Travelling UK with a cat...

[SnorkMaiden]

I'm wondering if anyone here has travelled around the UK in a camper with their cat?

Did you train your cat? Or did your cat happily travel? If there was training involved how did you go about it?
What pros and cons were there on your travels together?
Was there any cat proofing needed inside the van?

Any other observations/advise welcome.

Thank you in advance.

[Mollycat]

I think the key is whether you have a cat with the right personality to always come back to the camper, cats that will travel rather than be attached to their home territory are few and far between, though they do exist. But when you think about how most cats have to be kept indoors for a week when moving house, your Street Cat Called Bob scenario is very unusual. If you're not planning to let cat out, a camper might be a bit cramped and just about impossible to stop cat escaping.

When on the move cat should be secured for everyone's safety - a large collapsible dog crate if you don't want to be always putting cat in a tiny carrier, but a) so cat can't escape in the event of accident and broken window straight into live traffic, and b) so cat can't think under the pedals is a fun place to lie down and take a nap while you're driving.

I'm struggling to imagine what training could make a reluctant traveller happier really, to my mind it would be more a case of trial and error, how well does cat take to being in some kind of carrier crate or pen, do they get travel sick for instance, how do they respond to a strange place ie do they try to hide or instantly go exploring or settle. For that, long drives and friends' homes can help test things out.

[SnorkMaiden]

Thank you for that well balanced and thought out reply. You've given me few ideas and plenty of food for thought.

[fjm]

I have travelled with a cat, but it was more from one place to another with longish stays of weeks or months in each, rather than constantly on the move. The cat was confident, sociable, very attached to me, and used to moving between my flat and my parents' house, so he knew how to make himself at home quickly. On the other hand I was involved in the rescue of a cat lost from a campervan where the poor animal was none of these things, and the owner was detached to the point of not wanting her back - an unhappy experience all round. I think it could be a very stressful life for a cat with an established home territory and habits, although a kitten or young cat might take to it more happily. Even so it would be high risk - by definition anywhere you can park legally is going to be full of other vehicles, with all sorts of other dangers you cannot foresee. A frightened cat will hide, sometimes for days - would you be prepared to wait as long as it takes?

[papa cat]

If it were my cat I would be very worried about it wandering or exploring and getting lost
Something you could do that might help is buy a gps cat tracker and attach it to a quick release collar.
I have had two for my cat (and he has a fixed home)
However they are not a perfect solution!
They don’t give an absolutely precise location, only to about 50-100 yards.
My cat has already lost one and it can’t be found because it seems to be in in deep undergrowth/bushes. I guess he’s snagged it on something and the quick release clasp has opened. He found his way home though as he was only about 100 yards away.
Be aware though that If you were travelling around and your cat had a tracker
(1) The cat could get lost and you still can’t find it because the location given by the gps is not accurate enough
(2) The cat and the tracker could get separated and you can’t find either.

Despite what I have said above regards the limitations, I think a tracker might be your answer.

Your options are
Keep it in the motorhome all the time…..probably not practical
Just let the cat wander …. risky
Fit a harness and a long lead to the cat attached to a stake driven into the ground…….there is a possibility of the cat getting knotted up in that.
Buy a gps tracker

[Mollycat]

Another thing that occurred to me with camp sites is the risk posed by dogs. I know I'm paranoid because of recent experience, but even a dog that won't harm a cat but will chase runs the risk of chasing a cat into trouble. The dog that attacked my neighbour's cat was playing, rather than vicious, but the end result is still a 3 legged cat, and I still have to talk myself out of flashbacks.

I do know someone who travelled with his dogs for years, despite my own concerns about not having a regular vet his girls were very well cared for even in old age and through sickness. I'm not sure how continuity of care was achieved exactly but it worked.