# cat



## firewood (Mar 17, 2009)

we are ready to pack our jobs in and go touring .but when our oldest daughter died we took her cat on .
we think the cat is about 13 years old .
has anyone got any good ideas how we get her rehomed .
we are not going to see any harm come to her. 
and if we have to will put our plans on hold .
one of our neighbours will feed her when we go away but does not want to take her full time.
please dont reply with put her down we wont let that happen


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## peribro (Sep 6, 2009)

Is taking her with you an option? I know some people do.


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## firewood (Mar 17, 2009)

we would love to take her with us but as yet we cannot even get her in the camper.
but thanks for the reply


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

I have a book somewhere that tells you 100 things to do with a cat..... sorry! We have the same problem and end up paying a fortune every day for someone to come in and feed/clean up after the two Siamese cats. I would love to tour longer but the bank manager keeps calling us back.
Alan


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## camallison (Jul 15, 2009)

firewood said:


> we are ready to pack our jobs in and go touring .but when our oldest daughter died we took her cat on .
> we think the cat is about 13 years old .
> has anyone got any good ideas how we get her rehomed .
> we are not going to see any harm come to her.
> ...


Have a word with your local RSPCA and vet - they will likely have some suggestions for you. I know our local vet has a board up for such rehoming requests of old or ownerless (death or similar) cats and dogs. They say that they are successful every time. That way, you know the cat is going to a home that, in the case of the RSPCA, has been assessed.

Colin


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Five years ago we started to take our cats (13 +11 yrs) abroad with us, no hassle at all.

tony


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Id take her/him with you, that way you know it has a good home

I'm sure gemmy and other members have sorted out how to care for them in the van

We often see cats in vans, some on special leads both in and out of the van

hope you can work it out, you may need to start with a roomy cat cage

Aldra


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## Nethernut (Jun 4, 2008)

Does the cat travel in the car to the vets? Try it in its travel carrier in the van with just short journeys at first plus maybe feed it in there too. It could take a while but as others have said at least that way you know she is safe!


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## stevethebeekeeper (Jan 23, 2011)

GEMMY said:


> Five years ago we started to take our cats (13 +11 yrs) abroad with us, no hassle at all.
> 
> tony


We have started to get ours in the van and get it used to traveling. In fact off again this weekend on a local break.

Have you got any tips?


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

We just let them have the 'run' of the van, they soon get to their own favourite spots.  One prefers to watch the world go by, whilst the other starts off by hiding then 10 mins later sleeps on the floor next to the dog.  

tony


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## rowley (May 14, 2005)

Might be worth having a word with Cat Protection. 
www.northampton.cats.org.uk/


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## Lindsay (Jul 5, 2010)

Hi Firewood
I would say that you should take your cat with you!! 
Check our avatar and you will appreciate why we feel this way! We think he's about 11 years old. He was abandoned when he was about 3, so we don't know his exact age. 
It took him a few trips to get used to the 'van', but now he's a joy and we wouldn't be without him on any trip.
Just been away for 3 nights! 
He decided that he didn't want to come with us, but after a 2 hour delay he 'grudgingly' decided he'd come with us, as there was really 'no other option'! 
After three days away,when we got home, he checked out his 'home territory', then went back into the 'van' and wouldn't come out, until he realised his food was back in the house!! 
They have a huge allegiance to 'their servants' and 'where their food
is'!!
As an older cat he/she should settle into your routine fairly quickly.
On our travels abroad, our cat has made us so many friends, as he can miaow, fluently in french & german! 
He struggled a bit in Italy, Poland and Croatia, but they helped by trying to speak English to him, which he really appreciated.
You could miss out by not taking him/her!!
Get him/her a passport, and go for it. You won't regret it!!
Best regards. 
Lindsay


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Cats Protection League will take in cats where the owner cannot look after them anymore and NEVER put a cat down.

My daughter has had 4 cats from them, she lives on the main road through Exeter so the cats have to be indoor only cats - so she has had the ones with FIV - the feline version of HIV.

