Comments on: My Guru Has a Tail, Episode 16: The Monstrous Van

By: Z Egloff

Z Egloff — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 21:10:25 +0000

In reply to cat.

Hi Cat, Thank you – good to hear from someone else who has a van-hating cat! Luckily, we have a great housesitter situation, so that makes us feel WAY better about leaving our little boy while we go off on the road. Though he definitely still gives us the dirty looks – before and after. Especially before! Thanks for your comment! XOZ

By: cat

cat — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 17:54:41 +0000

Hi Kids! Absolutely could never get my cat into a van! He gets very upset when I leave for a few weeks…as in totally ignoring and giving dirty looks on my return…YOU ABANDONER!…but get someone to feed and (maybe?) cuddle, he’ll be fine…

By: Z Egloff

Z Egloff — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 00:00:28 +0000

In reply to Warren Kahn. Hi Warren, Thank you for the ideas. That's wonderful that Sweeta and Vinnie get to come with you. We will take your ideas and thoughts into consideration! And also, like you say, a bigger sized vehicle at some point, if that ever were to happen, might be more Max's speed. Happy Travels!! XOXOZ

By: Z Egloff

Z Egloff — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 23:58:02 +0000

In reply to LINDA SHERMAN. Hi Linda, Thank you for that idea. Unfortunately, Max hates the cat carrier even more than he hates the Monstrous Van! We definitely wanted it to work and, at this point, it looks like we'll be leaving the homebody at home! Thank you for the idea, though! Who knows, maybe some day there will be some change, somehow, and Max will hit the road with us somehow... XOZ

By: Z Egloff

Z Egloff — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 23:55:42 +0000

In reply to Janice Bellucci. Hi Janice, LOL Good for you for being specific about the two legs and less fur! And congratulations on being a grandmother!! What a blessing to both of you that you get to spend so much time with her! Thanks so much for your comment. XOZ

By: Janice Bellucci

Janice Bellucci — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 21:03:00 +0000

For several years, I let my loving daughter and her loving husband know that I would like to be a grandmother. They must have misunderstood what I had to say because they kept increasing the number of dogs they cared for. That is when I specifically asked for a two-legged grandchild with less fur. At long last, they heard me and lo and behold they provided me with a grand daughter who has captured my heart and I adore. What is the unexpected part of this? I expected (and so did her parents) that my grand daughter would go to child care at age 3 months. What happened instead? COVID. As a result, there were very few day care opportunities considered safe. Soooooo. I now take care of my grand daughter one full day a week as well as a few evenings a month. Was this what I expected? No! But the fact is it is so much better!!

By: LINDA SHERMAN

LINDA SHERMAN — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 19:34:51 +0000

He could travel in a cat carrier, a chusie one, until he is acclimated??? Or is this too simple. My friend traveled with her cat in their motorhome everywhere. But we are each individuals with individual feelings and limits. He sounds like a home body, for sure.

By: Warren Kahn

Warren Kahn — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 19:17:26 +0000

We have 2 cats and have gone through 3 different size camper/RV’s so we have a lot of experience in these matters. We gave up our travel by flight because we want our 2 cats with us. We just miss them too much when we are away. I must admit upfront that having gotten bigger campers does make the experience better and I am not sure about the smaller van types which may effect your results. But here goes. We have one cat, “Sweeta” who is very mellow and does not care about the environment she finds herself in as long as she is with her people. She does not object to going on trips for days and happily sits on our laps during the drivetime and mostly sleeps when we are gone for hours at a time for daily activities. Sweeta has learned to ask to go out at the campgrounds where she will wander about 20 feet around the motorhome and then comes back on her own. She stays close. So easy. Our other Cat, “Vinnie” does not like getting into any vehicle. During the packing for the trip, he gets the sense of what is happening and tries to hide. When the time arrives for departure, I need to hold him tightly and place him in the vehicle. He yowls for a while and then settles down once he gets we are going. He tends to find dark hiding places when we are driving but comes out when we arrive at our destination. Over time his favorite place for the drive is in the sink. I would not say he is a happy camper but he acclimates. Given he is a hunter and likes to come and go through our cat doors when home, we have trained him or maybe he has trained us to wake us up during the night when all the other noises of campers and kids are quiet. Then I attach his collar to a leash and we take a long walk 20-40 min during which he gets to explore and move. I reward him with food when we return. So there you have it. I believe the lesson is. . . that sometimes the humans just need to decide whether the cat agrees or not. They adjust accordingly. Kinda like parenting except lacking words. Hope this helps. Enjoy the journey.