New cat, hope it likes fulltiming (1 Viewer)

Feb 27, 2011
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I have wanted another cat ever since the owner took the last one back… However the latest van is too small so I haven’t considered it seriously.
I left Stratford upon Avon today and went back to my friends factory in Retford for a couple of weeks so I could get some work done and have a few beers with friends.
As soon as I got there one of the young lads grabbed me and took me to his van. He had a gorgeous little kitten in there which his dogs had almost chomped the night before. It had been waiting for him when he got to his van this morning to go to work. It appears to have been dumped and is badly malnourished. There are lots of foxes and dogs in the area so he didn’t fancy its chances of survival so brought it into work today and was going to take it to a rescue place tonight.
I spoke to my mum who is looking for a cat and she agreed to have it off me if we can’t live together in such a small space. I think it is going to be a struggle at first but I couldn’t resist giving her a chance.. Either way she will be be well loved…
A trip to the pet shop and £25 lighter and…. She has settled in and made herself right at home.



kitty-1.jpg

kitty-2.jpg

She follows me everywhere… The second picture was taken while I was trying to strip vinyl wrap of the van and she kept lying right next to me…
I am going to give it 2-3 days to see if we can live together in such a small space. If it doesn’t my mother is looking forward to a new friend…
 

chatter

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ok I will


awwwwwwww

what a cutie and sounds as if it doesnt want to let you out of its sight

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Geo

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WOT YOU NEED IS A GIRT BIG RV:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
Geo
 

Carol

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No reason why it won't work Karl, Snowbird had his little cat for years and it went all over Europe with him, here's fingers crossed, she looks settled in already.
 

old-mo

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I didn`t realise you were into little pussy`s... :winky:

Lovely markings.. :thumb:

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jhorsf

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you have to believe sometimes things happen for a reason just go with it Karl its already chosen you:thumb:
 

bobandjanie

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Ahhhhhhh, all that fussing over Izzy put you in just the right frame of mind ::bigsmile: I am sure you will cope with living together famously :hug: Jane, Bob and Izzy :Smile:
 
OP
OP
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Found a couple of problems already...
Van is too small. Nowhere to put litter tray and nowhere for her to sleep when I am in bed. floor next to door is too cold bless her. It also appears I am allergic to her:Doh:

I will see if I get an asthma attack over night and take it from there.....

She seems to have settled in just as quick as the last one did though. I do seem to have some luck with cats.

I think rallies are going to be interesting as she loves people and if she hears voices she goes looking for them. With all the dogs around at shows/rallies I won't be able to let her wander...
 

vwalan

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be alright give it a few months to grow .you will be able to skin it out and make it into a david crocket hat. leave the head on and the legs dangling .look nice i would think.:thumb:
 

Destination Unknown

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Hi Karl lovely to meet you for the first time at Stratford.

Cats choose their owners and it looks like it is love at first sight with your new kitten.

Best get a kitty collar and lead/harness and get her used to it so that she can go where you go when you are at the shows/meets............simples

Regards Brian and Chris

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slobadoberbob

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your eyes were running when you met Ezzie

Your eyes were running when you meet Ezzie on my RV at Peterborough.. so the cat will do the same.

But they are good to have around.. I still have one of two brothers we have...


When in France last week there was a smashing Persian on a lead.. and they had a dog as well in a european motor home... seemed to be working OK.

Anyway good luck with it

Bob:Blush:
 
Aug 27, 2009
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Sorry Gromett look at the negatives.
Dirt tray will stink the van out.
Furniture will become a scratch pad.
If it is out mooching you will be restricted from moving.
Your allergy will drive to mad.
Storage and cost for food and cat litter.
Vet bills.
Fly's around the food and litter tray.
You will definitely suffer with fleas and flea bites. As will any visitors you have.
They kill our feathered friends.
Etc. Etc.
No not keen on cats in vans.........:winky:
 

Hollyberry

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Sorry Gromett look at the negatives.
Dirt tray will stink the van out.
Furniture will become a scratch pad.
If it is out mooching you will be restricted from moving.
Your allergy will drive to mad.
Storage and cost for food and cat litter.
Vet bills.
Fly's around the food and litter tray.
You will definitely suffer with fleas and flea bites. As will any visitors you have.
They kill our feathered friends.
Etc. Etc.
No not keen on cats in vans.........:winky:

Have to disagree with some of the above, given that I've spent about 2 months now in a 22ft van with 2 cats and 2 dogs.

