the dogs sleep outside in their crates with no difficulty.
Please don't tow your trailer with live animals inside, please!

[cooperhawk]

Our Black Lab thinks the Motorhome belongs to her and if the engine starts she had better be in it. The cat however......when the engine starts she starts to howl and cry. This is followed in a few minutes by diareah and vomiting. We have tried kitty drugs to calm her to no avail. We just have to leave her home.

[maxandgeorgia]

OUr daughter left two kitties a little over 2 1/2 weeks on her trip to Yellowstone. She left the waterer and gravity feeder and had a friend check in only a few times and all was well when she returned. She could hardly see a reaction from the kitties when she got home--just miaows, rubs, and then off to tend to their cat affairs, as usual. I'd suggest you try to leave the cats at home: you'll feel the stress more than they will since they are each other's company.

[carnegie1935]

Have the pets traveled with you before? If not try a short weekend trip to check out their reactions. I would be afraid of the cats darting out and getting lost at a stop. They can be so fast to escape. I put the leash on our yorkie before I open the car or trailer door. He is a great traveler, but I don't trust him not to run into the path of a car. Our yorkie has travled with us all his life and like the lab if a motor starts he is ready to go.

Kay

[AgZep]

We had no major problems full-timing with our 2 cats and 22 lb. dog for almost a year in our 28-footer, so it can be done. (although it does get rather cozy at times, and a 'fragrant' litterbox in the middle of the night can be annoying in that small space...)

That said, with 2 adults, 3 young kids, 2 dogs and 2 cats on what for all intents and purposes is your 'maiden voyage', I think you may be asking for trouble. 25 feet isn't a lot of space when you're all packed in there on a rainy afternoon, and if your cats aren't seasoned travelers already, the adjustment period--which could take the entire trip--may stress them out enough that they'll get sick, try to escape, or both. Cats need their own personal space to 'hang out' and it's unlikely that they'll find that on this trip. Our 2 cats took more than a month to adjust to living in the trailer, and they never have adapted particularly well to the whole motion thing. Also, keep in mind that if you have mechanical problems of any sort--heaven forbid--and have to visit an RV/auto service center, you'll have to make sure everybody (kids, dogs, cats) has a safe place to wait until repairs are made.

If you don't like imposing on a neighbor, you can check into pet sitting services, which are generally bonded and insured, and will give your fur kids attention in addition to taking care of food and litter box needs. Generally a once-a-day visit isn't too expensive, and I think in the long run, both you and the cats will appreciate it.

[gryphon]

My cat , a large sealpoint siamese has traveled with us across country several times. From Atlanta to Pagosa Springs Colorado to Vancouver Washington and back to Atlanta. Other than figuring out how to open the little slide on the screen door he has never been any trouble. We fixed the screen door problem and he was good to go.
We do keep him in a car carrier while in the car. He seems to like it and spends most of his time sleeping. Except when we mention his name then he comes up front to see what's up. He is now 5 and has been doing this since he was 2. He is leash trained and as long as he has his daily walks he is happy.
He likes the trailer and has no trouble adjusting. I take him out to it frequently and just let him roam around at his leisure.
Traveling does not bother him.
Take you cats for some short rides in your tow vehicle. See how they act before you take them across country. My cat rarely eats or drinks while traveling and has only needed to use the catbox a few times. We have water and food out for him at all times.
This year we will be taking the lab puppy with us. The dog will ride with my husband in the tow vehicle. The cat will ride with me in my jeep. We will be taking the dog crate as well as the cat crate.
But do give you cats a chance to get use to the trailer and riding in the vehicle.
Good luck

gryphon

[red2dogs]

IMHO there is a great risk with kids cats and dogs that somehow a door will get left open and an animal will escape. Think of the nightmare of having Fluffy lost in the woods.....and having to leave....
This happened to a friend of mine and it was heartbreaking. They stayed extra days and finally found their cat. they were on a trip and had to delay going back to work to find their cat, it was a real mess.

Paying a pet sitter to come once a day to ensure the well being of the cats is worth it in my opinion, or maybe you can get by with once every other day if your cats don't have special needs.

There is also enough stress on the maiden voyage that you will probably really be stressed bring all the extra human and animal critters along.
Barbara
05 Safari Special Edition

[72 tradewind]

Markdoane, I sincerely hope you are kidding about the burlap sacks. They do sell small travel cages now.

[markdoane]

Originally Posted by 72 tradewind

Markdoane, I sincerely hope you are kidding about the burlap sacks. They do sell small travel cages now.

Well, I'm not really a cat person; yeah, the burlap sack was a little bit over the top. Sorry.

