Over 50 percent of all travelers go on vacation with their pets, and approximately 78% of pet owners are driving and flying with their pets more than ever before. If you have been an RV owner for many years, your pets may be one of the reasons why. There is nothing that suits pets more than a large, spacious vehicle you can use to camp and get close to nature with your four-pawed friends. If you are looking at fitting your vehicle with pet-friendly furniture, keep the following tips in mind.
A Built-in Pet Crate
Having a crate fitted into your RV (or buying one that already has an in-built kennel) is an excellent way to ensure that your pet is safe, regardless of any bumps or turns that may come your way. Of course, if your RV lacks one, you can always purchase a crate and fit it tightly between the legs of a table. If there is a hollow bench in your RV, you can turn it into a crate by adding a safety door or gate, ensuring that plenty of light makes its way through the security gate or enclosure. The flooring of the crate should have a bed or other plush material that will enable your pet to rest soundly while you are driving.
Opting for Sturdy Materials
There is a myriad of RV furniture companies that offer different furniture pieces, styles, shapes, and fabrics if you are interested in updating or totally replacing your current furniture set. Choose sofas and chairs that resist pet scratches well. Microfiber is one of your best bets since it is highly stain-resistant and colorfast. It is also ultra-durable, so it stands the test of time even if you have pets that love jumping on and off it. Other good choices are cotton (which is soft and comfortable, but a little less durable than microfiber), and nylon. Avoid linen (which attracts hair and fur) and silk (which is too fragile). Hard leather may also work, but only if your pet isn’t a keen scratcher. If you have a cat, fit your RV with a scratching post your kittie can use when he feels stressed or excited.
Claw-Proof Furniture Covers and Washable Rugs
If you are having set pieces made to measure, ask your upholsterers to make claw-proof covers for furniture your pet is likely to sit or rest on. Ensure they are removable, so you can simply pop them in the washing machine if they are stained. Invest in a good steam vacuum that is specifically designed to remove pet hair. Finally, go for washable rugs instead of carpets. Hard floors are easier to clean if your pet has an “accident” indoors, and light rugs you can wash like the rest of your laundry are far more ideal than those that need professional cleaning.
If you are a pet owner who loves traveling with your furry BFFs, you are definitely in the majority. Keep your RV pet-safe by installing a sturdy crate and keeping your dog secured to the crate with a safety belt. Invest in fabrics that are sturdy and stain-resistant and have furniture coverings made, so you can remove them in a flash and machine wash them before stains have time to settle.
Author: Ali R.
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You didn’t leave home without your pet’s health records, right? As a savvy pet parent, you’ll have copies of your pet’s health records with you in the RV. Whether you keep them in paper or electronic form, your pet’s health history is an important treatment tool if hospitalization is necessary while you’re away. I keep mine in a hard copy file, but if you want the convenience of electronic files, check out helpful pet record keeper and organizer apps for smartphones. 
Good communication with clinic staff is always important but it’s critical during an emergency. Nobody likes to put a price on their pet’s life, but it’s a fact that money matters. Always be upfront with the veterinarian about what you can or are willing to pay for treatment.
Take a look back at 
Leaving family pet(s) behind when we venture out on RV trips can be emotionally difficult. However, it is possible, under the right conditions, to take your furry friends with you. This two-part article will provide some insight into traveling with pets and will hopefully offer some ideas how to minimize the stress on both the two- and four-legged members of the family.
We adopted our latest dog Pandora about a year-and-a-half ago. Prior to that, it had been many years since we last owned a dog, so we had become accustomed to travelling without one. We have also always had cats, which we have always left at home to be tended to by whoever was watching our house for us.
Our 15-year old daughter is very attached to Pepper the cat, so she decided it would be a good idea for him to experience the family travel adventure. Since we have a large RV with plenty of room, we decided to give it a try and took Pepper with us on an RV trip. We were rather unprepared for the outcome. The cat howled and meowed the entire time, and was both vomiting and had diarrhea. It was a bit of a disaster, and it is a very fortunate thing that we have a washer/dryer in our coach. It was clear to us that the cat suffers from motion sickness, and since our daughter is non-deterred in her desire to have her cat along, we now give Pepper Gravol® at a dose of 12.5mg every four hours. We do this by cutting a 50mg tablet into four pieces. We first dose Pepper about one hour before we drive. By doing so, Pepper is a reasonably good traveler. One benefit of cats is that they are generally not a problem to leave alone in the RV, as they will generally find a place to sleep. If you are considering taking your cat on the road, and they experience motion sickness, you can try the above procedure. Some cats will crawl under the bed or couch and stay there the entire trip. This may or may not work for you. Fortunately, Pepper does not do this, but does like to curl up on a dinette chair. Overall, it is a joy to have our pets along, and we feel more complete as a family.
There have been many articles written about traveling with pets, and everybody has different perspectives on this important topic. I have had many pets throughout my life, and although I currently only own a pair of sugar gliders, members of my family own quite a menagerie. Therefore, I have had occasion to provide room and board to domestic animals in the RV.
Keep both your family and your pet safe while driving as well. Never let them sit on your lap while you are driving and make sure they are in a safe location in the vehicle. You don’t have to leave food and water dishes on the floor while driving, but be sure to give the animals regular access to it.
Seeing new places through the eyes of our pets is one of the greatest rewards of RV travel. Our homes on wheels enable them to join us on our adventures, however teaching pets to actually enjoy those travels can sometimes require work. The good news is that with a little effort, most dogs and cats can adapt to the RVing lifestyle by following these three tips for a pet-friendly RV adventure.
When you travel without your favorite pillow, don’t you feel just a little lost at night? Our cats and dogs also feel the same way when they go places without their familiar stuff. Animals rely so much more on their sense of smell than we do so when they go to places that lack odors from their most familiar objects, the world gets confusing. To help your pet adapt to your home on wheels:
When traveling cross-country and switching time zones, sticking to pet care routines is even more important. In his blog post about 
Carry a Pet First Aid Kit, but don’t rely on ones made for humans. “You need to be aware that many over-the-counter medications (such as Ibuprofen) that are safe for humans to use can be very toxic to animals,” says adventure traveler TC Wait in her 
Before committing to traveling with your pet, ask yourself some questions: Does traveling make my pet sick? Does my pet make a lot of noise in the vehicle (will it drive me/us crazy)? Is my pet well-behaved? Is my pet in good health? Can I ensure that my pet can remain safe and comfortable? Finding the answers to these questions will ensure your travel experience with your pet is both fun and memorable.