Skip to main content

Cart

Close Cart
Traveling with a Cat

Traveling with a Cat

Photo by : Bound For Nowhere

After our most recent vehicle switch, we decided to bring our 10-year-old cat, named Luna, on the road with us.

Even though she has been a member of our little family since college, we decided not to bring her on the road because our previous van was too small for her. We’ve missed her company and felt that our new and improved space would be purrrrrfect (sorry I had to) for accommodating her on the road. Since bringing her aboard it’s been so amazing watching her learn and grow to love her life out here.

Here are some tips for traveling with a cat that we’ve learned thus far!

Driving with a Cat

When we’re driving, Luna rides with us in the cab. Even though moving her back and forth is not her favorite thing to do, we want her to be with us so we can keep an eye on her. We do not have a passthrough on our rig and didn’t want to leave her alone in the back.

When we first brought her on the road Luna rode in the cab, in the kennel, with the door closed. As she became more comfortable with driving we started to open the door so she could develop a good relationship with the kennel. It’s important that she sees the kennel as a safe place, and not for confinement. She now spends 90% of her time in the kennel when the car is in motion, but she does it out of choice.

Cats like to have a place to retreat to in the event that they get scared for any reason, whatever your rig, make sure to have a dedicated safe place for them. Be it a kennel or otherwise.

If you’re gearing up for the road we recommend you start doing test drives with your cat. That way you can do little trips, then come back to the place that they are comfortable to recover!

Camp – Safety First

We love getting to camp so we can let Luna roam about to explore! There are a few precautionary measures we take to be sure that she is staying safe around camp.

Luna always has her collar on. We got a collar that has a flush mounted nameplate on it to be sure that it doesn’t make any noises that could attract wild animals that could cause her harm. Luna also wears a soft harness and is on a lead. We like to be sure she has the freedom to roam around without having to worry about her venturing too far from camp. Our lead is 30ft long, giving her plenty of space to check out her surroundings.

We never let Luna out unless we too are outside. You never know what could be lurking in the bushes, so we like to be outside with her just to keep an eye on things. When day turns to night we bring Luna in closer to be sure we have eyes on her.

Again, practice makes perfect. If your cat is not used to wearing a harness it’s important to start practicing early to be sure they’re comfortable with it before venturing out into the unknown. We made sure that Luna was wearing her harness around the house to get used to putting it on, and then wearing it before we ever took her outside with it.

Litter Box Management

This topic is a big one! Litter boxes are messy, and a lot of the time the litter can be a hassle to dispose of after you have scooped it. We switched over to an entirely biodegradable litter since taking to the road. Our favorite is called the Worlds Best Cat Litter, it’s biodegradable, flushable, septic safe, and clumping! Having eco-friendly litter makes it so easy to dispose of. We just dig a hole for her business as we do for our own morning ritual.

The Gear

Like I mentioned before every cat is going to be different, but this is what we use and love for our cat Luna:

Deep Dive

If you are interested in this subject we made a more detailed video going into all the details of traveling with a cat. Covering topics from where she rides while we drive, what she does while we go out hiking, and how we keep our small space clean! 

Enjoy!