A cat showed up.

[Canine]

Me and Vic have never had a cat and don't know much about keeping one.We had a tomcat show up and adopt us and are thinking of taking him with us.He and the dog get along great,but we are concerned about the possibility of clawing and pissing on the seats and bed. Any advise?

 

[ldmccain]

Covered litter box as far away from the food as possible set in a position to make it hard for the dog to get into.
Cats like to bury their excrements.
Most dogs think cat poop is a treat.
Cardboard scratcher with catnip, they do like to sharpen just put on scratcher every time you catch them scratching somewhere else.

 

[SoulRaven]

Is he neutered? My biggest concern would be "marking". We had a wonderful male cat, neutered, and he caused no mischief, but we did call him the "un-cat". He loved camping and we had an open travel cage and when the motor started he came from somewhere and jumped in the cage to ride. Cats can be trained despite what some people say. A cat is a little harder to keep track of when traveling though for some people and cats are considered a delicacy to coyotes in the southwest.

 

[KMAG YOYO]

All cats claw. Some cats pee.

Clawing: Most cats can be trained to scratch a post. Put some catnip on it and reward scratching with treats. If you can't train him to not scratch your upholstery, some cats will let you trim their claws, which you have to do every few weeks. Don't cut too short (down to the quick) because it's very painful and it will bleed. 

Peeing: If it's habitual, it's almost impossible to break. Some cats only pee indoors if their litter box gets too funky. Either way, it's really hard to get rid of the smell, and in a small RV you're stuck sleeping next to it. If it happens more than once or twice, I'd find a new home for the cat where he can live outdoors.

 

[storm6398]

I am traveling with 2 cats - male and female, both are 15. If the male is neutered he should be fine. I took the extra precaution of covering everything in plastic since I have carpet, and fabric seat cushions. I just put cute throws over them. I have since found that the human is a lot messier than the cats! I use a covered litter box that gets cleaned at least twice a day. You can pick up the cardboard scratching posts at walmart. A spray bottle full of water is an excellent deterrent to bad behavior. If he does pee on anything Nature's Miracle works the best. It's a little pricey but worth it. I have met several people who travel with cats and they seem to do quite well.

 

[Canine]

Thanks for the info everyone.I think we are going to pass on taking the cat with us.Much as we love animals,I think it's best to leave him here.

 

[buckwilk]

B D, hey don't leave that cat! here's an idea http://catrecipes.com/recipes/braisedcat.html

 

[gcal]

Me and Vic have never had a cat and don't know much about keeping one.We had a tomcat show up and adopt us and are thinking of taking him with us.He and the dog get along great,but we are concerned about the possibility of clawing and pissing on the seats and bed. Any advise?

A bit off topic, but make sure you get him tested and vaccinated for feline leukemia ASAP if you intend to get anywhere near Florida. We had a quiet, friendly little female cat adopt us in the Tampa Bay area a while back. When we took her to the vet for a check up and neutering, she tested positive and had to be put down. Contagious and incurable (at least back then) and leads to a nasty death. Vet said almost all feral cats in the area either had it or had been exposed to it.