We went camping this weekend with Quasar. I took along some grain-free cat food to use instead of trying to keep raw cold for 3 days. He finished his raw Friday night and I gave him a pouch of the cat food Saturday morning. I have never smelled anything so RANK in my life as the s**t he put out Saturday night.

I SWEAR that if I have any opportunity at all to feed raw I will diligently do whatever I need to to avoid experiencing that STENCH in my tent again! ...perhaps dry ice.

Whatever I need to do would be worth it.

I had forgotten how bad cat poop smells when they eat regular cat food. EWWWWWWWW!

On the other hand, camping was great. He is learning how to walk on-leash like an expert.

Only disappointment (other than the nasty poo) was that I could not get him to put his feet in the lake.

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~ Kyenta

You seriously had me laughing out loud usually I'm expressionless on the internet but I can imagine the smell.

I think Pouncey knows his s**t smells or something because he rarely uses the litter box Kamping. He much rather prefers the leaves. I have noticed around the same time hiking he goes once runs 20ft and goes again this happens right before it gets dark.

Sounds like you had a good time, Pouncey won't put his feet in a lake. I have to keep crossing streams eventually he just gives up and gets a little wet. Well 4 times and counting

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Best of Pouncey click HERE the ORIGINAL Kamping Kitty!

OH & I had a chuckle thinking of you being pulled in both directions!
Excellent question about the locator.... I was wondering the same thing about using one kit for two cats. As far as the tag not helping if they got out of their jackets...
I could foresee leash failure or my error (like him jumping out of the tent in a split second while the door is open- door is "locked" if his jacket is not on) before jacket failure or escape from his jacket based on our experiences so far, so if he slipped away more than likely (we hope) his jacket would still be on. While we would be going directly after Max, the areas we camp has very dense underbrush and he disappears very fast. If it were the wrong combo of him slipping away then chasing something or being scared off by something it would be hard for me to find him unless he wanted me to. This is the type of situation I think it could be useful for. I have been amazed how he can be on the other side of a 5 foot lead and the brush is so dense I can't see him at all. He is excellent at being still if he's scared and accessing a potential danger or stalking something so if he was off lead he could hide in one spot right beneath me and I may not know it. To be honest....I hope to never need it and I think more than anything the locator would help me relax and allow him to enjoy his time out there even more. he's calm if I'm calm. Thats our thinking for the tag anyway. I think it really depends on your individual situation what works best. I will keep you posted as we decide what we will be doing.

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Eric is adorable! Love the pics and stories! I think it's great he gets to see the ducks! I suspect Max may be a bit scared of a duck. We haven't come across one yet. Last weekend camping he was playing in the stream on day two and I threw in some sticks so he could play with them in the water. The current moving them slowly spooked the poor little guy! (he was quite tired) he wasn't sure what to think. I had to fish one out and let him sniff it to see it was safe! Like Eric, Max prefers cover too, and loves the woods.

Love the tree pics and yours too. Max is just discovering trees can be climbed and it's fun to watch him size it up before heading up the trunk. Sounds like Eric's a great candidate for kitty kamping. It brings out a whole new side of Max. I suspect you will have fun watching Eric blossom out there. How do you handle his leash when he climbs trees?

Each dog encounter is an improvisation for us. Wish I could offer better advice. They are new to Max and so we don't know how he will react. We stay vigilant as many forum members have said and try and react in advance as much as possible. That can mean picking him up if the dog doesn't look in control or is questionable. I may bend down low and give Max "cover" and comfort him if he is nervous while a well behaved dog passes, and we also have my bag he can "take cover" in if needed. Kind of like some people use their coats. If OH and I are together we have also had one of us intercept the "friendly" dog off leash while the other walks away with Max in arms just to be safe. The " interceptor" can also run interference with the owner and try to direct the situation (light hearted chatter, or ask them to keep the dog back please, etc.) based on how Max's doing. I have gotten a pet sling I am trying to train him to jump into for this purpose (he's getting heavy!) but to be honest I haven't put much time into that yet.

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Do you already have instructions written for how to disable the speaker and LED somewhere I could read? (sorry if I missed them) If not... is it pretty easy to modify? Thanks.

What are your thoughts on the plus model VS. the pet locator model?

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I can't wait to see pics and read about caravan kitty adventures! Binki would be well suited to caravan camping vs. tent camping IMO.

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[quote="Kyenta1"]We went camping this weekend with Quasar. I took along some grain-free cat food to use instead of trying to keep raw cold for 3 days. He finished his raw Friday night and I gave him a pouch of the cat food Saturday morning. I have never smelled anything so RANK in my life as the s**t he put out Saturday night.


PICS??

Sorry for your nose but funny story. Maybe the freeze dried raw nuggets would work for you?

Wish we could get Max and the girls on raw. Trying to transition but at this rate it will be years. We went camping last weekend with Max and OH decided to switch his litter box with a storage bin. I suggested smaller steps or using the bin at home first. No. OH chose to use it anyway and just put litter from their current box in. Well.... During the night in the tent, Max shared his opinion & used the foot of OHs sleeping bag for a wee! We will be doing a slower transition next time.

