New to RVing and getting ready to travel with kitties

klrful

Member
Just purchaed a Bighorn and getting ready to travel with 4 kitties. A little nervous about traveling with them since they haven't traveled, but so glad they can go with me! Anyone have any suggestions for type of carriers to put them in while traveling?
 

davebennington

Senior Member
We travel with a cat (had two one died old age) and a dog. The cat that is left travels very well after she is in the trailer, however she will get sick just carrying her to the rig. once in she lays on the bed and is good from there on, She has been every where with us all over the east coast, to Canada.Alaska and most of the North western US.Just keep their litter box clean and plenty of water for them.dave
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi klrful,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. There's lots of useful information here along with a great bunch of helpful people.

Before she passed on, we took our kitty with us. We used soft-sided carriers. We used a large one in the back seat of the truck so we could keep her secure when at a rest stop where we'd get in and out of the truck. To carry her from the truck to the RV we used a small soft-sided carrier. The advantage of the soft-sided carriers is that they take up less space when they're not in use.

Our kitty was about 12 when we took her on her first trip. She loved the RV but only tolerated riding in the truck.
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
Our two fur balls ride on the back seat of the truck in hard side (plastic) carriers with thick padding to lay on. We only take them back and forth to our seasonal site, a three hour drive. They complain at first, but settle down quickly. Both of ours are 8 years old.
 

Speedy

Well-known member
Two cat beds on the folded down rear seats with a small litter box on the floor just in case. They can move around from sun to shade as needed but pretty much stay put for the trip. They really only complain when the road gets bad and causes a lot of chucking.
 

traveler44

Well-known member
Welcome to the Heartland family. We have a rally in Chatham Il. - down by Springfield in Sept. if you want to meet some really great people I'm sure everybody will be glad to meet you. You can contact our chapter leaders- Ken and Kathy by going to the Chatham rally site on the side of the "portals page". Tom
 

fre2bMe

Member
hello dave(?) just looking for more clarity on your reply to "klrful" - i too am planning to buy my first 5ver to live in fulltime; my intention was to allow my cat to travel 'loose' in the trailer when on long hauls, so is that what you do? my cat is 25lb manx mix and an indoor/outdoor (12yrs) = friggin HATES carriers = i'm lucky to have an equine vet that makes 'house-calls'...so her need to ride in them was kept minimal.
i used to professionally ship horses and so am prepared to make regular/frequent stops, and i am in 'no-rush' to get any where, as i am choosing to enjoy the journey as well; the dog i will keep with me in truck as per usual.
thanks for any additional insight.
 

RanCarr

Well-known member
Just purchaed a Bighorn and getting ready to travel with 4 kitties. A little nervous about traveling with them since they haven't traveled, but so glad they can go with me! Anyone have any suggestions for type of carriers to put them in while traveling?

We have one of these. 3 or 4 cats fit plus an average size litter-pan. We also bought the extra shelf covers and put a cheap scatter rug on the bottom. Secure it when on the road. We use large strong bungee cords. It's not safe to have cats running loose when moving on down the road. Also, be careful they don't flee the RV when you open the door. Many CGs have escaped cats that were left behind when the owners had to leave. We got ours on Amazon. And never but NEVER move a slideout until the cats are secured. Cats have been severely injured or even killed in slideouts.

61Xnf9kCf1L._SY450_.jpg
 

HappyKayakers

Well-known member
hello dave(?) just looking for more clarity on your reply to "klrful" - i too am planning to buy my first 5ver to live in fulltime; my intention was to allow my cat to travel 'loose' in the trailer when on long hauls, so is that what you do? my cat is 25lb manx mix and an indoor/outdoor (12yrs) = friggin HATES carriers = i'm lucky to have an equine vet that makes 'house-calls'...so her need to ride in them was kept minimal.
i used to professionally ship horses and so am prepared to make regular/frequent stops, and i am in 'no-rush' to get any where, as i am choosing to enjoy the journey as well; the dog i will keep with me in truck as per usual.
thanks for any additional insight.
I have a 13 lb Maine Coon cat. She used to ride in the truck with me but she was very vocal most of the time. 1 day I took her back to the 5er while on a lunch break. When I was ready to move on, she hid somewhere in the trailer and refused to come out. So I left her there for the rest of the day and she's ridden back there ever since. She has a favorite safe place to hide when the slides start moving. Other than that, she doesn't appear any the worse for wear after our travels.
 

ParkIt

Well-known member
We have one of these. 3 or 4 cats fit plus an average size litter-pan. We also bought the extra shelf covers and put a cheap scatter rug on the bottom. Secure it when on the road. We use large strong bungee cords. It's not safe to have cats running loose when moving on down the road. Also, be careful they don't flee the RV when you open the door. Many CGs have escaped cats that were left behind when the owners had to leave. We got ours on Amazon. And never but NEVER move a slideout until the cats are secured. Cats have been severely injured or even killed in slideouts.

