When we decided to get a kitten whist living in a campervan we knew it was important from the very start to get him used to everything vanlife was going to be. This includes the constant driving, the noises from being parked on the side of busy roads and most importantly being able to get out and explore in a safe way.
We decided to go for a kitten so that all he would know is vanlife, it would very quickly be his normal. However, it is also definitely possible to transition an adult cat who has lived in a house to also be a vanlife cat, it may just take a bit more time and I'm sure there will be different kinds of challenges. It is also important to recognise there could be a chance that a cat will not take to vanlife at all, they all have different personalities and although cats are very adaptable some may just not take to the lifestyle. However, with a lot of time, patience and perseverance it is more common than not to be able to live a life of adventure on the road with a feline friend (or two, or three... right?)
Adapting the van:
The very first thing before getting a cat or transitioning your cat into a campervan is to make sure the environment is suitable. When we knew we wanted a kitten we thought about how we could make our campervan suitable and safe. With such a small space it can be hard to not feel on top of each other therefore we knew we wanted our cat to have a little area of their own, this of course isn't necessary but we were willing to sacrifice our storage space so our cat could poop in privacy. The space we created is under our bed so we are never tripping over his litter tray or bed and he also has somewhere to store his hundreds of toys.
It is also important for cats to have exciting and enriching things to do, one of the main things is scratching posts. That can be hard in a campervan, however we found the perfect way. We brought some cat scratch rope and wrapped it around one of our bed uprights (you can also do this around a table leg). This means our cat can scratch away without us having to fit a 6ft scratching post into our campervan. We also brought some scratching matts to wrap around the bottom of our seats. Lots of toys is also important, you will just have to get used to stepping on toys and constantly finding them on your head in the middle of the night.
Time:
Now this might be an obvious tip, but if you think you can take a kitten or cat away from everything they are used to and put them in a small moving vehicle and them be completely fine straight away, then you will have a shock. That is highly unlikely to happen, however the time taken for them to be comfortable will hugely range from each cat. It's so important to be patient with your cat and take every new step slow.
My main tip especially if you are transitioning a cat from a house to a campervan is to do it gradually and at their own pace. For example, if you have a campervan parked on your drive then spend time allowing your cat to explore the campervan a little each day, once the initial exploring stage is over then you can introduce their favourite toys and treats, this will make them see going into the campervan as a positive experience. As cats attention span is so short, even 10 minutes in the campervan each day will be enough for them to start getting use to their new territory.
If you are in the situation where you don't have a transition period between a house and campervan or even if you are already living in a campervan and decide to get a cat (like we did) then you can still do things to allow the cat time to adjust. When we first brought our kitten home we asked a family member if we could park on their drive for a week. This meant that we had a week without having to drive anywhere (this would have also been possible on a campsite). This was important as it isn't throwing everything into the mix straight away, so our new addition got used to his home first before we introduced the vehicle moving (which is a scary step).
Harness training:
A big factor for us getting a kitten instead of an older cat is that we wanted to harness train him. Some people do let their cats free roam from their campervan but we aren't comfortable with this. We still wanted our cat to be able to get out and go exploring but in a safe way so a harness and lead is the perfect solution. I do think it is important for cats to get out of the campervan one way or another as it is a small space and cats like to explore nature. It might be a hard transition if you have a older cat that is used to going out on their own and doing whatever they want, however it is definitely still possible. A kitten would typically be a lot easier to get them into a routine so they associate the harness and lead with going outside.
We were quite worried that once our cat was regularly going outside, he would want to be out all the time and might even meow to go out especially if there's a period of bad weather where we can't get outside but we actually haven't had that problem at all. When he is in the van he is happy to chill out and look out of the window and then when the harness comes out he knows its explore time. We give him lots of attention and play time in the van to prevent boredom.
Now, a lot of cats won't react well when you first put a harness and lead on them. Again it is very important to be patient and take it a step at a time. The first thing is to put the harness on and instantly play with them or give them their favourite treat to distract them from the harness. This should be repeated little and often. If the cat starts trying to get the harness off after 5 minutes then it should be taken off. We found it took about 1 week (of putting the harness on 2x a day for around 10 minutes) for the harness to cause no reaction and he was happy to have it on, sleep, eat and even poop in it.
Once he was comfortable having the harness on, the next step was attaching the lead. This can cause the cat to react again as it is resistance being put on the cat that they are not used to, so this stage should also be done gradually and little and often. Once your cat is comfortable in the harness and with the lead on then it is time to take your cat outside. Make sure to be somewhere safe and make sure the campervan door is open and accessible in case your cat wants to run back as this will be their safe space. Again, make the first few trips outside very short and as soon as you get back into the campervan give them their favourite treats so they associate a positive thing with coming back into the campervan.
Driving:
Possibly the most important aspect your cat needs to get used to while living in a campervan is the fact it has to move. Putting a cat in a moving vehicle can be a very stressful experience, most house cats only experience this when they are transported to the vets. This means their whole experience of going in a vehicle from start to finish is stressful to them. However, once or twice a year is very different from having to drive everyday with your cat or even going on long road trips with them. This means we need to take steps to help them get used to this experience to the point it doesn't bother them and they can just sleep on the journeys.
This again will just be a time consuming process, the first step is to put the engine on and see how your cat reacts to this new noise, try giving them a treat or playing with them while the engine is on. I would recommend doing this a few times before actually moving the vehicle. The next step is driving the vehicle, I would drive the first few journeys late at night as then there won't be any traffic to get stuck in, it is also more likely you'll be able to pull over quickly if needed. Keep the journeys small and often, and as soon as a journey is over give your cat lots of treats and attention.
Now a bit of a controversial subject is having to restrain your cat while the vehicle is moving and yes this is the law, we are the first to admit we didn't do this straight away. Cats like to find their own safe space, they like to be able to find a corner to hide in if they get scared so restraining a cat can cause a lot more stress and harm. This is what happened when we were training our cat, if he was in the carrier he really freaked out, but if he was able to be free while driving he learnt to go onto the bed and settle down for the drive and this was a lot less stressful for him. However, we were concerned about safety, of course the restraint law is in place so if an accident did occur the animal would be less likely to be seriously injured. Therefore, we slowly introduced the harness seatbelt to our cat as the carrier was an obvious no go. Once our cat was used to the vehicle moving, we then put his harness on him every time we moved, once he was used to that we then placed a seatbelt clip onto the harness and therefore he is technically restrained while the vehicle is moving. So, it is just about finding the best solution for you and your cat, just remember to be patient as it can be a long process.
Thank you:
If you have made it this far then thanks for reading, we made a video over on our YouTube channel documenting the process of introducing our kitten to vanlife. If you have any questions leave them below!
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