RVing With Your Pet

By Julee Meltzer

Don't forget the fun

After writing about and RVing with dogs and cats for the past six years, I have spent an inordinate amount of time thinking about camping with pets. I have also spent a lot of time worrying about RV camping with pets including pet safety issues and pet comfort issues. But, yesterday, I realized that I haven't spent enough time thinking about having fun with my pets. And, as usual, my two year old daughter, Rose, taught me a lesson about having fun.

Continued from newsletter…

Let me back up a little. A few weeks ago, I noticed that our dog, Lilac, was having trouble getting up and down the RV steps. We are actually in one place for the summer and our site is sloped down from the RV a little, so we have quite a distance to get up the steps. So, my husband tried all sorts of things from milk crates to metal stools to those step supports, but nothing really worked that well. They were just too precarious for both the dog and the baby to navigate. So, we had a few long winded discussions and decided to build a little deck. But, then we measured and realized that it would be a very large and very expensive deck. So, we went back to the drawing board. After a few more discussions, measurements, and trips to the hardware store, we decided to build a large, sturdy set of steps.

Thus, we took another trip to the hardware store, loaded everything into the minivan, and took it back to the campground. We then proceeded to build an excellent set of steps which are wide and have low risers. So, after weeks of time and effort, we have now solved the step issue. Our dog can easily get in and out of the RV without any problem whatsoever.

This is typical of how we always try to make sure when we are RV camping with pets, that they are comfortable and safe. But, there is so much more than comfort and safety. There is fun.

So, the other day my daughter and I were outside while Lilac was tied up to the picnic table. We were playing with a big ball and Lilac was snoozing in the grass — collecting ticks. All of the sudden, Rose said, "Get Lilac's ball!" I replied, "Honey, she has her tennis ball inside, she doesn't really want it outside." Because in my mind, Lilac was an older (10 years old) dog and she wasn't that interested in playing outside. But, my daughter kept insisting, so I went inside the RV and retrieved Lilac's tennis ball. As soon as I came down our new steps, Lilac jumped up and wagged her tail. I couldn't have been more wrong. Rose and I played with her for quite a while throwing the tennis ball for her. Now, I try to find a few minutes every day to take Lilac off leash and throw the ball for her. Thanks to my daughter, Lilac's life is now more fun.

But, I really should have known better because about 15 years ago, I had a similar incident. I had two older dogs who both liked to chew on Nylabones^tm all of the time. I didn't have any toys for them, but you can rest assured I had every type of Nylabone^tm known to mankind. However, one day my mother came to visit and she brought two little stuffed toys for the dogs. I humored her, knowing that the dogs wouldn't like them, and gave them to the dogs. Boy, was I in for a surprise. They liked them so much that they almost got in fight over them. So, after that, I always keep plenty of toys on hand for my dogs.

My favorite toy for Lilac is the Canine Genius "Leo" as shown here. (www.caninegenius.com)

image courtesy of www.caninegenius.com

And, it may be terribly obvious to some of you, but cats need lots of toys and stimulation as well. There are many different kinds of toys for cats that you can buy, or make yourself. Cats like toys that do something. Toys that squeak, chirp, jitter, swing or vibrate remind them of moving meals, enticing them to interact. The first toy you might try is a furry mouse that makes noise and moves. Some even have catnip in them! You can just roll it past your cat on the floor to catch her attention; she’ll let you know if it looks like lunch. Each cat is an individual; some like some toys better than others, so just offer a few and they will show you what they like!

(Try http://www.cattoys.com for a large selection of cat toys.)

image courtesy www.cattoys.com

I have found that some cats love catnip and others don't. However, our latest cat, (you might remember Princess the adopted cat), didn't respond to catnip at first, but now she loves it. So keep trying different things to find out what your cat will love for toys.

And don't forget to find a scratching post for your cat (unless you want your RV to be in tatters, like ours is–but that is the subject of a future article!).

Lastly, don't forget to supply plenty of sleeping areas and perches for your RV cat!

Now, go out and have some fun with your pet!!!

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