Two posts in three days, holy cow, I must be coming down with some, ha ha, not really. Now I want to start with a Part A post on living full-time in an RV with kitty. The reasons it's going to be a few parts is because there are, believe it or not, many parts and components to RVing with a cat. So we are going to talk briefly about getting kitty accustomed to an RV, in Part A.
First I have to show off my baby! That's the most important part! I also have to clarify, Blue goes by many names including, baby, baby boy, poo, and poop. So....don't judge!
He kind of likes to sit like he's been drinking all day. Pretty sure he has the roughest life!
He fits, he sits....without fail, every time! By the way, Blue weighs in at just over 17 lbs, so picture giant kitty in itty bitty boxes.
There is a kitty in that first picture. He loves himself some dirty laundry....Like it's gross how much he likes it!
Case in point! ^
He's a back sleeper. <3
Okay, now that we have the gross affection of my cat out of the way...for this post, I'm going to explain some of the challenges we have run into.
Cats are creatures of habit, and like routine, consistency, and stability. Any changes and it can really stress them out. You can tell your cat is stressed out when you see digestion changes (diarrhea or constipation, starvation or over eating). You may also see abnormal behavior which may or may not include hiding under the bed, scratching, biting, hissing, ears flat on head, crying, howling, cowering, panting, shaking. Anything that appears slightly abnormal from your cats usual behavior, could indicate signs of stress. For Blue, I started by getting him acclimated to the RV, I began bringing him out during the remodel, allowing him time to take a look at things and find his favorite nooks and crannies. The stress signs I saw in Blue were panting, scratching, and excessive crying! I mean make you want to scream crying!
By spending some time in the RV for just a few hours at time allows him to get familiar without becoming overwhelmed. Once we moved in full-time he was actually doing pretty well. He was sleeping at the end of the bed like he usually does and minded his Ps and Qs, but then 4th of July happened.....crap. That really really screwed us all over. Since then, unless we follow a strict routine....he is a hellion! He wakes us up every few hours scratching on the screen doors and crying.
You can't really see it but he has put larger holes into the screen. Thankfully they are small enough we wont have to replace it.
I went over a week without a full night sleep. Mind you I tried, redirecting his behavior (I have a degree in Psychology so he often gets behavior modification and other 'therapies'), compression, the dreaded water bottle, time outs, you name it I tried it....so my husband and I went on a shopping spree for Poop....yes, at this moment he fully lives up to this nickname! I mean we probably spent $100 just on him....here are a few things we purchased:
- Blue Buffalo Chicken & Duck Treats
- Feline Greenies Salmon
- Feline Greenies Beef
- Bolt Automatic Laser Pointer
- Mouse Laser Pointer
- Jackson Galaxy™ Spiral LED Ball Cat Toy
- Catnip Ball
- Teaser Toy
- Sushi Toys
- KONG Catnip
- KONG® Cat Roller Treat Dispenser Cat To
1. Blue Buffalo Chick and Durck Treats; 2. Feline Greenies Salmon; and 3. Feline Greenies Beef
Although cats like consistency in their routine, they need things that keep them busy, entertained and can keep their attention. I know my cat, gets super bored super fast. So by mixing up the types of toys I use in a play session are really helpful....You want to do the same with snacks. Keep it interesting and fun. If they're always having the same treats it's going to get kind of boring for them. For the Feline Greenies Beef flavored, I actually got mine from Pet Smart but it appears they may have stopped carrying them in the past few months because I could not find it on their website. The link is to Amazon.
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4. Bolt Automatic Laser Pointer
Probably the best toy we invested in, sort of. Blue loves this thing, and I have to admit I love it too. If I get home really late one evening and don't have time for a play session, I can turn this thing on and it runs for 15 minutes. He'll play with it for several minutes, get bored, then go back to it a few minutes later. BUYER BEWARE: We have had ours two weeks, and it stopped working. I intend to take it back for a new one and will provide you an update later.