The CPL have been wonderful and help her considerably, even taking one cat (who has markedly outlived their expectations) in for two weeks when she came to France to visit us.

http://www.cats.org.uk/

IMO better than the RSPCA who DO put animals down if they cannot be rehomed........

You may also find that approaching your local vet - where presumably the cat goes already, they may assist you in locating a suitable new residence for the cat to take over with a new carer.

Some cats never take to motor vehicles, others adore them (we have had some of each) but it may prove stressful for the cat to even try to get it used to travelling.

Good luck,

Dave


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## hymees (Aug 7, 2011)

We take our cat with us regularly. She wasn't sure of the van at first, not least because the previous owners had a dog. But I put her favourite cushions and things in there, and we did very short trips at first. In fact at first we just spent an hour or two with her in there. Now her favourite spot is laid out on the dashboard in the sun. She will occasionally venture out but never goes more than a couple of metres from the van and prefers to be curled up inside. She's 13 yrs too.

Perhaps you could start out with a little wire carrier (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Premium-Lar...UTF8&colid=AQRGN9MT6ACD&coliid=I2IYN5L155ND5N) which should feel safer. I know that's what vets recommend you use when you travel with pets anyway. And we also did a few shorter trips in the car too to get her used to the motion. She adapted reasonably quickly.

Good luck!


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## Scattycat (Mar 29, 2011)

If it was me I'd try and take the cat with us, especially if it came into our lives the way yours did, but I understand the problems.

Previous advice regarding the use of a cat travel basket sounds a sensible idea. Do a couple of trial runs first just to get the cat used to being in the van to convince it it's not going to the vets :lol: 

We don't take ours with us at the moment and we have to be carefull that he hasn't stowed away somewhere before we set off. :roll:


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## Scattycat (Mar 29, 2011)

Lindsay said:


> Hi Firewood
> I would say that you should take your cat with you!!
> Check our avatar and you will appreciate why we feel this way! We think he's about 11 years old. He was abandoned when he was about 3, so we don't know his exact age.
> It took him a few trips to get used to the 'van', but now he's a joy and we wouldn't be without him on any trip.
> ...


Sorry, off topic, but when I saw your avatar I had to go and check that you hadn't pinched ours. He's also a very conversational moggy


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

We, too, are hoping to take our cat with us unless a really good home comes up for him.
He hates travelling but we are going to try some herbal calming tablets to see if they help him. Will talk to the vet first to see if they have any suggestions for calming him.

We did take him on a day trip to the forest and he escaped from his harness!! Funnily enough he didn't go far and we were able to catch him. I have seen many cats on the road and they seem to know where their van is.

One question I do have to those that already travel with their cat is this - does the cat settle at night? Most cats are nocturnal, ours included, so how do they settle at night?


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

the truth is

no one is better than you

the one they know and trust

and I would never trust one of mine to another

for good or bad they belong to me

I could not contemplate giving them to a stranger

Aldra


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## Lindsay (Jul 5, 2010)

Hi patp,
We tried a harness on our cat, in the early days, but he too was a clever escape artist! 
We would find the harness, on the end of a long tether, but no cat. 
He would be sat close by, watching us panic, when we thought we'd lost him. 
He never went too far away!!
We still keep a very careful eye on him when he's out, but the more we've trusted him not to stray too far the better he's become.

As for settling at night? 
I can't deny that he did give us some hard times early on! 
Though he would settle down quite quickly when we turned in,
he would invariably wake us up at an unearthly hour (usually between about 2 and 4), 'asking' us to open the door and let him out.
This we never did, but we'd give him some fresh food, which generally led to him settling down again.
If he tries this now, I respond with a short, sharp, "NO Shady", at which he takes the hint and moves away from the door. 
He invariably returns to settle down to sleep at our feet, or around our legs.
He does sometimes wake my wife again to 'ask' for food, because she's a bit of a 'soft touch', but that doesn't really bother me! :twisted: 
He usually has plenty of food left out for him, but likes her to get up and watch him eat for a few minutes.
My wife is 'thrilled' that he pays her so much attention!! :lol: 

