DOG or CAT on Board?

[Ray Eklund]

I have been following some threads and mice kept being mentioned as a nuisance. No, not as pets, but field mice who can squeeze through anything larger than their head. Getting into an Airstream and just creating chaos. That is where "cat" came to mind. Not that cats have small heads... just cats in general.

My wife and I are "dog people". Dog's are not likely to eat you if they grow into a 100 pound bale of hair, claws and sharp teeth. Dogs are more likely to lick than sample any flesh when you are not watching. I see this furry thing and then think of the Mountain Lion... cat... that carries kids off into the thick woods. I am just not interested in a pet weighing 8 pounds and can chase two Australian Blue Heelers up a tree. Too much pent up energy in a cat. ... and I am very allergic to cat dander.

Our Blue Heelers "listen to us". You feed them and they are content. You want to go on a five mile hike into the wild blue yonder... they cannot restrain themselves and want to lead the way. A cat... you carry them or put them into a cat pack on your back. (Just made that up, but if the cat has claws, you can attach it to your shirt as it will hang on if you are crossing a creek, pond or river.)

Dogs do not need a special box to do their duty. They happily go out, probably to the trailer next to you and find that "special sniffed out spot". They are not embarrassed nor feel bad about it. A cat... it has to be pampered. I have never seen a house cat go camping and enjoy it. They find a place to hide and remain there until they get hungry. Reminds me of some of my relatives, but after they eat, they leave immediately after.

Women want cats... usually. Women who get along with me... want a dog or two, with a combined weight not exceeding 100 pounds is the general rule. Men adore women who like dogs, get married, not realizing that the stuffed foot pillow was actually a live, breathing cat. So there are mixed cat and dog travelers. How that works, you might know.

We have figured out how to travel with two energetic working dogs. They seemed to be sleeping while on the road, but once you stop... their "solar charging" is complete and they want to find every other spot that a dog may have ventured since the Santa Fe Trail came through New Mexico. A cat... I am not sure what they do, but they must do it well.

As you can see I am trying to roust the troops. Or a trooper, if that be the case.

Do you have a dog or cat on board? Maybe some of you have a parrot, snake, lizard, turtle, pet rock... or something that entertains you while you travel. We would like to hear what... and in some cases, really interested in WHY?

Here is a Northwest Montana joke. I guess.

So many cats... so few recipes.

Hey... just kidding. You have to catch one first.... Pass the salt, please.

[Stefrobrts]

I have talked to people who travel with their cats. The cats seem to consider the trailer 'home base' and explore a bit but return to the trailer for safety. We have only taken our cat camping once and she seemed to have a good time. She enjoyed the new view out the windows, and cozy places to sleep.

[Cally]

Our cat goes with us all the time. He walks around the campground on a leash daily just like at home. We've had dogs in the past and though we like them it sure is nice not having to take them out in the rain to relieve themselves. Riley uses his box and I can through it out when it quits raining.

[Airbiscuit]

I guess I will bite on this thread. We camp with 1 Lab and 1 Lab/staf mix... combined weight over 100#. That being said we have 2 cats that live in our stick house that hold down the fort and protect it while we take the guard dogs camping with us. Our cats HATE it when we send them to the trailer in order to fog the house. That being said, we have met quite a few people who camp with felines and the animals LOVE the trailer life. My grandparents had our trailer before us and they always traveled with their cat and she camped with them and enjoyed the outdoors.
I am happy with leaving the guard cats at home... they can rule the roost while no one is there to take any of their crap from their high and mighty pedestals! And besides, I then do not have to find a spot in the trailer where the dogs can't get the cats' special treats!

[mefly2]

I had a medium sized canine that rode in a patrol car with me. She hunted, fished, and tent camped with us all the time. Now with the AS, we have a smaller "guard" dog that goes along ... 'wish he would realize that he's not a big dog!