Here are care instuctions for my last cat. http://www.airforums.com/forum...12-post17.html

[genearnold]

Markdoane,

You're going to be on every cat lovers hit list for that last set of directions!!

Gene

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by markdoane

The cats should be placed in a burlap sack and tied to the table leg.

This is a bad idea, if the table leg is a folding one it was not designed for this kind of stress and might be damaged in a sudden stop.

**dives for cover**

[GlenCoombe]

Burlap works.... joke. I like cats....they taste like chicken!... please another joke.
We travel with two dogs. They love to go with us but we have rules. Nobody gets out of the vehicle without a leash on! The door is never left open unless the dogs are out on the teather.
Dog crates are a must as the dogs really do like them, it's home and security.
Cats can be trained, or at least hurded. If your cat is already crate and leash trained then I say go for it. If not then the cats should likely be left home, for everyone's piece of mind.

[Bob Thompson]

We travel with 2 cats, so I may have some insight. Initially, we tired to keep the cats in the TV, but they were in such a small closed space that they were always fussing and fighting each other. Out of frustration and not knowing what to do, I tried an experiment where I had my wife ride in the trailer with the cats for about 50 miles. My wife had a walkie-talkie and was in constant communication with me in the TV. We were out in the middle of no where in Arizona with very light traffic on the road.

What we found was one cat would go back and sleep on the bed and the other would curl up in the easy chair and they would travel quite blissfully. I asked my wife about fumes and she could smell none. She said it was comparable to riding in the truck. I asked about creaks and rattles and she said in was fairly quiet, no worse than my father-in-laws Winnebago, but we did have some wind noise from a door gasket needing replacement. I also had her check for vibrations or out of balance of the tires and she said there was a very slight vibration.

That was some 50,000 miles and 3 years ago. The cats now travel quite blissfully in the trailer. They have their food, water, and litter box back there and are bothered more by the sounds of the big trucks when we stop at Rest Areas than anything else. The extra space lets them get far enough apart where they are not invading each others personal space.

We do have to be very careful when it is hot. The trailer stays at air temperature as long as you are moving. It is no hotter than the cats being in my garage with me on a summer's day, but as soon as you stop, you must open it up to let fresh air in because the trailer can get flash hot in just a few seconds when at a standstill. This is very important at construction delays, etc. Also, I sometimes leave the bathroom vent open as well as the kitchen vent flapper to allow more air to pass thru if it is particularly hot outside. Exhaust fumes have never been an issue, but then again, our TV has a side discharge exhaust. Never in any of the RV's we've ever owned have we stopped and opened the trailer to hear the gas, CO, or smoke detector going off. TV exhausts out the back may be problematic though.

This method absolutely works for us, but your situation may differ and you should only do what you are comfortable doing.

[J Goertzen]

Leave the cats at home, they won't miss you a bit. Almost all cats hate traveling, but unlike dogs, have a more difficult time in communicating that to their owners.

[R&SZinser]

We are currently traveling with my 4 year old son, 90lbs black Lab, 40lbs GoldenDoodle, and 4lbs Persian cat - all in our 25' Sovereign.

We keep all the cat stuff in the bathroom. The litter box sits in the shower pan normally (with a plug in the drain to prevent any litter from falling in). When stopped the cat food and water are in small bowls on the bathroom counter. and the cat normally hangs out on the bathroom counter. We usually keep the sliding door open just enough that the cat and enter and leave, but the dogs can't get in.

The dogs normally hang out outside with us (on leash of course), but sleep inside, usually with my son on the front goucho.

All animals travel in the tow vehicle with us, the dogs in back and the cat in a small kennel next to my son.

It works okay, but does get crowded at times. We've only got the one kid though - I'm sure with three children it would be very interesting...

good luck with your trip - are you staying at Round Pond while at West Point?

[Alumaholic]

Generalization #1
Most dogs love to travel, most cats prefer to stay home.

Generalization #2
If you leave cats at home with enough food and water for a week and a big litter box, when you return, the cats will be happy and healthy with a little food and water left over, and all cat poo in the litter box.

If you leave dogs at home with enough food and water for a week, they will try to eat all the food on the first day, spill all the water, get diarrhea, and go nuts. When you come home the dogs will be emacciated, dehydrated, in a room full of dog poo and torn up dog beds.

Make arrangements to leave the cats at home.

Take the dogs but make rules and assign responsibilities for their care and supervision. Stop every couple hours. Make the dogs stay in the tow vehicle at each stop until on leash. Pick up after them. They ride with humans, never in the trailer. Take a crate for each dog.

We agonized over this question 10 years and three dogs ago. A friendly Airstreamer gave us some great advice, and we can't imagine life on the road without dogs. Cats stay home.

Ken