Coexisting Cat & Dog in 22ft

[TrvlnRN]

Anyone with ideas for traveling with pets that don't get along? I'm about to go full-time in my '74 Argosy 22' and have a French bulldog that would rather chase my cat than co-exist with her. To be fair, this is our first cat and I've only had her for 3 weeks. I've been doing slow introductions, but she still can't stand being in the same room in our house without staring, shaking and whining. The only "room" in the Argosy I have is the bathroom with a custom barn door.

I'm planning to move in full time 10/23. Other than consistent obedience training, crates when I'm away, and constant supervision is there anything else I should be doing? I can't be the first person in this situation.

I'm looking into installing shelves for the cat to have access to the bulkhead. Does anyone have any other suggestions? I just didn't anticipate my otherwise lazy Frenchie having such a high prey drive and I don't want to encounter heartbreak while trying to live the dream...

[Starstream]

Just never know what a pray-drive trigger might be, until you stumble over it. We have 5 dogs and four rabbits. Traveled with all of them a few months ago. Our Labs and the Sheltie mix are curious about the long-eared weirdos and wonder why the rabbits won't play with them. But they freak out our Cattle Dog. The rabbits have a fenced play area, so the dogs have never been given an opportunity to chase. If your cat stands its ground, that may or may not help. The Frenchie is a bully breed. I'm guessing your Argosy has the "plastic" bulkhead like our trailer does, with the roll door cabinets. Perhaps you can design a catwalk that has its own legs?

[Starstream]

Had few minutes to think of some other solutions for you while cleaning a rabbit cage. Most dogs are very reward oriented so you might find it useful to look into clicker training. The bullies can be notorious for their stubborn streak. You might find it helpful to work one-on-one with a professional. Does your dog like to play? Distract him with a favorite toy or game when too interested in the cat. Make sure he gets as much exercise as he can handle. As Angie from "Angie's List" says, "A tired dog is a good dog."

[TrvlnRN]

Thanks so much for your reply! I'm beginning clicker training this weekend. I'm also looking into constructing a catwalk to go to the bulkhead. It's astonishing to see a normally lazy bones dog do a complete 180. I volunteer with a local rescue that has behaviorists on staff. I'm also going to pick their brains.

[TrvlnRN]

Forgot to include my strategy introducing them: I've been doing slow introductions, They've been in separate rooms for the first week. I've brought personal items into each other's room for them to smell. They even eat on opposite sides of the door. A baby gate is up to separate the bedrooms and another to separate the bathroom/bedroom. The cat has high areas for safety that the Frenchie can't reach. One of the Frenchies is fine while the other is the one I'm having issues with. She has improved to where she will recall on the leash and even will settle down and eventually lay down in the room with the cat after a while, but she still shakes and gets riled up initially.

And to clarify, its the dog that shakes and whines, not the cat.

[Starstream]

You're welcome.

Don't know what it is about cats, but Terriers tend to get wound up too. If the dog has a favorite distraction, the time to deploy it might be during those initial meetings. Or use some of that clicker training with some basic obedience like sit and down. Anticipation of the following treat, associated with the cat's presence? It might work wonders. Might...

[NWGetaways]

Ya know, maybe it's just me, but I can think of a pretty obvious solution...

[rmkrum]

I've simply avoided the issue. No cats....


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[m.hony]

I, too, have avoided the issue.
No dogs.

[Gamehawkers]

Put your animals in a wire crate separating them while traveling.

[FreedomRings]

I wound up with a kitten (hitched a ride at approximately 4 weeks old (he was abandoned) on my spare truck tire from work to home (9 miles in the pouring rain). I have a boxer and was babysitting a pitbull. I did not let them interact at all as the pitbull did not like cats. Anyway, I decided to keep Hitch (the cat, appropriatley named) and once the pitbull was gone I slowly introduced the boxer and cat. They get along perfectly and have a great time playing together and quite comical. Note: I trained the cat on a leash and running chain. He's really quite something else. I'm bragging but letting you know with a little work and patience anything can work out. Good luck.

