Cataclysmic variables (CVs) have been studied for decades, but it is only during recent years that the importance of multi-wavelength studies of these sources have motivated dedicated surveys e.g. CRTS and MASTER. Multi-wavelength follow-up studies are required to fully constrain the properties and radiative processes of CVs, as these sources emit energy over almost the whole electromagnetic spectrum. A selection of results from a multi-wavelength follow-up study of CV systems, showing high levels of transient emission, will be discussed. This will also be used to demonstrate how essential dedicated radio and gamma-ray telescopes like MeerKAT and the forth-coming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) are to complete our understanding of these sources and associated eruptive processes in general. Constraining non-thermal synchrotron emission processes in CVs and high energy outbursts are of special interest.