Lessons from One Year of Traveling with a Cat

[@johneason6540]

Luna is a beautiful cat. She does not look eleven years old. Very informative video on cat care on the road. Good to see your post.

[@BoundForNowhere]

Thank you so much! Luna is cute and she knows it ;)

[@rachelhmeltzer]

THANK YOU for making this!! I really don't want to leave my kitty behind. I know I'll have to at first... but I'm hoping someday I'll be able to bring her along. These tips are so helpful.

[@BoundForNowhere]

So glad you found this helpful! If I could pass on one piece of advice it is just to move slow and stay positive! They will absolutely open up!

[@simplysomewhere2754]

We are leaving in a couple of weeks for long-term travel across Europe in a camper van, along with our 9-year-old cat Pepe and 5-year-old son Louie. So happy to see that we have the same harness and carrier. We took Pepe across the Atlantic in the Sherpa carrier, and it worked like a charm. Pumped to bring him on our trip with us and appreciate the time you took to share your experience.

[@BoundForNowhere]

Awww that will be so incredibly fun to do that as a family! Having our little fur baby with us bring so much extra fun to traveling!

[@stuartstuart866]

I was surprised how well our car adapted to camping. He tolerates the harness and leash and has built up the courage to explore new campsites. I know he is happier being with us, rather than any other alternatives. At home, he is restricted to our back yard so little chance of getting fleas or ticks, however, you got me thinking about protecting him while on the road. I’ll talk to our vet about repellents. Thanks

[@KenBeaconHill]

Thank you so much.

[@Troche571]

I love it, with my job I have had to take up to 4 cats and 3 pups on road trips from AZ to FL, FL to ID, ID to NY... well over 14k miles in the last 10 years. Not to mention flying first class with my Late Kit Kit for work.

[@steverodgers333]

Excellent video! Advice is well received. Luna is a beautiful gal. ❤

[@drewp8046]

10:05 SOOOOO right !!! and Luna is so beautiful !! :)

[@adamcarpenter7823]

Siberians are the best. Haven't done a big trip with mine yet but he does love to run errands with us on the weekends.

[@amandanicole3999]

well it is HER camper lol

[@BoundForNowhere]

haha she makes sure we are always reminded of that too ;)

[@SimplyJapaneseMaples]

Super helpful. Thank you. Have been barely taking any vacations for years with kitties at home. Finally decided to plan towards taking them along, too.

[@mobilehomelife4028]

Really great video. Being "owned" by two cats I am glad to find more and more van or bus travelers making it work for their pets. I am not full time yet but have had the advantage of taking them, successfully on a nine-day vacation earlier this year. One was a stray the other a feral, both rescues, and did pretty well overall. My biggest concern is going to be sure to manage the temperature issues for them.

[@elkiddo1114]

Adorable !!!!

[@luishenriquedasilva6526]

I take my 10-years-old cat Piu to my grandma's farm sporadically in order to make him enjoy life a little more and I think he does it very well. Now I'm planning on taking him somewhere further. Thank you.

[@leomoonify]

You're so very kind to take such care with Luna's needs. Just a couple of suggestions: get her a scratching pad or small piece of furniture just for her. Scratching and digging her claws into something tones her muscles and there's always the possibility that she may need those claws. Also if you travel to Florida do not let her walk near the water! On numerous occasions an alligator snatched a dog right out from under their owners. They are very fast and you won't even see them until they leap out and grab your pet. Thanks for this video. I'm hoping to travel with my two cats and this was very helpful.

[@YasnaKo]

Several special zones can be arranged for scratching, it helps.

[@CHy-ru8ql]

What a beautiful cat she was!😢

[@macthecatvlogs8495]

Thank you SO much for posting this video! We've just started our channel where we want to eventually travel Australia with our cat! All of your tips and your channel will help us out a lot :)

[@BoundForNowhere]

Glad it was helpful! Safe travels to you all!

[@lesliebartsch2578]

luna is soooooo cute omg i keep asking my cat lucille if she wants to travel with me but i think she only wants to eat :/

[@beyzaercan3077]

Luna is such a cutie piee

[@stevebarlow1969]

Fantastic video. Thanks for making it. I'm humming & huhhing over whether I should bring my 3 year old gingerlump with me when I head to Portugal for 3 months in my motorhome or whether he would be better off staying at my brothers who has a nice big house for him to explore plus garden. In the moho he will be very restricted & obviously I need to do the best thing for him...