61Xnf9kCf1L._SY450_.jpg
Nice! That would fit in the truck and we'd need one for our 3 cats. Where did you pick it up?
DH would want to leave the wheels on it...he likes to mess with the cats but I'd probably buy it and take the wheels out and hide them so he doesn't know it can roll ;)
 

Ohiojude

Member
We travel with our 3 kittie boys. We have a one ton dually with a full seat in the back. We put them in one big (doggie size) carrier then let them out when we are on the road. If going to more than an hour ride we put a litter box, food and water on the floor. Mason and Milo have the run of the back seat or will sit on my lap. Mozart lays in the carrier until we get close to our destination. I don't know how he knows but he does then comes out and sits on my lap.We got Mason and Mozart (brothers) when they were about 5 mos old, Milo was 8 mos. We started taking them right from day one.
 
We are new full timers and have two cats. We researched RVs for about 4-5 years before purchasing. Each time we were interested in a 5th wheel, I asked the salesperson if it would be safe for the cats to ride in it, especially in regard to the slides being sealed in. Each one assured me that all the slides were completely sealed.
When we decided on the Heartland I of course asked the same question and was assured the slides are all sealed with no gaps where a cat could get under. After our third move I couldn't find one of our cats. I then discovered that there is indeed a large opening in the bedroom slide under the back of the bed.
I wish that the dealers would all be made aware of this! Blessedly she came out ok for us before we put the slides out. After that I have been stuffing foam into the opening after it's put back in so that it can't happen again.
As far as I can determine this is the only area where there is an opening like that.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
We are new full timers and have two cats. We researched RVs for about 4-5 years before purchasing. Each time we were interested in a 5th wheel, I asked the salesperson if it would be safe for the cats to ride in it, especially in regard to the slides being sealed in. Each one assured me that all the slides were completely sealed.
When we decided on the Heartland I of course asked the same question and was assured the slides are all sealed with no gaps where a cat could get under. After our third move I couldn't find one of our cats. I then discovered that there is indeed a large opening in the bedroom slide under the back of the bed.
I wish that the dealers would all be made aware of this! Blessedly she came out ok for us before we put the slides out. After that I have been stuffing foam into the opening after it's put back in so that it can't happen again.
As far as I can determine this is the only area where there is an opening like that.
That crawl space cost us a can of tuna one time. :)

We kept our kitty on a leash in the truck and put her in a large soft-sided kennel before we got out of the truck. She stayed in the kennel until we moved it into the trailer and wasn't let out until we put the slides out.

If you have storage under the sofa be careful when it's open. They can crawl in there too.
 

RWillson

Member
Actually I can update on what I had posted earlier. We were stuffing the foam in the open slide area and thought we were ok with it, but one of our girls dissapeared and wouldn't come out. We ended up taking the bed all apart and found her inside. I truly don't understand why the manufacturers couldn't have put a piece of luan or something to cover that opening. This summer we will be tearing the entire platform out to do just that.
Luckily once in that "alley" behind the slide it is open under the bed so our girl lived for us to find her. Apparently this is not the case on all RVs as we have heard many stories of cats that were squished in that space behind the bedroom slide. Makes me so angry!!! So unnecessary.
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Actually I can update on what I had posted earlier. We were stuffing the foam in the open slide area and thought we were ok with it, but one of our girls dissapeared and wouldn't come out. We ended up taking the bed all apart and found her inside. I truly don't understand why the manufacturers couldn't have put a piece of luan or something to cover that opening. This summer we will be tearing the entire platform out to do just that.
Luckily once in that "alley" behind the slide it is open under the bed so our girl lived for us to find her. Apparently this is not the case on all RVs as we have heard many stories of cats that were squished in that space behind the bedroom slide. Makes me so angry!!! So unnecessary.
Our kitty went under that front area of the bed but we just figured she would come out on her own. Once she came out we blocked her access so no future episodes. I don't feel the manufacturers should have to worry about pet situations. In all fairness, why should they.
When we start getting ready to travel our kitty knows and starts looking for places to hide. We put him in the stool room until we close the slides then let him loose. He usually gets under the bed covers. When we stop, he greets us at the door.
 

RWillson

Member
And this is a problem when you're in camp and have to pull the slides in as well as when traveling. I figure there are a lot of us who are full timers traveling with pets. When you pay $60000 and more for it, you should be able to expect some things. And it would cost very little to pay attention to that detail of closing in that bedroom slide so pets cannot get behind it. It would save a lot of heartache. At the very least the dealers should be able to point out this area when they are asked if it's safe for animals to ride in the fifth wheel.
 
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