Just thought I'd weigh in on our almost 3 years experience with our cat(s) on board while camping in our FWC Grandby shell. Early on my wife and I had some trepidation on how well Jessica (now 15) and Charlotte (11 when she passed in '13) would do together within the reasonably tight confines of a truck and popup camper combo. The answer has turned out to be, pretty doggone well. Here are some notes on how we've accommodated kitties within our camping setup.
1) Initially there was some kitty 'separation anxiety' upon leaving home, not surprising since they were not used to being in a moving vehicle. That can be expected to last for up to a few hours upon leaving on a trip, but they tend to catch on pretty quick and settle into the inevitable ("nope, we're not turning around!")
2) Early on we built a two-tiered plywood 'platform' with topsides covered in thick carpet for their enjoyment; they get to sit up high (bonus) and get to see out, and enabled them to pass-thru between the truck cab and camper whenever they wanted. The platform mounts against the folded-up reat seat of the truck, hung in place on a suspended travel clothes rod. It works great and is highly recommended.
3) Where to locate the litterbox while in traveling mode? Initially we placed it next to the rear door of the camper, but discovered that neither cat was interested in venturing back there while we were in motion. So we placed the litterbox within a slightly larger black vinyl tub (normally used to capture our shower water), lodged on top of some boxed camp items directly behind the driver's seat. Jessica uses the litterbox without hesitation now while we're traveling, so we don't need to have the pass-thru window open between the truck cab and camper anymore, now it's pretty much superfluous for kitty use.
For kitty food, we keep a portable tray up front with two sealed containers, one containing her usual Iams dry food, the other water. When we stop driving to take a break or gas up, etc., we open up the containers whle we're stopped and let the cat eat/drink if she wants. Sometimes she does, sometimes not. In the end, she's well fed along the way.
In camp, the kitty hangs in the camper much of the time. If we're staying multiple days, we set up a large tent and she hangs out in there when we're in camp and hanging around outside, otherwise she happily goes back into the camper, and especially likes the upper loft area.
When it seems reasonable to do so, we'll walk her around camp with an upper-torso harness and retractable doggy leash. Granted, being a cat, she doesn't savor this as much as a dog would, but she generally appears to like it and it gets her out exercising and seeing the sights.
She sleeps right there on the bed with us, burrowing under the blankets if it's chilly, and eats/sleeps/pees/poops at will in the camper's litter box and food/water containers. Never seems to be fussy. Very cool.
If you're inclined to want to take your cat(s) on trips, I believe you should give it a try. We routinely do 3-week trips with cat on board and she's thriving on it, a true 'camping kitty' for sure. Pix below:
Rico
1) Initially there was some kitty 'separation anxiety' upon leaving home, not surprising since they were not used to being in a moving vehicle. That can be expected to last for up to a few hours upon leaving on a trip, but they tend to catch on pretty quick and settle into the inevitable ("nope, we're not turning around!")
2) Early on we built a two-tiered plywood 'platform' with topsides covered in thick carpet for their enjoyment; they get to sit up high (bonus) and get to see out, and enabled them to pass-thru between the truck cab and camper whenever they wanted. The platform mounts against the folded-up reat seat of the truck, hung in place on a suspended travel clothes rod. It works great and is highly recommended.
3) Where to locate the litterbox while in traveling mode? Initially we placed it next to the rear door of the camper, but discovered that neither cat was interested in venturing back there while we were in motion. So we placed the litterbox within a slightly larger black vinyl tub (normally used to capture our shower water), lodged on top of some boxed camp items directly behind the driver's seat. Jessica uses the litterbox without hesitation now while we're traveling, so we don't need to have the pass-thru window open between the truck cab and camper anymore, now it's pretty much superfluous for kitty use.
For kitty food, we keep a portable tray up front with two sealed containers, one containing her usual Iams dry food, the other water. When we stop driving to take a break or gas up, etc., we open up the containers whle we're stopped and let the cat eat/drink if she wants. Sometimes she does, sometimes not. In the end, she's well fed along the way.
In camp, the kitty hangs in the camper much of the time. If we're staying multiple days, we set up a large tent and she hangs out in there when we're in camp and hanging around outside, otherwise she happily goes back into the camper, and especially likes the upper loft area.
When it seems reasonable to do so, we'll walk her around camp with an upper-torso harness and retractable doggy leash. Granted, being a cat, she doesn't savor this as much as a dog would, but she generally appears to like it and it gets her out exercising and seeing the sights.
She sleeps right there on the bed with us, burrowing under the blankets if it's chilly, and eats/sleeps/pees/poops at will in the camper's litter box and food/water containers. Never seems to be fussy. Very cool.
If you're inclined to want to take your cat(s) on trips, I believe you should give it a try. We routinely do 3-week trips with cat on board and she's thriving on it, a true 'camping kitty' for sure. Pix below:
Rico
