Motorhome Cats
Cat mom Hazel travels with her partner Ollie and their two cats Lyra (a female cat) and Gizmo (a male cat) from Valencia, Spain, in their old motorhome, which they named Alba.
Lyra and Gizmo were born on the grounds of the school in Valencia where Hazel works. Hazel brought them home when they were still very little (ca. 6 weeks old ). Currently, Lyra and Gizmo are nearly two and a half years old.
Hazel chose the name Lyra because the little kitten was so adventurous that she reminded her of the main character in Philip Pullman’s books ‘His Dark Materials’. Gizmo, on the other hand, had a lot of problems with eating and digesting when he was little, which made Hazel think of Gizmo in the film ‘Gremlins’. Fortunately, he is nothing like a gremlin, he’s very sweet!
In the beginning, Hazel had to wean them, so Lyra and Gizmo wouldn’t become part of the stray population. During that period, she met her partner in Valencia who was already living in his van. Hazel decided to join him, so they got a Spanish van as they’re residents in Spain, and hit the road in July 2023.
At the moment Hazel, Ollie, Lyra and Gizmo are still living in their motorhome Alba.
Travelling Through Europe
Lyra and Gizmo and their cat pawrents have been to twelve countries together. They travelled mostly in Europe as it’s pretty easy to get around. They’ve been to Spain (obviously), France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Belgium.
Cat mom Hazel started harness training Lyra and Gizmo when they were very young. She was taking them on short trips to friends’ houses and in the car. Then they went on small trips when they got the motorhome, to make sure the cats were ready to hit the road.
According to Hazel, it was a bit of a learning curve for everybody involved, but she, her partner and the cats got a good routine now.
Playful Characters
Lyra is obsessed with her pom poms. She loves to play fetch with them and battle with them around the motorhome. She gets very upset if she thinks she’s lost them, but they’re usually hidden in very awkward places.
Gizmo is very chill most of the time, but when he wants to play he’s really touchy. He even loves to ride around on your shoulders.
Lyra is much better at performing tricks than Gizmo, but he’s getting there. He also prefers to be indoors on a chair or to travel in the cat pawrents backpack.
Off the Leash Moments of Joy
Amongst the many lovely moments together, Hazel holds dear the times when the cats could safely walk around. Sometimes Lyra even can be off the leash, and then leads and orbits Hazel, Ollie and Gizmo.
On the other hand, Gizmo does not quite have the recall skills to be off leash yet. But that does not keep them from just having a really lovely time in nature together.
Take Your Time Training Your Cats
Hazel’s advice for training your cats to travel would be: take your time! Introduce everything slowly. She started by having the cat five minutes in their harness before they got off. The most important thing to note is to give the pets plenty of praise and make it a routine.
Cats are truly amazing animals in the eyes of Hazel. When she brought Lyra and Gizmo home, she had no thoughts of living on the road with them. As circumstances changed, she and Ollie adapted so that they could live like this with their cats. For her this was a symbol of trust and love!
You stay updated on their travels and adventures by following them on their Instagram account @twocatsgo.
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