Cats in a CG without cover?

[Naio]

My cats love to explore boondocks with lots of brush or tall grass. They feel safe from predators that way. But they are terrified of wide open campgrounds with nothing but trees and short grass or bare dirt. They feel too exposed.

I'm probably going to a family reunion type thing next month, in that type of open campground, and trying to think of a way to make the cats more comfortable.

I've got two cats. An old man cat, who has some health issues and I don't want to cause him the stress of being in a scary environment. But the stress of staying back at the S&B without me would be worse for him. In a wide-open campground like this one, he will probably feel that he can only go out for a few minutes in the middle of the night.

My younger cat is not so easily stressed, but he has a lot of energy and it would be a problem for him to be cooped up in the van all the time.

I've looked at cat tents and tunnels and stuff online, but none of them seem to be designed with actual cats in mind. They're mostly made from see-through mesh that would make cats feel too exposed.

I thought about getting a hundred feet of something cheap like landscaping fabric and stringing it up around the van as a skirting, or the around campsite to make a sort of 30 inch high wall. I thought that might make the cats feel a little more protected, plus it would be easy for them to get through in an emergency. But I still think it might be too exposed for them.

You know how cats are -- they want something where they can see out but nobody can see in, and where they can walk around and get some exercise.

Have you all found a solution for this? What works for your cats?

[2oldman]

Naio wrote:
Thank you, 2oldman and NRALIFR.

Welcome.

[westernrvparkow]

2oldman wrote:

westernrvparkowner wrote:
If you and your pet are not comfortable with those policies, it is best to stay elsewhere.

I respect those policies and choose to stay elsewhere.

Thank you. It would be a better world if more people would realize that it isn't always only about them. There are countless rules and policies throughout the country that I don't necessarily like or agree with, but I honor them, and sometimes choose to take my business elsewhere. Somehow, both I and those entities I choose to not patronize continue to thrive.

[Naio]

Wow, I really regret posting here.

I'm a long time participant at RV net, but I haven't spent much time on the pet forum. I thought I would be learning from the helpful experience of other RVers, like I do on other forums here.

I didn't realize people were going to think I was setting up a special place for them to process their negative emotions about cats. If that's typical for how people behave in this section of the forum, I can see how someone might think that mentioning felines at all was trolling. (That comment has been reported, of course, because it violates the rules of the forum.)

Aren't you folks old enough to have grown out of the cats versus dogs, us versus them, thing?

Thank you, 2oldman and NRALIFR.

[NRALIFR]

Yosemite Sam1 wrote:
Have you checked with the rangers or campground hosts?

Cats kill other smaller wildlife. And they do that even if they are not hungry.

Cats are the only other animal, just like men, that kill for sports, lol.

This is actually a myth. There are several other species who “thrill kill” over and above what is needed for food. Just to name a few:

Bottlenose Dolphins
Fox
Leopard
Hyena
Gorilla
Lion
Chimps
Stoats
Honey Badgers
Elephants
Wolves
Dogs

The only one on the list that I’ve personally witnessed is dogs. I have to take the word of scientists on the rest.

:):)

[2oldman]

westernrvparkowner wrote:
If you and your pet are not comfortable with those policies, it is best to stay elsewhere.

I respect those policies and choose to stay elsewhere.

[westernrvparkow]

We don't discriminate among pets. A cat that is running loose is treated exactly the same as a dog running loose. First a warning, next a request you leave. We also do not allow for the construction of enclosures of any kind. Cats and dogs either need to be inside your RV, on a leash with you at the other end, or in a kennel while you are outside with them.
This is for the safety of everyone, including the pets. While a loose cat is unlikely to injure another guest, they can and will excite other pets to the point they can cause harm or damage. Also, we are in areas where there are many predators that would love to add cat tenderloin to their menu. Nothing would ruin a vacation faster then watching whiskers being airlifted by a golden eagle.
We are very clear and upfront with our pet policies. They work for us and our parks. If you and your pet are not comfortable with those policies, it is best to stay elsewhere.

[2oldman]

Campfire Time wrote:
The cats eat the mice that are in the brush along the creek that runs behind our house.

Mine does that, and presents them to me just outside the door. Thank you dear, another vermin that isn't crawling up the power cord into our house.

OP, my cat has changed my camping style to the point that I'd be looking for another campsite with sufficient cover and you drive to attend what you need to. However, a family reunion may be not the right event to do that. You may be accused of being a slave to your cat.

I really enjoy (and so does she) going for walks among the bushes where she can hide and stalk me.

[Campfire_Time]

BarabooBob wrote:
Cats should not be allowed to run free and kill the songbirds and other wildlife.

Hmm... Cats should not be allowed to do what they naturally do? Our cats have never been allowed to roam free. Too many dangers out there to the cats. But we do have a few neighbors that do let their cats out. The cats eat the mice that are in the brush along the creek that runs behind our house. I am grateful for those cats because we've never had mice in our trailers in the 25+ years we've parked trailers on our property.

Naio wrote:


Cats feel safest if strangers (human, canine, or whatever) are not noticing them.

Your cats perhaps. All of them are unique and not all are "fraidy cats". We've had 2 that were terrified of anything and everyone but us. Neither of them wanted anything to do with the outdoors. We had 2 that couldn't wait to get outside. One of those loved everyone he came into contact with. Our current one loves people and he seems very interested in the outdoors. If they are going to undergo any trauma, if I was you I'd leave them in the RV, or leave them home.

[Merrykalia]

Our cats go with us, but they stay inside. I would never think about letting them outside without some type of confinement system that I had tested out well. If the cats can't be confined in either the RV or a fence, then they need to be left at home or boarded. Just my $.02 worth.

[bgum]

I tend to doubt anyone who says they know how a cat feels or thinks about anything.

[Naio]

doxiemom11 wrote:
The cats we have been around were either kept inside, or walked on a leash in the campground. Have you ever tried a leash? Would they feel safer with you right there?

Thanks, doxiemom11 :-). Yes, I will keep the younger, more energetic cat on a leash as needed. The old man cat doesn't move that much anyway.

But no, in my experience cats do not feel safer with a leash. They feel much less safe, because they feel that they couldn't get away from a dog if it attacked them. I think they feel a bit like a worm on the end of a fishing line.

Cats feel safest if strangers (human, canine, or whatever) are not noticing them.

[Naio]

Don't worry, the cats won't be free to hurt any robins! This particular campground is extremely heavily used, and there is not a blade of grass to be seen, let alone anything for a robin to eat. The cats will be outdoors for short, supervised times, and won't be able to leave our individual campsite.

But I would like to create some sort of setup, so at least they feel comfortable walking around our campsite, and they don't have to feel like they have to hide inside our small van for the whole time we are there.

A screen room is a great solution for dogs, but I think cats would find it frightening. They would feel like everyone could see them, and they had nowhere to hide.

We are mostly full-time, so leaving cats at home is not a realistic option. The RV is their home.

I'm wracking my brain trying to think of some way to make the campsite more hospitable for them. If any of you have ideas, that would be great!

[doxiemom11]

The cats we have been around were either kept inside, or walked on a leash in the campground. Have you ever tried a leash? Would they feel safer with you right there?

[sch911]

We bring the cats but they stay inside the motorhome.