[@briantodd4887]

Great video. Very informative. I plan to travel with my long haired and sharp nailed, Luther! I foresee plenty of car camping adventures in a Subaru Outback. I just ordered a new Outback but hate to see Luther scratch up the leather interior areas! I wonder if trying the cat boots to prevent scratches is worth it as well as trimming his nails. Luther is going on 12 years old, but I believe in time he would acclimate to car camping and living on the road. What do you do for a car litter box? Thanks and any advice is appreciated

[@letusthumbwrestle]

We love you, Luna.

[@luishenriquedasilva6526]

Thank you so much for this.

[@KenBeaconHill]

Thank you so much. We are a retired couple but still quite active. We do many overnight or multi night backpacking and backcountry skiing trips. And although I would love to have a cat again, we are not sure how that would work. I am very curious how things will work for you. I can Again thank you very much

[@meganbouchard217]

Hello! I'm watching this two years later as I prepare to bring my kitty camping with me. :D Thank you so much for this very informative video! ..As we are all constantly growing and learning I just wanted to say that you should always have different scratchers available for your cat, be it cat trees, corrugated cardboard, anything the cats like. It is an entirely natural thing for cats to want to scratch and it is our job to provide them with appropriate areas to do so. :)

[@letitflow3462]

Thank you I found your video very useful we are just getting ready to travel with our lady cat. She is young and full of energy, very curious little kitty already started her to walking on the leash and getting use to our car. Training a cat definitely requires lots of patience! We are planning to take off in 3 moths hopefully she will be ready to go by then.

[@FrenchHawk878]

Have you considered just a small ac unit? Many you could hook up to an auxiliary solar panel and then you can leave whenever. That’s what I would do. Many of the ac unit has multi functions like recirculating the air, purifying the air, etc.

[@BoundForNowhere]

Unfortunately with this camper the way the windows are configured we can't do that. The slide in models are better equipped and laid out to receive a possible AC... also the power would be an issue too

[@victor74293]

Even the smallest AC (2500 BTU) needs ~480W to cool, a bit too much for solar panels.

[@FrenchHawk878]

Bound For Nowhere I’m taking about the non-window, portable AC units. You could hook to inverter and have it hooked to a battery that is hooked to a solar panel. We’re talking about a truck bed camper, small amount of square footage. Not a whole lot of power is needed to cool that small of an area. Can recharge over night and one battery should last the hours the sun is out. Be fancy and hook a timer to the power supply so the ac unit is only on during the hottest part of the day. Is it worth the initial investment? Maybe, if you don’t want Luna to be the boss and you want to do what you want! 😂😂

[@FrenchHawk878]

Victor Moroz see above.

[@FrenchHawk878]

Also, I’m think refurbished parts, smallish batteries. Low cost. Some options are just too big for the camper, you’ll be crawling around it. There’s probably some that can be attached to a wall or roof. Maybe engineer some kind of brace to hold a unit up and find a way to cover the wires. This sounds like a fun project, tbh. A mechanical/electric engineer’s dream.

[@heatherfeather1293]

Awwww she's as big and floofy as my boy. Definitely can't part with him so I had to watch this

[@thizizliz]

The Indie Projects also travel with a cat - Gingey hunts and walks off leash too but they do keep a tracker on her collar. I suspect that might be something that would have to begin when very young though. Sounds like you really have it down and I think that's wonderful for both you two and for Luna as well. Smart move about the brushing and nail trimming. Also true in houses. Good video - seems you pretty much covered all the deets.

[@KennyRoute46]

Finally a Luna only vid she’s so cute

[@BoundForNowhere]

She's such a ham!

[@tiagopelegrineti]

As a nearly-graduated vet student, I can say that Luna seems very happy, healthy and adapted to the life on the road. My only little worries are 1 - if she's correctly vaccinated (but i am sure she is), cause that could cause an issue not only for her, but for local wildlife too (many national parks don't allow dogs, for instance, as they can bring deadly diseases to wildlife); and 2 - does she hunt? If my cat Phoebe was to live "freely" like that, i'm sure she would bring a lot of damage to the local bird population (there have been studies about domestic cats seriously damaging bird populations in many areas), as she is quite the hunter. As a cat owner though, I could never see myself bringing my cats to travel with me, but that may be because they have been adapted to life in an apartment since kittens. Love your content and envy your lifestyle! All the love from Rio de Janeiro

[@limespider8]

If you watched the video, you may notice them say that Luna is never left alone outdoors.

