Hi - very new to camping in a travel trailer. (Always tent camped - but never more than a week at a time.) I am going on an extended vacation up through Maine and NE Canada this summer. I am taking my cat with me, as she is 23 years old. I am training her to wear a harness so I can put a leash on her to prevent escapes. I know about the rabies shots to get across the Canadian border and for camping. My question is this: Where do I put a litter box? In the bathroom? Put a cat door in the closet? This is not a dogs v. cats post. I love both. My elderly dog passed a few months ago. I just need to know what to do with a litter box in such a small space. 17’ Casita Independence. Thank you - Amy (I hate litter boxes - but I love my cat!)
There are members over on the Escape Forum that travel with cats, put the litter box in bathroom and a pet door on the bath door. another puts it under a storage area so it can be emptied from outside. I'd not transport the cat in the camper but in the tow vehicle. Get the cat microchipped and put your cell phone number as contact.
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We were out 8 weeks with our cat on one trip. We had an FD, so we were able to put the litter box under the forward dinette seat. Unlike some folks, we use the bathroom and shower, so that wouldn't work for us. I'm not sure where you could hide it in an ID unless you put it way in the back under the windw.
we always travel with our cat (she's 12 or 13 now) the litter box goes into the bathroom which has a bamboo beaded curtain over a fabric shower curtain. We also use the paper or pine pellets which tend to stay put in the box and not travel like the clay litter. For her traveling box we use aluminum disposable roasting pans. When we want to shower we remove the litter box and the pad under it. She travels with us in the van and moves to the trailer (a 13' Scamp) along with the dog when we stop. Never a problem.
first thing I would do is get her a tag with your cell phone nr on it! 5bux over on ebay.
while tenting in france we saw lots of this. the French seem to love their cats. I asked an owner she said never a problem so I guess it is feasible!
It would be scarey to me cats seem to answer to no one but it seems to work allowing them out!
good luck
bob
I think it depends on your cat and how its been raised. My cat (a ragdoll) definitely knows her name and responds to it. She also knows several words like NO, and Dinner. We left the van door open once while we were transferring the dog and she got out and trotted back to the trailer and hopped in.
Our cat goes camping with us all the time, been to 9 provinces and 1 territory so far. In the truck we put a litter box behind the drivers seat and transfer it to the trailer when setup. it goes under the bed. We use our bathroom at night so putting it in there would not work for us. The box gets cleaned twice a day. Not sure where to put one on an independence if you are using the twin bed setup.
BTW if you want to meet people in a campground, just take a cat for a walk!
Rusty is always on a lead when camping and even in our yard. He does not roam around loose at all (unless he get loose , and then he doesn't go far). He loves going for walks and meeting people. We use a magic screen on the trailer, which allows him access to the trailer for eating (doesn't like eating outside).
When we had the Uhaul VT, we put the litter pan between the seats on the small dinette/single bed end up front. I don't know if your camper has that. The bathroom in the Uhaul was on the side.
Happily, with the Bigfoot Silver Cloud, we can pull out a large drawer below a closet and fit the litter pan there.
We have traveled with 3 Munchkin cats and just added another one. Here are our traveling companions.
CindyL
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Hi - very new to camping in a travel trailer. (Always tent camped - but never more than a week at a time.) I am going on an extended vacation up through Maine and NE Canada this summer. I am taking my cat with me, as she is 23 years old. I am training her to wear a harness so I can put a leash on her to prevent escapes. I know about the rabies shots to get across the Canadian border and for camping. My question is this: Where do I put a litter box? In the bathroom? Put a cat door in the closet? This is not a dogs v. cats post. I love both. My elderly dog passed a few months ago. I just need to know what to do with a litter box in such a small space. 17’ Casita Independence. Thank you - Amy (I hate litter boxes - but I love my cat!)
We traveled with our cat for over 13 years. First off don't depend on a harness. Cats can get out of them in 2 seconds. We found out when a dog approached us. She never got out while we walked her unless something scared her. So don't think it is something to hold the cat totally. Second we put her little box under the bed just far enough back that we didn't step on it when we got up. We leave the bed made all the time and use the side dinette to eat at. We got a special box that didn't have a top but had curved sides to keep the litter from going everywhere. Keeping it clean didn't cause a smell issue. Cats can be good travelers. Ours was awesome and I've seen many good ones. Not sure about traveling at yours age unless it has traveled in the past.
Thanks to all for sharing the cat pictures. The harness and leash are precautionary measures. I have had my cat since she was a little kitten. She is very shy, and pretty much stays by my side. If I can figure out the litter box I think we’ll be ok.
We travel with two cats in our Escape 21, and formerly in our Escape 19. They are both harness trained. When we let them out of the trailer, they are on an 8 ft leash attached to a gallon jug full of water. That way we don't have to tie them to any stationary structure which inevitably gets them tangled. We can move them easily and they can drag the jugs somewhat, and get where they want to, without getting lost or going too far. Our cats are much younger, 3 and 5 so I doubt that you will have much trouble with a 23 year old. We got out harnesses at Pet Smart. NOT Petco. They fit better.
The cat box is under the bench of the dinette, with a cat door, and a hatch to the outside which allows for easy cleaning. In the 19', the cat box was again under the dinette bench, but there was an opening at the end to allow for easy cat access and we cleaned it by lifting the bench seat.
In both cases, by husband partitioned it off so the cat could not get anywhere else in the walls of the trailer. This did happen with one of the cats in the 19 and she would crawl under the bed and come out from one of the lower cupboards after exploring around the rear of the fridge and the heater. We stopped that quickly.
Has anyone ever told you cat people you are strange! LOL
now don't point out anything about our doggie again LOL
bob
Quote:
Originally Posted by CindyL
When we had the Uhaul VT, we put the litter pan between the seats on the small dinette/single bed end up front. I don't know if your camper has that. The bathroom in the Uhaul was on the side.
Happily, with the Bigfoot Silver Cloud, we can pull out a large drawer below a closet and fit the litter pan there.
We have traveled with 3 Munchkin cats and just added another one. Here are our traveling companions.
With an Indy you can cut a door/opening for the bottom of the closet and seal that area off. The bottom of the closet is a little space and can be dedicated to a litter box without having to move it around.
Eddie
We travel with 4 cats in our 17 ft Lil Snoozy. I used to say that it was important to take your cats on drives that didn't end in the vet's, and then they wouldn't be so terrified of riding. I discovered that really doesn't work- our 11 year old cat who used to be such a good traveler now HATES going for rides! It would be good to take them on a few introductory rides first if you have never taken them anywhere BUt the vet's, I still believe.
We have a huge litter box that actually is sold by the big box home improvement stores as a concrete mixing pan for construction, and use clumping lightweight litter since we are old and have lost our ability to lift and carry 40 lb bags of manure lol. It goes in the storage compartment uder the bed. DH won't let me put an auxiliary pan (aluminun foil roaster as some one else posted) in the bathroom since we also get up in the night to pee, I told him we could lift it out if we to use the facilities but he still refuses. This means laying LOTS of pet pee pads over the storage and bathroom floors, as the senior cat is older, losing his strength and there is a power struggle going ob over who will be the Alpha in the clowder. This makes our lone, smallest cat the ultimate omega cat. She is too afraid to use the litter box so she pees either on the bathroom floor or near to the storage space litter box. Poor little girl! Anyway, at least with one cat you are spared the power struggle lol.
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