[Tampatomgirl]

Get rid of the kitten. Simple solution

[rmkrum]

Not reasonable if you like both cats and dogs.


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[Tyvekcat]

Originally Posted by FreedomRings

I wound up with a kitten (hitched a ride at approximately 4 weeks old (he was abandoned) on my spare truck tire from work to home (9 miles in the pouring rain). I have a boxer and was babysitting a pitbull. I did not let them interact at all as the pitbull did not like cats. Anyway, I decided to keep Hitch (the cat, appropriatley named) and once the pitbull was gone I slowly introduced the boxer and cat. They get along perfectly and have a great time playing together and quite comical. Note: I trained the cat on a leash and running chain. He's really quite something else. I'm bragging but letting you know with a little work and patience anything can work out. Good luck.

yep, its the cat that finds you
I am impressed ! Our cat, if we put her harness on her and she would act like it weighed 30 pounds and just moved slowly, very low to the ground.
Non -cooperative. We made her wear it in the truck while we traveled. LOL We have a soft sided crate, it is a folding crate, 'Jeep' brand green and black with screens, pretty good size. When we have campfire, she would lay in the crate relaxing and watching, on the picnic table or sit on our lap until 'sensory overload ' from all the sounds in the forest, then it was back to the crate, LOL.

Love camping with animals, We had a retired racing greyhound that adopted us. She was the best. She liked the cats in the house that were with her. If they were outside, it was 'Game On' ! LOL

safe travels

[Blaw]

Hello There !
We are restoring a 24 foot tradewind. With our rescues Frenchie (whos nuts) perfect pug, and will add a cat to the mix. I googled cat enclosures for trailers and saw some ideas ,also pintrest has lots of ideas. you can put a cage over a window so the cat can look out and adding an enclosure/pen when parked. When driving the dog is in the car ,cat in trailer. We had to get doggy downers from the vet to calm him down enough to introduce new furry family members,he still hates any animals he hasnt met yet.
i think you a lovely person for doing this ! it will work out !

[CRH]

A shock collar works wonders if used correctly. Sometime, just the vibrate mode is all you need.

[mandolindave]

My dogs seem to love my camper. At home, I left the screen door open so they could get in and out. A feral cat got in when I wasn't looking and I closed the door. I had a heck of a time getting the cat out. There were so many hiding places and ways for the cat to get around.

The good news was that the cat got rid of the mice

The bad news was In had a lot of cleaning in hard to get places.

The point of the story is that there are a lot of options for cat houses in a trailer.

The kitty litter smell would be a deal breaker for me

[mandolindave]

Animals are going to be who they are.

My small dog was the friendliest being that I ever came across. My big dog would risk his life for any animal or human in our house. One cat was affectionate but bitchy. One cat was tolerant and easy going.

The animals all joined the family at different times. We were lucky.
You could give it time….you might be lucky.

Some animals just won't ever bond. The cat might end up learning that drawing blood gets the desired response.

[TrvlnRN]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I'm going to try to tackle everyone's at once:

*Hitch is an appropriate name!
*I've spoken with two behaviorists who agree that my Frenchie is exhibiting fearful behavior of the cat. Should've known her little behind would be afraid of a cat 😂. I was encouraged that I've been on the right track with slow introductions, obedience training, and continued supervision. They told me to continue what I'm doing and be patient and persistent. Now that I understand what was going on, I feel more confident moving forward.

*I'm definitely going to check out the cat enclosure systems that were recommended. I'm really considering this one will work if I have it lead to the opened cabinet above the closet as a "safe space".

[Kittycatcat]

I went through the animal introductions with 2 cats - our old solo female initially refused to even go in the house if the new rescue male kitten was inside - if she saw the kitten, growls, snarls, etc.

However, slow intro, extra-favorite treat food (tuna) on opposite sides of a gate so she'd associate something good with seeing the kitten. (Ever see a cat dig into tuna alternating with looking up and hissing?) Took several months, but eventually the female tolerated the kitten and even allowed him to groom her.

So it may take a really long time, but I know it's rarely an option to give away one or the other once you've become attached to both.