THEY TOTALLY REMEMBERED THE RV!
Some of you know well that Gary and I lived "on the road" for many years. We ended up settling down in New Jersey, but it took about three years before we finally moved out of the RV. We got involved with ferals because of the "cat problem" in the RV park.
And when it was five kitties and two people, it did get to the point where it felt a bit crowded. And though it took most of them a while to adjust to the house once we finally moved out of the RV, they really seemed to love the space.
We built a pad for the RV outside next to the garage. And slowly over the year we've lived in the house, we pulled everything out of it and gave it a good thorough cleaning.
My parents were moving from Brunswick, GA to Birmingham, AL and we needed to get down there to help. Also importantly, we needed to get down to Boca Raton for a job interview (and we desperately need a new job!).
So.... one of the cats has an autoimmune disease that requires attention. One of the kitties had a urinary tract infection, so needed medication. There was no way we could leave them with a cat sitter, and boarding is so expensive. We decided to put what we needed in the RV and hit the road with the whole gang!
We filled it up with cat trees (there was no people furniture left in there except the driver/passenger chairs, the kitchen and the bed).
We cut holes underneath the bed and filled it with beds/hidey-places, so they had good places to feel safe when we were driving.
When the day arrived, we took them out in crates. It took us 1 1/2 hours to find Tuxedo and Flowerbelle, the last two to be taken out there.
As we took each cat out to the V and opened their crates, they BOLTED under the bed. But after about two minutes, each one krept out - and within five minutes of being in the RV, they were out exploring EVERYTHING. And these are cats (except Tuxedo) that hid under a cedar chest for about a week when we first moved in the house!
So they TOTALLY remembered the RV! Ming Loy, who had never lived in the RV was the only hold-out.
The minute we turned the motor on, it was a race to get under the bed. When we stopped for gas, they stayed there. When we pulled into a park that first night, after about half an hour they all slowly ventured out. But once they were out, it was like they'd never left the RV! Lazlo immediately wanted brushes in the bathroom. Flowerbelle assumed her position on the top of the cat tree (where there was about four inches to the ceiling).
...and once Ming Loy ventured out, she was in heaven with all the new floor-level spaces to explore (and the three cat castles she can actually scale). Her little head looked like a vibrator for hours! (She's got nerve damage that causes her to look like she's got Parkinson's, especially when she's stimulated).
We had no hesitation about leaving them alone in the RV. With all the windows (especially that big front window), the cat furniture, easy access to most of the overhead compartments, and all of underneath the bed, it really seemed like they were in heaven. It was so clear they were ALL so happy! It was a total purrfest! Tuxedo ensconced himself up in the front windshield.
It kind of made us feel weird, they were so happy!
They didn't really like the driving, but they got the drill quickly. By the time we came back up to NJ, at gas breaks they'd come out, stretch, have a drink of water....
We cleaned the three boxes morning and night, so they didn't have a problem at all with the six of them sharing just three boxes.
And - get this! On the last two days of travel, Spooky came out! We never would have expected the most adventurous would be Spook - but there she was. She bolted from cat castle to cat castle - but finally hopped up on my lap for pets. And she totally relaxed, rolled over on her back and purred away!
And the last day Flowerbelle joined her! Flowerbelle didn't even bother scuttling between cat castles. She just decided it was all OK, and headed out for massive pets, rolling around - and then started playing! She was out almost the entire drive home.
We got home late on my birthday (last Friday). Thankfully just in time for the long weekend.
We ended up getting seriousy ill down there, which is why we spent so much time away. We had viral bronchitis which would just NOT get better.
But the parents had several very successful garage sales. We helped them deliver lots of stuff to local charities. And the packers came, got all their stuff packed up - and they closed on the house exactly one week ago. They're all settled in Birmingham now.
And the interview at the firm in Boca (after having been rescheduled because of our illness) went great. They're doing more reference checks than anyone ever, so keep your fingers crossed.
YAY KITTIES! What BRAVE kitty-cats we have!
