A number of friends have asked how our cat is traveling, especially since most cats seem to get completely nerved up over a short ride to the vet. Pepper has been no exception, but he is a very smart cat. He knew something was up as he followed me for days from room to room, and from house to motorhome as I was packing. If I had an empty bag he climbed inside, if I had a bag packed, he climbed on top. Amber made sure he knew where the “kitty facilities” were a few days before we set off, and Pepper even took it for a test run before the trip.
He was suprised by the roar of the engine and complained for the first few minutes, but found comfort right next to Amber (his favorite human) in a chair. He prefers smooth roads at 55mph (we all do) as opposed to bumpy roads, city driving, slow driveways or parking lots. And while he has found a really great hiding spot for super rough travel days, most of the time he is completely content, sleeping soundly while we travel.
On days that we are set up at a campground, the kids walk him on a leash several times a day (for fun) and he will spend time outside with us (on the leash) if we are outdoors, but he prefers to be inside the RV. At home it is the opposite. He is and inside cat, but when he hears the car pull in, he hides just inside the door to escape, and roam, and protect his territory. He thinks he is a “guard cat” and has protected our yard and home from big dogs, little dogs, racoons, rabbits and rodents…that is, when he is sly enough to get out. I was very concerned about his history of trying to eat dogs… knowing that we will probably camp next to dogs…but yesterday Amber walked him right past a dog at a campsite and Pepper completely ignored it. She also dropped his leash at one point (on purpose) to see what he would do and he stayed in step right beside her.
Didn't someone say it was time for school?
I mentioned earlier that he is a smart cat. He knows how our doors and screens open at home (thankfully he doesn’t have a whole lot of muscle to put behind it) and in the middle of the night he pushes the book off from the top of my water glass (that would be the book I placed on the water glass to keep middle of the night kitties from drinking my water) so he can drink fresh water. Of course that wakes me up, and I, like a good cat mom, get up and get us both fresh water. He is even smart enough to know not to mess with dad’s water…
With all of their recent time together, Amber has decided that it was time to teach him some tricks. Now, between Pepper’s smarts and Amber’s determination, we are the proud family of a cat that “sits” on command and “touches” (much like a dog’s shake) in order to earn a treat…… No kidding!
Our WAY Big Adventure 