Our Camping Cats

Don & I camp often.  Our travel trailer is our second home.  We would much rather vacation with our travel trailer than stay in motel rooms.  We like our own bedding, our space & to have our pets with us.

When we travel, we're joined by our two dogs & two camping cats.  Our dogs live to camp and our cats are as comfortable in our travel trailer as they are at home.

Our two camping cats were from a litter we rescued in April, 2010.  They were five weeks old.  We had a camping trip four days later.  All five kittens made their first camping trip to Seaquest State Park, near Mt. St. Helens,  in April, 2010.   Abigail & Muggle have been camping ever since.

Abigail & Muggle

Our cats are house cats.  They NEVER go outside.  This works well because they are perfectly content to spend their time in the travel trailer.  They have no desire to venture outside and are perfectly happy to see the outside from within.

Muggle & Abigail are hardcore bird enthusiasts. Here they are bird watching in Spokane, Wa.

 

Lupine 1/2"  H-Style Pet Harness  

They both wear break-away collars with I.D. tags at all times, at home or on the road.  When we travel, they wear Lupine cat harnesses with I.D tags & matching leashes.  I've tried other harnesses.  I definitely like these the best. I feel secure with the double clip style.  Harness design is important.  Some figure eight type harnesses tighten around the neck if any part of the harness is pulled on or tangled.  That's very dangerous for the cat.

Petmate Ultra Vari Kennel, Pets up to 15 Pounds,

Each cat travels in their own kennel in the back seat of our Toyota Tundra.  They have comfy bedding in their crates, but no cat box.  If need be, we can move them to the travel trailer for potty breaks.  They do very well with this.  We have never had a potty accident in the truck.  Ever.

Once we arrive at our destination, they're turned loose in the travel trailer.

Abigail

We always travel with a variety of cat toys.  During the day, our bed doubles for the kitty toy land.

Muggle

All our cats are micro-chipped for added protection.

BestPet Black 30" Three-Door Suitcase Style Metal Dog Crate - 30"(l) x 21"(w) x 24"(h)

A permanent part of our travel equipment are two BestPet 30" folding metal crates.  These crates are wonderful & economical. They're under $40.00, after shipping. The 30 inch crate is large enough for a cat box and a kitty bed.    We have water bowls that clip to the sides. We don't use the crates too often. In fact, Abigail never uses hers, but they're great to have if we need them.

It does take some extra effort to travel with cats. Our cats are a huge part of our vacation trips.  It's definitely worth the effort for us. I can't imagine going without them.  Half the fun of going is being able to take them with us.  They're our babies.

BUT....Please....be careful.

We only encourage traveling with your cats if you're well prepared with the proper equipment.  It would be awful to be on vacation and loose your cat far from home. It's worth spending a little extra money to be safe.  

We also don't encourage traveling with cats that will be stressed by the trip.  We have two other cats, Cache & Willie, that stay home with a family member when we travel .  They have never traveled and car rides are stressful for them.  In a case like this, it's better to leave them home. You'll have a better time, and so will they.

Best wishes to all out cat loving friends.

If you have stories about camping with your cats, please share them with us.  We love to hear from others that camp with their cats.

Thanks for stopping by. --Jan♥♥