That was a good walk, I'm glad I read this thread it inspired me to take some behave spray with me. I had to use it when some tom was sniffing too close and made Benji hiss.

I'll start another thread about cat v cat when walking so I don't totally hijack this one.

I forgot to add to last post that I once had a problem with a harness, which is what lead me to the jacket. The plastic buckle opened one day when benji was running at speed and ran out of lead. She was totally loose. Just as well it was in the back garden.

She had a go at a few trees today, thicker ones than she would normally attempt. That tom just looked on an didn't even attempt it.
I know that Benji would love to go camping!

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Beautiful, Viper! I think you truly captured the spirit of the moment.

btw...your crayon is green (not purple OR blue)...also, Quasar has more spots.

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~ Kyenta

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just got back from kitty kamping with OH, Tigger and Nala last night. For those living in windy areas (like where we went on Tuesday and came back from yesterday) which probably refers to quite a lot of camping spots in Scotland around this time of year (we went to Tantallon, just outside of North Berwick) and stayed in a wigwam. Because it gets quite windy and the noise bothers Tigger and Nala, the sturdy structure of the wigwam definitely helped. We set up camp inside the wigwam and made up a 'kitty corner' with their bed and some catnip/valerian toys, set up their litter trays and scratch post and scratch box and their Cheese Chase around different parts of the wigwam.

At first both were constantly hiding under the benches, but surprisingly Nala was the adventurous one constantly going outside to explore. To help them settle and feel comfortable, we gave them a snack of a small handful of Taste of the Wild dry food (they only get 2 meals a day) and we took out the catnip toys so they could play with us like we were at home. We basically closed the door and stayed inside for the first bit while we set up 'home base', but once we were done, we kept their jackets and leads on and left the door open so they can go out if they wanted and we went with them. It was also a quiet spot with only 4 wigwams so it helped. The next door wigwam had a Jack Russell puppy, but other than that there weren't any other dogs we could see that bothered them.

The small flashing LED lights we attached to their jackets helped to locate them at night. Even though we had their jackets and leads on at all times when the door to the wigwam was opened, it was quite difficult to see them at night when they were chasing after bugs and birds in the dark. At first, Nala was unsure what the tinkling noise (of the LED light bouncing) was, but she forgot about it after about 5 secs and continued running around the grassy patches.

We also encouraged them outdoors by feeding them on the porch of the wigwam after feeding them that first time indoors. They had no problems with this and the door was always open so if they weren't happy with the Jack Russell puppy running around, they could always temporarily find safety inside the wigwam. In terms of food, we took more than enough Taste of the Wild biscuits with us to last 3 days (they have this for breakfast) in an airtight container with a rubber band around it (if you've got one of the boxes with the side click locks on them, all the better) and because their dinner is in separate packs anyway (they get Pets At Home Purely chicken pouches and fish tins for dinner) there was no problems with keeping this fresh.

Will post photos of their adventures soon!

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resurrecting an old thread here.
But still interested in going camping with Benji.
We went away for the weekend last year to the isle of skye and cheated by staying in a hotel. But she loved it. Maybe not so keen on the drive and with her constant meowing and moving around in the car I was sure something was wrong. But stopping to let her out made it worse.
I used to be quite happy letting her wander around the car but now am not so keen as she just gets too restless. So its better to keep her in her cat box, let her moan for a bit and then she will settle. Its just a test they give you... :)

Although sometimes she is quite happy in the catbox as usually a trip in the car means going to the park or going somewhere new. But also the vet LOL. even that is interesting though as there is always lots to see and do there.

Anyways, I digress.
Was going to ask about logistics of camping. Do you allocate a special toilet and feeding area? Not sure how you would do this in the confines of a tent. How on earth would you deal with the smell?!!
So maybe the answer is letting them go outside, but again lots of issues there as you can't just leave the door open and expect them to come back.

On the tree thing, we have a system. I will let her climb a bit and then say ok that's enough and she will stop. Then ok Benji get down and she will delicately reverse herself. Took a bit of practise that and she had gone too high a couple of times in the excitement. Plus if you are running and she gets too far on the lead or suddenly climbs a tree she can climb quite quickly before you can get close enough to coax her back down again.
So you have to stay on your toes.

But it tires them out so much on a walk, its great. you will get some peace after that!

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~ Kyenta

I second the Raw diet and not having any smell. Really he prefers to use the leaves outside. On occasion he has to go early in the morning and I might just take the box out and clean it as soon as he's done. The tent has so much mesh it airs out quick.

I'm not much on camping and even less so if I have my Bengal with me. He is a spitfire and, although he loves walking with a harness and leash, he would want to go all over the place. Forget any other animals being around. He chases after everything. But I so I love reading your camping experiences with your "kids."

Hi everyone! I'm taking my kitties camping for the first time tomorrow!! But it looks like its going to be a little cold at night, low of 1 degree Celsius :/

Any tips on taking precautions of keeping them extra warm? They have grown accustomed to being in a big 4'x4' cage, lined with a fleece mat and blankets. I've fed them in there, played with them in there, and they have napped in there

Lastly, I have an airbed, I see so do a lot of other people, but I have heard horror stories about cats scratching through them! Any words of advice? I will definitely be bringing my smaller cat post for them to scratch on

Thanks in advance!