Camping with CATS

It had to happen.  Our furry little catlings came camping with us this year and I loved it!

Himself did a lot of muttering but I suspect despite them using him as a springboard for their 3am games, he did like having them there too.

To prepare the girls for their big adventure I bought them harnesses which they had to learn to wear.  Pan, who'd worn one before as a kitten must have remembered this kind of torture from times gone by and soon put up with the indignity of wearing a cute paw-printed chocolate brown harness with grace and only a hint of a furry frown. 

Pepper, on the other hand fell to the floor and was instantly paralysed by the enslaving bounds of her red paw-printed harness. Oh the torment. She could barely move - she would raise her weak little head and squeak for help, wafting a paw around to attract attention. We, helpless with laughter would release her and she would immediately recover and gallop triumphantly around with tail fluffed up at her courageous escape. This 'training' continued over several weeks with each 'session' being less dramatic and hysterically funny until both cats would bumble around the house both ignoring their harnesses.

We made sure we packed their favourite toys, Pan's favourite blanket (she is quite a sensitive soul and needs a lot of 'security' around her), their food, their own bowls and of course the all essential litter tray.  I even bought a covered one with a flap door (for our own sanity - the thought of the after effects of one of the girls nipping to the loo in the confines of a caravan was just a little to much too bear).  That also needed a little training, however the girls took to this new thing a lot quicker and were popping in and out of their loo quite happily within the day. Once in the caravan, the litter tray was going to live in the shower so should any mishaps occur, a quick hosing down with the shower head should fix that.

The car journey, we've discovered in the past, works better if the two cats are in the same travelling box as they curl up into each other and pretend to be asleep.

So, the big day came, we all got in the car, some of us willingly (us and the dog) and some of us had something to complain about (the catlings). We drove with everyone quite happily in their respective spots, with only the occasional quiet mew or paw wafting. By lunch time we pulled off the road and decamped into the caravan for lunch and a loo break. The cats were brought too. Pepper, resplendent in her harness, happily sniffed around the caravan, Pan refused to come out of a box. Pepper used the litter tray as if she'd always known where it was and phew! thank goodness for the flap - it certainly prevented any pong from escaping!

Back in the car we continued with no mishap and by mid afternoon - we'd arrived! After a little sorting out and setting up - we could start our holiday.

Pan. Dear sweet Pan. Pan became the epitome of an Edwardian spinster fearing an attack of the vapours and retired to the shower unit of the caravan to recover, while Pepper decided that She HAD always been CAMPING and she just NEVER knew it! Pepper LOVED camping, Pepper LOVED her harness as it meant going out and sniffing grass and striding across the field. Pepper KNEW that CAMPING was GRRRREAT and how silly we humans were to worry about taking the cats CAMPING!

Pan thought the sky would fall on her head.

So, one cat chose to serenely sit in the windows and bird watch while the other would sally forth with human attached and check out the perimetre of the campsite, watch warily as tractors trundled by or headbutt the dog and purr happily.

Would we do it again? Pepper and I would like to, Himself and Pan remain to be convinced!