All in all, we would now find it very difficult to go away without him, our van would feel empty. 
If you give your cat time and are sympathetic to his fears and needs, I think you will be surprised at how quickly he will adjust to, and settle into, his holiday home. Give him some time on his own in the van, with his favourite food, while it is parked up, so that he can explore etc.
Go for it, I say,... and then get his passport sorted out!
Best Regards,
Lindsay


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## Suenliam (Mar 22, 2006)

I certainly agree that the best thing would be for you to take him with you. It's remarkable what they can get used to if you persevere. However, if it proves too stressful for all of you, the Cat Protection will find him a good home and as has been said they never, never put a healthy animal down. 

Our two cats are from the Cat Protection (from kittens) and are inside cats as we stay on a main road. I am sure one would adapt to MH life without too much bother, but the other one would be so stressed out he would get a recurrence of a medical problem. A pure wimp but lovely :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Hope it all works out for you

Sue


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## bulawayolass (Jul 27, 2010)

Dont waste time with rspca l agree cat protection or a small local charity. You may find it worth while getting your vet to run a blood test to check there is nothing wrong with her and get her teeth all cleaned up and full MOT it will cost a bit but much easier to home an older cat in good health with good teeth than one with problems or bad teeth. 

I personally wouldn't take a cat with me as they are to independent and more likely to walk off and then you are stuffed but as said some folks do.

If you want to take a cat have to say l have never hears wire over other basket said so take issue with that it is whatever the cat feels comfy in. Sometimes it is all round as a wire other times the plastic is better they feel more secure, a bit cave like. 

Get them used to the item by having it tied open or if need be in a couple of sections, throw toys in leave it in the lounge put one of your jerseys in feed them in it so it is part of their life. You can also spray it with feliway. Gradually get them used to door shutting and then being lifted, carried etc. 

Unfortunately cat baskets only tend to come out for the nasty things in life... car trips and/or vets they should be part of everyday life so if travelling the cat feels happy and secure.


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## lookback (Dec 4, 2005)

My "Tom" is an escapologist, regularly getting out of his harness. I have now bought him an escape proof cat jacket from Mywood. Not cheap at £12 but is 100% effective and gives me peace of mind.



Ian


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## firewood (Mar 17, 2009)

wow just seen all the replys to this .i would like to thank you all .
i think we will try a large cage for the cat and see how it goes 
once again thanks


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## lookback (Dec 4, 2005)

lookback said:


> My "Tom" is an escapologist, regularly getting out of his harness. I have now bought him an escape proof cat jacket from Mywood. Not cheap at £12 but is 100% effective and gives me peace of mind.
> 
> Ian


Sorry, should read Mynwood


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## AndrewandShirley (Oct 13, 2007)

Until our cat (Rogan) died this year we had travelled with home for over 19 years.

He did not like a metal travelling cage instead we bought a fabric one which was puppy size, and folded into nothing. 

Everytime we stopped we gave him a tea spoon of his favourite food and after a short explore he came trundling back asking for more.

We have met many people who travel with cats and do not see it as a problem.


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## hymees (Aug 7, 2011)

Hi all

I have a postscript - whilst our cat travels very happily in our van, it hasn't worked out so well for us on this latest trip - 4 weeks in Southern France/Northern Spain. The heatwave was too much for her - she really struggled (panting and increased heart rate) so we ended up sending her home (met up with my parents on their way back from Bordeaux). We were worried that if we wanted to go anywhere we'd have to leave her in a hot van - and that's fine on sites where you can leave windows slightly open but in an aire...?? 

Would be really keen to know whether/how others have managed in really hot weather with cats in the van as I would really like for it to work if possible. I realise that with dogs it's easier as you can take them out with you for the day, but not so a cat...

Sophie (now very lonely without said cat and just husband for company!)


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

if its hot we move on to a campsite and run the air conditioning

he is a big dog and needs some help

actually so do I since the heart op

struggle with heat, travel out of season

me and him on the back beds, aircon on BLISS

Aldra  :lol: :lol:


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