(can it be saved? Anyone have ideas? We have urine off but I haven't treated it yet as I wasn't sure it's possible and it's a really old bag thankfully)

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Kitty Kamping weekend update-
Overnight tent camping trip number two was a success!
Max is completely worn out and a good time was had by all.
(I will post more pics of this adventure in the gallery- Menagerie of Max Marvelous.)

There were so many aspects of this trip I was unable to capture on camera. I encourage everyone to enjoy nature with their kitties in the way that best fits you. If you don't like camping, do something in nature you do like! Chances are your cat will show you even more to love and vice versa. I am often jealous of the lap slugs I see on BCF. Max shows lots of affection but isn't usually big on cuddles. Take him camping and it's like a switch gets flipped. He is so happy, purring, head butting us, rubbing on our our legs or arms and CUDDLING!

Hope you enjoy the pics. I have really enjoyed what others have shared.


Max surveys our "home base" in the forest.


We had a campfire but Max was not interested. Anyone's kitty kampers like to relax by the fire? I think he may when it's colder or once he gets more used to kamping "routines". (like hanging out by the fire for meals?)


The little guy had a blast during his night walk. This picture shows him approaching the stream. Most of the time when he hikes in the woods, tail is straight up. But in the dark on this trip it was REALLY straight. Kind of funny. Not the best angle (sorry) for a pic but this is the only one I caught of it that was fairly clear.


Watch out! Here comes Looney Laser Leopard! He came ripping up the trail, through our home base, and up the trail on the other side on a night walk with OH. Such a happy boy! Zoomies in the woods are hilarious!


This tree created an arch over the trail that entered our "home base" -almost like an entryway. He didn't discover he could climb it until it was dark.


Morning nap time! (& cuddles!)
We were a bit nervous the weather was going to force us to cancel our trip entirely. Max & OH dont tolerate heat well. It had been 100 degrees but then the day we went to camp it didn't get over 80. It was perfect. During the night the sky opened up- thunder and rain! Max did well with lots of loves and snuggles but didn't sleep much. The forest canopy was so thick we could hear the rain hitting it heavily. The amount of rain that actually reached our tent was significantly reduced since it was so dense. The storm kept us all up for a good portion of the night so a mid morning nap was in order the next day. After 8 am it did not rain again for the rest of our trip! It felt like we got to have a little bit of everything on this trip!


Even with the morning nap, Max was a tired boy. We went for one more stop/walk by the stream before we left to come home. Someone didn't want to be finished kitty kamping and gave me the grumpy face!


But being the fat cat back at home isn't all that bad either.
Until next time.....
Carry on Kitty Kampers and adventure seekers!

(PS- We came home to learn his new orange hiking jacket is on its way from Happy House Cats! Louise outdid herself. She posted pics of it on her FB group page before sending it and it looks great. Can't wait for it to arrive!)

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Sorry, I did not take any pictures. I am the world's worst photographer.

We bought a video camera just before we got Quasar but I have hardly ever used it. I never even took it out of the case all weekend.

I really need to get someone else to take some pictures.

We are going to a balloon rally in Reno, NV in September. I'm sure we'll get some pictures there, although not the kamping kind.

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~ Kyenta

Disabling the speaker and LED is easy just open it up like your going to replace the batteries.

Use something to pop the board over and just wiggle one of the the wires until it comes of the board. You can cut one or take it off the speaker side but if you know how to solder its easiest to solder it back to the board if you change your mind. For the LED just a piece of black tape or something that doesn't conduct over it. But if its inside the jacket you won't see ths light anyways.

At first I liked him not knowing when I was looking for him. I don't use a leash much instead I rely on the loc8tor, I was afraid he may run when he hears the beeping. Actually the opposite happened he now comes looking for me when he hears it. The sound isn't loud and doesn't help much in finding the tag unless its indoors.

Here's the rechargeable tag I made it lasts longer and has a better range too. I'm not sure where I'm going with this idea maybe nowhere but I might leave it in the walking jacket permanently and put a charge port on the jacket. So I can just charge the jacket.



On the two models of loc8tors, The big one the PLUS and the small one the LITE. The PET one is the same as the LITE but it also includes holders for attaching it to collars. Both PET and LITE come with 2 tags you can do 2 cats or I did a collar(silent) and a jacket(beeps) you can buy 2 additional tags for a max of 4. The LITE is $20 cheaper so IMO just use that money and buy a Happy House Cats walking jacket with Pouncey's loc8tor Pocket™

#1. Biggest issue I have!! The PLUS uses AAA batteries, I love the idea of using common and/or rechargeable batteries. The batteries for the LITE are really cheap online (same as the key chain light CR2032) The range on the LITE decreases when the batteries are getting low but there's no way to tell when there low. So I put new batteries in before we go Kamping. There have been times were I thought I lost my cat only to put in new batteries and find him sleeping at the camp. I don't know if the PLUS has this feature but the LITE turns off automatically to conserve the battery. This gets me so MAD I'll be looking for my cat only to realize its off..... but how long has it been off? How far do I need to backtrack? The engineer or suit that gave that idea the OK needs to be neutered so he can't have children so stupid(no Neuticles ). Or at very least increase the time to 5 or 10 min before it shuts of or give a warning. It takes a couple of seconds to find the tag when you first turn it on, so every time it shuts off I have to wait before I start looking again. When your think you lost your cat every second seems like ages.

