Cody’s blog

Ivy's Cove RV Retreat
321 Bradley Cove Rd
Russellville, Arkansas 72802

479-280-1662

August 8, 2021

Ivy’s Cove RV Retreat in Russellville, Arkansas, was one of two non-KOA stops I made along the way from California to New York. I chose Ivy’s Cove because the KOAs along the way were either too close or too far away from my last stop, so I got brave and picked an RV campground that was conveniently located for my travels and had good reviews online. And it turned out to be a very nice campground — a lot like a KOA, with plenty of spacious, level pull-through sites and full hook-ups. The host was pleasant and welcoming, and the camp store was well-stocked with travel necessities.

The drive there was the one where things finally came to a head with my cat, Mister. I’d decided to try putting him in his regular carrier in the front seat instead of the mesh travel carrier, thinking he might be more secure in a smaller space, where he could see me as we drove. But he was worse than ever, crying endlessly, clawing at the carrier, finally collapsing onto his side with his mouth open and eyes staring. So I pulled off at the next parking area and took him and Davey into the trailer. I hadn’t wanted to let them loose in the trailer while I drove — I knew it wasn’t safe in case of an accident, but it wasn’t safe for Mister to be in a cage where he could injure himself struggling to get out, or aggravate his heart disease with stress, either. I figured I didn’t really have a choice at that point. So I left the cats in the trailer and drove on.

I stopped at the next rest area, about half an hour down the road, to check on the cats. Mister was on the bed. His eyes were big but he seemed less agitated. Davey was under the sleeping bag on the sofa. So far so good, so I left them there and drove on. Stopped again an hour later to find Mister more relaxed on the bed and Davey still under the sleeping bag.

When we arrived at the campground, Davey was under the covers on the bed and Mister was cozy in his travel carrier, snuggled into the towels. Silly kitty! Made so much fuss about being in the carrier, then went into it on his own. I figured having the flap open was the difference — he didn’t mind being in the carrier, he just didn’t like being trapped in it.