Travel Nix

Sometimes having pets limits your traveling plans.  Other times having pets can completely shut down any traveling.  We have now fallen into the second category.  Marley likes to ride in the car.  Don't know how he'll do in the motorhome, but I think he'll figure it out and do OK.

Charlotte, on the other hand, has put the kibosh on travel for the time being.  She has become so determined to spend more hours outside than inside that we don't dare take her on a motorhome trip.  Despite our best efforts to keep her in, she gets out every few days.  We had started letting her out when we got Marley, knowing that sooner or later we'd be letting him know about the doggy door in the living room.  Charlotte has decided outside is where she wants to live, with brief visits for food, litter box and a bit of human contact.

Since she decided she really likes the outdoors we've not been able to keep her in for more than 2-3 days at most.  Keeping her in sometimes takes both of us; one to hold her and one to take Marley in or out.  It's been a real battle and this morning it came to a head. 

I had put the lid (with a generous hole for entry/exit) on the covered litter box because Marley was showing too much interest in her leavings.  Last evening she checked it out, perched on the edge of the hole and peed as if it were a toilet.  But, this morning, before she escaped again, she went into our closet and pooped on a duffle bag of my clothes.  We learned of it shortly after when Marley went in to eat it.  We picked up what was left.  Then a little later he went back in there and peed on top of the same bag.

If we leave here with the motorhome and both animals, we'll come home with one.  We just won't be able to keep Charlotte in the motorhome - she has too many levels to strategically sit and wait for the door to open when we come back - 3 steps, the arm of the couch and the back of the couch ... and we would be 3 more steps below the bottom inside step as we unlock and open the door.  There's no way we can have hands at all possible levels she'd launch from.

So, kiss the fall trip goodbye.  She would get out.  We'd have to move on.  She'd be either lost or hit by a car, caught by a coyote, owl, dog or ...  We can't leave her here for weeks ... water, food and litter only last so long.   To board her would be cruel - most "boarding" consists of putting the cat in a cage and providing a litter box, food and water.  I don't think she's gone wild enough to feed herself, and there are coyotes and a tomcat in the immediate area around the house.  Not good.

Unfortunately, I figure by spring she'll be gone ... hit by a car, caught be some other animal ... then we'll begin thinking about travel possibilities.