Litter tray---use Catsan only--cheap litters are a waste of money. Remove anything smelly asap and smell goes. Strike a match and any residual smell disappears.
Food not expensive if you start a kitten on the cheap stuff--owners tend to waste a lot by putting out more than cat will eat.

Flies--what flies? Put out only a small amount of food at a time, litter tray as above. no flies in my m/home ever!!

Ditto fleas. I treat all my animals for fleas and the dogs for ticks for less than €20 a year. Frontline, I've found, is a waste of money. Essential oils plus an American washing up liquid called Dawn keep us tick and flea free.

Scratching--buy/make a scratch pad--a flat one, not a vertical one. None of my cats have ever scratched furniture.

Allergies--I'm afraid if you have an allergy, you have an allergy.

They do restrict your movements--but cats less so than dogs.
My cats go outside either in a large crate or on a harness/lead.

She is VERY cute so if you can't keep her, I hope she finds a good home.

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Aug 27, 2009
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Have to disagree with some of the above, given that I've spent about 2 months now in a 22ft van with 2 cats and 2 dogs.

Litter tray---use Catsan only--cheap litters are a waste of money. Remove anything smelly asap and smell goes. Strike a match and any residual smell disappears.
Food not expensive if you start a kitten on the cheap stuff--owners tend to waste a lot by putting out more than cat will eat.

Flies--what flies? Put out only a small amount of food at a time, litter tray as above. no flies in my m/home ever!!

Ditto fleas. I treat all my animals for fleas and the dogs for ticks for less than €20 a year. Frontline, I've found, is a waste of money. Essential oils plus an American washing up liquid called Dawn keep us tick and flea free.

Scratching--buy/make a scratch pad--a flat one, not a vertical one. None of my cats have ever scratched furniture.

Allergies--I'm afraid if you have an allergy, you have an allergy.

They do restrict your movements--but cats less so than dogs.
My cats go outside either in a large crate or on a harness/lead.

She is VERY cute so if you can't keep her, I hope she finds a good home.

What ever floats your boat Hollyberry, 15 years ago we had cats but fleas can hitch a ride on your treated cats and find somewhere nice and warm indoors. They cant feed on the cat so you are the next best thing. Been there done it and got the scars to prove it. Tell me how is it that I can visit friends with vet treated cats and leave with bites on my ankles. Sorry a cat is not a man's best friend. :sorry2:
 
Jul 29, 2007
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Cat tray goes in the shower, clean it everyday no stink.
The do claw furniture a bit but do less damage than me. ::bigsmile:
Moving just open the door and they come in, no problem.
We don't have any pet allergies, but if you do then could be a problem.
Only vet bills are for passports.
No flies around tray, no flies in the RV.
Frontline or similar treatments take care of fleas
They also kill mice and other small rodents, just part of being a cat.
Cat's in vans, dog's are worse imo

Here's one of ours this morning basking in the sun ::bigsmile: And the grandson walking it on a lead and picking his nose at the same time. :ROFLMAO:

Ian

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movan

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Karl, some men stink the place out, take up too much room in the bed, and give me an allergy when they are near me ....... give your little un a chance and then make a decision. Now is too early. Big hug to you and little, gentle hug to the little one.... keep us informed what is happening ... you have got us old softies watching with interest.

(Lovely to meet you at last, too x)
 

Pikey Pete

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Contrary to what everyone says, you are just a softy really.

Good luck with your new friend,

Pete:Cool:

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Pikey Pete

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Karl, some men stink the place out, take up too much room in the bed, and give me an allergy when they are near me.

