Travelling with Your Feline Friend in a Motorhome or Mobile Home

Is It Possible to Bring a Cat Along in a Motorhome or Van?

Lots of people travel with dogs in motorhomes or caravans, so why not cats? Two years ago, we acquired a relatively small motorhome, and from the start we intended to bring our eccentric cat Monty on our journeys—particularly since we had a long trip planned for the summer of 2010.

Many folks thought we were crazy to take a cat in a motorhome, but we genuinely couldn't see any issue with it. After checking online, we found that others had done it successfully, so why couldn't we? So far, Monty has accompanied us on numerous short getaways plus a six-week tour of northern England, and he lived with us for three months in the van in early 2011 when we first relocated up north and couldn't find a place to live. Here's what we learned.

He was soon completely at home.

Introduce Them Gradually

Helping Your Cat Acclimate to Your Motorhome

You'll need to help your cat get used to its new surroundings. Almost as soon as we got Delores (our affectionate nickname for the van), we began bringing Monty aboard. We made sure to offer him some of his favourite treats and would often bring a book so we could sit and read while giving him time to explore the new space.

At first, we had to carry him inside. But eventually, we could simply leave the door open and he'd jump in. It wasn't long before he started to relax, curl up and fall asleep. Next, we started the engine while he was on board. We made sure the doors were closed so he couldn't escape, and yes, he was a bit scared at first, but we stayed with him, and soon he was fine.

The next big step was spending a night in the van with him, so—much to our neighbours' amusement—we camped out in our driveway one night to see how it went. There was one small incident, but since we were on our driveway, it wasn't a major issue. Monty got stuck on the over-cab bed and urinated on an old duvet we had up there because he couldn't get down to his litter tray. It's the first and only time he's done that—I think he learned a lesson too.

The advert said he’d love it. The advert was wrong.

Daily Life On Board

We quickly established some simple routines; some may work for you, but others will depend on your cat's temperament.

Travelling with a cat in a motorhome: Initially, when we were driving, Monty was kept in his cat carrier, but after the first hour or so he would start howling very loudly and continuously. One day, on a very quiet country lane, we left the carrier open to see what would happen. All he did was jump onto the nearest sofa area, curl up and go to sleep. Occasionally on long trips, he'll take a peek out of the windows, but he's shown zero interest in the cab end of the van and much prefers the bed area.
Exercise: He's a 5-year-old male cat, so he needs wearing out, or else we don't get any sleep! We always keep a couple of toys on board and, each evening, play with him for an hour or so to tire him out. His favourite game is chasing a small ball around on the bed before we make it up properly.
Going outside: We bought a harness and lead for him, but he has never gotten used to them. He's very accustomed to Delores now and considers it his "home," so when we're in remote areas away from traffic, we generally let him out in the evenings for an hour. He never wanders far away and, if the weather is good, enjoys snoozing on the step and watching the world go by.
Litter trays: This has got to be one of the biggest challenges—sharing a small and confined space with a cat and his toilet habits. When we're parked up, the cab area is his. His litter tray is on one side, and his food and water are on the other. His cat carrier is also tucked away but accessible in case anything spooks him. Do make sure you have either a sturdy dustpan and brush or a small vacuum cleaner as the litter will get everywhere. We find it helpful to keep a large black bin liner spread out underneath his litter tray to catch the worst of it.
Get a small scratch post: Unless you want your cat to shred your furniture. We still struggle with Monty over this as he much prefers to sharpen his claws on the sofa, but we're getting there …

He made sure he explored every corner, incuding the storage area under the cooker.

Practical Safety Measures

We've had a few scary moments, but everything turned out ok in the end. Here's what I'd recommend:

Make sure you have your vet's number programmed into your phone. On one occasion, when we were in the middle of nowhere, Monty tried to eat a bee and got stung in the face. Our vet soon gave us some brilliant advice, and we were able to deal with the situation.
Ensure your pet is microchipped and the chipping company has your mobile/cell phone number. If your pet should vanish, it's no good for them to phone your home number if you're in the middle of a field someplace.
Take a small stash of basic pet medicines: tick removers, worming pills, flea & tick deterrents, etc.
Always keep treats handy: they're great as bribes, and a shaken treat tub could usually lure Monty in from wherever he'd vanished off to.
Find a familiar blanket that can be used around the home and on the motorhome—that way, there will be a comfortable, familiar smell to help keep your cat calm.

Continual Learning

When it comes to cats and motorhomes, there's always something more to learn, and each trip seems to throw up something new, but hopefully the ideas above will be helpful if you're planning on taking your cat on your next motorhome holiday with you—it's certainly cheaper than the cattery!