Camping with Cats

[Unregistered]

Hi,
Does anyone bring your cats along in your pop up?
We have camped with our dog and now have two cats
and a dog.
Thanks

[Turn Key]

Had cats for many years but have had no pets for about the last 6-7 years and have no intentions of getting any.  That said, there is no way I'd camp with a cat unless at least one of us were heavily drugged:eek: !!!

[B-flat]

Cats don't seem to travel well.  They start whining the minute in the vehicle and then want to escape from the cages.  They have a delicate balance system and just don't do well with a lot of motion.  I don't think that it's a good idea but maybe someone else has had better success than I have.

[kathybrj]

We've seen many people with larger motor homes (Class A and 5th wheels) that travel with their cats. Ferrets, rabbits and dogs we've seen with pop up campers, but no cats yet.

[griffsmom]

We have two cats.  Our big one, Boo-Boo--is sweet, but too dumb to know the difference of anything.  He wouldn't care about camping or not.  Phoebe, our little feisty one, starts in at around 4:30 in the morning trying to get my DH up so he'll feed her.   She walks on his head, bites his hair, paws him with her front foot--she'll even try to wake up our 3 y/o so that we'll have to get up!  We leave them at home when we go camping so we can "sleep in" until 6:00 when our 3 y/o wakes up! :rolleyes:

[garym053]

Cats stay home and gaurd the house from the Mice!
Did see a family bring their cat camping with them to Hermit Island Campground one year a while back. Cat was very well behaved and was walked on a leash.
But No, I wouldn't bring mine. Nor would I take a dog if I still had one!

[B-flat]

A cat on a leash, you say?   Did you get any pics?  I guess that they will soon start a rule that all cats must be on a leash just like dogs in the campground.  I hope there were not any dogs off leash.

[Tim5055]

One of our cats was adopted while camping, someone abandoned him as a kitten at the CG.

He loves to ride in the car and no leash needed, he follows you everywhere you go.  When we walk Natasha, if he is outside he will follow right along side while we walk.  So I think he would do fine, but we still probably won't take hime along.

[Gone-Camping]

If you get the Kitty used to riding in the car when they are young, then it's not a problem as they grow older. However, older cat's don't take to riding in the car too well.

I would be more concerned about the cat's claws tearing up screens, and even the canvas. Only way I could rest easy about the that would be if it was de-clawed, but then you don't want to bring a de-clawed cat out into the forest...if for some reason it get's loose and lost, it'll be completely defenseless!
 
Don't get me wrong, I like cat's, and even though some people do take their cat's camping, I don't think it's a great idea!

[Wayfarer]

We tried taking our cat two times.  The first time we had a "cat" harness friends said would work.  The cat laid down and was out of it in about ten seconds.  Then she took off for the woods.  She would always stay in sight of us (we think?) but would not let us get near her until she was ready to come in.  Then, when we would go away and leave her in the PU, when we returned she would dart out as soon as we opened the door and stay out until she was ready to come in.  We were afraid she would be out when we had to pack up and leave and we would have to leave her.  The next time she stayed in the PU and second day peed right in the middle of one of the bunks!  After that she stayed home!  Never again!!

[tlhdoc]

The next time she stayed in the PU and second day peed right in the middle of one of the bunks!

I think she was saying leave me at home. :p

[B-flat]

This probably won't help you any at this point, but I have always been told that cats mark their territory.  Could that mean the popup had finally been claimed as "territory" right in the middle of the bunk.:eek:

[Miss-Teri]

I've considered it, but I'm afraid of them squeezing out through one of the velcroed areas in the PU.  If I had a different type of camper (but I'm so glad I don't, lol!), I'm sure I'd give it a try.

[chip]

We have two cats that we take along most of the time.  Dizzy will just lay down and sleep while enroute to the CG, Bungie will wail for a while then quiet down and go to sleep in her box.  Both will stay in the popup with no problems (neither are declawed).  Dizzy will tolerate a leash, and will go for short walks, while Bungie will not.  She stays inside and sleeps contentedly.

We bring along toys, litter box with the clumping, deodorizing type litter (cleaned out every day), food and make plenty of water available.

Bungie was an ~1 year old stray we took in, so we weren't able to "Car-train" her;  Dizzy we got as a kitten, and went for lots of car rides, and walks on leashes.  She also gets tied outside while DW is working in yard, where she chases bugs, or lounges in the sun.

State parks here in Delaware and most other places have regulations that say pets must be on a leash of some arbitrary length;  I don't recall any restricting the leash to dogs...