Be careful what you say Joy, somethings should be kept to one's self.:ROFLMAO:

Pete:Cool:
 
OP
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Gromett
Feb 27, 2011
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Sorry Gromett look at the negatives.
Dirt tray will stink the van out.
Furniture will become a scratch pad.
If it is out mooching you will be restricted from moving.
Your allergy will drive to mad.
Storage and cost for food and cat litter.
Vet bills.
Fly's around the food and litter tray.
You will definitely suffer with fleas and flea bites. As will any visitors you have.
They kill our feathered friends.
Etc. Etc.
No not keen on cats in vans.........:winky:
Not keen on cats? You do surprise me,,
No litter tray. Cat was well trained. It nudged me last night to let it out. Did so and it came straight back. I didn't bother with the litter tray and it was fine. The last cat I had was the same for weeks.
I don't let the cat out for 2 hours prior to moving. If it doesn't come back in time I simply don't move. All pets have some restrictions, cats less than dogs by a country mile.
Flies? Never had a problem with flies. My man smells must keep em away:ROFLMAO:
Flees, mozzies and those wierd ones the Scots have don't bite me for some reason. Never been bitten or if I have I haven't been made itchy by it.
Allergy. My cat allergy is fairly mild and after 2-3 weeks I build up a tolerance. I expect this to happen. What I can't have is the cat near my face for the first couple of weeks.
cat food is pretty cheap to be honest. Less than a fiver a week and that is dirt cheap for good company. I would only use litter under certain circumstances so not a big cost in the grand scheme of things.
No furniture in my van to scratch:Doh::thumb:
Vet bills? So what, thats the price of having a furry friend.
As for cats killing birds? This actually helps the bird population by culling the dumb ones. The ones that don't get culled are obviously smarter so pass on good genes to their offspring. Thinking back to all the cats I have had in the past only one was a birder. The rest just did mice.


Anyway. That said.... The cat went to my Mums this afternoon.
The van is just not big enough and not laid out in a way conducive to keeping a cat. A cat needs it's own space where it can chill out/sulk..

My van has one bench seat which doubles as my bed and office. I sit at the foot of the bed to work on the computer. I put a jumper over the pillow and the cat was fine there all day. However come night time the cat needs to be at the bottom of the bed so I can lay down to watch a film or read a book.
Then come bed time it would have to go on the floor.....

All this moving about was never going to work. However I was prepared to compromise and let the cat sleep at the bottom of the bed. She was in and out of bed all night and this kept waking me up. She then came to the top of the bed and tried to get on the pillow where she had been all day. The poor thing didn't understand why it was no longer allowed there.

If I had my hymer (not due till next year) it would have been no problems as she could have had her own dedicated seat.

She travels perfectly. I put her in the passenger seat right next to me. She made two attempt to sit on my lap and a firm no was all that was needed. After that she stayed in the passenger seat as good as gold.

I stopped at a layby and let her out to see if she needed a pee. She was perfect. Didn't go more than 10 feet from me and came back when I called.

She walks with me everywhere like a dog does and comes pretty much every time to a call.

She was the perfect fulltimers cat.

It really is a shame I don't have a suitable vehicle....

I did have a laugh at mums place though. The cat did it's exploring and as it came through from the kitchen to the living room she looked left and there was a mirror leaning up against the wall. She went into full wail/hiss mode at her own reflection. Brilliant entertainment:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

When I left mum's the cat was layed down on my mums shoulders purring her little heart out.

I just hope that when I do eventually get a proper van I can find a cat as good as her..

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Carol

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Oh Karl that is a shame, but when the Hymer comes along at least you know a cat will fit in to the scheme of things as well. She does sound to be a very intelligent cat.
 
Aug 27, 2009
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Not keen on cats? You do surprise me,,
No litter tray. Cat was well trained. It nudged me last night to let it out. Did so and it came straight back. I didn't bother with the litter tray and it was fine. The last cat I had was the same for weeks.
I don't let the cat out for 2 hours prior to moving. If it doesn't come back in time I simply don't move. All pets have some restrictions, cats less than dogs by a country mile.
Flies? Never had a problem with flies. My man smells must keep em away:ROFLMAO:
Flees, mozzies and those wierd ones the Scots have don't bite me for some reason. Never been bitten or if I have I haven't been made itchy by it.
Allergy. My cat allergy is fairly mild and after 2-3 weeks I build up a tolerance. I expect this to happen. What I can't have is the cat near my face for the first couple of weeks.
cat food is pretty cheap to be honest. Less than a fiver a week and that is dirt cheap for good company. I would only use litter under certain circumstances so not a big cost in the grand scheme of things.
No furniture in my van to scratch:Doh::thumb:
Vet bills? So what, thats the price of having a furry friend.
As for cats killing birds? This actually helps the bird population by culling the dumb ones. The ones that don't get culled are obviously smarter so pass on good genes to their offspring. Thinking back to all the cats I have had in the past only one was a birder. The rest just did mice.