Some of you know well that Gary and I lived "on the road" for many years. We ended up settling down in New Jersey, but it took about three years before we finally moved out of the RV. We got involved with ferals because of the "cat problem" in the RV park.
And when it was five kitties and two people, it did get to the point where it felt a bit crowded. And though it took most of them a while to adjust to the house once we finally moved out of the RV, they really seemed to love the space.
We built a pad for the RV outside next to the garage. And slowly over the year we've lived in the house, we pulled everything out of it and gave it a good thorough cleaning.
My parents were moving from Brunswick, GA to Birmingham, AL and we needed to get down there to help. Also importantly, we needed to get down to Boca Raton for a job interview (and we desperately need a new job!).
So.... one of the cats has an autoimmune disease that requires attention. One of the kitties had a urinary tract infection, so needed medication. There was no way we could leave them with a cat sitter, and boarding is so expensive. We decided to put what we needed in the RV and hit the road with the whole gang!
We filled it up with cat trees (there was no people furniture left in there except the driver/passenger chairs, the kitchen and the bed).
We cut holes underneath the bed and filled it with beds/hidey-places, so they had good places to feel safe when we were driving.
When the day arrived, we took them out in crates. It took us 1 1/2 hours to find Tuxedo and Flowerbelle, the last two to be taken out there.
As we took each cat out to the V and opened their crates, they BOLTED under the bed. But after about two minutes, each one krept out - and within five minutes of being in the RV, they were out exploring EVERYTHING. And these are cats (except Tuxedo) that hid under a cedar chest for about a week when we first moved in the house!
So they TOTALLY remembered the RV! Ming Loy, who had never lived in the RV was the only hold-out.
The minute we turned the motor on, it was a race to get under the bed. When we stopped for gas, they stayed there. When we pulled into a park that first night, after about half an hour they all slowly ventured out. But once they were out, it was like they'd never left the RV! Lazlo immediately wanted brushes in the bathroom. Flowerbelle assumed her position on the top of the cat tree (where there was about four inches to the ceiling).
...and once Ming Loy ventured out, she was in heaven with all the new floor-level spaces to explore (and the three cat castles she can actually scale). Her little head looked like a vibrator for hours! (She's got nerve damage that causes her to look like she's got Parkinson's, especially when she's stimulated).
We had no hesitation about leaving them alone in the RV. With all the windows (especially that big front window), the cat furniture, easy access to most of the overhead compartments, and all of underneath the bed, it really seemed like they were in heaven. It was so clear they were ALL so happy! It was a total purrfest! Tuxedo ensconced himself up in the front windshield.
It kind of made us feel weird, they were so happy!
They didn't really like the driving, but they got the drill quickly. By the time we came back up to NJ, at gas breaks they'd come out, stretch, have a drink of water....
We cleaned the three boxes morning and night, so they didn't have a problem at all with the six of them sharing just three boxes.
And - get this! On the last two days of travel, Spooky came out! We never would have expected the most adventurous would be Spook - but there she was. She bolted from cat castle to cat castle - but finally hopped up on my lap for pets. And she totally relaxed, rolled over on her back and purred away!
And the last day Flowerbelle joined her! Flowerbelle didn't even bother scuttling between cat castles. She just decided it was all OK, and headed out for massive pets, rolling around - and then started playing! She was out almost the entire drive home.
We got home late on my birthday (last Friday). Thankfully just in time for the long weekend.
We ended up getting seriousy ill down there, which is why we spent so much time away. We had viral bronchitis which would just NOT get better.
But the parents had several very successful garage sales. We helped them deliver lots of stuff to local charities. And the packers came, got all their stuff packed up - and they closed on the house exactly one week ago. They're all settled in Birmingham now.
And the interview at the firm in Boca (after having been rescheduled because of our illness) went great. They're doing more reference checks than anyone ever, so keep your fingers crossed.
YAY KITTIES! What BRAVE kitty-cats we have!
