Cleaning Cat Hair in a Motorhome or Trailer

Ideas for Dealing With Cat Hair Balls and Fur in RVs

Nov 17, 2009 Linda Gentile

Cat fur can quickly reach epic proportions in a motorhome. Cleaning cat hair daily and grooming to avoid hair balls are two techniques every RVer should know.

When an RV traveler brings his cats along, it is his responsibility to keep his pets happy and healthy. Cats, being the independent and often cantankerous creatures that they are, feel no such obligation towards their humans. One of a cat's immediate responses to stress, annoyance or a change in weather is to leave its fur everywhere. On top of this, excess fur leads to excess cat hair balls which, despite their cute name, are neither cute nor round.

Why Cleaning Cat Hair in an RV is Important

Cats have an endless supply of fur which, by instinct, they lick clean and then leave on every possible surface. Dark cats will gravitate to light-colored surfaces; light cats will gravitate to dark ones. Cat shedding and cat hair balls are unavoidable, but in the confined space of an RV they can be particularly troublesome. Not only does flying cat hair cling to everything, it rapidly irritates the nasal passage and can cause uncontrollable sneezing.

Every cat owner is familiar with the foul sounds that preface a cat hair ball event. Cat hair balls form when too much fur from the cat's grooming ends up in the gullet. The cat cannot digest the hair, so it brings the hair up as a pellet. The primary solution is to reduce the amount of loose fur the cat can shed. Some cat foods are formulated to control cat hair balls, and for a chronic problem a vet may be able to suggest medicine.

Grooming a Cat Can Reduce the Amount of Cat Hair Cleaning

Daily combing of a cat takes out loose hairs and reduces the amount of hair a cat swallows. Whether the grooming experience is positive or negative depends mostly on the mood of the cat. The potential cat groom should start with a standard flea comb, teasing rather than tugging at cat dreadlocks; he should then finish with a softer brush. Assuming the cat tolerates grooming, much less hair will shed.

For the hair that escapes, a hand-held vacuum cleaner can be a godsend. A daily run-through with such a machine makes cleaning cat hair easy. Another consideration: if adopting a new cat or kitten, the traveler should consider a short-haired breed, or resign herself to much more cat hair cleaning. Persians practically guarantee endless hours of cat hair cleaning. It is not necessary to go quite as far as acquiring a bald sphynx cat, but a domestic short hair would definitely be a better choice.

Related Articles About Cats in RVs

Dealing With Cat Hygiene and Litter Boxes in RVs – Litter box issues are heightened in the small, enclosed space of an RV. Get ideas for where to place the litter box and how to keep issues under control.
How to Handle Cat Scratching Problems in an RV – Cats can quickly cause major damage with their claws, especially in an RV. Learn how to train a cat not to scratch and how to blunt their claws if not.
Keeping a Traveling Cat Happy in an RV – Cats enclosed in a small space can become fat and unwell. Playing with the cat and keeping it exercised is vital for the pet's continued health.

The copyright of the article Cleaning Cat Hair in a Motorhome or Trailer in RV Recreation is owned by Linda Gentile. Permission to republish Cleaning Cat Hair in a Motorhome or Trailer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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