Rosie the cat: "Does this RV make me look fat?"

Since more than one of you has asked (that would be two), I'll report that yes, we do still have our cats on this Oregon coast odyssey. We haven't set them loose to forage among the sea otters or live out their lives begging with cardboard signs in the parking lot of the Lincoln City Mo's.

Tempting, at 3 a.m. when Bosun, the tuxedo cat, decides to prove that felines are naturally nocturnal and the 19-foot RV is his personal Serengeti to prowl, with lots of thumping and bumping involved. But no.

They're experienced travelers. They've done a lot of highway miles in our car, usually contained in soft-sided carriers held on someone's lap.

They're also accustomed to journeys by sailboat, with extensive hours of motoring in the San Juans. That's a lot like an RV, only with circular windows, cleats and a bilge.

They are mostly inside cats, allowed out on leashes in the summertime on the deck of the boat when we're at the dock. Or leashless when we're at anchor.

That's the one thing they can't understand on this trip: why, when we pull into a campsite, they aren't allowed to run free on top of the RV.

As for logistical questions, here is a FAQs list:

Where do they sleep?: On us, mostly, in the case of Rosie, the small, 12-year-old tabby. Or in his soft-sided carrier, in the case of 6-year-old Bosun, when he gets thrown in there at 3 a.m. (see "Serengeti prowling," above).

Where do they, uh, you know?: In one of those covered litter boxes that looks like a garage for a Smart car.

Doesn't it, uh, you know?: No, it doesn't stink. Only because we've found a brand of cat litter called World's Best Cat Litter, and it is. (And no, this is not a paid commercial announcement.)

Is there really room for a litter box in that itsy-bitsy RV?: Uh, no, not really. The only space for it is under the dinette, which is obviously not ideal, but because it's covered, it's tolerable. We might choose the next size larger motorhome if we were to do this again with the dumb chums.

What do they do while you're driving?: Rosie is pretty mellow and snoozes a lot, but occasionally wanders into the cab to sit on Barbara's lap and look out the window -- except for when she (Rosie, not Barbara) tries to get under the driver's feet down by the gas pedal, a recurring ambition that we're really trying to quash.

Bosun usually hides in his carrier or burrows to the bottom of a sleeping bag because he thinks the engine noise is a large hairy beast coming to devour him.

Bosun, the rocket scientist of the Cantwell family.

Where else do they like to go in the RV?: Both cats are sure there's something interesting in the 2-square-foot bathroom, and attempt to dash in there whenever the door is opened. (But oops, nothing has changed since the last time we did this.) Bosun is captivated with getting inside cupboards.

Aren't you being awfully self-indulgent writing this much about your pets?: Yes, now go read an important part of the newspaper and let me get on with my driving.