[@warrensimpson3276]

Thanks again..very helpful..

[@ImperfectionistGaming]

it was super stressful last year leaving my cat to go camping so i want to find a way to take her with me. your video was very helpful, thanks!

[@garriona]

Love this video ! Thank you 😊

[@InJusticeAustralia]

My 2 cats have rarely ever scratched on anything they shouldn’t bc I always have a rope scratchy pole around for them. Tip is, to make sure it’s firmly secured not moving or they won’t use it, and at a height they can do cat arm stretching without being too high or too low (it takes a bit to work it out but once you do, you won’t have any more unwanted scratches.

[@brettburguard4782]

Luna is lovely! I’m about to go full time with my Oliver and Shadow after taking them on shorter trips and finding they adapt well. What flea and tick product do you use? Does she have a regular vet you always go to or are you using a service like Banfield?

[@cliftadventures]

Great video, sounds like its going well! We have just started taking our cat camping with us. Thanks for the info!

[@bridgettesantiago8971]

Hi! I want to take my cat with me to national parks but that doesn't seem easy. So I was wondering where you were able to take the cat for a hike? Do you have a list of cat friendly trails/places?

[@MarlenaWieseman]

Cat hostel? Where? Getting ready to travel the country in my safari van with 2-3 cats!

[@BoundForNowhere]

Sacramento was the one we used!

[@elcutie1410]

On long road trips how often or when do you pull over to let the cat use the restroom?

[@vince4316]

Where to and when is the next road adventure???

[@BoundForNowhere]

We're up in the Montanta/Idaho/Wyoming zone this summer! Vlogs on all of it soon to follow!

[@vince4316]

@@BoundForNowhere Awesomeness!!!

[@GeezerBoy65]

I must have missed the part about a litter box.

[@itravel24]

Your channel ❤ and a couple other van life channels are highly motivating me to take a leap and chase my dream of full time travel in a van or a suv camper conversion. I've been doing research for the last week on becoming a freelancer. Have you guys made any videos on freelance tips ? If not can you please make one. Im interested in either freelance photography, writer, or graphic designer like yourself. Any tips would be highly appreciated ❤

[@BoundForNowhere]

Actually have it written and am filming a how to prepare your life for full time travel and the how to prepare your business is the one to follow it! So keep your eyes peeled for those!

[@anahidedios5501]

Love this. But I do have a question what about when Luna has to use the potty?

[@BoundForNowhere]

She has her litter box. If we are driving she would let us know! She isn't quiet about her need to stop for a break

[@ConsidertheWonders]

Good info! We don’t have pets and it’s mainly because I can’t imagine having hair “everywhere”. So how “manageable” is it to clean up after her? Daily, weekly..whenever you question the new rug on the floor 😂🤣!Debating a pet but trying to get more comfortable with the level of hair management. 😁

[@BoundForNowhere]

Oh the hair management is really not that bad. If hair is something you fear, I just recommend a short hair cat ;) I usually vacuum or sweep everyday but it takes less than 5 minutes and it's more for all the crap that we track in

[@ConsidertheWonders]

Bound For Nowhere excellent 👍. We’ve looked into short haired friends and a dog seems to be the most preferred path. Thanks for the transparency on this item. Do you have one of those handheld vacuums? That seems like another handy investment for the rig.

[@johnguertin5054]

Not a cat fan but I still have that crush so I watched it anyway.

[@pixelmartyr8532]

I love my cat

[@janwilcox4188]

Here is a question: Any problem with mice finding a way in to the cat food left out on the overnight hikes? I am assuming in the day you do not leave food out - and just feed her the amount she eats at certain times of day. Or if not what do you do and have you have any mice problems? i am still wanting to get a cat again, and take it on the road. But camper shell was too small. Now I will be getting a pop up in a month and doing a 4-6 months on the road out west - my trial in the new larger pop up - ( from OVRLNDCampers.comn in Flagstaff). So maybe next year will be the year I get a cat again and get it ready for the road!

[@barrydallmann3692]

Shouldn't the cat itself take care of any mice problems?

[@rumpelstielzchen963]

Du weißt, dass Fingernägel schneiden als Tierquälerei gilt? (Dafür gibt es Sisal.) Den Rest finde ich gut. Es ist schön, dass du deine Katze mit nimmst❣

[@AmericaBound]

My cat "Tigger" is an older cat about the same age as luna. He is a short haired tabby - so do you think there are much differences between males and females for traveling??

