Bug: Our Exhausting Adventure Cat

We have had three camping cats and each of their personalities was very different. “Bug” was probably the most lovable but also the most challenging adventure cat of the three.

Bug was a smart boy. He knew just the type of shenanigans to pull in order to get attention. Unfortunately, many of those were to get me up for the day. And it was usually at an earlier hour than I wanted to be awake.

His most common wake-up ploy was to lick or paw at the metal blinds next to the bed. He knew it made an annoying sound. When I tried to ignore that, he would resort to walking on me. Then, when I tried to ignore him again, he would start stalking and chasing our other cat. He knew THAT would get me out of bed. And it did. I had to protect Faith from his naughtiness.

Well, this went on for the 15 years we had our previous travel trailer, despite behavior training and medication. Fortunately, we made shorter trips in that one and I only had to put up with Bug’s business for a few months or less. But then we bought our 5th wheel and started our full-time RV life.

Bug was a big ‘fraidy cat.’ He was miserable riding in the truck and flinched anytime we drove by a big vehicle that he caught sight of through the window. We quickly learned, in spite of the obvious safety concerns, he was much happier riding in the trailer. (You can make it quite a bit safer by confining a pet to a safe space and using web cams to monitor them back there.)

Poor Bug also used to get motion sickness any time he was in a vehicle, but he figured out that if he rode under the covers on our bed in the trailer, it would be better. The poor guy would be lying in a pool of drool when we stopped for the day. Well, he continued this practice in our 5th wheel, except for the drooling part. We guessed the 5th wheel didn’t sway as much as the old trailer and made it easier for Bug to handle.

Unfortunately, because he felt better, he became obnoxious sooner. In the 5th wheel his most obnoxious behavior was stalking and chasing Faith. He seemed to do this just so I’d pay attention to him. By this time both were getting up there in age and Faith was actually getting scabs on her from Bug’s attacks. I needed to protect her.

Well, we decided that Bug could have the bedroom area as his domain and Faith could have the main room. It was where each would hang out anyway so we just made it official. The attacks on Faith lessened, however bedtime was a challenge.

Bug would get so excited about us coming to bed for the night that he would walk all over us, our pillows, under the covers, and out from under the covers, meowing the whole time. While we loved how affectionate he was, this was very tiring. But he would finally settle down and go to sleep – crammed next to me – purring like a running motor.

Sadly, Bug passed away only two-and-a-half years into our full-time RV adventure. He was 17 years old. Even though he had a very obnoxious side to him, I’ll never forget how sweet he was to us. He really did hang in there with us, despite not really enjoying the travel. But I think he really enjoyed the amount of time he got to spend with us around while traveling in an RV.

Please share your cat stories

• Do you travel with your cat?
• Does your cat love camping with you?

Let us know in the comments below!