If you’re an avid RVer, the thrill of adventure and travel is your whole world! Of course you’ll want to share it with your pet, but RVs aren’t exactly equipped with the necessary creature comforts needed to keep animals feeling at home! These helpful RV modifications for your RVing pets will make things fun and comfortable for everyone!
Easy Outside Access
Want to give your pet the freedom to roam outside whenever they please? Install a doggy door in the exterior wall of your RV, and build a handy ramp that leads down to the ground! Make sure the ramp exits into a fenced-in area for dogs, or if you’re building it for a cat, make sure it leads to a cage! Your pets will appreciate the ability to come and go as they please, and if you’re feeling really crafty, you can make a little deck at the top of the ramp so they can sit and get a good view of their surroundings!
Catio
Do you like the previously mentioned idea, but are worried that your cat is too clever and will find a way to escape? Build a catio to keep them safe! A catio is a three-sided cage you can fix around the exterior of your window frame, which allows cats to step outside the confines of your RV and get some fresh air! If you’re feeling super ambitious and want to spoil your felines, build onto this idea and create a network of cages and platforms that span all the way to the ground! Make it big enough and there will even be enough room for a cat tree or two! This also works well for ferrets, who will love exploring!
Permanent Feeding Station
Instead of having to put away pet dishes and wonder where they slid off to during travel, install a permanent feeding station! This makes an awesome DIY project but you can also purchase some really neat ones too! They come in a variety of setups, with some that install on/in your wall or on the end of cabinets, while others can sit in multifunctional cabinets! This is also a nice way to get those food bowls up off the ground to make them easier to reach!
Utilize Pull-Out Drawers
If your RV comes equipped with lots of little handy drawers, use them for your pet’s needs! If you don’t like the previous idea of adding a feeding station, use a pet-level drawer and stow food bowls inside and pull them out when needed! This is also a great spot to put a bed if you have a lightweight dog, a cat, or any other small critter you happen to be traveling with!
Hide the Litter Box
It’s hard to get away from the litter box at home, and it’s even harder in an RV! This means you’ll have to get creative with storage so that odors won’t get to you, and so that your feline travel partner won’t feel uncomfortable going in front of an audience! Other RVers have gotten really creative, using large basement storage compartments or empty battery bays for litter box storage, building a tunnel from the interior down into the compartment. This will take some building know-how, but could be rewarding! If you aren’t that savvy, just designate a large cupboard and cut a hole in the cabinet door for easy access, or use your storage under your dinette to hide the box!
Horse Trailer Toy Hauler
Traveling with horses is serious business, but unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of RVs out there built especially for our equine counterparts! Mod out a toy hauler to make it safe to transport horses! This awesome kit from Stable Boy provides everything you’ll need to transform your toy hauler into a safe horse trailer, so you can bring your horses along and have your own living space too! This can surely be a DIY project if you don’t want to purchase a kit, but either way you’ll want to keep your RV’s gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR, a.k.a. its maximum operating weight) in mind. You don’t want to overload your RV, and you’ll also want to ensure that your horse is safe with proper flooring and ventilation!
Pet Stairs
Does your pet have limited mobility due to old age or an injury? Just like in your stick-and-brick home, include a set of pet stairs anywhere your pet would normally jump up to access, like couches and beds! Sure they take up a lot of room, but it’s worth it to keep your pet happy and comfortable!
Basement Storage Kennel
If you’re lucky to have a large RV with huge basement storage space, this could be the perfect spot to turn into a kennel if you can spare the storage space! Refashion this space with comfortable flooring, install a feeding station, and put a comfy bed inside and your dog will be a lot more comfortable here than in a cage! Again, make sure that there is plenty of ventilation so your pet can breathe!
Are you and your pets ready to hit the road? These neat and helpful RV modifications for your RVing pets will make travel fun and comfortable for everyone! What other modifications have you made to your RV to keep your pets comfortable or to make things more convenient? Comment to share your unique ideas!