[@BoundForNowhere]

I dont imagine gender plays much of a role just over all personality. I've seen cats of all age, gender and personality adjust well it just takes different amounts of time for each cat.

[@tcuster55]

What a great cat, I was wondering how you deal with the cat box and did she adapt with out peeing on the seats when your were driving for longer periods? Also please do keep her close in coyote territory when on walks, even during the day, they can be quick to grab a small animal.

[@quirkyblackenby]

Cats don’t like to use the bathroom outside of their litter box so they’ll let you know when they have to go.

[@almonster2066]

How do you handle bathroom for the cat?

[@TheSighphiguy]

cat "owner"?

[@BoundForNowhere]

Haha you are right... I think we are the ones who are owned

[@chevycarroll4784]

i'm looking to convert a van during my university study. i have a (currently) 10 month old baby boy called taylor, a beautiful and snuggly black short hair. fur isn't an issue w him so i'd be v lucky in that respect. he's desexed so he won't get to have a baby but i'm thinking of adopting a kitten for him who will also live w us in the van. this was a v informative video thank you! i'm excited to live w my baby in a van and not have to worry about cruel landlord rules about no pets.

[@sdboy1978]

can it be done with four cats?

[@kaylabourdon6793]

What about the bathroom ?

[@Lil-cf7mb]

Hello there gusy!! I love your videos and adventures with Luna. We have a beautiful Maine Coon that will be 2 years old in January!! 😻😻 We love traveling in our Van with him, but there are still many things to do..(⁠；⁠^⁠ω⁠^⁠） Above all, we have a question that we would like to know how you solve it. It is about the insects, pipettes or anti-bug collars so that they do not bite our cat. How do you make that Luna not have ticks or other types of insects when she goes outside? Our cat loves to go through the tall grass and lie down in places with many flowers and some of us have had to go to the vet to have a tick removed. What would you recommend us above all else? Would you give us some tips to be able to manage all this issue well? Thank you so so much!! Hope you can help this beginners hahaha

[@gigilaroux762]

Can you post the cat hostel contact info?

[@abbeyawesome1012]

I live on five achers of land and will. Be living in a trailer while we replace are home for four mounths my cat has his kitty condo and he has a travel Carrie that we have a blanket potty pad and he seems pretty comfterable when I take him to the he also seems really happy we don’t have him go outside at all because we have cyotes bob cats cougars and owls and hawks and we don’t take him out be he runs around the house all the time and my dog and cat are both emotional support but I also did owner train my service dog she was emotional support before becoming my full time service dog and without resources and my school my support dog wouldent be my service dog she’s multi purpose service dog she’s medical alert phyatric and ptsd response service dog and my cat travels amazing in his kitty carrier I love your videos also my service dog is really welled trained for service dog and she does amazing with commands but just wondering is your cat emotional support like mine

[@jordansaintemarie]

I think it would be great if you could speak directly about sleeping with the cat in the camper. That’s my biggest deterrent.

[@BoundForNowhere]

Good thought. There isn't much to it. She typically sleep the whole night and just sleeps on the bed or chair unless she is restless then she runs around a bit

[@Saboot]

what type of cat is she?

[@barrydallmann3692]

Cats love me! (I'm allergic) ;)

[@BoundForNowhere]

We are too actually!

[@barrydallmann3692]

@@BoundForNowhere, to each their own of course. But it does raise the question as to why you would choose to travel with a cat?

[@jnordswede979]

With a teardrop, one of our cats is too much unfortunately. It's a chore going to vet in cage, cats not me.

[@kengreenberg]

What breed is she?

[@kengreenberg]

I ask in part because I have a ragdoll kitten (who happens to love brief car trips)

[@BoundForNowhere]

I always just joke and say she's a craislist cat, since that is where we got her. But the closest anyone has ever come to knowing was that she was a Mini Maincoon, which made her a normal sized cat. But in no way was she pure anything

[@KennethRevils]

❤😸💪🥹👍

[@osmannaji4504]

You're so beautiful 😍

[@rd4660]

Cats. Euwwww.

[@BoundForNowhere]

We feel the opposite

[@vproven]

Get a dog. 🤓

[@BoundForNowhere]

Nah. We wouldn't be able to do things in national parks with a dog. We love our cat and she's stayin