5. Mouse Laser Pointer
Another one of Blue's favorite. He loves at bedtime when it's just me headed to bed and I shine it on the bedspread....he will chase it around for a good 5 minutes. And I mean serious chasing! He gets himself so excited :)
6. Jackson Galaxy™ Spiral LED Ball Cat Toy
I'll be honest, he has yet to use these. Something to note, my cat is super picky and it is possible yours would love these things! I'm hoping at some point he will discover them and utilize them to their full potential.
I'll be honest, he has yet to use these. Something to note, my cat is super picky and it is possible yours would love these things! I'm hoping at some point he will discover them and utilize them to their full potential.
7. Catnip Ball
8. Teaser Toy
Blue enjoys this toy. During a play session I will often switch every few minutes between this and laser pointer, depending upon his level of engagement. If he loses interest in one I will switch to the other. The link is to general cat teaser toys, each cat will likely enjoy something different...this is a good way to stay consistent but keep things interesting by changing the style of the toy up.
9. Whisker City® Kitty Cactus Cat Scratcher
Blue used this the first two or three days we had it, then he stopped and went to the cheap cardboard scratcher. Seriously, my cat is so stinking weird....I'll explain later in this post! I even sprayed catnip spray all over it, and as far as I know, he hasn't really even touched it.
Blue used this the first two or three days we had it, then he stopped and went to the cheap cardboard scratcher. Seriously, my cat is so stinking weird....I'll explain later in this post! I even sprayed catnip spray all over it, and as far as I know, he hasn't really even touched it.
10. Smarty Trail Catnip Mist
This stuff is amusing!!!! I sprayed one of his toys with it, and it got on the rug in front of our bed....he went crazy rubbing himself all over the rug. He looked a little confused as to why is was obsessed with it. He now like to sleep on the rug, and if he's not on the bed that's where I tend to find him. This stuff is handy, especially if you're trying to get your kitty to play with a toy or use a scratcher.
11. SmartyKat SuperScratcher Plus Cat Scratcher
This is Blue's all time favorite thing, especially with catnip on it! He seriously loves this thing! He will sleep on it, scratch on it....one time he even peed on it (completely my fault he peed on it by the way!). The biggest complaint I have about it, it is a mess! Definitely put it some where out of the way because you will end up with cardboard flakes every where! And because Blue ha long fur, it often gets tangled in it and requires a combing.
12. Sushi Toys
Blue hasn't really had any interest in these, maybe for a split second after I sprayed them down with catnip. I tied the string on hoping that he might be more interested in it....not really. Something to note about "string" cats should not have regular yarn, they like to chew on it and it can get stuck in their intestines requiring surgery to remove it. You want something a little stronger that isn't something they're just want to snack on. My best recommendation are the strings our of hoodies or PJ pants...those work really well and are very durable. It will help prevent your kitty from getting a bowl blockage because it's not really a good chewing size.
13. KONG Catnip
This is my secret weapon! If I give Poo catnip right before bed, he'll get hyper for a minute then settle right down. I give him around a Tablespoon he eats it up, will run around like a rabid dog, then calm down and snuggle up on the bed. Usually he will sleep all night when I give it too him. Again, I recommend investing in the slightly more expensive stuff just because it's going to be a better quality, better yet, you could grow your own *laughs out loud* "like I have the time and energy for that."
14. KONG® Cat Roller Treat Dispenser Cat To
I like this toy more than Blue does...totally goes with what I believe in psychology, positive reinforcement. In the center of this toy is a cylinder with a hole at the bottom, you fill it with treats and close the toy. On the opposite end of the toy, as you can see, there is another hole. So as the kitty bats around the toy and plays with it, treats fall out, reinforcing the behavior to play with it. I love it!!!! Blue...not so much.
All of this only scratches the surface...we have a few other things to go over, food, cat box, RV monitoring for safety, other helpful usefull tools, VEHICLE TRAVEL!!!! I could probably write an entire blog just on RVing with a cat, but that's alright....I'll just keep you up to date as we go.
Now here is where I explain the truth...I can spend hundreds of dollars on my cat in expensive toys, even thousands of dollars....all he wants are hair ties, dirty socks, and ear plugs.
Happy Camping!
Victoria
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