[Ag&Au]

We travel with 3 cats. They ride in the back seat of the truck. We have a well practiced routine to get them back and forth from the truck and trailer. It involves holding on very tightly, and being willing to bleed profusely, if necessary, without letting go, if the cat gets too scared. Cats love and thrive on routines and rituals and will let you know if you are not participating in the routine in the correct manner. So we have certain special things we do for them at home, such as tuna treat time, and we carry those forward to the trailer. Daisy, my avatar, especially loves the trailer and when we bring the trailer home from storage to get it ready for a trip she wants to spend all day in it while it sits in the driveway. I think that's because the two boys, Tiger and Kimba, are both less comfortable about the trailer, so Daisy gets to be boss. I love dogs, but cats have certain advantages when travelling. The fact that they use a litter box, means that they can be left in the trailer all day without a problem and since cats sleep a lot, they don't mind it.

Ken

[Skater]

I know I'm being trolled, but...

We travel with our two cats all the time. We have two cages in the back seat of the truck (currently one is home built, one is a small dog cage; we're going to replace both with new home built cages some time soon) for them. Very little problem getting them from the house to the truck or the truck to the camper - one doesn't like to be held but we can get away with it for long enough. After an accident we had in the motorhome with an unrestrained cat and a broken side window, we learned our lesson about keeping them in cages (fortunately, he didn't jump - but he could have, and he would've landed right in the middle of the interstate).

Both cats stay in the camper - I'd never let them roam at a campsite (or at home).

And, yeah, you can let the dog out to go to the bathroom, but then you clean it up, right? RIGHT? (I'm kind of sensitive about this after a neighbor camper left his dog run loose and he/she dumped on our site, and the neighbor didn't care. I love dogs but I get that not everyone does, and even dog lovers don't want to be walking in dog poop at their campsite.) I'm not clear how that's better than simply dumping the litter box at the end of the weekend, and scooping it a couple times during a longer trip.

[streaminwild]

A small shovel and placing the scat on the steps of their camper, may make your neighbor care The bigger the dog the better entertainment factor.

[m.hony]

We travel with a house cat. She never goes outside (her choice).

[m.hony]

[oldiesel]

We travel with a cat,we got her during 9/11 she was a stray at a rescue place in Nassau Bahamas.She traveled on our boat with us for many years until we bought a place ashore.Last year she rode with us from Florida to Alaska and back.We think she is probably the only Bahamian cat to travel north of the Arctic circle. She never goes outdoors and seems to be content wherever she is as long as she has her food and litterbox.
We both love dogs but they do seem to require more attention when traveling like rowing them ashore in an anchorage when it is raining and blowing 20 kts.

[msmcv51]

Our two year old 13 lbs. boarder terrier travels with us. Her den, AKA crate, is her safe haven while riding in the truck and bed in the trailer. She killed her first mouse at 18 months. At home she keeps yard clear of mice, rats, raccoons, red tail hawks, and the semi trucks heading for the unloading docks at the Wal-Mart behind us. Boarders have a big dog attitude in a small dog body. They were breed along the boarder between Scotland and England to run with the hounds on fox, badger, and otter hunts. When the pray would go to ground the terriers were sent in to flush or dispatch them.
Misty loves to go with us and meet people and other dogs.

[wahoonc]

My ~50# Jack Russel Terrorist/Walker Treeing Hound travels with us. He LOVES to travel. His favorite occupation when in the vehicle is sleeping.

It is a bit a logistics issue, but to me well worth the hassle. I have traveled with a cat in the past. Not quite as complicated.

Aaron

doG is my Co-pilot... keep your eyes on the road son!

[Ray Eklund]

OK, I will admit that we recycle the plastic sleeve that our newspaper arrives every morning. Inexpensive and great "scat sacks". ... and I know you are curious how a thin, colorful sack could be used.

You slide your hand into the open end to the bottom. Leave some slack to pick up and firmly gather the "goods". Tie a knot on the open end after turning the back inside out. This is in campgrounds.

Off the grid is everyone for themselves.

Cats seem to dominate Airstreams. In Cattle Country, one or two working dogs are standing upon the tool box, behind the cab, getting a great view of the area. I have no clue how they hang on, but they must, as we never see any lost along a road. Cats... they like to GIVE directions and want to be on top of it. There are photos on this Thread to prove this point. I use to have the Garfield Cat with suction cups on his four paws. I drove around for a year or so with him attached to the front of my truck hood.

One trip, Garfield decided to jump ship and went flying over the cab of the truck never to be seen again. I miss our Garfield. Sunny, rain, snow, sleet... he hang on, only to get bored and jump overboard. If anyone has seen our Garfield, please send a photo so we know he is well and taken care of.

