The Good and the Bad of RVing with Pets

RVing with pets. Seeing the world with a furry co-pilot is one of the best perks of RVing. But full-time RVing with pets also requires exceptional patience and understanding. Even the biggest animal lover discovers that living with a dog or cat in a small space is overwhelming and frustrating at times. Knowing how to start RVing with dogs and cats is essential for their health and happiness and your sanity. Here are some examples.

The Animals’ Needs Come First

If you think your life revolved around your animal before, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Whether you have a cat, dog, bird or other animal on-board, their needs come first.

When deciding on an itinerary, keep your furrball friend in mind. If your pet does not like the heat for example, do not chose destinations that will make him/her uncomfortable hot. Also, when you arrive at a destination, try not to do activities that will take you away from the RV for more than a few hours. Leaving a pet alone all day to stare at the walls isn’t good for any animal’s happiness. If you do plan activities that will take you away from your pet for a while, try to ensure your furry friend is well exercised and tired before you head out. RVers who travel with cats have slightly more flexibility than dog parents. However, many will still need to choose destinations and activities that won’t put their cat’s welfare at risk. That’s because even the most happy-go-lucky cat needs someone to check in occasionally. Unfortunately, finding a cat sitter in a new location can be tough.

Pets Take Up Even More Space

In a RV, dogs and cats own the living space. As an example, our dog loves to choose the most awkward places to chill out. He always trips us by laying on the floor in the kitchen area, or in the middle of walkway in our living space. Cats aren’t much easier.

Pet fur and bodily functions require even more patience and understanding. When RVing with cats (or if you just bring it along for a holiday), litter box RV modifications can be made before you hit the road or you’ll have a smelly RV. Dogs have more freedom to do their business outside. But you must always be at one end of the leash to scoop up the mess. Frequent walks and lot of care is essential to keeping your RVing dogs healthy.

Hiding Food is Impossible

If you have a chow hound or kitty with constant cravings, hiding food in your RV is tough.

Dogs and cats always know when you stash things behind cabinets and doors.

Using baby gates can be an efficient way of keeping your dog contained in your absence. Cats with plenty of accessible food and water, will usually not go searching for other goodies you may have put away.

Living with pets is difficult at times. But whether you are a cat or dog parent, the memories you create together will always outshine any rough patches. That’s because animals teach us how to appreciate every moment, since they only know how to live in the now. When we follow this example on the open road, it makes every new adventure more meaningful than ever before.

Keeping that screen door slider closed

That slider door on your R.V. screen door is useful. But keeping it closed is almost impossible. And if you are traveling with a feline friend, that slider door left open can end up in you looking for a lost pet. We’ve also heard from RVers with pets, that their sneaky (Houdini like) pets find a way to open the slider themselves. Your pet may not run away, but you will get those pesky mosquitoes and/or other unwanted guests invade your R.V.

Our R.V. Bug Stop is the best solution for keeping that functional slider closed when not in use.

Introducing the R.V. Bug Stop

The R.V. Bug Stop automatically closes the plastic slide on your R.V. screen door. The self-closing design of the R.V. Bug Stop allows the slide to be easily slid open as usual when needed, and automatically closes the slide when you let it go. No more forgetting to close it, or worrying about family members and friends leaving it open when coming and going out of your R.V. or Camp Trailer! This model fits standard 12 inch long slides only. 12 inch slides are the most common length on 90% of RV’s.