#2. The PLUS model has a perimeter feature and it would be great for me, not everyone might use it. I let my cat roam when I'm outside so if I'm working on my car I could tell when he's going too far. My cat doesn't care about the campfire either and if I don't keep an eye on him he will wonder away at night(not in the day). This has been an annoyance with enjoying a fire. But with the walking jacket I'll probably just use a long leash now.

#3. The LITE is so small but its also easy to lose I can't believe it hasn't gone through the wash yet. This could be a good or bad thing. I can put it in a Ziploc bag and its waterproof too. But you almost need a loc8tor to find the loc8tor its so small.

#4. The PLUS has a longer range (200ft more) and can have 24 tags programmed compared to 4 for the LITE.

#5. The reviews I read said the PLUS is easier to use in sunlight than the LITE. The LITE is hard to see in the sun but it beeps too and you can shade it with your hand so not a deal breaker for me.

There may be other differences this is just what I remember.
The reviews on the PLUS were almost perfect and there are some things that get me mad about the LITE and people mentioned them in the reviews too. I did read negative reviews about the buttons breaking. I use mine constantly every day and also leave it in my back pocket and sit on it. If there was a problem with the buttons they must have fixed it because I'm very rough with it and I'm always pressing the buttons I feel it should have broken long ago so I'm pleased.

Overall they both work and find your lost cat. Even with the issues of the LITE I'd still probably purchase it because of the size and price.

On a side note about the buttons: I'm an engineer and understand the programming of the internal chips. I find the buttons on the side useless as they could be integrated into the front buttons by programming and long pressing. Maybe someone from loc8tor will read this. Also put a small on/off switch in. It would save the battery and avoided accidentally turning it on in your pocket and the need for the stupid time out feature. Also a speaker switch on the tag

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Best of Pouncey click HERE the ORIGINAL Kamping Kitty!

Well I hope you have crayons I expect colored drawings complete with smelly poo squiggles.

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Best of Pouncey click HERE the ORIGINAL Kamping Kitty!

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love the photos you've posted of Max! he looks really happy finding all these places to go exploring and all tuckered out at his home base! 8 days till we leave for our camping trip! Am going to charge and make sure I remember to bring my DSLR camera so I can capture some great moments! We'll only be gone for 2 nights and it's not far from here, so if anything we can get home quite quickly. I know Tigger will be quite happy to go exploring, Nala's not too sure of unfamiliar open spaces to begin with, but I think she's quite happy with narrow trails and after some time she'll start wanting to walk places like when we went to the nearby beach.

As for campfires, neither of mine have come close to a campfire, but they love sitting near the fireplace at home when we're burning papers, sometimes they love to stick their noses right up close to the fire and I have to keep them back from being roasted bengals! I think it might be when the campfire is quite strong, it's too hot for them and they don't like that. Maybe the next time you go camping, you can try starting a small fire for Max to get used to and over time build this up?

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I don't think Pouncey will ever sit by the fire. Maybe in the snow on my lap by the fire. I have a Franklin stove at home. When I have a fire going he'll lay underneath it or behind it. I was scared at first but actually the bricks are cool, so hot on one side cool on the other.....he likes to rotate. He did jump on top of it once to get to a shelf that he loves to knock stuff down to drive me nuts......once

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Best of Pouncey click HERE the ORIGINAL Kamping Kitty!

Good idea, I might try kitty kamping. I might get some strange looks if I go out myself with Benji in the woods! But I'm not fussed, used to it with walking.

The jacket from Louise at happy house cats are great but I had an incident once.
I hadn't realised that I hadn't fitted the jacket properly and after I left her outside to go wash the car I heard her calling but it sounded weird.
I'd left too much length on her leash and she had managed to jump over the wall but there was not enough length for her to get all her paws on the ground.
One of the straps had come loose and she was alternating between hanging by the neck (with rear paws barely on the ground) to jumoing and panicking.

Catalogue of errors on my part and I'll never forget the noises she made. It was awful.
There is nothing wrong with the jacket and its better than a harness but a fatality is so easy if you're not careful.

Main thing is to make sure the jacket is on correctly and fits well, the cat should be supervised but if not make sure there is not enough leash for them to get into trouble. Its all common sense really, but all it takes is a bit of routine and complacency to lead you to a problem.

I think I'll go and take her for a walk in the park now.