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Due to economic circumstances and family moving away, we are moving to Southeast Kansas at the end of the month because we can afford to live there. We are currently paying more than half of our monthly income on rent, and just can't survive here in Denver any more.
After renting the Uhaul, towing our car and paying for storage we will not have enough money to get a place to live right away. So we are going to be camping for a couple of weeks by a lake, and staying with family for a couple until we get my next SSDI check.
We have two cats, who are basically our babies. We are both in our fifties with grown children and grandchildren. We will be bringing the cats with us. We have already figured out a lot of things such as a large crate, calming drops, and we got them each a harness and leash.
Has anyone ever camped with their kitties before? And if so, how did it go and what else do you recommend.
Leaving them behind is not an option.
Are they house cats? If they are not used to traveling or strange places, and provided that you have some time before your trip, you may want to start introducing them to the crate/tent/carrier and car rides to acclimate them a bit. Take some short day trips to give you a better idea ahead of time.
Try to use the same cat litter box that they are already familiar with during the trip, or get them used to using a new one at least a week in advance.
I took a three day road trip (moving) with my one cat, however I didn't camp with her, but stayed at pet-friendly hotels along the way. Good luck!
Has anyone ever camped with their kitties before? And if so, how did it go and what else do you recommend.
Leaving them behind is not an option.
You can never once leave them in a tent alone while you go off somewhere. You can come back and find both have become lunch for some predator. Cats and dogs both have been known to claw/chew their way out of tents when left alone. Someone can steal them or let them out while you're gone. Tent camping isn't recommended for cat owners.
Not sure cats and tents are the best idea I've ever heard. And you say you got leashes? Have your cats ever been on a leash? Good luck with that one!
Can't someone watch the cats for you temporarily until you get your own place? As the post above indicates, you cannot leave cats alone in a tent, the mesh used for the screens would not hold up to any gnawing or clawing, nor would the nylon shell. Tents are just for keeping bugs and water off you not to offer any protection from animals.
Both of them have harnesses and leashes. They will be in a large metal dog crate in the tent, and a medium dog carrier when travelling. They will never be out of our sight. We have been getting them used to all of the above and got herbal calming gel and spray that works very well. They seem to be fine with everything so far.
Get the ebook "RVing with Pets" by Sunny Skye - she talks a lot about camping with cats. On Amazon.
I've tent camped with cats and they can be really good, but you really have to be careful to not let them out. I bought an Abo cat tent from Amazon so they can sit outside and it works great.
Welcome by the way. I'm in Wichita. I can recommend you stay away from working in Wichita, area has gotten so bad it is not worth the risk any longer. Predatorial males who get female coworkers fired and work scams abound, dirty cops screw up new residents and pay isn't worth the risk of even bothering...Even come to Wichita for $45 an hour job at airplane plant alone and may have to be a mistress to keep away area problems and no way to reject this situation unless you want to run off. Is kind of extreme. More likely poor women have some guy latch on, cops just keep letting him beat her, attorneys/court refuse restraining orders, situation ends when baby is beat to death -- this happens A LOT. Told to go to churches to keep away area problems and you will be threatened so bad, you will do anything you are told and lots of it is wrong -- bad choice to try any of the big churches to keep anything away unless you know several members and you don't care any more about anything.
If you ever need to talk to cops about anything, you will be questioned about your income and you need to say you work at Walmart or Dollar General in next town. I would never talk about SSDI unless you are in wheelchair or using white cane. It will get you discriminated against and thrown out if cops tries to grill you and you say you are on SSDI for anything after mental care. Stuff stolen from new residents is common scam, would not bother complaining unless you had everything stolen and you need to get police report to use the insurance...You don't want to be 'one of those'.
SE KS has some bad scams running on women who moved there alone. Independence area was particular problems for women alone who answered job ads for area, got ruined, called crazy and local druggies used their welfare check, cops locked them up in mental hospital to keep the women in line. This happened to multiple people...Shopping in Independence was start of getting ruined. Don't even stop there if alone...Area is major Section 8 and just seemed to bring in all the scams and trouble, no jobs anyway but LOTS OF CHEAP AND BULL-DOZER-WORTHY housing.
SE KS has lot of wide spots in the road where things are just wrong. A nice tax-delinquency-sale property can be good deal. Lots got fixed up nice to suit tastes of owner, good internet run to it and people just walked away -- It's all really just worth the price of 3 years of back taxes never paid --Sit through the local thug's shows without comment and sometimes you can win when things get boring for him. I'm sure you are inside by now. Craigslist has lots of cheap rentals and rent to own offers...Would keep my options open, maybe move back to tenting by spring and just travel around until you find nice people who suit.
KS has tons of work but you need to know a local to be safe through all the scams. Can get you killed for trying the cheap neighborhoods. Family did not make it a week.
Flint Hills -- too much weekender money. Wealthies are bullies just making a show of dancing poor puppet peoples around and not worth it to wonder about your job or business this much.
Great Bend to Hays -- Do not live there alone, people are getting hurt.
Concordia is full of rental scams. Has some nutty kid playing alien abduction (hit resident over head if they are caught inside your place when you come home) and blasting people out of apartment building playing crazy stuff on stereo....Very interesting show of locals...They don't like SSDI and loudly harass people.
Do not try RURAL Colorado at all unless you know a local. People are coming back, even males. Several small towns are bragging about making prostitutes of women who could pay their bills even....Wealthy got scammed, rest of money went to attorney and returned broke. SO DISAPPOINTING AND SOMEONE BROKE MY BUSINESS EQUIPMENT WHEN I REFUSED TO GO TO BARS TO MEET LOCALS.
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Older folks in 1990s used to warn people remaining in Wichita to get two places to live as area usually ruined everyone eventually. Most who were doing well spent their weekends on another house or property out of town...If you do choose second property in Flint Hills, area may ruin you when you finally move there...Is curse of weekend money areas.
Jesus, KS101, talk about a negative post. Seriously. I've lived in rural Colorado and it's nothing like what you say, but then I don't hang out in bars.
We actually ended up renting a house as soon as we got here, so didn't camp after all. We like it here, the people are friendly, and it's affordable.
As far as KS101's post: umm...yeah...ok. Thanks.
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