Should I take her or not.....?

[njean]

My hubby & I are getting ready to go up to the lake & do some camping & fishing there.

We have an RV & we were planning on taking all three of our furry friends: Petrie & Daisy (dogs) & Molly (cat). Today I have been cleaning the RV & getting things ready to go & I took my cat in there with me & she started getting kind of wild. She climbed the front door, meowing non-stop & just not happy with her surroundings at all. When I opened up the door to get out of the RV, she flew out the door!

My two dogs were very receptive & ready to go for a ride!

I have already set up her litter box & bought her an enclosed cage for transportation when driving in our vehicle but I'm beginning to have 2nd thoughts about taking Molly. What I fear most is that whenever she is in the RV if one of us happens to open the door, she will fly out & we'll never catch her again. And too, a cat is not like a dog, where I can walk her on a leash to pottie!

So I'm thinking of leaving her in the comfort of our home & having my brother & his wife check in on her 2 or 3 times next week & leaving a radio on for her. She has a self-feeder & a big bowl of water so I'm not afraid of her running out of water or food. And she has 2 big, big litter boxes to use while we're gone.

Do you think I'm doing the right thing by leaving her? Do you have any advice for me if you've traveled with a cat??

 

[Danny]

Take them, it will be good for them to get out... and have a great time

 

[DebbyA]

She will probably be better off at home. You're lucky to have someone check in on her. I don't think cats travel well unless they are brought up with it. Your fears about losing her in the woods are valid. Our cats have been pretty vocal when they're unhappy--it might not be very restful.

Have an enjoyable getaway!

 

[Bina]

Take the 2 dogs and leave the kitty at home.
Cats can be easily freaked out and if she makes a break for it you may lose her forever.
It's only for a few days.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I'd leave her at home. It would be terrible if you overrode your "instinct" and ended up losing her. Cats are fine for a few days with little human interaction. She'll sleep, eat, poop and be happy when you get home.

 

[kfay]

Norma, I'd leave her at home at well. I just don't think cats travel well. Your dogs however, if they are anything like mine, will absolutely have a great time.

Hope you enjoy your time "off the grid"

Kimmie

 

[Nancy]

Norma-

I've had a lot of cats in my lifetime. I think you should let her stay at home. What if she panicked and ran out the door and got lost. You would be devastated. Something about the RV scared her. I think she would react that way every time she got in there.

Most dogs are a lot more mellow.

 

[njean]

Thank you all for your advice & for helping me confirm what I felt in my heart I should do......leave Molly at home.

You are right, I would be devastated if she were to run off. I'd probably have to stay in the woods because I just couldn't see leaving without her! Now, my husband, that's a different story.......he'd probably go, 'here kitty, kitty' & if she didn't show in a few minutes, he'd say, "okay, let's go"!

I think she'll do better & I'll do better too!

Thanks again!

 

[Freddie]

You've made the right decision Norma. Kitty will be much happier at home and will be just fine while your gone.

BTW, have a wonderful trip.

 

[bvdr]

My cats are 100% spoiled rotten and we are always trying to improve their lot in life. We used to board them at a pet resort so they could be pampered in our absence. The ride was about 30 minutes but by the time we got there they would both be carsick and after cleaning them off, it never was a good way to leave for vacation for them or us either. One of our cats even would get carsick on the way to our vet and that is only about 7 minutes away. If I had to take them with me on a trip then I think I would rather stay home. Now we have kitty doors to our screen porch, the garage, and out to a fenced in area that we call the kitty courtyard. We have someone come in each day to check on them. In the meantime they have access to all their favorite spots.

When we had our golden retriever it was a different story altogether. He would beat us to the car and loved every minute of an outing.

 

[Glenda]

I think you have made the right decision about leaving her at home. Cat's just don't travel like dogs. She will be much more comfortable at home. You are so luck to have someone come over and check on her. My neighbor lady loves to check on my cat when we are gone and my cat loves her. In fact when Dorothy puts the lock in the key to open the front door Felix is there to greet her. Good decision and you won't be sorry.

 

[njean]

Thanks again to all of you for your wise advice.

Molly will be staying home where she is comfortable & happy. And we will be happy & more at peace with this decision.

 

[Karlynn]

Good decision Norma. I think you and she would have spent the time upset and not enjoying yourselves. If kitty is not happy, ain't nobody happy!

 

[tobagotwo]

We're fond of bringing our furry critters with us, but we've found the cat is actually much happier at home, even if she does turn her nose up at us for a couple of days after we get back. All is forgiven pretty quickly, and I honestly don't think their memory is that spectacular. When in the car (even for the short trip to the vet), she is constantly meowing unhappily.

We also have the concern for a bolting cat. It's almost impossible to catch her when she's in the house. We couldn't imagine trying to find her after she shimmied past us out the door.

Our experiences agree with your decision to let her stay home.

