We haven’t really talked about the pets in the RV have we? Roxy, our boxer, she’s easy. She has always travelled with us. She’s been on all of our camping trips and does well in the car. We are truly lucky. She is the best travel dog either Ben or I have ever had. She hops in the car, lays down and stays so quiet for the entire trip you almost forget she is there. Almost, until the kids yell, “squirrel” just to get her riled up. She’s easy, the cat however, is a different story.
It’s all our fault. We adopted our orange Tabby 5 years ago in the city for which he is named, Raleigh, NC. It was Ben’s birthday, and somehow a 5 year old Sloan convinced him the perfect present would be to bring home a stray for her. He has been a stubborn part of our family ever since. He is sweet, when he wants to be. He doesn’t really like strangers. He still has claws (and uses them Edward ScissorHands style whenever the kids get too handsy). He loves going outside. Yes, he’s an outdoor cat with an indoor feeding habit. So why not put him in a tiny moving home and expect him to adapt just like Roxy? That’s what any sane person would do, right?
Lots of research went into this, so many questions to answer. Where will the litter box go? How will we keep him indoors? Can we let him outside (my mom suggested a cat harness)? What is the best way to travel with him in the truck? We’ve had a learning curve here. He has adjusted pretty well, calming spray and a cat bag have helped him in the truck. We have realized that our “leather” sofa needs to stay covered at night to avoid the attack of the killer claws. We tried to hide the litter box in a cabinet – but quickly realized he needed a lid. He always had one in our house and I must have momentarily forgotten that he aims high – so cat urine was on our floor. Attempt 2 – move the litter box to our already tiny bathroom. No go. Litter under your feet when you get out of the shower is not a good feeling and it barely allows you to flush the foot flush toilet. So, I found this gem and put it in the kids room. Perfect solution. Well, almost perfect – so long as the little girl that persuaded her dad to adopt a cat remembers to clean the litter box. Otherwise, he will stand on the top and try to pee in the opening. That doesn’t work so well.
The biggest issue still remained – Raleigh likes to be outside. He likes to bathe in the sun and stalk birds (and occasionally Roxy). The day we left our house he got outside. While the new owners were doing their walkthrough, I was baiting the cat to come from under the deck with a can of catfood. Ben was pacing wondering if we were going to be able to actually leave the driveway that was no longer ours. Finally, we got him. Surprisingly, he loved roaming around the truck on the journey. The first week of RV life, he was okay. It was cold and rainy, not ideal outdoor weather. He had a reprieve from RV life while we visited our family in Connecticut for Christmas. Although, the 10 inches of snow wasn’t his favorite either, but he was happy to have freedom in a large house and attic. In North Carolina he lived in a detached garage and hunted lizards in the eaves.
His second full week in the RV was when he decided to test this out. First, on my birthday. We were in South Carolina and the weather was nice enough to eat outside. Jackson used his firebuilding training skills from his Grandfather and built a great fire for us to sit around. Ben cooked fajitas on his griddle and decided to let the cat sit with him, then he snuck off. Sloan was in tears and the hunt began. He was just at the edge of the woods and we got him back rather easily. Crisis averted. 3 days later – it was a different story. We were packed up and ready to leave for Florida. Seriously high fiving each other for getting our routine down. Kids and pets in the car, Fifth wheel ready, just needed to latch the hitch. With a thunk, we were ready to go. With that same thunk, Raleigh jumped out of the window and made a beeline for the woods. This time, I thought we might actually be in trouble. Children were crying rivers in an already muddy campground. Ben and I are silently praying the gators are actually hibernating. What do we do? We searched, and again, tried the canned food trick. It is amazing how many people started looking for him along with us, the campground was also understanding as it was creeping past check out time. Miraculously, we found him about an hour later. Luckily he is food driven and wanted that wet food.
Today, finally we are warm and dry. Sitting outside in St Augustine on a sunny 70 degree day is just what we were waiting for. Perfect time to try out the cat harness, right? He’s already worn it in the house and in the RV (thanks for the tip mom). He doesn’t mind having it on. We put it on him and leash him up. He stays under the RV for a few minutes. The moment the door opens, he runs back inside. Hmmm, guess he’s an indoor cat now.
