Rehoming Our Two RV Cats

When we started fulltime RVing in February 2014, our only pet was a bearded dragon named Trogdor. In the past four years, Trogdor passed on, Caspian was born, and we adopted two rescue cats. Over time and extensive conversation, we made the decision to rehome both cats, as we prepare for the next phase of our life and travel.

Why Did We Get Cats in the First Place?

Rhythm Jasmine

Around the same time we were talking about growing our human family, we were also talking about getting a cat. Eric has always had cats and absolutely loves them. I don’t. But I love him.

Many months went by when I discovered a litter of three kittens at our campground in Kentucky. We were monitoring them with other neighbors. They were very young, and their mother seemed to have abandoned them.

Eric was out of town when I made the decision to rescue one of the kittens as a gift for him. We named her Rhythm Jasmine. Another RVer adopted Rhythm’s brother and sister, and we’ve been able to see photos of them every now and then.

Rescuing Rhythm was semi-planned and we welcomed her as a permanent part of our family. This was back in April/May 2015.

Blues

Then there was Blues. We shared our full story of rescuing Blues when it happened in August 2017, so I’ll let you catch up here.

The bottom line is we had no intention of getting a second cat, but leaving Blues in the forest to starve wasn’t an option. By the time we got him fixed and got his shots, it wasn’t like we were going to just drop him off at a shelter. So we held onto him for the time being.

And we literally held onto him. Blues is the most cuddly, needy cat I have ever met. He’s less a cat than an animated teddy bear–one that suffocates you until you shove him away to get some space. Caspian loved him.

The arrival of both Caspian and Blues changed Rhythm. Rhythm was a feral cat who did everything on her own terms and routinely nipped to get her message across. But our family additions forced her to be more accepting. Though we weren’t sure it would ever happen, she ended up becoming friends with Blues, and more friendly all around.

So Why the Rehoming of Our RV Cats?

We’ve been posting some mysterious things on our social media accounts lately, and I know many of you are wondering what’s going on! Most importantly: we still plan on owning an RV as our home. We are most definitely not buying/renting a house/apartment or settling down in any way.

What we are doing is experimenting with a new form of travel in 2019. This travel will take us away from our RV for weeks or months at a time, and the cats would not be able to come with us.

It wouldn’t be fair to them, or economically feasible, to board them while we’re away. And while we considered long-term pet sitting with one of our friends in Texas, we decided it wouldn’t be the Best option. Reality is, we have big travel plans that get bigger and crazier with every year. So it would be in Rhythm and Blues’ best interest to give them a new home where they can settle down and be happy.

But the Logistics

So that was the decision we arrived at months ago: we needed to rehome our RV cats. But we had no idea how to find them a new home. It seemed like a good idea to look for one in Austin, so we could see them every year. But we couldn’t think of any friends to ask. And we dreaded making a blanket post on social media because, well, #hatersgonnahate.

It worked out. When we made our last-minute trip to Seattle this month to take care of Eric’s mom, we ended up moochdocking at Steve’s house. We didn’t know Steve before we arrived; he’s the brother of one of Eric’s high school buddies. But three weeks later, he was a true friend…and new daddy to Rhythm and Blues.

Steve owns a huge, comfortable house and already had two cats. He asked whether Rhythm and Blues could spend the night, to see how they did with the cats he already had. They never came back to our RV.

We had a chance to visit them many times during the three weeks we were in Seattle. It was touching to see them settling in, getting along with Cici (I never saw Steve’s other cat), and having so much room to explore. We feel Good about their new home, in a way I only hoped for as we were thinking through this whole transition.

Eric’s tentatively planning another trip to Seattle in October for his high school reunion, and he’s already intending to visit Steve, Rhythm, and Blues. Because our kitties are in Seattle where my mother-in-law lives, we will be able to see them from time to time. That feels good.

What Else Has Been Going on?

You may have noticed that I haven’t published any articles in way too long. I owe you travel logs for Grand Teton, West Yellowstone, and Bozeman. I hate getting behind, but it’s been for a good reason.

We’re now heading back east, currently staying at Fairchild Air Force Base outside Spokane. If all goes well, we’ll be outside Glacier National Park by the end of the week as we resume our 2018 travel plans.

A huge thank you to all who offered encouragement during our time in Seattle. It was Hard, but it was Good. We’re thankful that RV life gives us the flexibility to put family first.

-B