Hokiehall wrote:
We are considering taking our 16 year old cat on a trip. The reason being is the other cats she had here at home have all crossed the Rainbow Bridge and now she is completely alone. We are not sure how she may handle a long period alone. Our neighbors always care for them while we are gone but it is not the same.
Our issue is with the actual traveling. We have a travel trailer and she would have to ride in the truck with us. ...
Our little guy really enjoys being an only child. No one to share Mom & Dad with anymore! But we do miss the siblings that have gone before.
We have a truck camper and he rides right along with us. It is an extended cab and he knows where is bed is always located - in the center of the backseat. He doesn't like leaving home and will usually howl for 15 minutes. Then he becomes resigned to his fate, curls up, and goes asleep.
When we are stopped, he goes right in to the camper. Knows where his bed is there too. He will then look out the windows of the cabover like he is king of the world. If there are scary noises and we are gone, we will come back to find him 'missing', but a suspicious lump under the blankets on the bed.
We put the litter box in the shower stall and the biggest trick is making sure we don't shut the bathroom door when it is not in use (block it with a spare shoe).
He does wear an harness 24x7 when we leave home. The harness will be clipped to a leash, and the handle of the leash is snapped in a spare seat belt when he is in the truck. He has never made a dash for it, but that doesn't mean he never will.
We are very careful to never let him leave the truck or the camper on his own. We ALWAYS carry him across the threshold of the camper door, and we ALWAYS carry him out of the cab of the truck. This way it never occurs to him that he could jump out of the truck or camper on his own accord.
He does really well camping and with the road trips. He is a good companion to have with us and we do regret not bringing him along before. He is quite the character. Sometimes he will sit on the center console - particularly at night - and 'direct' the traffic around us. Or if we are driving through a wooded area on a windy road he will get all excited thinking we are home (we live in the woods on a windy road).
Here he is on the beach at Port Townsend state park, watching the sunset:
-Eric
Eric & Lisa - Oregon
'97 Silverado K2500, New HT383 motor!, Airbags, anti-sway bar
'03 Lance model 1030, generator, solar,