Anyway. That said.... The cat went to my Mums this afternoon.
The van is just not big enough and not laid out in a way conducive to keeping a cat. A cat needs it's own space where it can chill out/sulk..

My van has one bench seat which doubles as my bed and office. I sit at the foot of the bed to work on the computer. I put a jumper over the pillow and the cat was fine there all day. However come night time the cat needs to be at the bottom of the bed so I can lay down to watch a film or read a book.
Then come bed time it would have to go on the floor.....

All this moving about was never going to work. However I was prepared to compromise and let the cat sleep at the bottom of the bed. She was in and out of bed all night and this kept waking me up. She then came to the top of the bed and tried to get on the pillow where she had been all day. The poor thing didn't understand why it was no longer allowed there.

If I had my hymer (not due till next year) it would have been no problems as she could have had her own dedicated seat.

She travels perfectly. I put her in the passenger seat right next to me. She made two attempt to sit on my lap and a firm no was all that was needed. After that she stayed in the passenger seat as good as gold.

I stopped at a layby and let her out to see if she needed a pee. She was perfect. Didn't go more than 10 feet from me and came back when I called.

She walks with me everywhere like a dog does and comes pretty much every time to a call.

She was the perfect fulltimers cat.

It really is a shame I don't have a suitable vehicle....

I did have a laugh at mums place though. The cat did it's exploring and as it came through from the kitchen to the living room she looked left and there was a mirror leaning up against the wall. She went into full wail/hiss mode at her own reflection. Brilliant entertainment:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

When I left mum's the cat was layed down on my mums shoulders purring her little heart out.

I just hope that when I do eventually get a proper van I can find a cat as good as her..
Don't laugh Gromett, I once had three cats. Cohen, Kelly, and Tosh all from kittens. Tosh disappeared probably run over, Cohen after living a very comfortable life with us for 6 years decided that the house down the road served better food and Kelly lived a long and happy life then we found him dead in the front garder, probably from old age. :cry:
Since then I have been a dog person great company and always loyal unlike cats:winky:
Sorry it didn't work out with your cat but don't give up, I'm sure there is something that would suit your style of living. How about a snake, my partners nephew has a bower it has now grown to about 6' he keeps it in his bedroom. I'm sure he will wake up one morning with only his feet to go.
Good luck with the companion search.:thumb:

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OP
OP
Gromett
Feb 27, 2011
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It's got to be a cat I am afraid buttons. I have been and always will be a cat person. I love the fact that they choose you not the other way round. They are cheap to keep. They don't need to be walked and you don't need to carry around a polythene bag. With a dog you are the boss. With a cat it is a mutual partnership where no one is the boss. A cat is smart enough that if you mistreat it it will just bugger off.... I love their independent streak...

Oh well. I gave it a try. Next van will be bought with a cat in mind..
 

Jaws

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Interesting this..

It is worth remembering you do not own a cat. IT owns you !!

You are just the handy person to go to for grub and a warm bed ::bigsmile:
 
Aug 27, 2009
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It's got to be a cat I am afraid buttons. I have been and always will be a cat person. I love the fact that they choose you not the other way round. They are cheap to keep.[HI] They don't need to be walked and you don't need to carry around a polythene bag[/HI]. With a dog you are the boss. With a cat it is a mutual partnership where no one is the boss. A cat is smart enough that if you mistreat it it will just bugger off.... I love their independent streak...

Oh well. I gave it a try. Next van will be bought with a cat in mind..
You don't but your neighbours do.:Angry: Nah never again.

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