Elsie asked me to let you know about her gear. Here it goes.

Elsie is chipped. She has been since she was a kitten.

She also wears two locators on her collar. The one I have had the longest is the Loc8tor. It is a small beacon that is on her halter. It can track her up to 400 feet. When I lived in San Diego and she had free run of the yard, all I had to do was turn on the handset and she knew her time was up. She would appear from wherever she was resting. I have this on my car keys as well. I tend to lose them. 😁

The Loc8tor has come in handy on the road. She has gotten out on me a couple of times, due to human error. I have found her each time. It is really handy with the car keys. I have lost them more than I like to admit.

The second one is called The Nut. It is that greenish round thing hanging from her collar in some of her photos. That one works with my iPhone.After you buy this you download a free App. It takes a little time to set it up. What I like about this one is that I can share the nut app with others, who house sit for her. Then they can find her as well. It is a little big but she doesn’t seem to mind it.

The hardest thing I have to remember with these locators is to carry extra batteries with me. The batteries last about 6-7 months.

Elsie is also command trained. Jim and I started training her when she was small. She is very responsive to commands. The first command she learned was “Elsie, Come!” along with three claps. One night while we were in Tennessee, I was trying out a different type of halter and she slipped out of it. It was pitch dark, trees from the bottom of the mountain to the top and thickly forested. I was a bit panicked. I said the above command and there was this little dark shape running into the RV. Whew! The other commands are:

• “Collar”-to remove her halter when she comes inside.
• “Outsie?”-If she wants to go out, this command is her cue to head to the door.
• “Elsie Wait” accompanied by showing her my flat hand or a finger. She doesn’t always like this one and cringes sometimes as if I am going to hurt her. Like I ever would. She will stop and wait, though. It might be worth the effort to go back and re-enforce this one again so she doesn’t get so anxious. I trained her to this command by putting her on a short leash, and gently pulling up and saying wait, like I meant it. When I trained her she would sit down and wait. I chose this one because when I first began introducing her to the RV, she would sometime spring for the side door when I would open it. This is the one command she learned after Jim died. I figured if she was going to travel with me, I would need her to pay attention. She is a very good kitty and although a scaredy cat, aims to please.

She has some interesting dog-like behaviors. I can walk her on a leash with ease. I can take her to my friend, Nancy’s house for dinner or an evening. She really likes Nancy and has stayed with her. She walks in for the evening like she owns the place. I don’t have to bring her litter pan in. She is good at waiting. I bring her short leash with me in case I need to take her for a trip outside.

Her adaptability is what amazes me most. Then again my adaptability, since I was diagnosed with breast cancer,then Jim’s death has pretty much surprised me as well. 

Elsie is such a delightful traveling companion. I am glad I have her along for the ride. We are a team, all the way. I believe we have saved each other time and time again.