Escapees March-April 2023

camping chair chat

RVers’ Sharing Tips, Opinions and Advice from the Road Submissions sent by e-mail can be directed to departmentseditor@escapees.com.

More Traveling Cats I read the article on Cruising with Cats, in the September/October issue of Escapees. My husband, Allen, and I began our full-time life style with two cats, Shy Anne and Apatchy, a Dodge truck and a 36-ft fi fth wheel. We didn’t have a rear seat in the truck, so there was no room for boxes or carriers for them. We learned quickly that driving with them loose in the cab was not a very good idea when one of them decided to crawl around Allen’s feet while he was driving. The only choice left was to leave them alone in the fi fth wheel so they could fi nd their comfortable traveling spot. This did work for us as each one quickly chose her favorite nesting area. However, I am writing to warn you of one spot that did not work out. Apatchy decided to ride behind the bedroom slide-out. It wasn’t until we heard a loud squeal as Allen pushed the button to extend the slide out that we learned where she was. We quickly learned to locate both cats before trying to extend the slide-outs. We continued our traveling for another nine years or so before settling down. Shy Anne and Apatchy did well. There were a few more unexpected adventures. The scariest one occurred when we could not fi nd Apatchy in the trailer and had everyone in the camp ground looking for this lost kitty. Allen fi nally went inside to start lunch and said, “I hear her inside!” She had gotten between the draw ers under the sink and couldn’t get out. I hope those traveling with pets enjoy them as much as we enjoyed our two girls. By Allen and Lois Maywald #29191

Mice and Rats I have to take exception to one thing Mark Nemeth mentions in his “Boondocking Digest” article, in the November/December 2022 issue, where he says, “I think we can all agree that those little plug-in devices that are supposed to repel mice with sound or magne tism are snake oil.”

I certainly do not agree, and I have found them to work very effectively. The fi rst one my wife and I put inside our trailer worked so good that I bought two for under the hoods of our car and truck. Soon after we got our new trailer in 2019 we had a rodent infestation. I quickly caught three mice (or small rats) with mouse traps in the kitchen drawers. We could still hear rodents inside the walls, and I was perplexed in how I was going to get traps in there. I tried most everything else you mentioned to no

avail. In desperation I decided to try one of the plug-in devices. It took a couple of days before we noticed we did not hear the rodents any more. There have not been any rodents or ants inside our trailer since then. I used lights underneath my vehicles, but I was still fi nding signs of rodents under the hoods. I did a search for 12-volt pest repellents and found some on Amazon. The fi rst one worked so good I got another for the car. The plug-in pest repeller I use (TBI Pro Ultrasonic Pest Repeller Wall Plug-in - Electromagnetic and Ionic Indoor Repellent Anti Mouse, Rats, Roach, Ants, Mosquito, Cockroach Control) is no longer available on Amazon; however, you can fi nd it elsewhere on the Internet. Amazon has many other pests repellers. The under-the-hood pests repellers are still available on Amazon: Loraffe 2 Pack Under Hood Animal Repeller Car Rat Repeller Rodent Repellent Ultrasonic Mouse Deterrent for 12V 24V Vehicle Automobile) Lately, my biggest worry has been if I have to put the trailer in storage, without being able to plug into electric, the rodents are going to be back. Jim Fy ff e #115568

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March/April 2023 ESCAPEES Magazine