Thinking about going on a van life adventure, why not take your cats? It’s not the norm to see cats going on hikes or living the van life, but it’s entirely possible, if my two cats are anything to go by, yours will love it. It’s like having the world’s biggest garden to explore and play in. However, there are a few things to know before taking your cats along for the ride.  Here are our essential steps to take before you hit the road and go.

Travel with a cat

Whilst travelling with your cat, the first and most important thing is to know your cat’s limits. Travel can be stressful, especially if they aren’t used to it. Before travelling, you should know what your cats can and can’t handle. That means knowing their personalities, character traits, what drives them and what their likes and dislikes are. Knowing these things will help you understand how your pet will adapt to van life and how they will approach it, and in turn, how you will approach it too. Knowing your cat’s limit will make sure you are always doing what’s best for them. Taking your cats travelling on journeys and adventures and doing full-time van life with cats can take perseverance, patience, kindness and an open mind. Make sure you know what your cat is motivated by to make going on long journeys and travelling a lot easier, and slowly expose them to van life over time.

Having a stock of medicine for you pets is smart

Practice travelling with a cat

The key to successfully travelling and adventuring with cats is exposure over a prolonged period. If they have never been on a journey or in a car before, you have to start them off easy: small steps get you there. Start by putting them in a crate, then in your car and then doing a short journey with them. If they are comfortable with that then progress by making the trips more frequent and longer and then exposing them to a weekend away, a long holiday and adventuring in the outdoors.

Cat house and cat bed

Make sure your van is comfortable and cosy for them too. They will be able to relax and feel more at home if they have places to call theirs (our cats love sleeping in the cupboard we made in the bulk head), a place to soak up the sun, and a place to take long naps. Not to forget a dining place and a place they can go to the toilet.  Have all their favourite things with you in the van: from beds, comforters, toys, treats, pillows and favourite smells, cat bed, cat scratching post!

Snoozy woozy

Cat behaviour

Your behaviour as well as your cats is just as integral. Remember to have patience and compassion towards your cats and most importantly towards yourself also. Travelling with cats can be hard and stressful, so give yourself a break. Remember to keep your outlook positive and having the right attitude will always make things easier. Being positive, compassionate, kind and open-minded is key when travelling and van living with cats. It’s impossible not to worry and stress about them but it’s much easier to trust that things will be ok. Cats are strong-willed, independent, resilient and wild, they can handle themselves, and they are tough creatures. Things can happen to cats whether they are at home or travelling with you so don’t worry about things that are out of your control.

Keeping your cat stimulated is essential

Invest in cat carrier and their comfort

Put them first in terms of comfort and safety, and try to cause minimum stress by choosing the option that requires the least amount of stress. Invest in a cat carrier for long journeys or border crossings. Cut long journeys into stages if you can. Rest plenty and often, keep them fed and watered frequently, and if you can, let them go outside as much as possible, either on or off leash. When you park up for the night, choose somewhere safe for your pets if you let them off leash. Try to avoid areas near roads, cars and stray dogs and cats. Keep on top of vaccinations and their health on the road and use flea, tick and worming treatments monthly. Travel with their documentation and get them vet-checked as and when needed. If they go outside, check them every time they come home for fleas, ticks or any issues. Travel with an up-to-date animal first aid kit with all emergency supplies, medicines and toiletries they may need.

But don’t be surprised at the scowls

Cat training

Get that thingy ma bob away from me

Cat Apps

When you are on the road, travel apps and gadgets can be invaluable. From GPS roaming trackers for off-leash cats to the park4night parking app. Use these resources to your advantage. We have found the park4night app to be of real help as we always read the comments before travelling to that destination. People with pets tend to leave comments about whether or not there are stray animals in the area which is invaluable information to us!

We hope you enjoyed reading as much as we enjoyed writing, best of luck with your pet travels. please feel free to sign up or leave a comment below if you enjoyed the read!