Other than that... cats rule on the Airstream Forum.

[silverlabs]

We travel with two labs on board, note the avatar. They settle into nomadic life very well in that it fulfills their greatest desire in life, to go wherever we go. They don't like the rain either, even though they are water dogs, so it makes it convenient to hunker down on a rainy day. Just attended a rally with only one. I bet the other one is going to be mad when we get home!

We solve the exercise problem by keeping a couple of big tennis balls in their cubby. Every couple of days they have to work off that nervous energy so I take them out off leash and have a good fetch/retrieve session with them. They also like to swim and don't mind cold water so that helps also. I bring their kennels and stick them in there if they get really grimy.

I see lots of AS owners who have cats and I think it's great that their companion travels with them. I met Riley this weekend and he's the bomb!

[Fly at Night]

Dog(s) on board!....and no, I am not eccentric.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJU9-MJ4oEc

[bhayden]

Our Joey, well I guess technically we we're his, was a travelin' man. In fact we're pretty sure he'd traveled here from a far away galaxy and his space ship got a flat. He loved going places. He especially loved camping at Larrabee State Park. He'd sit up in the rear bath window and look down on them dogs. Of course that was where we left the electric heater. A view, mess with the dogs, and an electric heater; life's good... even if you are stuck on planet earth.

[rmkrum]

We travel with not less than 4 dogs...all of which simply love to travel...(thank the Ghods for that!). This gets interesting in a 22-footer with three humans aboard as well.

One is a Tibetan Terrier (Teddy)--like a Shi-tszu on steroids. He weighs about 25 pounds, is a big goofy ball of fluff, and loves to explore and sniff-test campgrounds and their occupants. He's never met anyone he did not like to get petted by...

His best buddies are a pair of Pomeranian/chihuahua mix brothers from the same litter--one brown and tan and the other mostly black with a few white fur accents on chest and toes. They are hinged together and follow Teddy like little furry shadows. Vader and Chewbacca are inseperable, and usually too afraid of strangeness to stray far from the trailer.

Chocolate is our semi-retired old lady chihuahua mix, not related to the boys. She is fairly laid back and enjoying her sunset years as best she can. She does 'mother' the pups occasionally, and tends to play rough puppy style when noone is watching.

All these beasties are rescues, get along well, and are carefully kept on leashes outdoors, sleep in the back seat of the TV on the road, relax in the Airstream at night, and generally enjoy being on the road--as long as they are with us and fed on time, they are content.

We let them stay in their crates in the trailer when we are eating in a restaurant on the road--assuming the weather is cool enough for Fantastic Fans to keep them cool. If not, it's Dad runs into Cracker Barrel for takeout while rest of family walks doggies behind the place. And yes, we pick up after them--always.

They are our furry family, and we rarely board them--last time the dog boarding cost more than the family vacation stay at Disneyworld...sigh. The greeting when we came to pick them up was massive...next time we're going to stay at Fort Wilderness or equal.

Can't fathom having a cat that would be this much fun on a trip, however. We're not cat folk.

[bhayden]

We used to take our old Siamese Joey camping with us. He was odd, in many ways, but unlike most cats loved traveling from day one. If you'd let him he'd stick his nose out the window like a dog (which we only ever did when traveling at driveway speeds after arriving at the beach).

At first he was concerned about the dogs at the campground. Once he realized he could sit up in the back window in front of the electric heater and look down on them all was good!

Our current cats have learned to tolerate travel but I don't think they'll ever like it. But the one time we boarded them they really didn't like that either and were off their food for a week. At most now they'll pass on one meal after going on the road.

[gandttimes]

We used to travel with 2 dogs and 2 cats so a move from our 07 20 ft was warranted.Good thing we did as we acquired another Samoyed after we ordered.One of the cats passed away this year at 18yrs,so we are left with our 14 year old who acts like a kitten.The 25ftFB is perfect as we can put the litter box in the shower well and her food up on the seat area.With the door propped open there is no issue.She will occasionally pop out the screen door slide if we forget to close it but knows where the trailer is if she gets anxious.
Everyone sleeps inside and they all get along.It's the only way to travel. Maggie the cat was awol during the photo shoot.





George