Depending on how often your pet has traveled with you in the past, you may want to introduce your pet to the RV before your first trip. When we got our first RV, our cat Foxy, had never traveled for more than 1 day and only in a car. Her trips included visits to the vet and moves between residences (the couple of times we’d moved). She did not equate her carrier or trips in the car as good things. I wanted to try to make RV travel as easy and comfortable for her as possible. I knew from moving that it took her some time to get used to a new house.
To get Foxy used to the RV, I decided to take her to visit it several times before the first trip, when it was not moving. So I took her to the RV storage facility, where the RV was parked but slides were not out. I took one of her cat beds from home which fit on the counter in the bedroom. On the first trip I let her out of her carrier near the front of the unit, she walked around the unit and was sniffing everywhere. Things seemed to be going pretty well. Then she & I then discovered that she could go under the bed, behind the storage area, between the storage area and the outer wall. She laid down in the center of this area. I could not reach her from either side. I had not expected or even thought of that. Being a cat, she would only come back out when she wanted. Our visit lasted longer than I had originally planned. Mike went back home and got a can of her favorite food (tuna) which we used to coax her out.
We went back two more times before the first trip. For the second visit, I got her out of the carrier on the bed, which had a bed spread we used at home. I sat with her and petted her. She sniffed the bed spread seemed more at little more at ease. She then got down to do some more exploring. She checked out every nook and cranny and eventually laid down on the floor. The third visit was similar. She was much more at ease with her scent being there from her prior visits.
I do not like to keep Foxy in her carrier for extended periods of time. So I don’t keep her in it while traveling in the RV. For the first couple of travel days she would go somewhere that didn’t seem very comfortable (like under the couch) and be bounced around and looked not very happy. While we were moving down the road, I picked her up and laid her on the bed. She doesn’t move around much while the RV is moving, so she would stay put. After several times of doing that, she learned that when we turned on the RV engine, she should go on the bed. Now she goes on the bed every time we start the RV.
When we switched RV’s in the middle of our first trip, we did a parking lot move at the dealer. I put her in her carrier in the first unit and then moved her into the second unit once all of our stuff moved over. She hid under the bed until we got back to the campground and opened up the slides. Then she had plenty of time to check out the new RV while we were putting everything away/getting organized. With our most recent upgrade, we were at home when we traded units, so we emptied everything to home and set everything up at a local campground. Foxy got to check it out and spend a night in it before we left on a trip. While the second and third RV were new to her, Foxy adjusted to them very quickly.
From our experiences here are a couple thoughts/ recommendations:
- Have your pet visit the RV before the first trip starts- especially if it is their first RV trip.
- If possible, spend a night at a local campground before the first trip. This also gives humans time to put stuff away and prepare for the trip.
- Pet’s who have traveled in one RV will adapt pretty easily into a different RV.
- Take along things the pet likes/ is familiar with- a bed, toy, linens that have previously been in use and have your scent on them.
- Pets will find small nooks and crannies they can fit in: under/behind couches, beds and in slide areas.
- MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHERE YOUR PET IS BEFORE OPENING OR CLOSING ANY SLIDES.
- Be prepared for “accidents”. Twice in the 4 years we have RV’d, Foxy has had a BM on the bed shortly after we’ve been on the road. Unfortunately, it’s hard to tell your pet that you’re about to leave and they should use the litter box.
Please share any other tips or ideas in the comments section.