Best wishes,

 

[Glenda]

I don't mean to high jack this thread but Bob you said you have a hard time catching your cat. I have a hard time catching my grandson's dog Kuno that I have adopted while he is away at college. He is the boxer I told you about. He is the most skiddish dog I have every seen in my life. He seems afraid of everything. He will come to you when he's in the house, which I have been letting him stay in while we are home. I put him in his pen when we leave because I don't want him to wander away. You even have to trick him into coming in the house. Once he gets in he calms down and follows you around everyplace. He lays at your feet or on your feet all the time he is in. But once he is outside he runs like a deer. I turn him loose at night and just let him run. He loves to run out in our field and make a flying leap into our pond right behind the house down in the pasture. He's got a cozy bed in our garage and that's where he sleeps at night. He won't come to my husband at all, although Eddie did say he came in the house for him this morning. We also had to have the newspaper lady start throwing our paper into the back of the truck because he liked to edit what we read, especially the front page. LOL! ! He hasn't learned to jump up into the back of the truck yet. He's a beautiful dog and I'm falling in love with him. He never barks, in fact I asked the vet if his barker was broke. He has put out a little bark when he is wanting my little old dog to play with him, which she hates him. She can't see or hear and can hardly walk and I'm sure she wonder's what this huge dog wants of her. He doesn't hurt her at all, just lays beside her which she doesn't like one little bit. By the way, the cat stays hid until he knows that the dog is outside, somehow he knows the exact time that he walks out the door and he'll come out then. It's amazing. I think the cat is feeling neglected so after I put Kuno outside for the night around 12:00 midnight, I spend some time petting and loving on my cat.

Well enough of the story regarding my new found furry friend. Hopefully in time he will adjust and get used to us. At this moment he is laying on my feet as I type. Oh by the way, he also likes to lay in the middle of our bed, which I don't want him on the bed at all. If I miss him that's where he is!

 

[njean]

Glenda,

I think Kuno needs a lot of love & reassurance that he will fit right in with your family. Remember he was uprooted from his previous owner & I'm sure that must leave some insecurity issues even in animals.

Remember I was telling you that my new adopted dog Daisy, was acting very aggressive at strangers? Well, she has become better & better with that issue. She still hangs her head low when a handy man or other stranger comes to the house, but she is not showing near as much animosity as she was before. At least they don't have to walk backwards & facing her at all times anymore! LOL!

I think with patience & time, Kuno will come around for you too!

 

[Kathy McCain]

Norma,

We have two house cats, and a pug. We take our Pug Sandy, but our two cats,Kiki and Annie always stay at home. They are much happier at home. We have automatic feeders,water, and of course the litter box. Cats do not seem to like travel. Kiki can not even be bordered at our Vets. He goes crazy in a small kennel space! The people couldn't evern get close, last time to clean it!

You are definitely doing the right thing!

Have fun!

 

[catwoman]

Norma:

Animals who aren't used to travel and who might disappear while on the road (literally and figuratively) are best left at home.

Our first cat -- a blue shorthair alley cat named Rocky -- hated traveling. That was 29 years ago, and I've learned a lot since then. When traveling with cats, I usually have them in a Vari-Kennel 100, which is big enough for cat and a small litter box. I've also traveled with them in what we call a security tent (see attached photo). The security tent also goes into the hotel room & we use them at cat shows. Big enough for food, litter box and a bed.

I condition our cats to traveling by taking them to PetsMart or the local pet supply business (about 3-4 miles from our house). I try NOT to get them used to traveling with JUST visits to the vet, because they'll connect all car rides with a cold thingy up their you-know-what.

There's a lot of travel housing for pets on the market -- dogs, cats and others. You just have to search online and in stores. I've picked up some cheap (under $45 for the largest) tents/carriers at Walmart, Target and Big Lots. Some of these double as "hospital rooms," when you need to confine an animal that is sick or has had surgery of some kind and doesn't need to be running from room to room.

Have fun on your trip with your dogs! I'm sure Molly will have your TV remote tuned to the Animal Planet and Food Network while you're gone.

 

[tobagotwo]

Glenda,

All my boxers turned into cheetahs when they got loose. They can run like the wind. We clocked one chasing our car at 50 mph for a short burst of 100 ft.

However, there is a cheat for this that worked for all of them. Teach him to sit on command. We found that when they started to run off, we couldn't get them to "come," but they would still "sit" on command. Then we could walk up to them and bring them home with praise instead of yelling.

Norma,

Enjoy your vacation with your furry friends. We always missed our dog so much, it was substantially less fun to leave her home.


Happy News:

We've just been accepted to adopt a Boston Terrier from Arkansas. Her name is Modiene, and she's three years old, and was given up by a puppy mill, because her last litter was stillborn. We won't meet her until the 29th.

Best wishes,

 

[Glenda]

Bob you are right about his running. His back end catches up with his front end, it looks so funny. He is pretty good about sitting still when I tell him to stay, that is sometimes, when he wants to. I think eventually he'll come around. He's already mellowed a lot.