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As I take this journey of 5th wheel versus Class A, I am trying to visualize a day on the road. For those of you with 5th's, what kind of cat carrier/crate do you use to house your cat safely and comfortably? It seems to me the typical small cat carrier would not fit the bill over more than a day of travel.
I'm also thinking of bringing my cat with me when I go full time.
I've read three cases...
1. Some people say that their cats adjust just fine to remaining in the 5th wheel while it's moving.
2. Others have trained their cat to accept a harness and leash; they ride with their owners in the truck. The leash prevents "exploration" around the drivers controls.
3. Others have a large "kennel" like carrier that might take up the whole back seat of the truck.
If you are planning to be a full timer... unless you are doing a major relocate, most of your "travel" days may only be a few hours or so it would seem from the reports of many of the "RV veterans" on this forum. Thus, unless your cat(s) have other potential issues that make travel uncomfortable for them, they'll likely be fine when kenneled or confined to a carrier for the reasonably short duration that it takes to move from one campsite to another. Pets, like humans, are adaptable creatures. On those "long" travel days, at every stop you can always let them out to stretch their legs etc. They'll think it's the Purrrr-fect solution!
As to what type of carrier... I'll let the cat-experts weigh in.
JMHO, Brian
-- Edited by BiggarView on Monday 17th of July 2017 05:42:44 AM
When we had a cat and a 5th wheel we had a small soft sided kennel that worked fine for the short travel days we normally did. When we went to a motorhome we felt fine letting it travel freely.
And thank you for thinking about how to travel safely with a cat (for the cat and others on the road).
Our travel days generally tend to be rather long. Our cat sleeps in her soft sided carrier part of the time but also enjoys her cat bed on the center console. She wears her harness at all times in case either of us have to grab her quickly to move her. We have a top entry litter box that also goes in the truck on travel days and there are times when she's happy to sit on top of it and watch the world go by!
To your question... when I was active duty Army and moved a lot, our cat did just fine in the cabin our sailboat while under tow (we didn't do this when the weather was too hot). We put a litter box on the floor and made sure he stayed well hydrated.
Now, off-topic (slightly): my late father-in-law spent years coordinating the travel and shipping of household goods for overseas missionaries for one of the major denominations (having been a career overseas missionary himself). He always said his job would have been a breeze if it weren't for guitars and cats. I guess he'd been having a bit of a rough time when a young missionary couple asked him the best way to take their cat overseas. His answer: "Freeze-dried."
Rob
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I guess he'd been having a bit of a rough time when a young missionary couple asked him the best way to take their cat overseas. His answer: "Freeze-dried."
Rob
Lol. Funny. They can be a challenge. When I moved from California to Tennessee years ago, I drove cross country with my Aussie Shepherd in comfort. I paid a transportation service to have my cat be carryon luggage for a flight to Knoxville, where I swapped cat carriers with the well-paid escort. Of course, the cat knew she was worth it...
Our kitty travels in her crate, which is safely seat-belted in the back seat of my car (we have a truck/5th Wheel and drive separately).
Since I would never consider riding in the 5er myself or allowing anyone else, because I believe it to be unsafe and potentially scary, I will never allow my kitty to ride back there.
Travel days are not her favorite, but she has adjusted nicely.
